18–22 May, 2026 in Lund, Sweden (on site)
Join us for our international PhD course on Reflexive and Creative Methodology in Lund this spring. This intensive course offers a combination of lectures, seminars, and workshops for PhD candidates to learn and receive guided feedback on their PhD projects from leading scholars. The course is aimed at participants from across the social sciences.
Aim and course content
In principle, there are two major routes to producing credible research texts. One emphasizes rationality through adherence to established rules and procedures. The other engages the interpretive, political, linguistic, theory-data-integrated nature of the research process. This course emphasizes the importance of being aware of the various elements that influence the research process and results.
This course introduces doctoral students at various stages of their research to reflexivity in their methodological approach, encouraging creative and innovative research processes. It is designed for students with experience in qualitative research (currently following a mainstream approach to qualitative research) who wish to critically re-evaluate their methods. This critical re-evaluation takes place in a reflexive space – one that considers the many influences on the research process, including the researcher’s role.
Participants will explore reflexivity as both a way to avoid common methodological pitfalls and a tool to engage more creatively with different aspects of the research process. The goal is to produce more interesting, unexpected research results by rethinking conventions and exploring alternative research questions, fieldwork practices, interpretation strategies, and writing styles. Key elements of the course include, for example: constructing innovative research questions, theory development in empirical work, conducting reflexive interviews, studying narratives, differing viewpoints, reflexivity, pluralism and conflict, and interpretation and re-interpretation.
Course structure and learning activities
The course consists of an intensive one-week on-site program at Lund University in May 2026, including lectures, seminar discussions, and a full-day workshop focused on PhD projects. Two weeks after the on-site session, participants will attend a follow-up online session to reflect on the course content and discuss new insights and challenges in the context of their current work.
Teachers and location
The teaching staff includes Mats Alvesson, Sanne Frandsen, Dan Kärreman, Christina Lüthy, Monika Müller (course director), and Stephan Schaefer from Lund University; Christian Huber from Copenhagen Business School; and Jörgen Sandberg from the University of Queensland, Australia.
The teaching will take place on campus at Lund University. Attendance is mandatory for all participants. The course director will assess whether and how absence may be compensated.
Examination
A final course paper critically discussing and applying relevant parts of the course literature (max. 3,000 words) is due in mid-August 2026.
Application
Apply for the course by 8 May 2026 by sending
1) a brief motivation letter,
2) a brief summary of your PhD project, and
3) a signed application form as one PDF file to rcm@fek.lu.se
The cost of each course is 5.000 SEK (+25 % VAT). Payment instructions will be distributed upon acceptance. Students from NFF member universities do not need to pay the course fee. Also, students from SNABS member universities are exempt from the fee.
