2011 Theme: Norms, Values, Language and Culture:

Resources and Limitations
The 4th edition of the Bergen Summer Research School - GlobalDevelopment Challenges (BSRS) will be held between 20 June and 1 July, 2011.

It focuses on questions related to the status and development of norms, values, language and culture and how these phenomena may serve as both resources and limitations in dealing with the complex challenges that the world faces today. In this perspective, norms and values can contribute to inclusion as well as exclusion of both social actors and fields of engagement in different contexts. Language and the wider concept of culture can contribute to continuity and change, conflict and resolution. How are we to understand and make best use of the available resources, and how are we to understand and overcome the limitations that are inherent in norms, values, language and culture?

The main basis for BSRS is a series of parallel high quality doctoral courses targeted exclusively for doctoral candidates and junior researchers. The 2011 edition of the Research School plans to offer 5 parallel courses which cover a range of thematic, theoretical and methodological topics important for research on major global challenges related to Norms, values, language and culture. Each course is based in its own disciplinary framework(s), but also developed to form a basis for interdisciplinary communication and methodological development in a cross-cultural and multidisciplinary research context.

The local course leaders are well established researchers in their own fields and have broad experience with international research collaboration. In addition to the researchers affiliated with the collaborating institutions, the BSRS has also invited a number of distinguished researchers from other countries who will participate throughout the Research School as teachers, key speakers or discussants in plenary sessions.

A set of plenary sessions and public meetings will reach out to the wider community in the overall perspectives of the BSRS 2011 theme.
Bergen Summer Research School 2011 thus aims to promote dialogue across academic disciplines, the private sector, government and civil society organisations and to raise awareness and incentives for all those sectors. We aim to offer truly interdisciplinary approaches and to develop tools to overcome methodological and epistemological challenges. Last, the north-south dimension will always be kept as a fundamental issue.

Deadline for applications is 1 March 2011