The PhD programme

Here is an overview of the courses in the first year of the PhD. 
 

Aims
The “Designing Research Methods” course provides an introduction to research ethics, philosophy of science, and research methodology within AHO’s disciplinary fields. The aim of the course is to secure and enrich the required intellectual independence for carrying out the individual thesis work. To make candidates learn about positioning activities as research, the course focuses on understanding and defining various modes and habits of research which attend the various research disciplines at AHO, with an emphasis on the place of design within the process of generating knowledge through research. 

Research methods that are discussed in the course might include (but are not limited to): ethnography, anthropology, giga-mapping, action research and participatory workshops, discourse analysis, interviews and questionnaires, archival research, and oral history.  

The course consists of research lectures by AHO faculty and external guests, reading seminars, discussions, and submission of a final essay (a reflection on the reading list). 
The “Methods” course is offered every fall (September-December) and should be taken in the first semester of the PhD. All participants are expected to actively participate in discussions which are part of the course. 
 
Course content
The Research Lectures consist of presentations by invited guest scholars and AHO faculty/PhD fellows on given topics, in which the speakers focus on their own use of method and/or theory. The lectures will be given on Zoom (or hybrid format) and are open to all AHO PhD Fellows. 

In the Text Discussion session, the group will discuss articles/book chapters on the reading list that relate to the topic of the Research Lecture and each first-year candidate is asked to present one article to the group and prepare questions for discussions. 
 
Compulsory assignments 

1. Read a 1000-pages reading list
2. Active participation in the Research Lectures and the Text Discussion sessions 
3. Five prepared text presentations in the Text Discussions 
4. Writing assignment: a 1000-words reflection on the reading list in relation to the research method(s) most relevant to your object of research. The text should include an annotated bibliography on five articles/books that are not included on the reading list, but related to your selected method(s) and object(s) of research. 
5. Chairing and leading the discussion in one session of the annual AHO Colloquium (each fall)

 
Learning outcomes

Knowledge
After completion of the Methods course, the candidate 

• can position practice-based activities as formal research within particular fields.
• has good knowledge of research philosophy and the different means and aims in research discourses in the humanities and/or social sciences (quantitative research, qualitative research, research by design, ethnography, history, theory, and criticism).
• thinks critically regarding their own discipline from different external academic perspectives.
• can reflect on the role of a researcher, and the requirements and expectations this entails in terms of social responsibilities and research ethics.

Skills
After completion of the Methods course the candidate

• can recognize methodological implications of the various research designs in general terms.
• is familiar with the formalized apparatus around research dissemination (academic presentations, publication, peer-review).
• can identify various forms of plagiarism and academic misconduct in order to carry out the research with scholarly integrity.
• has developed their skills in academic and creative writing.
• can identify relevant concerns in research ethics. 
  
   

Aims
The “Apparatus: literature/state of the art/research design” course consists of acknowledging, understanding, and demonstrating an ability to deal with the formalized processes, procedures, and genres that surround higher research and defines project-based activities as research within an academic context. This includes the creation of literature/source lists defining project scope and research questions (bibliography), systems that build authority in academic texts (referencing, peer review, and negotiations of writing/publishing for disciplinary audiences), systems that ensure methodological integrity (ethical standards for research practices and writing up data collection). The “Reading” course is offered from (October-April) each year and should be taken in the first and second semester of the PhD. 
 
Course content
Teaching occurs in five mandatory workshops, each with a specific theme:

• Workshop 1: Building authority in academic writing
• Workshop 2: Situating Research as a contribution to the field
• Workshop 3: Forms of mediation
• Workshop 4: Literature review: fields and methods
• Workshop 5: Literature review and research design

 
Compulsory assignments 

• Reading list (archive) 
• Annotated bibliography (text) 
• Format analysis (seminar presentation) 
• Literature review (text) 
• Reflection on research design (seminar presentation)  

To pass this course, you must: Attend 100% of the workshops, turn in all assignments on time, and pass assessment of defined deliverables. All participants are expected to actively participate in discussions which are part of the course.
 
Learning Outcomes 
At the end of the course, the PhD Candidate:

• can identify key texts, concepts, researchers, publication venues, and citation styles in their discipline.
• understands how literature reviews and environmental scans can position the arguments of the proposed PhD topic within a disciplinary field.
• understands the impact of their thesis format choices (monograph or compilation) in terms of genre expectations, timelines, audiences, and deliverables.
• engages in a recursive writing and revision process for academic, research-based writing 
• can evaluate strengths and limitations of adequate research designs in their own research endeavours, and to actively assess the design choices, and their implications, in research conducted by peers.
• can develop, adapt, and implement research methodologies to extend and redefine existing knowledge or professional practice. 
   

Course content
A week in advance of the course, participants submit a full draft of either a chapter or an article, which are then circulated to the other participants. All participants read through and prepare peer-review comments on each other’s drafts. Teaching occurs over a full week (three days as plenum sessions, and two days with individual work). At the first day of the workshop week, participants present their submission in an oral presentation, focusing how the submission is situated in the overall research project. After receiving peer-review comments, participants work individually with improving the submission, before submitting again before the final day of the workshop. At the last day of the workshop, the supervisor(s) will join the presentation and we will have a plenum discussion about the further work. 
 
Compulsory assignments 

• Submission of full chapter/paper a week in advance of the workshop week
• Detailed feedback on two-three of your peers’ submissions 
• Active participation in discussions 

To pass this course, you must: Attend 100% of the workshops, turn in all assignments on time, and pass assessment of defined deliverables. All participants are expected to actively participate in discussions which are part of the course.
 
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, the PhD Candidate:

• has advanced knowledge about academic writing 
• can communicate clearly the main findings and conclusions of an article or a chapter
• can formulate logical and compelling written arguments in a well-structured text
• can give advanced peer-review feedback on a written text

 
Examination 
The compulsory activity needs to be approved by the PhD Programme and the course is evaluated as pass/fail. 

 

Aims
The “Thesis framing” course ensures depth and breadth of discursive academic knowledge in within each candidate’s individual discourse within architecture and design. The content of the course provides a foundation for generating original academic knowledge in order to make a substantial contribution to a discipline or area of professional practice.  The workshop serves to support the final stages of composition in a PhD thesis, whether it is by article compilation or written as a monograph. The exercise can be used to check the structure scope and design of your PhD (issues of overclaiming, do research questions, research activities and research results align) and question about mediation clarity and orientation. The workshop aims to improve the robustness of the kappa that contains your thesis, or of the key chapter that introduces it. 
 
Course content
A week in advance of the course, participants submit a full draft of either an introduction or an exegesis (“kappe”), which are then circulated to the other participants. All participants read through and prepare peer-review comments on each other’s drafts. Teaching occurs over a full week (three days as plenum sessions, and two days with individual work). At the first day of the workshop week, participants present their submission in an oral presentation, focusing how the submission is situated in the overall research project. After receiving peer-review comments, participants work individually with improving the submission, before submitting again before the final day of the workshop. At the last day of the workshop, the supervisor(s) will join the presentation and we will have a plenum discussion about the further work. 
 
Compulsory assignments 

• Submission of full chapter/paper a week in advance of the workshop week
• Detailed feedback on two-three of your peers’ submissions and 
• Act as reader to a first-year PhD Candidate’s literature review
• Active participation in discussions

To pass this course, you must: Attend 100% of the workshops, turn in all assignments on time, and pass assessment of defined deliverables. All participants are expected to actively participate in discussions which are part of the course.
 
Learning outcomes 
At the end of the course, the PhD Candidate:

• can position the overall argument of his or her own PhD project in relation to both a specialized research field and the disciplinary field at large
• can communicate clearly the main findings and conclusions of the PhD project
• has advanced knowledge about academic writing 
• applies knowledge to demonstrate authoritative judgement, adaptability, and responsibility as an independent scholar or leading practitioner. 
• can formulate logical and compelling written arguments in a well-structured text.
• applies skills to demonstrate scholarly autonomy and responsibility as an expert and leading practitioner or scholar. 
• can give advanced peer-review feedback on a written text
• identifies relevant concerns in research ethics. 

 
Examination 
The compulsory activity needs to be approved by the PhD Programme and the course is evaluated as pass/fail.