European / International Joint Ph.D. in
Social Representation and Communication

2th International Summer School - Scientific Programme

Scientific Programme

The role of the summer school for developing the European PhD

As announced, the Second Summer School on "Social Representations and Communication" will be held in Aix-en-Provence, France (22-27 September 1996) - just before the third International Conference on Social Representations (28-31 September 1996) - organised by Jean Claude Abric and Annamaria Silvana de Rosa, co-ordinator of the European PhD on 'Social Representations and Communication' (Euro PhD. S. R. & C.), approved within the section "DEVELOPMENT OF SHARED PROGRAMMES" of the ERASMUS ICP-94-95-96/I-3074/14 involving many partner Universities and supported also by Maison des Sciences de l'Homme of Paris.

By stressing the importance of improving the process of European cultural integration, within a scientific context more and more oriented towards the internationalisation of the training and research standards, the European PhD is aimed at overcoming the different national organisations of post-doctoral studies, both in terms of their regulations and financing, and in terms of the quality of curriculum.

The requirements for obtaining the European PhD on Social Representations and Communication are in agreement with the dispositions agreed by the European Conference of the Rectors for a doctorate with the label 'European doctorate', since it is established:

  1. The authorisation for the discussion of the thesis is granted - besides by the national tutor - by scrutiny of the reports written by at least two professors belonging to two institutes of superior teaching from two European States different from the one where the doctorate is sustained.
  2. The evaluating board is composed of professors belonging to various European partner Universities, besides an international expert external to the network.
  3. The full report of the PhD thesis must be written in a national European language of the country where the doctorate is sustained. The short version in a format ready to be submitted to an international journal must be written in English.
  4. This doctorate will have to be prepared, in part, during a stay of at least three months in two different Universities of two European countries.

The candidates for the European PhD - coming from in or out of Europe - may be of different type:

  1. post-graduates, who wish to achieve this international curriculum, rather than the national system;
  2. doctoral students, who are engaged within the doctoral programmes of their own University and who wish to obtain also the European PhD. In this case they have to follow the same procedure to apply and to satisfy the extra-requirements above mentioned in order to achieve it.

Both of these types of candidates may - or not - belong to one of the partner Universities of the European network.

In case the candidate belongs to one of the partner Universities listed below, he/she has to apply to the co-ordinator by means of the national tutor and to be accepted also by two foreign tutors belonging to two different Universities of two European countries, possibly chosen by the candidate in agreement with the suggestions of the programme director, the co-ordinator and the national tutor. When this process has been completed, his application - together with the research project, curriculum and approval by the national tutor and the two foreign tutors - will be examined by the committee.

If the candidate does not belong to any partner University of the European network, but he/she is already engaged within the doctoral programme at his/her own University (in or out of the Europe), in any case it will be necessary for him/her to apply to the co-ordinator by means of one of the tutors belonging to the committee of the European PhD (although all of them may belong to another country) and to be accepted also by two other foreign supervisors (belonging to two other different Universities of two other European countries) possibly chosen by the candidate in agreement with the suggestions of the programme director, the co-ordinator and the national tutor. The first chosen tutor - in case the candidate will be accepted - will act as first supervisor (although together with a co-tutor, responsible for the doctoral programme at the candidate's University.

 

ITALY prof. Annamaria Silvana de Rosa (University of Rome 'La Sapienza')
co-ordinator and national tutor
in co-operation with prof. Serge Moscovici (M.S.H, E.H.E.S.S., Paris)
programme director and national tutor
NATIONAL TUTOR RESPONSIBLE for each PARTNER UNIVERSITIES:
AUSTRIA prof. Erich Kirchler (University of Vienna)
prof. Wolfgang Wagner (University of Linz)
FINLAND prof. Klaus Helkama (University of Helsinki)
FRANCE prof. Denise Jodelet (E.H.E. S.S., Paris)
prof. Jean Claude Abric (University of Marseille-Aix)
prof. Michel-Louis Rouquette (Univesity of Montpellier)
PORTUGAL prof. George Jesuino (I.S.C.T.E., Lisbon)
SPAIN prof. José Valencia (University of San Sebastian)
prof. Fran Elejabarrjeta (University of Barcellona)
SWITZERLAND prof. Willem Doise (University of Geneva)
U.K.
prof. Robert Farr (London School of Economics and Political Sciences)
dr. Gerard Duveen (University of Cambridge)

 

The summer school is aimed at presenting itself as an INTENSIVE HIGH LEVEL DIDACTIC STAGE principally reserved for the accepted Euro PhD candidates and for a selected number of post-graduate students and researchers from different countries, who might be sensitive to the Euro PhD on S.R. and Communication in the near future, and secondly for other national doctoral students on Social Psychology who wished to specialise in their studies on this field from a multinational and European viewpoint .

It is expected that in the near future the applicants for the next Summer Schools on S.R. will be selected exclusively among the candidates who will apply for the Euro PhD on S.R. and C.

A cycle of three related summer schools over a three-year period

Following the successful experience of the first summer school, organised in Finland (Lathi, August-September 1995) by Klaus Helkama and Annamaria Silvana de Rosa, this second summer school will be the first of a cycle of three events. The general scope of the series of related Summer Schools on "Social Representations and Communication" over a three-year period is to create the opportunity whereby students and professors from different countries can enrich each other's experience.

Here follow the fundamental objectives:

  • To offer the participants the possibility in a multinational and multicultural setting of deepening their study of the paradigm of Social Representations seen from the point of view of theory, methodology and application, availing themselves of the noteworthy diverse experiences and the international team of experts in their particular field of study.

  • To start up and involve in different sessions of learning the participants, so that they may not be simply "onlookers" but be drawn into the method of learning, sharing what they have learned from their academic training in their native land.

  • To monitor over a period of three years the formative development of the PhD students following the same criteria of evaluation which little by little can set "European standards" "to" and "beyond" research.

  • Finally, to take advantage of the opportunity of a collaboration between the various teachers with the ultimate goal of enriching the methods of teaching in the international arena. Dealing with a completely new reality, the teachers of this new "Extended European Faculty", which represents the teaching team so recently founded, nonetheless have matured over the past several scientific meetings among experts (international conferences). They will be for the first time obliged to come together for a "didactic exchange" with a new generation of researchers from various nations

With regard to the course reserved to those who have already graduated, principallly already chosen as "European PhD" students, the level of the courses will not be basic, but rather "specialised"; therefore the contents will not deal with elements already noted in theory, but will give greater emphasis on methodological aspects and criteria necessary for the formation of the "how" and "wherefore" of the research.

Before so vast a theme such as this inherent in the paradigm of Social Representations, it is opportune to express in this cycle of three related Summer Schools the close links between it and the world of Communications.

The whole organisation deals with a thematic plan which will allow the development of three areas of the paradigm of Social Representations:

  1. The "theory towards the methods": "Multiple Strategies in the Investigation of Social Representations"
    The first year is focused on the relevant several approaches to the study of Social Representations and in particular concentrates on different strategies, methods and techniques which can be adapted for use in this field of investigation. The fundamental intention is to show the "theory of method" which underlies the various methodologies and theories.

  2. The theory of Social Representation and other paradigms: historical sources, foundations, progress and development.
    In the second year, there will be a deepening of awareness of theories connected to the paradigm, and various aspects thereof. To be well acquainted with the varied methods of research will help blend the theory of Social Representations with other constructs (such as attitude, ideology, image, schema, values, etc.) and theories of Social Psychology (such as social influence theory, social identity theory, analysis of discourse, etc.) and with other disciplines (in particularly sociology, anthropology, semiotics, mass communication, social history).
    This second year of the three related events will be probably held in San Sebastian (Spain).

  3. Towards applications: applications in a European field, and comparative dimensions of relevant projects of multi-national reset in progress.
    Finally, the third year will be dedicated to practical applications of the methods of research which have been suggested using the paradigm of Social Representation. Particular attention will be given to the illustration of relevant projects across national boarders, with the goal of reaching the full European dimension of social knowledge.
    This third year of the three related events will be probably held in Lisbon (Portugal).

A double training opportunity in Aix-en-Provence: the 2nd Summer School and the 3rd International Conference. The aim of organising the Summer School and the International Conference in the same place and at approximately the same time is that of offering "European PhD candidates" a double training opportunity of both a combining and a differentiating kind:

  1. The Summer School, the topic of which is "Multiple Strategies in the Investigation of Social Representations", is characterised by the intensive nature of its formal and informal exchanges between university-teachers and a limited number of PhD candidates.
    It is designed to give specific training in theoretical and methodological nexuses presented in:
    • plenary morning sessions on exemplary research illustrating different approaches (monographic, structural, modelling, positioning of individual differences), to carry out research in this field;
    • afternoon methodological training sessions on the applicable logic of specific research techniques and statistical packages and, finally:
    • evening meetings in which the participants will present their current research activity and discuss their research projects intended to foster an exchange of ideas.
  2. The International Conference, articulated into invited lectures, interactive symposiums and sessions, is open to a greater number of international scholars and research groups. It represents an occasion in which PhD students can become acquainted with the present state of art of this particular disciplinary field.

The following table summarise the scientific programme of the Summer School held in Aix-en-Provence:

 

Date Sessions Teachers Argument Methodological Training on:
22/9/96 Reception
23/9/96 morning
h: 9 - 12
Prof. Denise Jodelet Monografic approach  
afternoon
h: 14-17
Ing. Dr. Max Reinert   ALCESTE
evening
h: 18-20
Prof. J.C. Abric
Prof. A.S. de Rosa
Time-Schedule of the following evening sessions to be organised by the available participants intended to foster an exchange of ideas on their research projects  
24/9/96 morning
h: 9-12
Prof. Jean Claude Abric
Prof. Claude Flament
Structural approach  
afternoon
h: 14-17
Prof Pierre Verges   Analyse des Similitudes
evening
h: 18-20
  the participants present and discuss their current scientific activity and new research projects  
25/9/96 morning
h: 9-12
Prof. Annamaria de Rosa Modelling approach  
afternoon
h: 14-17
Dr. Marco Perugini   LISREL
evening
h: 18-20
  the participants present and discuss their current scientific activity and new research projects  
26/9/96 morning
h: 9-12
Prof. Willem Doise Positioning approach  
afternoon
h: 14-17
Dr. Alain Clemence   A.C.M. -Cluster Analysis
evening
h: 18-20
  the participants present and discuss their current scientific activity and new research projects
27/9/96 morning
h: 9-12
    The computer laboratoires will be available for the practical training of the applicants
afternoon
h: 14-17
free time for informal exchanges among the participants
evening
h: 18-19 h: 19
Conference of Serge Moscovici

Social event: Cocktail

28-30/9/96 all the day International experts invited for the 3rd International Conference State of art on the theory of Social Representations Papers presented on Empirical Research programmes 31/9/96
Departure

In particular several methods and techniques will be illustrated within the general framework explained above:

 

Argument Methodological Approaches Techniques Teachers
Theory "towards" methods Qualitative approach Interview;
Participant observation
D. Jodelet
Theory "towards" methods Quantitative approach Structured instruments (questionnaire) W. Doise
Theory "towards" methods Associative methods Associative networks A.S. de Rosa
Theory "towards" methods Multi-method approach Integrating methods and comparing verbal and non verbal methods D. Jodelet
A.S. de Rosa
Practical training multidimensional techniques for Analysis of data;
new software and informatics procedures for
contents analysis of textual and conversational data
M. Reinert
P. Verges
A. Clemence
M. Perugini

List of essential references to read before attending the summer school

Breakwell G.M. & Canter D.V. (eds.) 1993 Empirical Approaches to Social Representations, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Doise, W., Clemence, A. & Lorenzi-Cioldi F. 1992 Représentations sociales et analyses de donneées. Grenoble: Presse Universitaires de Grenoble (eng. transl. 1993 The quantitative analysis of S.R., Harvester)

de Rosa, A.S. 1994. From the theory to the meta-theory of S.R.: emerging trendsSocial Sciences Information, 33, 2: 273-304.

Farr, R. & Moscovici, S. (eds.) 1984. Social Representations. Cambridge

Guimelli, C. 1994 (ed.) Structures et transformations des Représentations Sociales,Neuch?tel, Delachaux et Nestlé.

Jodelet, D. 1989 (ed.) Les représentations sociales. Paris: P.U.F.

Reinert, M. 1993 Les "Monds lexicaux" et leur "logique" ? travers l'analyse statistique d'un corpus des récits des cauchemars, Langage et Société, n. 66: 5-39.

Wagner, W. Elejabarrieta , F.& Flick, U. (eds), since 1992 Ongoing production on social representations, 1 - 2. (Wagner, W. Elejabarrieta , F., Flick, U. & Guimelli, (eds), since 1993 Papers on Social Representations) : all the issues.

Each teacher will provide more references about his/her own specific session.