SUM Research School

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PhD seminar series autumn semester 2007

The SUM Research School organizes a seminar series for PhD-candidates studying relevant topics within development and environment. The seminars focus on methodological issues arising out of inter-disciplinary research. Students will present and obtain feedback on their respective projects and provide critical-constructive comments on other students' work. A senior researcher will be involved in commenting on the papers/chapters.

The seminar series have approx. 6 meetings per semester. The members of the group have wide-ranging backgrounds, but they find common ground in the methodological challenges of interdisciplinary research. All participants are working both within their own discipline and to a greater or lesser extent crossing over into other disciplines.

The seminar series is open for PhD students allready accepted to a PhD program at the University of Oslo.

If you wish to attend, please contact us by e-mail: researchschool(a)sum.uio.no

SUM Research School Goals

1. Provide high quality education of international standard.
2. Combine academic quality within a particular discipline with an openness and knowledge of other disciplines so as to provide critical and innovative perspectives on topics within the field of development and the environment.
3. Conduct research with a critical approach, challenging dominant values and perspectives – whether based on gender, culture or disciplinary orientation.
4. Cooperate closely with other departments at the University of Oslo, as well as international institutions through SUM's International network.

History

The Centre for Development and the Environment (Senter for utvikling og miljø - SUM) was granted formal status as a Research School at the University of Oslo in 2005. The School will focus on interdisciplinary research on topics within the broad field of development and the nvironment.

SUM was established at the University of Oslo in 1990 in response to the report of the Brundtland Commission: Our Common Future . Because of its interdisciplinary mandate SUM is placed directly under the Board of Directors of the University of Oslo rather than attached to a particular faculty.

SUM now has more than 15 years of experience in undertaking interdisciplinary research and teaching. This has enabled the Centre to build up an international reputation, an extensive network of contacts, and almost unrivalled experience of the challenges and opportunities that this type of research provides.  

The organization of the Research School builds on SUM's existing model of collaboration with various departments at the University by which Doctoral students will be required to fulfill the standard requirements of the relevant department, but SUM's doctoral courses will count towards the total number of points required. (We anticipate that the courses will be approved by relevant faculties/departments at the niversity of Oslo).

Academic profile

The emphasis of the School, as for the Centre, is on interdisciplinary, policy-oriented research. We are especially concerned with comparative analysis, over time and space, and with different levels – global, regional and local – and interactions between these.

The School's areas of expertise are based on SUM's four main research areas, each led by a senior researcher. There are, however, areas of interaction and overlapping between these programme areas as the intention is not to create barriers or demarcation lines between researchers; quite the reverse. At present, the research areas are:

•  Environmental Values and Social Change

•  Global and Regional Governance for Sustainable Development

•  Local Dynamics of Change in Developing Countries

•  Program for Research and Documentation for a Sustainable Society (ProSus)

For further information about SUM faculty members and SUM's research, click here .

Core activities

Doctoral courses

The School will organize one PhD course per semester. The courses will be three-day, in-depth courses on a selected topic, with a focus on methodology. The purpose of the courses is to give students theoretical and practical experience in undertaking interdisciplinary research within the broad field of development and the environment. The courses will include lectures, discussions, and student presentations.

The courses will highlight how different disciplines approach and define 1) research questions, 2) selection of theories and perspectives and 3) methodology and research techniques. On the basis of actual research studies in which several disciplines have been engaged, participants will discuss the advantages and challenges involved.

Recently offered courses include Sustainable Consumption (January 2007); Poverty and Development (October 2004); Critical Perspectives on the New Local Politics of Democratisation in Developing Countries (September 2004); States and Regions: Exploring the Relationships (April 2003); Globalization and Transnationalization: Lessons from Latin America (March 2002); Ecosystem processes and the Functional Role of Biological Diversity (April 2002).

Prospective topics for future courses include Poverty and food; Corporate social responsibility; Energy and climate change; Post-conflict reconstruction; and Management of biodiversity.

The next PhD course at SUM will be organized, tentatively, in March 2008. The theme and dates for the course will be posted on this website when confirmed.

Seminar series

The School organizes a seminar series for PhD-candidates studying relevant topics within development and environment. The seminars' focus will be methodological issues arising out of inter-disciplinary research. Students will present and obtain feedback on their respective projects and provide critical-constructive comments on other students' work. A senior researcher will be involved in commenting on the papers/chapters.

The seminar series have approx. 6 meetings per semester. The members of the group have wide-ranging backgrounds, but they find common ground in the methodological challenges of interdisciplinary research. All participants are working both within their own discipline and to a greater or lesser extent crossing over into other disciplines.

Seminar series have been organized during the autumn semester, 2006 and the spring semester, 2007.

International Network

SUM has an extensive international network of distinguished scholars on which the School's International Contact Group is based. Members will be involved in planning and conducting the School's courses within their respective fields of expertise.

• Katrina Brown, University of East Anglia, UK : Development and environment
• Valerie Brown, ex University of Reading, UK : Community ecology, Agro-ecology
• Piers Blaikie, University of East Anglia, UK : Political ecology
• David Crocker, University of Maryland, USA : Development ethics
• Roy Ellen, University of Kent, UK : Environmental anthropology and local environmental knowledge
• Des Gasper, Institute of Social Studies, the Hague , Holland : Development economics/ethics
• Iain Gordon, CSIRO sustainable ecosystems, Townsville : Ecology
• Barbara Harriss-White, University of Oxford, UK : Development Studies
• John Harris, School for International Studies, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver : Development Studies
• Kjell Havnevik, the Nordic Africa Institute and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden : Rural development and natural resource governance
• Anders Hjørt, University of Linköping, Sweden : Environmental anthropology
• Steve Rayner, James Martin Institute for Science and Civilization, University of Oxford : Technology, society and sustainable institutions
• Jan Aart Scholte, University of Warwick, UK : Politics and global studies
• James S. Scott, Yale, USA : Political science and anthropology
• Elizabeth Shove, University of Lancaster, UK : Sociology
• Finn Stepputat, Danish Institute for International Studies, Denmark : Anthropology
• Sverker Sørlin, University of Umeå, Sweden : Environmental history
• Fiona Wilson, Institute for Society and Globalisation, Roskilde University , Denmark : Geography / Development studies
• Richard A. Wilson, University of Connecticut , USA : Anthropology

Admission

Seminar series: PhD students already participating in a PhD programme at the University of Oslo may participate in the seminar series after consultations with the Director of the Research School.

PhD courses: Prospective participants must apply in advance in order to attend PhD courses at SUM. Deadlines and application forms will be posted on this website.

Please note: All Research School activities are for students already enrolled in a PhD course. The Research School does not offer PhD positions or fellowships.

Contact information

The Research School is led by Prof. Desmond McNeill, senior researcher at SUM and Director of the Research School.

For further information, please contact the Research School assistant, Hilde Reinertsen: researchschool(a)sum.uio.no or 22 85 89 09.