Humlab and DIGSUM at Umeå University invite PhD students to take part in our PhD course Digital Research (7.5 credits). The course runs, in hybrid format (online and on location in Umeå), February and March. Note! You must have approval from your main supervisor in order to attend the course.
Image for Digital Research: Methods and Perspectives in the Humanities and Social Science, 7.5 credits
Imagemax_B17VT 2026 (online and on site in Umeå, given in English).
The course runs from 19 February 2026 to 23 March 2026, and registration is open from 1 to 30 November.
The course consists of three parts:
The first part provides a general introduction to how digital research has emerged as a field at the intersection of the humanities and social sciences. The complex and dynamic nature of the field, its history and key concepts are discussed with a focus on interdisciplinarity.
The second part includes lectures, practical briefings and workshops on digital methods. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are covered, but the focus is on method combinations. This part of the course also includes lectures and seminars on the specific ethical challenges of digital research.
The third and final part of the course provides examples of specific and research-oriented applications of tools and perspectives that are linked to ongoing digital research in the humanities and social sciences at Umeå University. The course is given in collaboration with DIGSUM, Digital Social Research Unit at Umeå University.
Read the syllabus for spring term 2026: syllabus_digital research phd course.pdf (118 kB)
The registration for 2026 is open, it will close 30 November.
Schedule - Digital research VT 2026
Schedule changes might occur.
Thursday, 19 February, 10:00–12:00
10–11: Introduction, Evelina Liliequist & Simon Lindgren
11–12: Dealing with digital data, Simon Lindgren
Friday, 20 February
10:00–15:00, Social network analysis, Simon Lindgren
Monday, 23 February, 10:00–15:00
Internet Ethics, Coppélie Cocq
Workshop Internet Ethics, Coppélie Cocq
Tuesday, 24 February, 10:00–15:00
10:00–12:00, Digital ethnography, Evelina Liliequist
13:15–15:00, Workshop digital ethnography, Evelina Liliequist
Monday, 2 March, 10:00–15:00
Computational Text Analysis, Simon Lindgren
Tuesday, 3 March, 10:00–15:00
10:00–12:00 Application 1: Visualization as a method, Stefan Gelfgren
13.15-15.00 Workshop: Visualization of research data, GIS, Maria Podkorytova
Monday, 9 March, 13:00–15:00
13:00–15:00, Application 2: Contributions from Design Research and Feminist Research: Exploring, creating and evaluating digital things and knowledge, Anja Neidhardt-Mokoena
Tuesday, 10 March, 10:00–15:00
10:00–12:00, Application 3: Visual analysis of social media platforms and content, Moa Eriksson Krutrök
13:00–15:00, Application 4: Data Protection Law for Researchers, Markus Naarttijärvi
Monday, 23 March, 9:00–15:00
Examination, presentations
Course material and suggested readings will be announced on Canvas in relation to each session.
