9 PhD positions in Sociology and Social Reasearch, University of Trento, Trente (Italy) — LIMITE : 28/05/2015

The doctoral programme in Sociology and Social Research is part of the Graduate School of Social Science at Trento University, a multidisciplinary and lively international environment, providing its students with advanced training and guiding them towards cutting-edge doctoral research. As well as the Doctoral programme in Sociology and Social Research, the school also hosts PhD programmes in Economics and Management (EM) and Development Economics and Local Systems (Delos).

The School of Social Science provides doctoral researchers with a three year fully funded programme,located in Trento, Italy. We actively promote interdisciplinary exchange in methods and approaches, and foster internationalization: students are encouraged to spend a research period abroad. We also offer several joint degree programmes with European universities (check our website: http://web.unitn.it/en/drss).

The doctoral programme in Sociology and Social Research

The doctoral programme in Sociology and Social Research (SRS), sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Social Research, was established in 1981 and joined the School of Social Sciences in 2011.SRS provides state-of-the-art research training and teaches advanced professional skills in sociology and social research. Besides providing a solid foundation in the disciplines, including a broad range of quantitative and qualitative methods, the Programme places strong emphasis on theoretically driven empirical sociology. The official languages of the doctoral programme are English and Italian. Language of instruction is English.

Courses

The SRS programme consists of a set of common mandatory courses in the first year and a series of specialized courses and elective seminars in the second year. The course programme often involves international visiting scholars. Topics covered include classical and contemporary sociological theories, various methods, as well as several substantive issues, such as social stratification and inequlity studies, social change, cultural studies, economic and labour market sociology, migration studies, social network analysis and collective action, political and electoral studies, demographic change and family sociology, and studies on welfare and social policies.

We also offer courses on academic writing.

Teaching is integrated with research seminars and we offer the opportunity to participate in various summer/winter schools.

The international research environment

The SRS programme offers students a stimulating research environment and important opportunities, not least through an international network of high quality. The SRS faculty has developed an extensive network of international relationships which can help students to visit foreign institutions and to get in contact with external experts. In addition, SRS offers an intensive calendar of seminars and conferences including visiting scholars.

The department is a multidisciplinary entity, with sociologists, economists, political scientists and statisticians. It has consistently carried out high-quality research, often within larger international comparative studies and has successfully attracted both national and international funding. SRS is associated with the European Consortium of Sociological Research (ECSR), the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) and the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR).

The department is among the best in Italy, has a strong standing in empirical research and a traditional emphasis on research on various social inequalities and cultural studies.

“Cotutelle de-these”: opportunities for earning double or joint degrees

The PhD programme offers a limited number of positions for joint or double degree programmes. The School of Social Sciences currently offers “cotutelle-de-these” agreements with the following partners:
Université Paris-Sorbonne, France; Tilburg University, The Netherlands; University of St. Andrews, UK; University of Jena, Germany, as well as plenty of other opportunities for exchange and individualized agreements in Europe.

The offer

Doctoral scholars are provided with office space, IT equipment, conference and summer school travel support. Trento University provides also helps with accommodation.

Scholarships are about EUR 1,200 a month, with a possible 50% increase for research stays abroad. The PhD programme does not charge tuition, but students are required to pay an annual student fee of about €120.

Application

We invite applications from qualified graduates (M.A. degree or equivalent) in one of the social science (Sociology, Economics, Demography, Anthropology, Social Statistics….) or closely related fields. You can also be “conditionally accepted” if you qualify to obtain your degree by October 31, 2015.  In this case full documentation needs to be provided no later than November 15, 2015.

The programme is conducted in English and a very good working knowledge of that language, including a proven writing ability, is expected.

Admission is on a competitive basis and progress to successive years is subject to satisfactory academic appraisal. Please check our website for details.

Closing date is May 28, 2015, 4pm (italian time).

Participation in the selection process is subject to the payment of a non–reimbursable application fee of €15.00, by Bank transfer or credit card, as indicated in the appropriate section of the on-line application

Please, read carefully the call for application! The link will also be available on the School of Social Sciences website: http://www.unitn.it/ateneo/690/concorso-di-ammissione

The selection procedure consists of three stages.

First, a shortlist of candidates is produced on the basis of the assessment of the CV, research proposal, and any reference letters. Shortlisted candidates are required to sit a multiple-choice test. Once passed, candidates are invited to an interview at Trento (in some cases candidates may be interviewed by phone or video conference).

Documents to be submitted

• photocopy of the applicant’s identity card or passport
• degree certificates (Italian “laurea specialistica” (or “magistrale”) according to Ministerial Decree no. 509 of 03/11/1999 and subsequent amendments, or equivalent titles obtained abroad).
• curriculum vitae in English
• research proposal
• reference letters (not mandatory)

For further information please contact

School of Social Sciences
Via Verdi 26 38122 Trento IT
Tel: + 39 0461 281326/2290/3756 – Fax: + 39 0461 282335
E-mail: school.socialsciences@unitn.it

Plus d’infos

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