STUDIEVÄGLEDARBLOGGEN

Blandad information för studenter på Institutionen för arkeologi och antikens historia vid Lunds universitet

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Hur bygger jag en kandidatexamen av fristående kurser?

En kandidatexamen består av 180 högskolepoäng (dvs tre års heltidsstudier) där 90 hp är i huvudämnet och avslutats med ett kandidatarbete. De andra 90 hp kan fördelas över flera olika ämnen och olika stora kurser, eller kan vara 90 hp i ett annat ämne. Om så är fallet är det möjligt att ta ut två kandidatexamina, en i vardera ämnet. Poängen som ditt huvudämne ska kombineras med måste vara högskolepoäng, och inte från annan studieform (som yrkesutbildningar eller folkhögskola), men de behöver inte vara från samma universitet. 

För våra ämnen, arkeologi, historisk arkeologi, osteologi, och antikens historia, finns det inget kandidatprogram på institutionen. Det betyder att varje student bestämmer själv hur den färdiga examen ska se ut och vad som ska vara fokus. 

Det är meningen att kandidatuppsatsen ska vara kronan på verket och därför bör kandidatterminen läsas så sent som möjligt under den studietid du avsätter för din kandidatexamen. Det är viktigt i sammanhanget att komma ihåg att vår kandidattermin bara går på hösten, så för många blir det då termin fem. 

Våra grundkurser går varje termin medan våra fortsättningskurser bara går på våren, och det gäller arkeologi, historisk arkeologi och antikens kultur och samhällsliv. Osteologi består av två grundkurser (dvs att du inte behöver ha läst den ena för att få söka den andra) som ges vartannat år. Detta är vad som kallas periodiserade kurser och är viktigt att minnas när man planerar sina studier. För alla kurser i stegrande svårighetsgrad gäller att den föregående nivån ska vara helt avklarad för att man ska få lov att gå nästa. 

Fördelen med att läsa fristående kurser som sin kandidatutbildning är att man får kombinera sitt huvudämne med något man tycker är riktigt spännande och som man anser kan stärka huvudämnet och informera hur man tar sig an sin kandidatuppsats. Vanliga ämnen att ha med är: historia, etnologi, antropologi, museikunskap, arkivkunskap, konstvetenskap, kulturvetenskap, kulturgeografi, geologi, GIS, latin, grekiska, fornsvenska, religionsvetenskap, kulturadministration, kulturmiljö, kulturarv, turism, med flera. Som synes finns det mycket mer att välja på än vad ett program skulle kunna innehålla och intressena hos studenterna drar åt olika håll! I en kandidatexamen kan det dessutom ingå utlandsstudier eller praktik. 

Om du har funderingar på vad du ska söka eller välja av det du sökt kan du alltid boka en tid med en studievägledare och prata igenom det. 

14 augusti, 2022

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When you want to do a PhD – advice from Lovisa Brännstedt and Fredrik Ekengren

(This is part of a series of conversations I’ve had with PhD students, doctors and teachers here at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History in Lund during the summer of 2022. For some the original conversation were in English, but for some in Swedish. When that’s the case I’ve published a translation as well, and any faults or strange word choices are to be considered mine. The original text is over here.)

To round off this series of posts on PhD studies I asked two of our researchers and teachers here at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History in Lund to give me their thoughts and tips on the application process.

Lovisa Brännstedt has a PhD in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History and is now a researcher at the department, where she also teaches and supervises master students. She has a lot of experience with applications, as research is mainly funded through project grants. Fredrik Ekengren, PhD in Archaeology and lecturer at the department, also our Director of Studies, and supervises both master students and PhD students. They teach a course together and answered my questions together, so what you find below it is their shared knowledge.

If you are thinking about applying, this is a good place to start and although it is not an exhaustive list, most of it is generic to most kinds of applications, not just PhD positions.

 

“If students consider applying for a PhD, what should they think about? How much impact does the Master’s thesis have on the application? Is there any way to make it stronger after it’s publication?”

“It’s often what students find during their Master’s thesis that makes them want to do further research! If they want to continue with the same topic as in the Master’s thesis, it is important to show progression – that the questions, material, and/or methods are further developed to the point where they justify a larger research project. The Master’s thesis is a major part of the application and its quality is assessed in relation to the time it took to complete it, not just the grade it received. Since applicants come from a variety of countries and departments the criteria for a certain grade can vary a lot.

“When it comes to improvements for the thesis, they cannot be made, but it is possible to try to publish articles based on the thesis and in them correct what did not turn out as you wanted, or take into account the changed state of research if the thesis is a bit older. It also gives you a publication to add to your CV and that makes a difference to the application.

“Talk to your Master’s thesis supervisor about your plans to apply for a PhD and ask for advice. As long as there is not a call for application it is not a matter of bias for them to be helpful. Since it is difficult to get into graduate school, it is always a good idea to apply for all PhD positions, both in and out of the country.

 

“How should applicants think about the formalities of the application?”

“It is very important to follow the requirements of the call for applications, otherwise you risk being screened out immediately. Stay on schedule! As this is a university position and governed by firm rules, the application procedure is very strict. Also, make sure that your application is sent to the right call, with the right reference number – this is especially important when there are several posts advertised in related subjects. If you apply for the wrong post by mistake, it is not possible to ”move” your application to the right call once the deadline has passed. Therefore, it is also important to find out whether your degree subject and specialisation really match the subject of the advertised post.

“When there are requirements for certain skills in the call, it is always a good idea to show in your CV where in the attached documentation you think these requirements are met. In general, it is always a good idea to make it as easy as possible for the reader of the application.

“Speaking of reading, it is also always a good idea to ask someone you know to proofread the application so that small errors do not detract from the overall impression and so that the text makes sense.

 

“Many people wonder about the project plan, what should they remember to consider?”

“Since it is most common in the humanities to apply with an individual project (and not as part of an established multi-person research project), it requires a lot of preparation. Think about the basics of your research question and be specific: what do you want to do, how will you do it, why does it need to be done and why are you in particular suited to do it?

“Read up on the current field of research so that you have a good idea of its breadth and depth, as well as the research questions that need to be investigated further.

“Assessors will be looking at what makes your project innovative, and as it is important that applicants can start their project immediately, all the necessary skills and knowledge must be in place from the outset. They will also assess and whether the project is likely to be feasible in four years.

“If you make a timetable, it is best that it is realistic and not too ambitious, aim lower! Showing a realistic timetable is always an advantage.

“Your research idea will be assessed, but also your perception of the current state of research. It is part of the application process that you have already read up on your future research and show it. Show how it could be done and what material are possible to find. That’s why it’s really important to attend the research seminars at the department, so you not only get an idea of what research is done now, but you also get to see how the conversation about research within your subject is conducted and you get to know the research environment and the scholars at the department. This is invaluable if you are thinking about a future in the subjects and can also be a help when applying. You’ll know who to ask, for example.

 

“What can you do if you don’t get offered the position?”

“It is common to apply many times before you get in, so take this as an opportunity to improve your application. Ask for feedback if you didn’t get it. If you applied at your home department you can always ask people you know there if they would be willing to give you some tips once there’s no longer a conflict of interests or risk of unfair advantage.

“Applications may be ranked differently at different times, but if you apply to the same department more than once and want to apply with the same project, be sure to show in your application that you have taken into account the feedback you received last time. But you should write a project plan that you want to carry out, not one you think the assessors will want to read!

 

“Any other advice?”

“A final tip is not to wait for a call to start drafting an application, but do it as soon as you have an idea of what you want to write about. Suddenly there’s a vacancy in the department, or that golden opportunity presents itself at a foreign university.”

 

Thank you Fredrik and Lovisa for your time and insights!

10 augusti, 2022

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När du vill doktorera – tips kring ansökan från Lovisa Brännstedt och Fredrik Ekengren

För att runda av den här omgången av inlägg kring doktorerandet bad jag två av institutionens forskare och lärare att svara på några samlande frågor från deras perspektiv. För de andra konversationerna med doktorander och nyblivna doktorer se tidigare inlägg under sommaren 2022.

Lovisa Brännstedt är doktor i antikens kultur och samhällsliv och nu forskare vid institutionen där hon även undervisar och handleder masterstudenter. Hon har en rejäl ansökningsvana eftersom forskning främst finansieras genom projektanslag. Fredrik Ekengren doktor i arkeologi och lektor vid institutionen där han också är studierektor och handleder inte bara masterstudenter utan också doktorander. De undervisar ihop och svarade på mina frågor ihop, så nedan är det deras gemensamma kunskap vi får ta del av.

Ifall du går i ansökningstankar är det här en bra plats att göra avstamp och även om det inte är en uttömmande lista är det mesta på den allmängiltigt för de flesta sorters ansökningar, inte bara för doktorandtjänster.

 

– Det är ofta studenter hittar något under sina masterstudier som de vill jobba vidare med, vad ska de tänka på då? Hur stor påverkan har masteruppsatsen på ansökningen? Finns det något sätt att göra den starkare sen den gick upp?

– Det är ofta studenter hittar något i masteruppsatsen de vill jobba vidare med. Om man vill fortsätta med samma ämne som i masteruppsatsen så är det viktigt att visa progression – att frågeställningarna, materialet, och/eller metoderna vidareutvecklas så pass att de motiverar ett större forskningsarbete. Masteruppsatsen är en stor del av ansökan och där bedöms kvalitén i förhållande till tiden det tog att slutföra den, inte bara betyget den fått. Detta för att olika institutioner har olika upplägg på masterkurserna så det är inte alltid uppsatserna är rakt jämförbara med varandra.

När det kommer till förbättringar för uppsatsen så går de inte att göra, men det går att försöka publicera artiklar baserade på uppsatsen och där rätta till det som inte blev som man ville, eller ta ställning till det ändrade forskningsläget om uppsatsen är lite äldre. Det ger också en publikation att lägga till sin meritlista och det gör skillnad för ansökan.

Prata med din handledare för masterarbetet om dina planer på att söka dig till forskningen och be om tips. Så länge det inte finns en utlysning är det inte en fråga om jäv för dem att vara till hjälp. Eftersom det är svårt att komma in på forskarutbildning är det alltid en god idé att söka alla doktorandtjänster, både inom och utom landet.

 

– Hur ska de sökande tänka kring formalia i ansökningen?

– Det är jätteviktigt att följa utlysningens krav på en ansökan, annars riskerar den att sorteras bort direkt. Håll tiden! Eftersom det är en statlig tjänst är ansökningsförfarandet mycket strikt. Se även till att din ansökan skickas till rätt utlysning, med rätt referensnummer– detta är särskilt viktigt när det finns flera tjänster utlysta i angränsande ämnen. Om du av misstag söker fel tjänst så går det inte att ”flytta” din ansökan till rätt utlysning när väl ansökningstiden gått ut. Därför är det även viktigt att ta reda på om ditt examensämne och examensinriktning verkligen matchar ämnet för den utlysta tjänsten. När det finns krav på vissa kunskaper i utlysningen är det alltid bra att visa i CV:t var i de bifogade meriterna man anser att dessa krav möts. Det är generellt sett alltid bra att underlätta så mycket som möjligt för den som läser ansökan.

På tal om läsning så är det också alltid bra att be någon man känner om korrekturläsning så inte småfel drar ner helhetsintrycket och så att texten verkar vettig.

 

– Det här med projektplan är det många som undrar över, hur är det bra att tänka där?

– Eftersom det inom humaniora är vanligast att ansöka med ett individuellt projekt (och inte som en del av ett etablerat forskningsprojekt för flera personer) kräver det en hel del förarbete. Tänk på grunderna för din frågeställning och var konkret: vad vill du göra, hur ska du göra det, varför behöver det göras och varför är just du lämpad att göra det?

Läs in dig på det aktuella forskningsfältet, så att du har en god uppfattning om dess bredd och djup, samt vilka forskningsfrågor som behöver undersökas vidare och presentera det.

Här kommer de som bedömer att titta på vad som gör ditt projekt till något nyskapande, och eftersom det är viktigt att den sökande kan börja sitt projekt direkt måste alla kunskaper och färdigheter som krävs vara på plats från början. De bedömer också och ifall det är sannolikt att projektet är genomförbart på fyra år.

Om du gör en tidsplan är det bäst att den är realistisk och inte för ambitiös, sikta lägre! Att visa en realistisk tidsplan är alltid en fördel.

Din forskningsidé kommer att bedömas men också din uppfattning om forskningsläget just nu. Det är en del av ansökningsprocessen att man redan i förväg har satt sig in i forskningen man vill jobba med och visar det. Därför är det jätteviktigt att delta i forskarseminarierna på institutionen, då får man inte bara en uppfattning om hur forskningen ser ut nu, man får också med sig hur samtalet kring forskningen förs och man lär känna forskningsmiljön på institutionen. Det är ovärderligt ifall man tänker sig en framtid inom ämnena och kan vara en hjälp vid ansökningen också.

 

– Vad kan man göra om man inte kommer in?

– Det är vanligt att söka många gånger innan man kommer in, så ta det som ett tillfälle att förbättra ansökan. Be om feedback om du inte fick den. Har du sökt på din heminstitution kan du alltid fråga folk du känner där om de kan tänka sig att ge dig några tips när jävsituationen inte gäller längre. Ansökningar kan rankas olika vid olika ansökningstillfällen, men om du söker till samma institution mer än en gång och vill söka med samma projekt var noga med att visa i din ansökan att du har tagit hänsyn till den feedback du fick förra gången. Men du ska skriva en projektplan som du vill utföra, inte en du tror att bedömarna vill läsa!

 

– Några andra råd?

– Ett avslutande tips är att inte vänta på en utlysning för att börja skissa på en ansökan, utan gör det så fort du har en idé vad du vill skriva om. Plötsligt utlyses det en extra tjänst vid institutionen, eller den där gyllene möjligheten uppenbarar sig vid ett utländskt universitet.

 

Tack Fredrik och Lovisa för att ni tog er tid!

 

10 augusti, 2022

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When you want to do a PhD – a conversation with Fanny Kärfve

(This is part of a series of conversations I’ve had with PhD students, doctors and teachers here at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History in Lund during the summer of 2022. For some the original conversation were in English, but for some in Swedish. When that’s the case I’ve published a translation as well, and any faults or strange word choices are to be considered mine. You’ll find the Swedish original here.)

Fanny Kärfve finished her PhD in March 2022 with the defence of her thesis Greeting the visitor – A contextualising study of fauces-mosaics in Pompeii and is now a Doctor in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History. Moreover, when I caught her for a few questions about her experience of the PhD in general and the application process specifically, she was so newly confermed that the doctoral ring felt strange on her finger and the laurel wreath was still fresh. Fanny got to experience several different aspects of the doctoral conferment ceremony, as her daughter was one of the girls who carried the laurel wreaths and got to borrow a dress from Kulturen for it. For a passing spectator, the conferment ceremony means gun salutes by the cathedral and a parade of black-clad individuals, but for the doctor-to-be, it is years of hard work that ceremonially comes to an end. But Fanny says she hasn’t gotten used to the idea that it’s finished quite yet. Since she’s so into it still, it was the perfect opportunity to ask about it all. This will be a summary of the conversation we had about the thesis, life and the future.

 

”How did you go about applying?”

”I applied for the position here in Lund three times, but I also had plans to apply either abroad or at one of the other departments with Classical Archaeology and Ancient History here in Sweden. In Sweden, a PhD position is an employment with all the benefits of such, such as job protection and parental leave, but it is also an education, and that played a role in where I applied. My project was ranked differently at the different application stages. When you get a high ranking, you get a statement about your application and I used that to improve my project plan for the next time. They then look at the relevance of the topic and if there is a new angle to the material, or a new perspective and if it is feasible. The biggest change I made was to reduce the scope of the project so that it would be doable during the PhD, and that was lucky because it grew later anyway!”

 

”How did you choose the topic for your dissertation?”

””I was lucky enough to be a student in the Pompeii project (a project run by the then Professor of Classical Archaeology and Ancient History here in the department) and there I found my material and realised that no one else had done anything with it. There were also people in the project who listened to questions and encouraged me to take it further, but I didn’t ask anyone for comments on the project description before applying because I didn’t want to put them in a position of conflict of interest. But after I started writing an application, I talked a lot to people who had written applications themselves, for example for excavations, and I asked other PhD students about how they wrote their applications. It helps to hear how others did it.”

 

”Do you have advice for anyone applying now”

”Especially for Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, language is really important! Not only does the department in Lund require ancient languages for your application to be ranked, but modern languages are also important. Much of the research is written in languages other than English, so German, French, Italian and Greek are good to read and understand. This will be taken into account when assessing the application. Having realistic expectations and knowing what you are getting into, being driven by a certain kind of stubbornness and curiosity. And, of course, a genuine love of ancient history.”

 

”What has been difficult and what has been fun along the way?”

”The hardest thing has been the time aspect. Setting a framework for your project and a timetable, and knowing when to stop! You can’t go on and on forever. So making it manageable was difficult. Becoming a parent during the PhD was not as difficult as one might think, it just extends the time it takes. The most enjoyable part has been being part of a context, having colleagues and a workplace, and being able to take a place in the subject.”

”And now, what happens for you after this milestone?”

”I’ve been awarded a grant to start a new project inspired by my thesis. So it’s off to Ostia!”

 

Thank you Fanny for taking the time, we look forward to your continued research!

 

 

9 augusti, 2022

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När du vill doktorera – samtal med Fanny Kärfve

Fanny Kärfve avslutade sin doktorandtid i mars 2022 med disputation av sin avhandling Greeting the visitor – A contextualising study of fauces-mosaics in Pompeii och är nu doktor i antikens kultur och samhällsliv. När jag fångade henne för några frågor om hennes upplevelse av doktorerandet i stort och ansökningsprocessen specifikt var hon dessutom så nypromoverad att doktorsringen kändes ovan på fingret och lagerkransen ännu färsk. Fanny fick uppleva flera olika sidor av promoveringshögtiden eftersom hennes dotter var en av kransflickorna och fick låna en klänning av Kulturen för det. För en förbipasserande åskådare är promoveringen kanonsalut vid domkyrkan och en parad av svartklädda individer, men för den blivande doktorn är det många års hårt arbete som ceremoniellt når sitt slut. Men Fanny säger att hon inte har vant sig vid tanken på att det är färdigt riktigt än. Eftersom hon är så inne i det fortfarande var det ett perfekt tillfälle att fråga om det hela. Det här blir en sammanställning av det samtal vi hade kring avhandlingen, livet och framtiden.

 

– Hur gick det till när du sökte?

– Jag sökte tjänst här i Lund tre gånger men hade också planer på att söka antingen utomlands eller vid en av de andra institutionerna med antikens kultur och samhällsliv här i Sverige. I Sverige är doktorerandet en anställning med alla fördelarna med en sådan, som anställningsskydd och föräldraledighet, men det är också en utbildning, och det spelade roll för var jag sökte. Mitt projekt rankades olika högt vid de olika söktillfällena. När man blir högt rankad får man ett utlåtande om sin ansökan och den använde jag för att förbättra min projektplan till nästa gång. De tittar då på ämnets relevans och ifall det finns en ny infallsvinkel till materialet, eller ett nytt perspektiv och ifall det är genomförbart. Den största förändringen jag gjorde var att minska projektets omfattning för att det skulle vara görbart under doktorandtiden, och det var tur för det växte sen ändå!

 

– Hur valde du ämne för din avhandling?

– Jag hade turen att vara med som student i Pompejiprojektet (ett projekt som drevs av dåvarande professorn i antikens kultur och samhällsliv här på institutionen) och där hittade jag mitt material och insåg att ingen annan hade gjort något med det. I projektet fanns också människor som lyssnade på frågor och uppmuntrade att jag skulle ta det vidare, men jag bad ingen om hjälp att läsa projektbeskrivningen innan ansökan eftersom jag inte ville utsätta dem för en jävsituation. Men efter att jag hade börjat skriva på en ansökan pratade jag mycket med folk som själva skrivit ansökningar t.ex för utgrävningar, och jag frågade andra doktorander om hur de skrev sina ansökningar. Det hjälper till att höra hur andra gjort.

 

– Har du några tips till den som söker en tjänst nu?

– Just för antiken är det jätteviktigt med språk! Inte bara det att institutionen i Lund kräver antika språk för att komma med i rankningen utan även moderna språk är viktiga. Mycket av forskningen är skriven på annat än engelska, så tyska, franska, italienska och grekiska är bra att läsa och förstå. Det kommer att tas med i bedömningen av ansökan. Att ha en realistisk förväntning och veta vad man ger sig in på, att drivas av en viss form av envishet och nyfikenhet. Och förstås en genuin kärlek till antiken.

 

– Vad har varit svårt och vad har varit roligt under tiden?

– Det svåraste har varit den tidsaspekten. Att sätta upp ramar för sitt projekt och en tidsplan, och att sätta punkt! Man kan inte hålla på och nysta i det oändliga. Så att göra det hanterbart var svårt. Att bli förälder under doktorandtiden var inte alls så svårt som man kan tro, det förlänger tiden det tar bara. Det roligaste har varit att vara en del av ett sammanhang, att ha kollegor och en arbetsplats och att få ta plats i ämnet rent vetenskapligt.

 

– Vad händer för dig efter den här milstolpen?

– Jag har blivit beviljad ett stipendium för att påbörja ett nytt projekt som avhandlingen gett uppslag till. Så det bär av till Ostia!

 

Tack Fanny för att du tog dig tid, vi ser fram emot din fortsatta forskning!

 

9 augusti, 2022

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When you want to do a PhD – conversation with Hampus Olsson

(This is part of a series of conversations I’ve had with PhD students, doctors and teachers here at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History in Lund during the summer of 2022. For some the original conversation were in English, but for some in Swedish. When that’s the case I’ve published a translation as well, and any faults or strange word choices are to be considered mine. You’ll find the Swedish original here.)

Hampus Olsson has a PhD from the department and presented his thesis Cultural and socio-political development in south Etruria in October 2021. Since the doctoral conferment ceremony is only once a year, he received his laurel wreath and ring together with Fanny Kärfve in June 2022.

Hampus is teaching a summer course on ancient history and it’s relevance to us today that is running for the first time this year and he took the time to talk to me about his experience of applying for a PhD. When asked how he feels now that everything was done, the answer was ”compared to the joy I felt when I got the PhD position, it’s more of a relief now” and when Hampus told me about the turns his dissertation has taken, I understand him. Since it has been a while since the dissertation, I started by asking Hampus about his plans for the future. Here is a summary of our conversation. 

 

”What are you doing right now and what’s next?”

”There’s a lot going on now. During the summer I’m teaching the summer course on Ancient history and it’s relevance today, and in September I have a research lectureship at the Swedish Institute in Rome where I’ll be working on a couple of different projects. At the moment I am finalising an application for a pilot study for a field project on Blera. There is a city plateau that has been abandoned so it is possible to study the ancient city, urbanisation and the movement of the city centre. Within the research lectureship there will also be a historical project on identity creation and collective memory during the reign of Augustus. This is the topic that my thesis should have been about from the beginning.”

 

”How did you go about applying for the PhD position and why did you change your dissertation topic?”

”When I finished my master’s degree, I was lucky that four positions in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History were advertised at the same time, and none of them at my home university (Uppsala). So I applied for all four. It took about three months of all the free time I could carve out from my full-time job as a bartender to write it, and many rewrites along the way.

”While working on my master’s thesis, I had come across the Etruscan priesthood that Augustus incorporated into Roman historiography, and with that topic I was able to use much of the knowledge I had gained during my master’s thesis. It was to be the basis of my thesis but after working on it for a semester I got very stuck. I felt that the sources would not be enough for a whole thesis.

”So, in consultation with my supervisor, I changed the topic to another part of Etruscan history. I had been working with a PhD student in Uppsala documenting Etruscan tombs, and during fieldwork I was thinking about how a small cultural area was affected by the expansion of Rome. It took a long time to get into the new subject and get a picture of what was connected. There was so much more material to go through and this contributed to the delay of the thesis.”

 

”How did you deal with it when the thesis needed more time?”

”I applied for grants and was lucky enough to get them, from the faculty, foundations, the The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities (Vitterhetsakademien), and the Swedish Institute in Rome. It is quite laborious to write applications but it can be worth it. The scholarship world in Lund and Uppsala is large, so as a student here there are many to apply for.”

 

”Do you have any advice for those who want to try a PhD application?”

”If you find a niche you’re interested in during your master’s thesis, you’ll have help from that research in your application. Go to all the seminars you can and show your interest early, it makes it easier to ask questions later. It’s the single most important thing you can do for your degree and after it. Also apply outside your home university and take help where you can get it.

”Doing a digging internship is another tip. It’s harder as a student of Classical Archaeology and Ancient History to get that experience during your master’s studies, but it’s important to have an understanding of archaeology before interpreting the material for your research.

”Classical Archaeology and Ancient History is a research-oriented subject from the start but don’t forget about modern languages, they are needed if you are going to do research. Almost all research on the Etruscans is written in Italian, for example.”

 

”You are an active part of a network in your field too, would you like to tell us about it?”

”It’s a network for Etruscanology, pre-Roman archaeology and Italian cultures – a network for students at Swedish universities who have that as their research focus and the idea is that it will act as a bridge between the institute in Rome and the students. We have discussions on thesis topics, text seminars for master theses (similar to the final seminar for PhD theses) and it is now national and has about 20 active students. When fieldwork comes up, we broker those contacts as well. The network was started by Fredrik Tobin-Dodd, who was the PhD student I helped with the Etruscan tombs.”

 

Thank you Hampus for taking the time to answer questions and good luck with the new position in Rome!

8 augusti, 2022

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När du vill doktorera – samtal med Hampus Olsson

Hampus Olsson har doktorerat vid institutionen och lade fram sin avhandling Cultural and socio-political development in south Etruria i oktober 2021. Eftersom promoveringen bara är en gång om året fick han sin lagerkrans och ring tillsammans med Fanny Kärfve först nu (sommaren 2022).

Hampus undervisar på en sommarkurs om antiken som vi ger för första gången i år och tog sig tid att prata med mig om sina erfarenheter av att söka doktorandtjänst. På frågan hur han känner nu när allt var klart var svaret ”i förhållande till glädjen jag kände när jag fick doktorandtjänsten är det mer lättnad nu” och när Hampus berättade om turerna hans avhandling tagit förstår jag honom. Eftersom det gått ett tag sedan disputationen började jag med att fråga Hampus om hans planer för framtiden. Här är ett sammandrag av vårt samtal.

 

– Vad sysslar du med just nu och vad händer sen?

– Det är mycket på gång nu. Under sommaren undervisar jag på sommarkursen Antiken och idag och från september har jag en fått en forskarlektorstjänst vid Svenska institutet i Rom där jag ska jobba med ett par olika projekt. Just nu håller jag på att färdigställa en ansökan om en pilotstudie för ett fältprojekt om Blera. Där finns en stadsplatå som övergetts så det går att studera den antika staden, urbanisering och stadscentrums förflyttning. Inom tjänsten blir det också ett historiskt projekt som ska handla om identitetsskapande och det kollektiva minnet under Augustus. Det är ämnet som min avhandling skulle ha handlat om från början.

 

-Hur gick det till när du sökte doktorandtjänst och hur kommer det sig att du bytte avhandlingsämne?

-När jag var klar med min master hade jag turen att det utlystes fyra tjänster i antikens kultur och samhällsliv samtidigt och ingen av dem på mitt hemuniversitet (Uppsala). Så jag sökte alla fyra. Det tog ca tre månader av all ledig tid jag kunde karva ut från mitt heltidsjobb som bartender att skriva den, och många omskrivningar under vägen.

Under arbetet med min masteruppsats hade jag stött på det etruskiska prästerskap som Augustus införlivade i den romerska historieskrivningen och med det ämnet kunde jag använda mycket av den kunskap jag samlat på mig under min masteruppsats. Det skulle vara grunden för min avhandling men efter att ha jobbat med det en termin körde jag fast rejält. Jag upplevde att källorna inte skulle vara nog för en hel avhandling.

Så i samråd med min handledare bytte jag ämne till en annan del av den etruskiska historien. Jag hade jobbat med en doktorand i Uppsala som dokumenterade etruskiska gravar och i fält hade jag funderingar kring hur ett litet kulturområde påverkades av Roms expansion. Det tog lång tid att komma in i det nya ämnet och få en bild av vad som hängde ihop. Det var så mycket mer material att ta sig igenom och det har bidragit till att försena avhandlingen.

 

-Hur löste du det när avhandlingen behövde längre tid?

-Jag sökte stipendier och hade turen att få dem, från fakulteten, stiftelser, av Vitterhetsakademin, och av Svenska institutet i Rom. Det är rätt arbetskrävande att skriva ansökningar men kan vara värt det. Stipendievärlden i Lund och Uppsala är stor så som studerande här finns det många att ansöka om.

 

– Har du några tips till dem som vill försöka sig på en doktorandansökan?

– Om du hittar en nisch du är intresserad av under masteruppsatsen har du hjälp av de efterforskningarna i din ansökan. Gå på alla seminarier du kan och visa ditt intresse tidigt, det gör det lättare att ställa frågor senare. Det är den enskilt viktigaste saken du kan göra för din studietid och efter den. Sök också utanför ditt hemuniversitet och ta hjälp där du kan får den.

Att göra grävpraktik är ett annat tips. Det är svårare som antikare att få den erfarenheten under masterstudierna men det är viktigt att ha förståelse för arkeologin inför tolkningen av materialet till forskningen.

Antikens kultur och samhällsliv är ett forskningstillvänt ämne från början men glöm inte bort de moderna språken, de behövs ifall du ska forska. Nästan all forskning om etruskerna är skriven på italienska till exempel.

 

– Du är en aktiv del av ett nätverk inom ditt ämne också, vill du berätta om det?

– Det är ett nätverk för etruskologi, förromersk arkeologi och italiska kulturer – ett nätverk för studenter vid svenska lärosäten som har det som forskningsinriktning och meningen är att det ska fungera som en brygga mellan institutet i Rom och studenterna. Vi har diskussioner kring uppsatsämnen, textseminarier för masteruppsatser (som liknar ett slutseminarium för avhandlingar) och det är nu nationellt och har ca 20 aktiva studenter. När det dyker upp fältarbeten förmedlar vi de kontakterna också. Nätverket startades av Fredrik Tobin-Dodd som var den doktorand jag hjälpte med de etruskiska gravarna.

 

Tack Hampus för att du tog dig tid att svara på frågor, nu önskar vi dig lycka till med nya tjänsten i Rom!

8 augusti, 2022

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When you want to do a PhD – a conversation with Lena Strid

(This is part of a series of conversations I’ve had with PhD students, doctors and teachers here at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History in Lund during the summer of 2022. For some the original conversation were in English, but for some in Swedish. Since Lena worked in Oxford for many years I asked her to write up her answers after our conversation.)

Lena Strid is a PhD student in Historical Archaeology at the department and she’s done her four years and is on an extension. Lena and I have been friends since we met at the first day of the first course of archaeology here in Lund and she kindly offered to answer questions about her PhD experience with an eye toward hopeful applicants. 

 

“When did you decide you wanted to do a PhD?”

”I was working as an animal bone specialist in England, and while the work itself was very fun, the combination of poor wages (a case all over English archaeology, unfortunately) and living in an expensive town meant that I had an eye out for other jobs. And the only options in the job ads were either as lower-paid assistant to someone at my own level, or comparatively well-paid university jobs that required a PhD.”

 

”How did you go about applying?”

”I kept an eye out for notices on PhD positions in Sweden (PhDs in England are very badly funded, and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are already well-off) as they came up on a mailing list I’m on. I think I applied in total for eight positions over a six year period, learning something new about the process for each time. For example, you are expected to include a timeline for how you go about to structure your PhD over the four year period (this is not included in the instructions, btw) and that you cannot apply with the same research project a second time unless you show that you have kept on developing your project since last time, maybe done a short preliminary study (this is also not included in the instructions). It was not possible for me to do extra research since I was working full-time in a different country, so I had to shelve that project and come up with new one.

”A couple of projects later, sometimes shortlisted for interviews, sometimes not, I applied with my current research project to Uppsala, but fell through. They only gave written feedback for the shortlist, so I called them about feedback, since I wanted to know if I should develop this further, or just cancel it. Then, just a few days after, I found out that Lund had soon-closing job advert, and I sent in the same application, and figured that if Lund had the same objections as Uppsala, it was something I needed to work on, otherwise I could try to develop the project further. And to my great surprise they liked it so much they offered me a position as a PhD student.”

 

”How did you choose the topic for your dissertation after discarding earlier plans?”

”I came across an open lecture in Oxford on using biochemical analysis to do species identification for parchment in Medieval manuscripts, and as usual, all data came from England, France, Germany and Italy. So I asked the professor if they had any data from Scandinavia, and he said they didn’t. And following the saying that if you want something done well you have to do it yourself, I started working on a research proposal for a PhD. We stayed in touch and I’m loosely affiliated with his research group.”

 

”Do you have any tips for anyone thinking about applying for a Phd?”

”Don’t apply for anything unless you have a real passion for it: it’s gruelling work, and sometimes only your own curiosity for your subject will be the thing motivating you to keep going.

”Start networking as soon as you have a vague idea of what you’re interested in: join organisations that are in the same field and go to their meetings. For example, Environmental Archaeology (archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, geoarchaeology, landscape studies) (https://envarch.net) , Roman finds group (artefact studies) (https://www.romanfindsgroup.org.uk ) and there are more.

”Use your contacts in the specialist fields (see above) and in university – don’t feel shy to reach out to your lecturers – to ask about feedback for your research project. This is absolutely vital! You want to know if they think it’s viable (Do you have too little data? Too much data? Is someone else working on the same idea?) and if there are important things you need to be aware of when doing research on this question, such as material accessibility (If your material is in a museum in a different country, will they allow you to see it? Is the museum planning a long-term closure of their storage facilities for building repairs?) and language concerns (i.e. if important works in that field are in German, can you read German?).

”Don’t get beat down over rejections. As long as you are not rejected over missing documents or other formalia, it all depends on which projects you are competing with. Sometimes you are up against several great projects, sometimes your project is the better one in that year. If your project proposal is rejected, ask them for feedback! It could be something important, or it could just be that it’s a bad fit for that department.”

 

”Apart from the ordeal of finding stuff out the hard way about the application process, what has been difficult and what has been fun along the way?”

”It’s a long slog, and planning for four years can be really tough. The timeplan needs to be continously revised, as life will throw obstacles in your way (not usually as big as a worldwide pandemic, but still). The main problems has been unexpected mental health issues (depression) that has set me back timewise, and the pandemic that caused delays in lab work and the final parts of my data gathering. The fun bit has been opportunities to go to conferences and meet up with people interested in my research (remember: if you go to a conference abroad, set aside a few days for sightseeing!), and interesting chats with my colleagues at the department.”

 

“Now that you’re almost at the end of your PhD, how does it feel?”

”I’m fed up with it and I just want it to be over. However, I’m still excited about my research questions and I do want to let other people know what I found out. The main problem now is funding. Despite being employed by the university, the state considers PhD students students, and as such we are not eligible for the dole. It’s extremely difficult to concentrate on research if you’re working full-time, and part-time jobs are difficult to get since employers assume you will leave them soon for a full-time archaeology job. I’ve been lucky to have been awarded two grants, so I will try to eke out that money as long as I can, and remember that a PhD needs not to be perfect, but good enough to be submitted!”

Thank you for your time, Lena, and for answering all these questions!

4 augusti, 2022

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When you want to do a Phd – conversation with Blair Nolan

Blair Nolan started his PhD positionin Historical Osteology with us in winter of 2020 and we all know what the pandemic did to everything and everyone, so his time here hasn’t really followed the usual rhythm. I had the chance to catch him for a conversation just before summer vacation 2022, three semesters in on his project. I thought it would be interesting to hear from someone who have applied from outside the Swedish system, so we started our conversation there. What follows is a summary of that conversation that Blair wrote up for you.

 

“What did you do before you ended up here?”

”Immediately before my PhD here in Lund I was living back in Canada having finished my master’s the year before at the University of Sheffield. I did an MSc in Human Osteology and Funerary Archaeology. Prior to Sheffield I did a bachelor’s degree majoring in archaeology, minoring in biology, at Simon Fraser University in my hometown of Vancouver. That was where I took my first few courses in the branch of archaeology called bioarchaeology or biological anthropology, and really developed my interest in the subject of archaeology as a whole. I had always been inclined towards the biological sciences and had a love for reading and studying history while in secondary school, so this seemed like the best way to marry two of my interests together. After that I worked in commercial archaeology for a couple of years on various projects in my home province of British Columbia and a few other locations in the country before heading to Sheffield and eventually ending up here. Part of my decision in come to Lund was to experience the education system and academic tradition of another country, the same kind of thing that I did in England coming from Canada. I think it provides a perspective that you can’t otherwise obtain and gives you an appreciation for the practices and work of academics from various backgrounds.””

 

“When did you start to consider a PhD?”

”I think that was probably during my master’s. The decision to do a masters really came from my work in commercial archaeology, because it was seen as an asset to have a master’s degree if you wanted to move up in those companies. I chose to do the MSc in Human Osteology because I had loved the subject during my bachelor’s and wanted to explore the topic more and then once I really dug into the material while at Sheffield I think I realised that I really enjoyed the process of developing my own research project and tackling a larger problem. About halfway through when we really began to focus on the thesis I thought that a PhD could be an option and then towards then end of the degree it was something that I think I was striving for after graduation. Not necessarily something that I wanted to do right away, even though I guess I ended up doing that, but something I saw as a goal for the future. I think the onset of the pandemic, returning to Canada, and maybe some of the struggle I faced finding a job as a non-EU international in the UK helped push me along to decide to apply more quickly than I would have. Not to mention my master’s supervisor, who is now my secondary supervisor for this PhD, really encouraged me to apply and take the next step.”

 

“How did you decide on the subject for your PhD application?”

”My master’s thesis has acted as a foundation for what I am doing in my PhD. At Sheffield, with some guidance from my supervisor, I developed an interest in palaeodemographics, which is the study past population dynamics that can incorporate data on health and mortality, disease, diet and mobility patterns for the purpose of better understanding the lived experience of people in the past and how they interacted with their social and physical environments. My master’s project focused on a small sample of human remains from a medieval church cemetery in Warwick, England and I tried to say something about population level health and mortality prior to the Black Death in that country. For my PhD project I wanted to take those themes and extrapolate outwards working with a larger sample, in this case over 2000 remains, and engaging a more multidisciplinary approach. Really looking at how within an Urban environment different segments of the population may have interacted with their environments and identifying the inequalities in health and mortality with respect to various social identities.”

 

”Has your initial project changed a lot? How have you dealt with that change?”

”I think that the scope of the project has changed quite a bit. As I said I came in with the idea to do a somewhat larger version of what I had done in my masters and overtime through various discussions with my supervisor and through my own reading of the current research in the field I have been able to expand the idea and incorporate a lot of new elements. That can be a tough and stressful process though, and it wasn’t necessarily easy to wrap my head around at first. It’s important not to get to latched onto the idea and be open to making changes while at the same time not letting yourself be pulled in too many directions. Again, it is something that I think comes from having a lot of conversations with not only the supervisors, but also other PhD students or even friends and family that might be interested in the topic. You’re not going to have the perfect project on day one and the whole point is to take what you are learning through your deeper dive into the material and take the time to rework and develop your project into something more meaningful.”

 

“How did you go about writing your application once you figured out what you wanted to do?”

”I identified Lund as a possibility through some conversations with a friend of mine that had graduated with a bachelor’s from the department and she indicated that Lund had a really great Historical Osteology group with some fantastic collections and might have a call for doctoral students coming up. From there I went ahead and looked for PhD position postings at Lund and several other institutions that I felt were either tailored to bioarchaeology or looked like places I might be able to make something work. The department ended up posting a call for a PhD in historical osteology in Lund and going off what I had heard from people and after doing a bit of background research on the department, the collections, and faculty in the historical osteology division I decided to put together an application. I saw Lund as a place where I could really find my research niche and develop that.

”I took my initial idea and reached out to Torbjörn Ahlström, the project supervisor, to see if this would be a project the department might be interested in and to get a few more details on what they expect from the submitted applications. Throughout the course of writing and editing my proposal I also reached out to my previous supervisor in Sheffield for a reference but also for guidance in writing the proposal. I think that reaching out to the prospective supervisor was a real help in the application writing process and I think it probably made my name stand out a bit or at least give them some sort of contact prior to submission, as I was not previously a part of the institution. Then it was just a process of writing, rewriting, and sharing it around for edits and critiques from friends, peers, and as I said my previous supervisor. Once I had something that I thought worked well and was happy with I sent it in.”

 

“What have been hardest about applying outside your previous environment?”

”That the process felt like being in the dark a lot. This being my first application and not knowing what to expect exactly, while being an applicant from outside of the EU was a bit daunting. At times I didn’t know really what stage the application was at or how long it would take until the next phase, but I was able to get in contact with people at the department to give updates here and there. There was just a geographical distance that made things feel a bit more up in the air.

”I think the biggest difficulties for me were after having accepted the position. There were delays with the migration office that pushed my permit back further than it should have been, the relocation company had issues with filing paperwork, and I think there was a general uncertainty and nervousness on my part about moving to an entirely new country during a very strange time with the pandemic. Upon arrival I think I felt like I was jumping through hoops with administration and social systems while also trying to find my footing with the PhD. It took a couple of months to sort a lot of things out but I was able to find a solid footing.”

 

“Do you have any advice for people thinking about applying?”

”When you apply: It’s important to know that this subject is truly interesting to you and is something that you are going to enjoy exploring further. This can be hard to figure out I know, but It’s four years of work, at least, and you want to keep yourself motivated throughout the entire process. Keeping that in mind you don’t have to have it all figured out on day one. Easier said than done and I also had the initial shock of arriving on day one and thinking what now, how I move on from this point. It can be really daunting and doctoral students, myself included, tend to get very overwhelmed at the beginning. Temper your expectations and know that your project can always be changed and focus can shift over time. It would be an extremely rare occasion that a student applies with the perfect project that doesn’t undergo any changes.

”Identify someone that is working in the same field you are interested in and perhaps even approach them to see if they are interested in your project idea before there is a call for applicants. You want an engaged and interested supervisor as well, because that is such an important relationship and support system to build and foster while you are studying and can really be an asset in making connections with other researchers and institutions.

”It was really valuable to have the introductory course and hear from the recently graduated PhDs and have them say that it is normal to feel that way. I also say take advantage of every resource that you have, go to the seminars and courses for PhD students on how to write and time and stress manage, even if maybe it seems a little early on. Dealing with stress levels and maintaining a healthy balance between life and work is incredibly important to me and something that I really strive to make work in a productive manner because if you don’t make time for yourself and a life outside of your work you are going to burnout and hurt yourself in the long run. And to that end, don’t apply to much pressure to yourself and constantly compare yourself to your peers and colleagues, it’s a recipe for disaster. Healthy competition is great but obsessing over your achievements compared to others isn’t. ”

 

“Is it what you imagined?”

”It was a bit of a strange start. Having shown up during the pandemic a lot of the academic and social activities that help to meet people in the department and around the city weren’t happening and so I think there was a bit of a lack of community, especially amongst the PhD student group at the time, at least for myself. This is something that is changing though in the recent term and having an enthusiastic group that wants to build that community back up has been great.

”Like I said I got into the PhD because I wanted to explore that research niche and I really think that I have been able to do that here in Lund, and the department has been very generous and welcoming in providing me with the tools and expertise to do that. I am coming towards the end of a long year of data collection on my project and will soon focus a bit more on writing and interpretation of the data. I have also been given the opportunity to teach, which is something that I really valued about the program here that Lund focuses on providing those opportunities to PhD students as well as providing courses and training in teach methods and theory.

”I have really come to love living in Sweden. I have never felt out of place here and the Swedish people have been so welcoming and accommodating. As a native English speaker I think the transition might be easier for myself with so many having such a high level of English in Sweden, but the blow of having to make it by in a foreign country is lessened by that. In the year and a half that I have been here I’ve began to see Sweden as a home away from home and really can’t wait to continue my PhD, see what the future holds and explore more of this country.”

 

Thank you Blair, for your time and thoughts. I hope you have a wonderful vacation back in Canada this summer!

3 augusti, 2022

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