Doctoral Program Democracy Studies
Guide for Doctoral Students
1 October 2013
This guide together with the Promotionsverordnung (2009) of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Zurich and the Doktoratsordnung (2013) of the Doctoral Program Democracy Studies constitutes the information basis for doctoral students within the Doctoral Program Democracy Studies (DPDS).
The dissertation project represents the centerpiece of doctoral studies The DPDS provides a supportive environment for doctoral students where they can plan and implement their dissertation projects independently. Successful doctoral research projects conclude with a dissertation and a positive defense of the dissertation.
1. Objectives and Training Profile
The DPDS is hosted at the Department of Political Sciences (IPZ) and is a joint venture with the Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research (IPMZ) and the Seminar of Philosophy. It offers a structured curriculum for doctoral students with a strong interest in various democracy related issues. The DPDS combines in a form of structural freedom the advantages of standardized programs and apprenticeship models. This format has been successfully applied within the framework of the NCCR Democracy, and since 2006 an international committee of experts appointed by the Swiss National Science Foundation evaluated the DPDS on an annual basis - without exception - positively.
The DPDS provides a platform for doctoral students coming from various disciplines of social science to discuss in depth normative, conceptual and analytical issues of democracy research that go beyond the boundaries of political science. Of central interest are three crucial challenges to democracy in the 21st century, namely the impacts of denationalization and democratization as well as the growing influence of the media on democratic governance. The DPDS can benefit from stable conceptual and institutional structures, which have been established within the NCCR Democracy over a period of almost eight years.
The DPDS aims at targeted and systematic support of junior scholars‘ academic excellence. The doctoral training is designed in a way that foundations for doctoral students‘ scientific independence, international visibility and intellectual networking are laid at a very early stage of doctoral students‘ Ph.D. studies.
Besides the broadening and deepening of democracy related knowledge, generic skills such as advanced scientific English writing and project management, effective third-party fundraising, teaching skills, or conflict and leadership management play an important role in the DPDS training. These competences are considered essential to the development of a prosperous career in the academia or in demanding positions of state and society.
The DPDS maintains close contacts with several key institutions in democracy research in Switzerland and abroad (see section 12). Research cooperation launched within the NCCR framework and intensified through additional SUK-funding, but also the excellent international networking provided by the associated institutes and their chairs, doctoral programs contribute to an effective knowledge exchange between the participants of the DPDS and associated doctoral programs and research institutions. In this way, the DPDS promotes doctoral students‘ mobility, which is likely to open new perspectives for them on the international job market.
2. Application Procedure
To apply for a position in the DPDS, an applicant must:
§ Be interested in democracy issues (e.g. globalization, mediatization, democratization),
§ Hold a MA in political science, media science, philosophy or a related discipline,
§ Meet all admission requirements for doctoral candidates in Political Science, Media and Communication Science, Philosophy or a related discipline at the University of Zurich (admission office of Faculty of arts / admission office of University of Zurich) or any other Swiss university,
§ Have a supervisor at the Department of Political Sciences (IPZ), the Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research (IPMZ), the Seminar of Philosophy or – as an exception – at any other university in Switzerland or abroad,[1]
§ Have not yet started with his/her Ph.D. or are in an initial phase,
§ Be fluent in English,
§ Have assured his/her own funding (hold a job, a fellowship, etc.) to cover living expenses.
Applications can be submitted once a year. The application deadline is May 31th. The following documents have to be submitted in English and in one integrated PDF file:
§ A letter of motivation CV (incl. a statement on how individual funding will be assured),
§ CV,
§ Outline of the dissertation project (max. 2 pages),
§ Diplomas,
§ Summary of method skills,
§ Two letters of recommendation,[2] and
§ A letter of the primary supervisor (who can be - for an interim period - a professor abroad), indicating that s/he agrees to report twice on your progress and to attend the three research colloquium sessions in which you present your work.
Applications will be sent to the program coordinator, Dr. Doreen Spörer-Wagner (), who can also be contacted for further information.
3. Selection Procedure
The board of directors the DPDS evaluates the submitted applications. Incomplete dossiers will not be considered. In the selection process, the board of directors applies the following evaluation criteria to make its decisions:
§ Thematic profile of the dissertation project,
§ Quality (in terms of originality and feasibility) of the dissertation project,
§ Scientific and individual qualifications of the applicant.
The program coordinator will inform the applicants not later than two months after the submission deadline about the decision of the board.
4. Admission Procedure
Selected applicants are invited by the program coordinator to apply as doctoral student in Political Science, Media and Communication Science or Philosophy.
For this purpose, doctoral students are requested to fill in the preliminary DPDS admission (Formular Aufnahme ins Doktoratsprogramm). This document must be signed by the principal supervisor who is member of one of the institutes associated with the DP Democracy Studies and subsequently submitted to the program coordinator.
After the program coordinator has signed the preliminary admission document, doctoral students can fill the online application form and submit the signed preliminary admission document. The admissions office will confirm receipt of the application and inform about what documents to submit and what the next steps will be.
Please note that there are application deadlines:
§ 31 July (fall semester), and
§ 31 January (spring semester).
5. Supervisor / Doctoral Committee
Selected applicants who have made a supervision agreement with a supervisor who is not member of one of the institutes associated with the DPDS have to find a principal supervisor (associate professor, senior associate professor, adj. professor or professor) at the Department of Political Sciences, the Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research or the Seminar of Philosophy.
The principal supervisor signs the preliminary DPDS admission. S/he also agrees to be in charge of the doctoral committee.
The doctoral committee (Ausführungsbestimmungen Promotionskommissionen) is composed of the principal supervisor and at least one other associate professor, senior associate professor, adj. professor or professor.[3] The doctoral committee must be established within the first program year after admission as doctoral student. The members of the committee and the doctoral student discuss the student’s research and training progress on a regular basis, at least once a year (see section 6).
The program coordinator supports the doctoral committee.
6. Supervision Agreement
The concept of the Supervision Agreement will help to facilitate communication between doctoral students and supervisors. It is intended to make a well thought out course of doctoral training, which serves as a basis for successful completion of doctoral dissertation projects. It also aims at a higher quality of research supervision.
The supervision agreement (Doktoratsvereinbarung) forms the basis of an agreement between the doctoral student and the doctoral committee. It summarizes rights and responsibilities of doctoral students and supervisors. More precisely, it defines the objectives and conditions of the dissertation project, the conditions for supervision and the most relevant training modules for the doctoral student. The supervision agreement is a guide for both doctoral students and supervisors. It can be always adapted to changed conditions. But: The supervision agreement should not be considered a legal contract.
All doctoral students in consultation with the supervisors must complete the supervision agreement. It includes spaces for both parties to record their joint understanding. It is expected that the supervision agreement will be completed within the first twelve months after admission as doctoral student at the University of Zurich. The signed agreement must be submitted to the Office of the Dean of Studies (Student Service). A copy has to be sent to the program coordinator.
A good relationship between doctoral student and supervisor does not happen automatically; it can be challenged for one or the other reason. In case of tensions, the program coordinator may be contacted (Guideline for Conflict Management).
7. Supervision Process
Based on a three-year standard period of doctoral studies, at least four consultation sessions with the supervisors are granted (see Table 1) to discuss the doctoral student’s research and review progress. In addition, a career counseling is scheduled for the final phase of the dissertation project. The program coordinator supports the doctoral committee in the supervision process and is the permanent contact person for doctoral students. The program coordinator will ensure that the meetings with the doctoral committee take place on an annual basis.
Table 1: Modality of supervision
Year / Objective / Person responsible1 (middle) / Initial consultation
(dissertation & training outline) / Principal supervisor / Program coordinator
1 (end) / Evaluation/Revision of dissertation project
Doctoral + Learning agreement / Doctoral committee + program coordinator
2 / Evaluation/Revision of dissertation project / Doctoral committee + program coordinator
3 / Evaluation/Revision of dissertation project / Doctoral committee + program coordinator
x / Final consultation + Career counseling / Doctoral committee + program coordinator
x / Career counseling / Program coordinator
In the first year, two consultations must take place and subsequently at least one meeting per year. The consultations aim at an effective monitoring of doctoral students’ research progress. Doctoral students’ research and training efforts will be evaluated and, if necessary, revisions of the student’s research plan and individual curriculum (Guideline for Learning Agreement / LA) will be made. Any revisions of the supervision agreement must be documented and signed by the members of the doctoral committee. A copy of the revised supervision agreement hast to be sent to the program coordinator not later than one week after the meeting took place.
For the first meeting with the principal supervisor, an outline of the dissertation project and the training modules is expected.
At the end of the first meeting with the doctoral committee the supervision agreement will be signed. It contains milestones for the dissertation project, a work and timetable, and the individual training program (LA form). Doctoral students define the modules in their learning agreement in consultation with the doctoral committee and based on the DPDS rules. A copy of the supervision agreement must be sent to the program coordinator. The signed supervision agreement will be sent to the Office of the Dean of Studies (Student Service) and the signed learning agreement will be submitted to the program coordinator.
8. Curriculum
Doctoral students will benefit from a structured and targeted program within which they will complete a curriculum requirement of 30 ECTS credits (see Table 2). Almost half of these 30 points will be acquired through the DPDS’s own range of courses (section A-D). The remaining points (section E) consist of a combination of subject-specific, method and transferable skills related electives tailored to students’ individual needs (to be defined in the LA).
Table 2: Curriculum of the DP Democracy Studies
Modules / YEAR / ECTS(A) Intensive Course Democracy / 1 / 2
(B) Ph.D. Research Colloquium
§ Research Paper I
§ Research Paper II (incl. paper discussion)
§ Research Paper III (workshop with international experts) / 1
2-3
4 / 3
3 (+1)
3
(C) Summer School Democracy / 2-4 / 3
(D) Scientific Writing / Project Management / 1 / 1
(E) À la Carte Activities
§ Courses in Methods
§ Subject-specific Courses and / or Transferable Skills / 1-4 / 5
9
TOTAL / 30
During the four years that the program lasts doctoral students will gain 30 ECTS. All program modules will be taught in English, which remains the working language of the DP.
In the intensive course Democracy that is mandatory for the program participants leading scholars from the NCCR Democracy and from other institutions will convey the most prominent concepts and theoretical approaches in theoretical and empirical democracy research.
The colloquium is the backbone of the curriculum. It will be compulsory and aims to efficiently monitor the advancement of doctoral students’ dissertation. Each program participant will present three papers each of which will be discussed by peers from the DP and from advanced scholars.[4] The final presentation is part of a three-day workshop with international experts, each of them being in charge of a “panel” gathering a limited number of papers. To monitor students’ research progress beyond the colloquium, students and supervisors will have to submit copies of the revised supervision agreements or report in brief written form on students’ dissertation progress.
The Swiss Summer School in Democracy Studies (s3ds) will be organized on an annual basis on different topics in democracy research. Funded by the UZH (SUK), it will be a joint venture with affiliated Swiss universities. Program participants have to attend at least one summer school.
Doctoral students are expected to attend at least one workshop in scientific academic writing and scientific project management during their 1st program year.[5]
Given the relative heterogeneity of program participants, almost half of each doctoral student’s training will be targeted at his/her individual needs (à la carte training). This part will be composed of courses in methods (e.g. schools and courses in research methodology) and at least three among the following activities: courses in thematic summer schools, international conferences with paper presentations (one conference is compulsory), modules in other DPs, courses on transferable skills, language courses, teaching activities, and stays abroad etc. Students will be allocated a pre-defined amount of money to cover the costs of their à la carte activities.
Doctoral students have to obtain a total number of 24 ECTS credits or more in research methods and the subject-specific field. A total of at least 6 ECTS credits must cover transferable skills trainings, such as teaching, didactic courses, scientific communication and organization courses, leadership competences, language courses or mentoring or committee engagement. For further information see the Guidelines for LA and ECTS.