Studieplan Diaconia, Values and Professional Practice

The PhD programme Diaconia, Values and Professional Practice is dedicated to studies of professional practice in public sector and civil society institutions, in health care and social/welfare services, churches and faith- and value-based organizations. It applies diaconia and values as the main perspectives, and it works with an interdisciplinary approach as an innovative contribution to the research field of diaconal studies. Based on this, the PhD Programme places the study of professional practice in health and welfare services, understood in a broad sense, in a value-based context.

Diaconia includes particular professional practices and traditions within churches or other faith-based organizational settings.

Values relates to norms and ideals that guide and/or influence health and welfare services as well as attitudes, preconceptions and implicit notions that can be studied in practice.

Professional practice describes the performances of professional work in health and welfare services, both on an individual and an organizational level.

The design of the PhD programme is characterized by an empirical and operational approach. It is an aim to renew, expand and support the practice oriented tradition in diaconal studies.

The programme has its starting point in challenges arising from practice in public sector and civil society, and aims at performing research in close cooperation with professionals and citizens as participants in public and voluntary services. Combining studies about diaconia, values and professional practice, the programme investigates how professionals in the health and welfare sector and civil society achieve competence, realize values and cope with power and responsibility in challenging relationships. This includes gender and intersectionality as perspectives. The projects may explore how professionals react to economic pressure, to

social challenges and to new technical resources, and how they reflect in regard to these. An important aim of the programme will be to study health- and welfare services as value-based and ethically challenging practices. This includes a focus on citizens and/or groups of citizens that are in vulnerable situations. It also includes exploring the resources and challenges of voluntarism, and implies an interest in existential questions presented by the citizens in focus.

The PhD Programme places the diaconal approach and tradition in dialogue with other values, beliefs and worldviews. This will be carried out in the context of increasing diversity of values and beliefs, in which social- and caring practices can be interpreted and motivated. In this context, the programme aims at knowledge about how diaconal and other civil society organizations and health and welfare services transform, express and apply their identity, originality, assets and roots, as a set of values and a view of the human person.

Structure of the study programme

The study programme is structured on an individual basis in order to accomodate to the needs of the individual student, including the time of the year the student starts. The courses are offered once a year, ether in the spring or the fall term.

The introduction course for the PhD programme (DVP 901), as well as the course in philosophy of science and research ethics (DVP 902) are compulsory. The remaining 10 ects are chosen by the PhD candidates among the methods courses listed above. Methods courses are arranged in cooperation with VID’s PHD program in Theology and Religion.

The program offers a number of elective courses on a rotating basis, several in cooperation with the PhD programme in Theology and Religion. Participation in external courses and seminars—or a research school—may replace corresponding parts of in the program’s course catalogue, provided acceptance and follow-up by the supervisor and the program.

In addition, the PhD programme will offer tuition and courses in generic research skills. This activity will take place in close communication with the PhD candidates and the research groups, and supplementing the individual supervision. Themes for such courses will be:

• writing of the extended abstract in the article-based dissertation
• creating the literature review, writing a scientific article, writing academic English, coauthorship
• challenges in the supervision relationship
• the use of certain tools (Endnote, NVivo, SPSS)
• participating and presenting in international research conferences
• presenting research to the public
• planning for a post-doctoral career

The learning outcome descriptions are placed at the 3. cycle in accordance with the national qualifications framework for higher education. Upon completion of the program, the candidate should have the following learning outcomes, divided into knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge

The candidate

• is in the forefront of knowledge in the intersection the academic fields of Diaconia, Values and Professional Practice
• has a thorough understanding of scientific theoretical issues relevant to the professional field of the research project, and how these are transformed into and have implications for studies of professional practice
• has a thorough understanding of the various processes within research and scholarly projects

Skills

The candidate

• can evaluate and apply various scientific research methods, scientific theories and interpretations in designing and conducting research
• can formulate problems, plan and complete a research project of a high international standard
• can act qualified in regard to methodological- and ethical challenges in the study of professional practice, and conduct research with professional and ethical integrity
• can challenge established knowledge and contribute to the development of new knowledge, new theory, new methods and new interpretations within the field of Diaconia, Values and Professional Practice
• can engage in popular dissemination of research within their field

General Competence

The candidate

• can identify and cope with ethical issues, with emphasis on challenges related to user perspective and power in professional relationships
• can develop and lead research- and developmental projects, and work in multi- and interdisciplinary environments.
• can identify and consider needs for change and innovation in the field of practical studies, and take the initiative for - and conduct developmental projects.
• can participate in academic debates in international forums

The PhD education normally consists of three years full-time study or six years half-time study. It includes:

• A formalized training (PhD courses) that covers general introduction to research/academic work as well as to the discipline and topic in which the thesis is to be written; the work load of the formalized training has a minimum of 30 ECTS credits,
• An independent research project that is carried out under academic supervision; this research project is expected to have a work load of 150 ECTS, and it is presented: - either as a monograph of approximately 100.000 words, - or as a collection of 3-5 scholarly articles that are published or accepted for publication in international journals with a high standing, and with an introduction relating the articles to each other and to the current research discourse.

The PhD-courses consist of lectures, group-work and discussion, a variety of pre-course and post-couse assignments, and individual reading. For more details, see pt. 7 and the course description for each individual course.

Supervision: Each student is assigned two supervisors as a general rule, the project is allocated 210 hours formal supervision. For more, see §7 in Regulations for the PhD Degree at VID Specialized University.

Paper presentation seminars and research groups: The students are required to present and respond to at least one paper per year, either in the programme’s regular paper presentation seminars, or in a research group. The students are expected to be active participants in their respective research groups and are required to participate in at least one paper presentation seminar in the PhD programme each semester. They are also required to present in at least one international research conference.

The courses (30 ects) and the dissertation are evaluated by pass/fail. See each individual course description regarding assessment.

Research seminar/conference participation and response activities must be documented. The evaluation of the dissertation is regulated by the guidelines for the PhD degree in VID (see the web).

The students are expected to participate in international research conferences, and encouraged to be involved in international research cooperation.

They are also recommended to spend time as visitors/students at a relevant international research institution. The students are required to plan such activities from the start of their PHD period, and they are offered supervision and information about exchange institutions.

Admission to the PhD programme normally requires a Master's Degree (120 ECTS) or equivalent in health- or social sciences or diaconia. The University may after specific individual assessment approve other equivalent education as a basis for admission. Applicants may be required to take certain courses and/or special tests prior to admission in order to ensure that the entrance requirements are fulfilled.

The application should include completed application form (see webpage) relevant documentation of education and research experience, and a project description (max. 10 pages), containing the following:

• Main aim and research questions
• Sources and method(s)
• Current research situation and relevant theoretical perspectives
• Legal and research ethical challenges