Applications are invited for a PhD scholarship studying citizen perspectives on and participation in scandals in a digital media context at the Department of Communication. The chosen candidate will be employed by the PhD School at the Faculty of Humanities and enrolled at the Department of Communication.
The scholarship is for 3 years starting on 1 February 2025.
We are looking for a highly motivated PhD-candidate who will conduct research as part of the research project “EXPOSING: The Public Value of Socio-Mediated Scandals in the Digital Age” funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark (September 2024-February 2028, grant ID: 10.46540/3097-00035B).
The EXPOSING project examines how scandals emerge and progress over time and across media, as citizens no longer passively witness scandals through mass media but take an active role by posting their opinions online and becoming a driving force in exposing and judging moral transgressions. The project aims to show how citizens’ participation in digital publics affects the ways in which scandals develop, and how scandals, as a result of being increasingly citizen-driven, become sites for public communication of concern. The hypothesis is that scandals have the potential to create public value by occasioning citizens’ engagement in the negotiation of what a society considers contestable.
Within the larger framework of the EXPOSING project, the candidate will carry out a three-year PhD-project with the overall purpose of investigating how and why citizens engage in scandals and scandal communication on social media.
We invite project proposals with innovative ideas for how to empirically study citizens’ participation in, opinions about, and motivations for debating contemporary scandals on social media, preferably using a mixed-methods approach. The project proposal could address questions such as: How can the PhD-project contribute to a theoretical rethinking of the concept of scandal in a digital media context? How can citizens’ participation in scandals online be empirically studied in new ways? Why is it important and what motivates you to study contemporary scandals from a citizen perspective?
We are looking for a candidate with:
- a background in media and/or communication studies, preferably with knowledge about digital media and communication, digital platforms, and digital culture,
- interest and experience in empirical media audience research in digital contexts, e.g. in collecting and analysing audience data using digital ethnography, surveys, qualitative interviews, doing quantitative and qualitative analyses of digital media content, social media posts, etc.,
- strong skills in organising and managing professional work and juggling multiple tasks,
- a keen interest in communication to stakeholders and the broader public.
The successful candidate will work closely with the EXPOSING research team, which includes scholars with expertise in digital media and communication studies, celebrity studies, journalism studies, and political communication. The team includes Professor Nete Nørgaard Kristensen (PI, who will supervise the PhD project), Professor Anne Jerslev (co-PI), Associate Professor Manuel Menke, and Postdoc Mikkel Bækby Johansen.
Introduction
The PhD program is a study program which aims at training PhD students, at an international level, to undertake research, development, and teaching assignments. These qualifications open a window of opportunity to a variety of careers within the private and public sectors. The program includes the drafting of a PhD thesis, active participation in research networks and the Department’s scholarly life, PhD courses, teaching, and other forms of knowledge dissemination. The standard duration of the PhD programme is three years of full-time studies, which equals 180 ECTS credits.
Qualification requirements
Applicants must have a two-year master’s degree (120 ECTS) or equivalent and, as minimum, have submitted a master’s thesis for which they have received pre-approval at the time of application.
The qualifications of applicants with non-Danish master’s degrees will be assessed to decide whether they correspond to the Danish level. For further information, please refer to the website of the Ministry of Education and Research: https://ufm.dk/en/education/recognition-and-transparency/find-assessments/general-assessments-for-specific-countries/?set_language=en
Applicants must possess skills in written and spoken academic English at a high level. Knowledge of and some proficiency in Nordic/Danish language will be an advantage. If deemed necessary, the Department may request that applicants document their English skills.
For further information about the guidelines for PhD studies at UCPH, please refer to: PhD Programs – Guide to studies and admission – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
For further information about the structure of the PhD programme, please refer to: https://phd.humanities.ku.dk/
Applicants are also invited to familiarize themselves with the ongoing research at the faculty:Research – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk), especially at the Department of Communication and in the Section of Media Studies.