Doctoral School in Humanities and Social Sciences

Description and educational objectives


The PhD in History and Textual Sciences aims to train highly qualified individuals to carry out research activities in public and private institutions, as well as in the liberal professions, contributing to the realization of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the European Research Area (ERA). To achieve this goal, the programme pursues the vision and mission of the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries, founded in 2017 and based on research in the humanities, social sciences and the various forms of creativity. It is a common cultural project focused on the dialogue between tradition and contemporaneity in the perspective of a constant updating of knowledge.

At the heart of this dialogue is a strong interdisciplinarity, cultivated through a series of links that seeks to train researchers who are methodologically equipped, internationally competitive, and able to communicate the results of their research outside the academic sphere, for the enhancement of cultural heritage and the cohesion dynamics of European society. Interdisciplinary teaching activities and collaboration with other PhD programmes of the University in the humanities and sciences will promote methodological integration and an interdisciplinary perspective, while respecting the specificities of each discipline.

Particularly, the dialogue between the philological, linguistic, literary and historical disciplines will promote knowledge and projects in areas such as reflection on codes and forms of culture, ways of representing reality and the imaginary, awareness of the levels of complexity of the text at the linguistic, stylistic and cultural levels, and the historical heritage in its various articulations. The research will be able to take advantage of the strong links already developed with the city of Parma, especially with the museum, archive and library system, but also with a series of high-profile cultural institutions active in the area.

To this end, the PhD will activate a specific Steering Committee which, in addition to Italian and international academics, will include stakeholders from the area who will be actively involved in the overall project, including the research funded by ministerial grants. In addition, to promote the dissemination of research results, transversal modules on scientific communication, participation in conferences and competitive calls will be offered to the entire PhD school community.

Thanks to the numerous and already established international contacts of the members of the College, internationalisation will be a structural aspect of the educational project, making use of the University's cooperation agreements and networks. In addition to the usual formula of seminar lectures, co-tutorials on specific research will be developed, and the educational offer will be periodically reviewed through comparison with PhD practices in different university contexts, especially in a European perspective.

Another qualifying aspect will concern the training of university teachers, in innovative forms as well. Based on the AVA3 guidelines, according to which "the PhD programme allows and encourages the participation of PhD students in teaching and tutoring activities, within the limits of consistency and compatibility with the research activities carried out", seminar and complementary activities undertaken by PhD students will be encouraged and carefully supervised. In addition, PhD students who will be entrusted with tutoring activities on the basis of the various calls for proposals available will play an active role in the tutoring training initiatives already organised by the Department.

Training objectives

In line with the Dublin descriptors for the third cycle, the objective of the PhD course is to achieve a set of skills and competences necessary for obtaining the final degree:

  • full understanding of the disciplinary field of research, as represented by the relevant curriculum, and mastery of the associated research and analysis methods
  • ability to design, implement and adapt a research process taking into account ethical issues related to knowledge production;
  • design and implement original research capable of expanding the frontiers of knowledge;
  • develop skills of critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of new and complex ideas;
  • achieve a level of dissemination and communication appropriate to their field of research;
  • engage in activities to promote their results in academic and professional contexts, through participation in conferences and scientific publications;
  • write a research thesis and support it with a view to discussing it before a committee at the end of the three years.

The main objective is to provide students with a training project that is in line with their future professional profiles (guaranteed by the different curricula) and with the knowledge and skills (both disciplinary and interdisciplinary) associated with them. The training project is composed of a series of enabling elements, among which the following stand out:

  • the financial and structural resources available and the specific features of the university, including its links with the territory, i.e. its relations with research bodies, the business world and various cultural and social institutions, which are sensitive to the topics of the phd programme and open to cooperate in various ways;
  • the network of national and international relationships developed by the University and its lecturers, which allows for constant adaptation to the cultural and scientific evolution of the disciplines of reference and for a sustainable, effective and coherent mobility with the research developed, offering prospects of collaboration at various levels to PhD students, who will benefit from financial support in accordance with the regulations in force;
  • the pivotal role of the PhD student, whose growth as an integral part of the scientific community is promoted and encouraged, both through the organisation of joint activities between the different curricula and through disciplinary activities characterising the reference curriculum, including participation, also as speakers, in national and international congresses, workshops and/or training schools;
  • the strong interdisciplinary nature of the PhD Programme, based on a long-standing and consolidated interaction between members of the Department involved in the different curricula, in joint research projects and teaching activities, which guarantee multiple opportunities for collaboration in favour of a multifaceted training not limited to one's own disciplinary field

Contacts

UO Formazione Post Lauream - PhD Office

Hub

P.le San Francesco 3 – 43121 Parma

Contacts
T. +39 0521 034214
E. dottorati@unipr.it

Head
Dott.ssa Sonia RIZZOLI