PhD student in History of Ideas

The Department of Culture and Aesthetics (IKE) is a large and dynamic department within the Faculty of Humanities with about 120 employees, including approximately 50 PhD students within five subject areas.

History of Ideas at Stockholm University is part of the Department of Culture and Aesthetics (IKE), which also includes the subject areas Art History, Literature, Musicology, Theatre Studies, Curating and Heritage Studies. The department offers a four-year doctoral program in History of Ideas. Within History of Ideas research is conducted in several thematic fields: History of political ideas; History of philosophy; Cultural history; Media history; History of knowledge; and Environmental history.

More information about us, please visit: The Department of Culture and Aesthetics.

Subject area

The PhD student will pursue research within History of Ideas. We encourage applications that relate to descriptions of the subject area. See also the general study plan, which can be found on the website Doctoral studies in History of Ideas (in Swedish), and information about PhD studies at the Department. 

Qualification requirements

In order to meet the general entry requirements, the applicant must have successfully completed a second-cycle degree, completed courses equivalent to at least 240 higher education credits, of which 60 credits must be in the second cycle, or have otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or elsewhere.

In order to meet the specific entry requirements, applicants must have successfully completed an advanced level degree in History of Ideas: courses on advanced level covering at least 30 credits including a thesis covering at least 15 credits.

In order to meet the specific entry requirements, proficient knowledge in Swedish (Norwegian or Danish) or English in speech, reading and writing is also required. 

The entry requirements may be met by applicants who in Sweden or elsewhere have acquired equivalent qualification. Any assessment of equivalence is conducted by an admission committee appointed by the supervisory committee and decision on admission is made by the Department board. 

The qualification requirements must be met no later than the application deadline.

Selection

The selection among the eligible candidates will be based on their capacity to benefit from the training. In addition, we take into account the applicant’s ability to contribute to and benefit from the research environment at the department. As an employee, the doctoral student must be physically present at the department and an active participant in seminars. The selection among the eligible candidates will be based on the following criteria:

1. Education in general. Assessment of the depth and breadth of the applicant’s previous education.
2.  Scholarly production. On the basis of the applicant’s degree projects from the first and second cycle and, where applicable, other written scholarly production, the applicant’s capacity to benefit from the training is assessed according to: 

• critical ability
•  analytical skills
•  creativity
•  independence.

The assessment will also consider the time aspect, i.e. to what extent the applicant has demonstrated the ability to complete previous academic projects within specified time limits. In addition, based on a comparison of the academic works, an assessment is made of the applicant’s academic development.

3. Research proposal. The applicant should enclose a short research proposal (max. 15,000 characters including spaces), covering the research problem and an outline of the research project. It should also describe why the applicant is interested in the project and what makes the applicant suitable for it, how the project relates to the state of research and which theoretical and methodological approaches the applicant wants to use in the project. The research proposal will be assessed on the basis of: 

•  relevance
•  originality
•  feasibility within the given timeframe (i.e. a period equivalent to four years of full-time study).

4.  Available supervisor resources.
5.  Teamwork skills. The applicant’s ability to collaborate is assessed on the basis of, for example, references, certificates or interviews.

Admission Regulations for Doctoral Studies at Stockholm University.

About the position

We offer a fixed-term employment as a doctoral student according to Chapter 5 of the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100). The term of the initial contract may not exceed one year. The employment may be extended for a maximum of two years at a time. However, the total period of employment may not exceed the equivalent of four years of full-time study.

Doctoral students should primarily devote themselves to their own education, but may engage in teaching, research, and administration corresponding to a maximum of 20 % of a full-time position.

Please note that admission decisions cannot be appealed.

Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.

Contact

For more information, please contact Director of PhD studies, Professor Victoria Fareld, victoria.fareld@idehist.su.se.

Application

Apply for the PhD student position at Stockholm University's recruitment system. Attach a personal letter and CV as well as the attachments requested in the application form. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline.

The instructions for applicants are available at: How to apply for a position.