Two PhD Fellowships at "Understanding Male Gamers"

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PhD position

The Department of Information Science and Media Studies, University of Bergen, has two  vacant 100% position as PhD fellow connected to the research project Understanding Male Gamers. Starting date is Oct 1, 2023.

The fellowship period is set to 3 years, with the main goal of resulting in a PhD degree for the employee.

About the project/work tasks:

The positions are connected to the project Understanding Male Gamers. The goal of the project is to explore videogame culture as a contested space from the perspective of male videogame enthusiasts, and to develop a theory that by combining game studies and masculinity studies will offer a holistic understanding of the gendered patterns of practices taking place in and around game culture. Candidates are advised to familiarize themselves with the Understanding Male Gamers project description, available on request.

The project is funded by the Research Council of Norway through the FRIPRO programme. The PhD candidates will be involved with the Department of Information Science and Media Studies’ Research Group for Computer Games and Virtual Environments and the Center for Excellence for Digital Narrative, a world-leading research center of excellence.

The two PhD candidates will be associated the Understanding Male Gamers’ Work Package 2, which explores how masculinity is expressed in game culture discourse:

Position 1: Virtual ethnography of online games.

• Focusing on how masculinity is expressed in online games, this candidate will study the social dynamic in competitive and collaborative online games over time, using virtual ethnographic methods. The research tasks for this position includes a longitudinal study of a massively multiplayer online game (minimum 1 year), as well as shorter ethnographic case studies of a team-based online game will also be selected for shorter ethnographic case studies. The successful candidate will combine participatory observation with player interviews in investigating how the ludic context shapes game culture as gendered in the selected games.

Position 2: Discourse analysis of streaming channels and online forums.

• Focusing on how masculinity is expressed in discourses surrounding game culture, this candidate will conduct discourse analyses of selected streaming channels and gaming forums. The research tasks for this position includes observations and analyses of selected gaming channels on Youtube and Twitch.tv with focus on how gender issues and playful practices are part of the rhetoric, and the investigation of how players discuss topics relating to gender, identity and ideology in online forums and discussion boards.

Both positions will combine perspectives from game studies and masculinity studies as their theoretical framework, and the goal is that the studies will form the basis for an independently researched article-based PhD thesis in media studies.

Qualifications and personal qualities:

• Applicants must hold a master’s degree in media studies, game studies, gender studies, digital culture, cultural studies, sociology, social anthropology, or other relevant field in the social or human sciences.
• The master thesis must be submitted before the application deadline. It is a requirement that the degree must be fulfilled before commencement of the position.
• The requirement is a grade B or better on the Master thesis and for the Master degree in total.
• Knowledge of game studies and qualitative methods, including ethnography, is beneficial.
• As an applicant you should be independent, have a considerable work capacity as well as an enthusiasm for research.

Workplace is Bergen. Potential candidates will be invited to an interview.

About the PhD position:

The duration of the PhD positions are 3 years. The employment period for the successful candidates may be reduced if he or she previously has been employed in a PhD position.

About the PhD training:

As a PhD research fellow, you will take part in the PhD program at the Faculty of Social Sciences, UiB. Admittance to the PhD program will be based on the research proposal to be submitted with the application. The PhD program corresponds to a period of three years and leads to the PhD degree. To be eligible for admission you must normally have an educational background corresponding to a master’s degree with a scope of 120 ECTS credits, which builds on a bachelor’s degree with a scope of 180 ECTS credits (normally 2 + 3 years), or an integrated master’s degree with a scope of 300 ECTS credits (5 years). Master’s degrees must normally include an independent work of a minimum of 30 ECTS credits.

We can offer:

• Salary NOK 501 200 (code 1017, pay grade 54) in the state salary scale. Further promotions are made according to length of service in the position.
• A good academic and social environment with high research quality.
• A good pension plan and enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Training and good welfare benefits

Your application must include:

• A cover letter including a brief account of your research interests and motivation for applying for the position.
• A research proposal must accompany the application. The proposal should specify your research problem(s) and choice of theory and methods in line with EITHER position 1 or position 2 described above. The proposal should also include a progress plan for the different parts of the project. The proposal should be between 1,500-2,000 words, excluding references.
• The names and contact information for two reference persons. One of them must be the main advisor for the master's thesis or equivalent thesis.
• CV including a list of academic publications.
• Up until 3 academic publications, in addition to your master’s thesis or equivalent thesis.
• Transcripts and diplomas showing completion of the bachelor's and master's degrees.

Applications containing all attachments must be submitted electronically by the link on this page marked “Apply for this job”. If you have a master's degree from a foreign educational institution, or a 2-year discipline-based master's degree (or the equivalent) in a subject area other than the one associated with the application, you may later in the application process be asked to submit an overview of the syllabus for the degree you have completed.

We kindly ask the applicants to follow the guidelines for applicants to research fellowship positions at the Faculty of Social Sciences closely, please see: http://link.uib.no/?1js5s.

The application has to be marked: 23/1981

Closing date: June 11, 2023

Applications submitted without a cover letter and applications sent as e-mails will not be considered. Only the submitted documents will be subjected to an expert assessment.

General information:

Additional information about the position, including access to the Understanding Male Gamers project description, is obtainable by contacting:

Project manager professor Kristine Jørgensen, tel +47 55 58 41 13, e-mail kristine.jorgensen@uib.no or Head of administration Espen Dahle, tel +47 55 58 33 81, e-mail espen.dahle@uib.no .

Practical questions regarding the application procedures should be directed to senior executive officer Pernille Hole, email: pernille.hole@uib.no.

Appointed research fellows will be admitted to the doctoral education program at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Further information about the program is available on the webpage http://www.uib.no/en/svf/37940/doctoral-education.

Questions about the program may be directed to senior officer Hanne Gravermoen, e-mail: hanne.gravermoen@uib.no or phone + 47 55 58 90 68.

The teaching language at the Department is usually Norwegian.

Time used in earlier recruitment positions will be deducted from the applicants’ total fellowship period. 

State employment should to the highest possible degree reflect the diversity of the population at large. Therefore, the University of Bergen has adopted a personnel policy objective to ensure that a balanced age and sex composition and the recruitment of persons with disabilities and of various ethnic backgrounds are achieved. Persons with disabilities and minority backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.

Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.

The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at all times.

For further information about the recruitment process, click here.

Life as a PhD candidate at UiB

Marion Claireaux tells about life and work as a PhD candidate at UiB.

About UiB

The University of Bergen is a renowned educational and research institution, organised into seven faculties and approximately 54 institutes and academic centres. Campus is located in the centre of Bergen with university areas at Nygårdshøyden, Haukeland, Marineholmen, Møllendalsveien and Årstad. 

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