Joint studies

The studies Philosophy of research and research skills – or more informally joint studies – are open to all ULapland doctoral researchers and constitute a part of the doctoral degree. Joint studies provide doctoral researchers with a possibility to building their expertise towards independently and critically applying research methods in creating new academic information. These courses are also opportunities for doctoral researchers to build their expertise further in other ways required of a researcher's set of high-level skills. 

Joint studies are divided into four modules:

1. Critical thinking and argumentation
2. Research methods
3. Orientation and researcher's skills 
4. Ethics. 
 

Kindly note that you should take courses from each module, and the required number of study credits for each module is flexible. In other words, we do not require you to take a particular number of credits in each module but require that you take and complete something from each module, thus building your expertise further to a suitable direction in your situation. Doctoral researchers who have begun their doctoral studies earlier than 1 August 2021 can flexibly shift into the new structure due to its flexibility.

One module can have a selection of many courses to choose from or only a couple of options. The modules focus on themes, but courses from different modules can discuss or contain references to the same themes. There is no specific order in which courses should be taken, but individual courses can have recommendations about previous studies. There are courses both in autumn and spring terms in all modules.

We aim to have courses both in English and Finnish. The course description on Peppi is presented in the language of the course. If the course is implemented in both English and Finnish, the description is available in both languages.

Read the course descriptions and register for the courses on Peppi. 

Kindly note the following: if you have registered for a course but find out that you cannot make it, please remember to cancel your registration.

Critical thinking and argumentation

• TUKO1277 Philosophy of research and argumentation (3 ECTS) Spring.
• TUKO1238 Philosophy of social sciences (3 ECTS) Autumn. will not be implemented this year
• TUKO1260 Philosophy of art (3 ECTS) Continuous in 2024–2025. You can take the course either as a book exam or as an essay.
  

Research methods

• TUKO1310 Approaches to research methodology: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods (3 op) Autumn.
• TUKO1278 Qualitative methods: Workshop on narrative, discourse and rhetorical analysis (5 ECTS) Autumn–spring. The first part of the course is online, some contact teaching will follow in spring. Please note that you need to have collected some data before taking this course.
• TUKO1309 Finding Resonances: Creative Practice-led Methodologies for Artistic and Social Sciences Researchers (3 ECTS) Spring.
• TUKO1240 Webropol course for doctoral candidates (1 ECTS) Further details regarding the implementation will be provided later. Autumn. Online course. Please get a Webropol license from Helpdesk (helpdesk(at)ulapland.fi).
• TUKO1242 ATLAS.ti laadullisen analyysin tukena (2 ECTS) Spring, in Finnish. Please contact the teacher if you wish to take this course in a language other than Finnish.
• TUKO1288 Phenomenological method of research (3 ECTS) Spring. Intensive course in situ with visiting scholar Alex Arteaga.
• TUKO1290 Kvantitatiivisen analyysin perus- ja jatkokurssi (5 op) Spring, in Finnish. Please contact the teachers if you wish to take this course in a language other than Finnish.
• UYLE0339V24 Visual methodologies (3 ECTS) *
• UYLE0301V24 Introduction to visual analysis (4 ECTS) *
  
• UKUL0212AV24 Archival Sources (3 ECTS) * (in Finnish)
  
• UYLE0342 History of design (3 ECTS) * If you’re interested in the course, please contact the course teacher to ask about the possibility to take this course in a language other than Finnish. There are literature examinations for this course.
  
  

* The courses marked with an asterisk are offered to us directly by the Faculties from their course selection, this is why they are not TUKO-coded.

Orientation and researcher's skills

• TUKO1243 Orientation day for doctoral candidates (1 ECTS) The orientation day is to be organised on Monday 19 August 2024. You can also take the course afterwards in your own pace on Moodle.
• TUKO1289V23 Research: from planning to impact (2 ECTS) The course is given twice during the academic year: in autumn (Finnish, in situ) and in spring (English, online).
• TUKO1303 Research data management (2 ECTS) The course is given twice during the academic year: in autumn (Finnish, in situ) and in spring (English, online).
• TUKO1306V23 Research data management (self-study) (1 ECTS) Continuous. You may take this course in your own pace online.
• TUKO1112 Research Writing (in English) (4 ECTS) Autumn and spring. Online.
• TUKO1113 Presenting I: the academic audience (3 ECTS) Autumn. Online.
• TUKO1244 Presenting II: unfolding research to various audiences (3 ECTS) Spring. Contact teaching.
• TUKO1287 Career planning for doctoral candidates (2 ECTS) Further details regarding the implementation will be provided later. Autumn. Online.
• TUKO1245 Presenting and participating in the academic community (3–6 ECTS) You can get the credits by independently participating in various events organised at different times. Please read the course description carefully and discuss beforehand with your supervisor.
  
• TUKO1284 Practical training of academic expertise (7–9 ECTS) An expert-level traineeship to be taken outside academia, earliest in your 2nd year. Kindly note that there are exercises and literature included. Possibility for a voucher funding. Please read the course description carefully and discuss beforehand with your supervisor.
   

Ethics

• TUKO1246 Research ethics (2 ECTS) National online course that was created in collaboration between Finnish universities, and the teacher of the course is dr Henriikka Mustajoki. Please note that the course includes two webinar days. You can also take a 1-credit version which does not include any webinar days. Autumn and spring.
• TUKO1298 Research and fieldwork ethics of human sciences with a focus on local and indigenous peoples (4 cr.) Further details regarding the implementation will be provided later. Spring. Contact teaching.