PhD Courses in Denmark

Department of Political Science 

Dates and time: 26 - 30 January 2026 from 9:00 to 16:00

Course description
Any research project involves a number of choices. One of the most essential is the choice of a research design. Research designs have multiple functions. First, the choice of a research design situates a study within a particular epistemological and methodological tradition and produces particular questions. For example, to define one’s project as a causal study, a case study, an experimental study, an interpretative study or a comparative discourse study raise more specific questions as to which cases have been chosen and why.

Second, research designs can also be seen at the “engine” that connects one’s broader interest in a theoretical and empirical issue with one’s specific research question and the concrete methodological “tools” that allow one to answer one’s research question and produce new knowledge.

Third, research designs provide a road map to how one executes a research project or study; often a research design has to be adjusted during the course of a project, for example if the empirical data one thought should be gathered turns out to be hard to get.

This course provides an introduction to and overview of different research designs in political science. We adopt a broad and pluralistic understanding of what a research design is and discuss causal as well as experimental, statistic, interpretative, and constitute research designs. We acknowledge that some research projects start from well-defined and established models of research design while others involve a process of piecing together the best design, and that these situations call for different decisions and challenges. The course will make some links to the larger philosophy of science questions and debates that research designs connect with, but the main focus is on the practical dimension of how to choose and construct actual research designs. The aim is to provide participants with hands-on feedback on their own research designs, but also with the capacity to understand and provide feedback on the research designs of others. While respecting the epistemological differences that exist between different forms of research designs, for example in the causal and interpretative tradition, the course is designed to foster dialogue and creativity across and within traditions.

Format
The course runs Monday – Friday, January 26-30, 2024. The program consists:

• lectures by Kasper M. Hansen and Lene Hansen, group work, presentations by groups in plenum
• presentations by Kasper M. Hansen, Lene Hansen and guest lectures on the research design of particular research projects (how a design was arrived at and possibly adjusted as part of the research process) followed by questions, answers and discussions.
• presentations of participants’ own research designs (and papers)

The course involves extensive use of a workshop format with active discussions for all participants, presentation of participants’ own work and sessions that address themes and required readings.

Requirements
All participants are required to prepare and present a paper as part of the course. Papers should be between 3.000 and 5.000 words (excluding references). The paper should include the following: brief presentation of the PhD project (theme, research question and the focus of the articles in the case of article based dissertations); presentation of the research design (for the dissertation as a whole or one major article) including how it relates to the models and typologies mentioned in the course readings; reflection on the choices that have been made or might arise (if into the project, what changes may you have made along the way and why? If in the early stages of the project, what challenges do you envision could arise and what would the implications be for your research design?).

 All papers should include a ½ page conclusion which outlines the expected contribution of the dissertation.

The deadline for circulating papers is January 12, 2026 at noon.

Note that papers are presumed read by all participants – the presenter will get no more than three minutes to add any additional points to the paper, then we proceed to discussion.

You are also expected to read the literature in advance, participate actively in course activities, abstain from non-course-related activities during the course, and be present for the full duration of the course. If an emergency occurs (such as a need to see a doctor), you may discretely excuse yourself for one hour. If you are absent for more than one hour you need to submit (no later than one week after the course) notes that describe how you have worked with the literature, the papers and the exercises that were on the program while you were absent. In any event, participants will have to be physically present for at least four days to get credit for the course.

Course organisers and lecturers: 
Kasper M. Hansen, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen
Lene Hansen, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen

Language: English

ECTS: 5

Max. numbers of participants: 15

Registration: Please register via the link in the box no later than 1 December 2025.

Further information: For more information about the PhD course, please contact the PhD Administration (phd@hrsc.ku.dk).

Literature: TBA