Doctoral studies

Research Design, 7.5 credits

The PhD course is organized by PESO (Politics, Economy and the Organization of Society). The course is taught October 2 – December 1.

Participants are trained in critical reflection and development of research problems, research design, and research ethics within the Social Sciences.

The deadline for registration is September 15. If you are interested in attending the course, please register by sending an email to forskarutbildning.isv@sh.se. In your application, please specify your discipline, your department and the university at which you are a doctoral student. Places are limited.

For more information about the course, please see the document below.

Organizations and Institutions, 7.5 credits

The doctoral course will be given December 4 2026 to February 19 2027 at Södertörn University.

The aim of the course is to give an overview of important theoretical traditions within organization theory and institutional theory.

The course covers the following themes:

• Introduction to organizational and institutional theory
• Neo-institutional theory
• Historical institutionalism
• Organizing Representative Democracy - Political Parties and the State
• Journalism and mediatization from an institutional perspective
• Discursive perspectives on institutions and organizations
• A comparative perspective on institutional regimes
• Social movements

The deadline for application is November 1. If you are interested in attending the course, please send an email to forskarutbildning.isv@sh.se. In your application, please specify your discipline, your department, and the university at which you are a doctoral student. Places are limited.

Class: Work, Identity and Power, 7.5 credits

The course is organised by the Sociology department at the School of Social Sciences, Södertörn University – but we welcome PhD students from other subjects and universities.

The course provides an overview of central theories and concepts within the research field of sociological studies of class, focusing on why class stratification and class conflicts arise and the importance of class for individuals’ and groups’ work situations, everyday life and power in society. The course covers themes such as class and identity; micro-sociological perspectives on class and work; power, power resources and trade unions; how class affects attitudes and political participation; and comparative perspectives on work organisation.

The course is intended for doctoral students in disciplines within the social sciences.

The course is taught at 100% pace, 3 December 2026 to 12 January 2027. The course is taught in English and is free of charge for doctoral students. Attendance at seminars is mandatory.

For more information on the structure of the course, timetable and reading list, please see “Course Description”. More information can also be found in the course syllabus.

If you are interested in attending the course, please email the course coordinators, Magnus Wennerhag (magnus.wennerhag@sh.se) and Ingrid Esser (ingrid.esser@sh.se).

In your application, please write a few lines about your thesis project, as well as about why you want to take the course. Also specify your discipline, your department and the university at which you are a doctoral student.

Application deadline: 8 November. Places are limited.

If you have questions about the course, you are welcome to email the course coordinator.