By: Dorthe Eide, Associate professor, Dr.Polit, Business School, North University

The Northern Insight researchers teaching and supervising were professor Lena Mossberg (Nord University and University of Gothenburg), professor Øystein Jensen (Nord University and University of Stavanger), and the associate professors Frank Lindberg and Dorthe Eide both Nord University. One visiting scholar from the American University in Bulgaria, Milena S. Nikolova, was observing. In addition was the regular core faculty on qualitative camps, i.e. Professor Larry Browning, Professor Jan-Oddvar Sørnes and associate professor Frode Soelberg.

The 15 ECT course provided by the Business School Nord University, started on the coastal steamer in the harbor of Bodø. After a short introduction and presentation, students were given the first observation tasks. In total three observation tasks took place on the boat. Before leaving the boat in Stamsund, students got tasks to work on when to participate in the Viking meal at the Viking museum.

The second day started with discussing and presenting the first analyzes from the observations. During the following days, faculty gave lectures on topics on research strategy and paradigms, data collection and data analyzing. Doing research in the contexts of experience-based sectors dominated the lectures, and particularly the context of Svalbard. Each day the larger course group was separated into two, one with the experience track and one general, were students presented their PhD projects and the faculty in particular gave feedback on it.

The last day, the faculty organized a panel debate, where students asked questions. The core question dominating was: what is the main difference between hermeneutics and grounded theory? In the coming months students will read the syllabus and write up their methodology paper.

The sun was up most of the time. In afternoons, many were hiking on peaks close to Kabelvåg where we stayed. Some even took the first trip before lectures in the morning. Lofoten once again showed up as a perfect place to situate teaching events. The only sad about the course is that also our Northern Insight colleague, Per Østergaard (from Odense, Southern Denmark University), should have participated. Per has been part of qualitative camp several times earlier, but he suddenly died this spring. This was the last PhD course that Northern Insight participate within as the program ends June 2017.