Lunds universitet, Statsvetenskapliga institutionen

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 47 000 students and more than 8 800 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

Duties
The PhD programme in political science consists of 240 credits (equivalent to four years of full-time studies) and is concluded with the public defense of a doctoral thesis. The appointed doctoral students will receive a salary from the University during four years, and their primary obligation is to complete their PhD studies. The position may involve departmental duties, mainly in the form of teaching, up to 20 per cent of full time working hours, in which case the appointment will be extended by the equivalent number of hours. The doctoral student will have access to a work space at the Department of Political Science. The terms of employment for doctoral students are regulated in the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance (HF), Chapter 5, Sections 1– 7.

This position is associated with the research project ‘Populism and Democratic Defence in Europe’ (2020-2023), which is funded by the Carlsberg Foundation and is led by Associate Professor Anthoula Malkopoulou in collaboration with partner universities at Aarhus, Roskilde, Warsaw and Wroclaw. The aim of the project is to identify how liberal democracies can respond to populist pressures in a way that is both effective and legitimate. It combines empirical case studies of the effectiveness of national and European initiatives against populist parties with normative analysis of the consistency of these initiatives with liberal democratic values.

The doctoral student is expected to contribute to the normative analysis of cultural or political initiatives against populist parties in a way that benefits the general framework and goals of the project. S/he could, for example, address questions such as whether it is legitimate to exclude or collaborate with populist parties, whether state institutions are justified to actively promote democratic values, what is the relationship between democracy and the state, or a similar question along these lines. Experience with research in democratic or political theory is an important merit.

Within these parameters, the doctoral student will conduct independent research and will enjoy the freedom to formulate research questions, develop theoretical ideas and choose methodological approaches. S/he is expected to be present and actively participate in the research and teaching environment at the department, in project workshops once a year, as well as the everyday activities of the project, including reporting to the Carlsberg Foundation.
 
The main language of the PhD programme is English. However, non-Swedish speaking students are expected to acquire basic skills in Swedish during the period of employment. There are opportunities to participate in language courses taught at the University. The doctoral studentship will commence on 1 September 2020. The general syllabus and other information about the PhD programme in political science is available at: http://www.svet.lu.se/en/education/phd-studies

Qualifications
The requirements for admission to third cycle courses and study programmes (in accordance with HF, Chapter 7, Section 35) are that the applicant
•meets the general and specific entry requirements that the higher education institution may have laid down, and
•is considered in other respects to have the ability required to benefit from the course or study programme (Swedish Code of Statutes 2010:1064).
A person meets the general entry requirements for third cycle courses and study programmes if he or she:
•has been awarded a second cycle qualification,
•has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
•has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

Specific entry requirements

In addition to the general entry requirements, the applicant must have completed at least 30 second cycle credits within the main field of political science, or acquired the equivalent knowledge in Sweden or abroad. The applicant must also present a graded Master’s degree project of at least 15 credits in political science or other discipline deemed equivalent.

Assessment criteria
Only applicants who are eligible for third cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Admission is primarily to be based on the applicant’s ability to benefit from the third cycle programme. The applicants will be ranked based on an overall assessment of the quality of their submitted thesis/ theses and research plan, grades from previous studies, and their personal suitability. As third cycle studies in political science are very demanding, the applicant must be highly motivated and able to work independently under time constraints. Good collaboration and communication skills are also required, as is proficiency in both written and spoken English. Interviews will be conducted with a shortlisted number of applicants during the final stages of the admission process. The applicants may be asked to provide work samples.
The Department of Political Science particularly welcomes female applicants.

Application procedure

Applications are to be submitted electronically via the Lund University application portal.
The application must include:
•A cover letter in Swedish or English of max 1 000 words, which contains a brief presentation of yourself and your qualifications, as well as a brief explanation of why you are interested in third cycle studies at the Department of Political Science at Lund University.
•A CV in Swedish or English that demonstrated your qualifications for the third cycle programme in Political Science.
•Degree and grade certificates in Swedish or English.
• Master’s degree project in Swedish or English corresponding to at least 15 credits in political science or another discipline deemed equivalent (in addition to the Master’s degree project, a Bachelor's degree project can also be submitted).
•A brief research plan in Swedish or English of max 2 000 words including references.
•Name and contact information of two personal references (letters of reference are not required in the first stage of application).
•Other documentation of relevance to the position.

Type of employment Temporary position
First day of employment 1 September 2020
Salary Monthly salary
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100
City Lund
County Skåne län
Country Sweden
Reference number PA2020/414
Contact
  • Douglas Brommeson, Director of Studies, douglas.brommeson@svet.lu.se, +46 (46) 222 8948
  • Anthoula Malkopoulou, Principal Investigator, anthoula.malkopoulou@svet.lu.se, +46 (46) 222 8942
Union representative
  • SACO:Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet, +46 (46) 222 9364
  • OFR/ST:Fackförbundet ST:s kansli, +46 (46) 222 9362
Published 07.Feb.2020
Last application date 08.Mar.2020 11:59 PM CET

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