PhD Courses in Denmark

Dates and time
8 June 2026 from 10:00 to 17:30
​9 June 2026 from 9:30 to 16:30

Educational contexts are increasingly complexified by intersecting socio-cultural differences and inequalities as well as technological developments of digital resources and GAI.  Hence, contemporary socializing factors include not only school and family, but also social media and digital communities that may shape ideologies and alignments related to life prospects and education.  Linguistic ethnography has proven a fruitful approach in capturing the complexities of contemporary social life, and it is both assumed and shown that language holds an important practical, educational, economic, and symbolic position which is connected to wider historical processes. In this course we will explore some of the contemporary challenges in education as well as linguistic ethnography as a framework for uncovering these.

Academic Aim
The aim is that participating PhD students will gain:
 - Nuanced knowledge of key challenges for education in contemporary digitalised society and of theoretical conceptualization of these
 - Insight into the potential of the combination of linguistic and ethnographic methodology and combination of various data types
 - The ability to reflect on the potential of employing a linguistic ethnographic perspective in their own research context

Target group
PhD students studying education and/or language in educational contexts. PhD students from language-focused studies can be inspired to include ethnographic perspectives and those studying education from anthropological or sociological perspectives can gain knowledge about the significance of language. Finally, those already identifying as linguistic ethnographers can gain from the heightened methodological reflections and discussion of contemporary challenges based on recent trends and key research within the field. 

Course teachers and organisers
Lian Malai Madsen, Professor, Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, University of Copenhagen
Anne Larsen, Postdoc, Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, University of Copenhagen

Guest lecturer:
Roger Säljö, Professor, University of Gothenburg

Programme:

Day 1
10-10.30: Arrival and Welcome
10.30-12: Introduction of Linguistic Ethnography as a perspective on key challenges in contemporary education (Lian Malai Madsen & Anne Larsen)

12-13: Lunch break

13-15: Roger Säljö: Educational challenges in digitalised societies
15-15.30: Break
15.30-17.30: PhD reflections

Day 2
9.30-10.30: Case study of AI in a Danish School (Anne Larsen)
10.30-12.00: PhD reflections

12.00-13.00: Lunch

13.00-14.30: PhD reflections
14.30-15.00: Break
15.00-16.30 Final discussions and goodbye (Lian Malai Madsen)

Preparation:
Preliminary list of readings is included below.
Deadline for reflection paper is 18 may 2026.

Language: English

ECTS: 2 for participation including preparation

Max. numbers of participants: 20

Course fee: The PhD School at the Faculty of Humanities participates in Denmark’s national network for PhD courses. This course is free of charge for PhD students enrolled at one of the participating PhD schools (PhD students enrolled at a Danish University, except Copenhagen Business School). Other PhD students will be charged a course fee of DKK 1,200 per ECTS for participation in the course (PhD students enrolled at Copenhagen Business School or a University outside Denmark).

Registration: Please register via the link in the box no later than 30 April 2026.

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

Literature:
Preliminary readings (may be subject to change)

Cramer, F. (2014) What is ‘post-digital’ ? APRJA Volume 3, Issue 1 (20 normalsider)

Jaldemark, J., J. Lundin, R. Säljö, J. Edwards, A. Gegenfurtner, W. Holmes, S. Järvelä, M. de Laat, Y. Lindberg, A. Littlejohn, S. Seufert, M. Specht, L. Svensson, C. Rapanta, S. Hayes, S. Zeivots (2025) A Multidisciplinary Research Agenda for Artificial Intelligence, Education, Learning, and Instruction, Postdigital Science and Education, 7 (4), 1414 – 1450 

Larsen, A. (2024) Speaking like a ‘good student’: Norms and deviations in contemporary upper secondary education in Denmark. Nordic Journal of Linguistics 47, 303–327.

Madsen, L.M. (2016) The Diva in the room: Rap music, education and discourses on integration. In Everyday Languaging: Collaborative research on the language use of children and youth, L.M. Madsen, M.S. Karrebæk & J.s. Møller (eds.). Routledge, 146-167. 

Madsen, L. M. (2024) Critical Perspectives on Linguistic Fixity and Fluidity. In: The Routledge Handbook of Language and Youth Culture, B.A. Svendsen & R. Jonsson (eds.), Routledge, 16-30. 

Jaspers J. (2014) Stylisations as teacher practice. Language in Society, 43(4), 371-393. 

Rampton B. (2006) Reflections on generalisation, theory and knowledge construction. In: Language in Late Modernity: Interaction in an Urban School. Studies in Interactional Sociolinguistics. Cambridge University Press, 385-409. 

Snell, J. (2025) Using linguistic ethnography to uncover the mechanisms through which underprivileged students are denied access to classroom dialogue. Language and Education

Snell, J., S. Shaw & F. Copland (2015) Linguistic Ethnography – Interdisciplinary Explorations, Palgrave, chapter 1 + 2, 1-50 (45 normalsider)

Stæhr, A. Multi-sided, mobile online and offline ethnography, in press

Säljö, R. (2023) Conclusion – knowing in a digital world. In: Digitalization and Digital Competence in Educational Contexts: A Nordic Perspective from Policy to Practice, Willermark, S., A.D. Olofsson & J.O. Lindberg (Eds.). Routledge, 207-217

Tagg, C. & A. Lyons (2022) Post-digital Ethnography and the Networked Individual. In: Mobile Messaging and Resourcefulness – A Post-digital Ethnography. Routledge, 13-31

Wang, C. & S. Canagarajah (2024) Postdigital ethnography in applied linguistics: Beyond the online and offline in language learning. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics 3, 1-15