“Inside Student Clubs” project: understanding Comprehensive examination of student club culture in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Research Lab Culture, Religion and Society, is recruiting a PhD candidate within the Center for Sociological Research (CESO), a network of researchers studying social change from a sociological perspective. CeSO researchers represent a wide range of sociological subdisciplines, including social policy and social work, sociology of work and organization, political sociology, demography and family sociology, science and technology studies, sociology of culture and religion, theoretical sociology, social innovation and creative research methodology.

Project

Your job is a combination of course work within the broad field of sociology of diversity and coaching students in practical workshops that you will be trained in. In terms of content, your research project is situated within a social and cultural context of normative constructs in student organization. This PhD project, “Inside the Student Clubs”, seeks to research this unexplored social phenomenon and explore the dynamics of student clubs from outside and within. This includes how those social groups shape group and personal identity, along with their meaning-making processes through the significance of traditions and rituals, the profile of participants, as well as their overall social impact and influence on the university atmosphere. The research will focus on bigger themes such as “Personal Identity and Group Identity,” “Inclusivity and Diversity,” “Traditions and Rituals,” and “Social impact and Role in the Academic Sphere.” These larger themes will be investigated through qualitative research methods, such as observations and interviews in different cities in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Profile

• You master the Dutch language and are fluent in English. 
• You have a master's degree in a relevant social science field. Candidates graduating this year are welcome. 
• You can present excellent study results, preferably magna or summa cum laude.
• You embrace the principle of qualitative methodologies and transdisciplinary research practices. 
• You are quality-oriented, creative and can collaborate well with others. 
• You are efficient in your work planning.
• You have an analytical mind, excellent communication skills and enjoy being involved in creative forms of disseminating results to a wider audience.
• You consider yourself competent and able to guide undergraduate and graduate students in their service learning pathways. 
• You are willing to work in society and with a wide range of social stakeholders.
• Expertise on topics of diversity, inequality, gender, race, or intersectionality are a plus.

Offer

• A full-time position for a PhD fellow for 1 year, which will be extended to a minimum of 4 years upon positive evaluation.
• A monthly stipend of approximately 2,500 euros net (depending on family situation and work experience).
• Comprehensive training in qualitative research, sociology of diversity and anti-oppressive research approaches.
• Multiple opportunities for professional development.
• A stimulating, multidisciplinary and creative hub for research and collaborative writing.
• An inspiring and challenging international and academic environment at a leading European research institute.

Interested?

For more information please contact prof. dr. Sarah Murru, sarah.murru@kuleuven.be or prof. dr. Giselinde Kuipers, giselinde.kuipers@kuleuven.be.

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