MINA400 Research Education Across Disciplines

Credits (ECTS):5

Course responsible:Rani Lill Anjum

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Engelsk

Course frequency:Continuous

Nominal workload:125 hours

Teaching and exam period:The course runs throughout the year and doesn't have a formal start- or end date. Credits are awarded when the workload is done and approved.

About this course

The course is organised as a series of monthly seminars for PhD students and early career researchers at NMBU, with the aim to build a culture for critical thinking, ethical reflection, and constructive interdisciplinary dialogue. The course offers an introduction to some foundational, normative and practical aspects of research, with perspectives from philosophy of science and research ethics. Themes include: disciplinary research traditions and barriers for interdisciplinary collaboration, scope and limits of research methods, social responsibility of research, values in science, data-gaps and blind spots, transparency of basic assumptions, science communication, research integrity and ethical awareness (RRI), and national and international research ethics guidelines.

Learning outcome

Knowledge: The candidate knows about non-empirical aspects of science and how they influence research. They are familiar with some barriers for interdisciplinary communication and collaboration. They know about various ethical dilemmas and pitfalls that they might encounter as a researcher. The candidate knows about national and international guidelines for research ethics and knows where to find further support and resources.

Skills: The candidate has learned to recognise and reflect upon dilemmas that they might face related to the diverse interests and priorities of various stakeholders of research. They are able recognise research ethical aspects and challenges in their own research, and they know how to seek out resources and support for handling these in accordance with national and international norms and guidelines. They have a deeper understanding of the rationality behind different research traditions and they can recognise some of their own disciplinary biases. The candidate can reflect independently and critically upon the foundations of their own research tradition and practices, including methodological choices and ethical issues, and communicate these to an interdisciplinary audience.

Generic competencies: The candidate can carry out their research with an advanced level of ethical awareness and critical reflection concerning the foundational, non-empirical aspects of science. They can engage in respectful and transparent interdisciplinary communication and collaboration. The candidate can present and reflect upon the various ethical dimension of their own research in funding proposals. Candidates are better equipped to recognise and evaluate matters of research ethics, serve on ethics committees, and generally contribute to a good academic culture in their institution.

  • The course is organised as monthly research meetings, followed by work sessions exclusively for early career researchers (PhD candidates and Postdocs). The themes are introduced and discussed in an interdisciplinary setting, with invited guests, where researchers from all career stages are invited to join the first part. The following work sessions are tailored to early career researchers, and are reserved for presentations, discussions and practical exercises, where the students get ample opportunity to informally discuss foundational, ethical and practical issues of common interest with researchers from other disciplines.
  • All meetings and discussions are facilitated, but students are encouraged to engage in the planning and execution of the open meetings (e.g. choose a theme or introduce the discussion).
  • Master degree
  • Portfolio assessment. Individual written reflection document(s), oral presentations in groups, preparation of group discussion material, peer-feedback on reflection documents.
  • External examiner approves the assessment criterias.
  • Students are welcome to follow all meetings and work sessions throughout their PhD period, but a minimum of 10 meetings plus work sessions (20 hours) must be attended, with documented preparation, oral or written deliveries, and active participation. Students choose the sessions that are most relevant for their own research, but minimum 4 sessions must have a theoretical theme and minimum 4 sessions must cover research ethics. The mandatory course work can be completed within a year or spread over a longer period.
  • Ca 2 hours per month.
  • The course overlaps with PHI401, VET400 and other phd-courses in philosophy of science and research ethics.
  • Passed / Not Passed
  • PhD-candidates enrolled at NMBU (postdocs are welcome)