The Research School Religion Values Society
The RVS Research school is a collaboration between ten institutions in Norway and Sweden: Uppsala University (UU), Umeå University (UMU), VID Specialized University (VID), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Volda University College (HiVO), University of Oslo (UiO), University of Agder (UiA), University of Bergen (UiB), The Arctic University of Norway (UiT) and MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society. The RVS Research School has a close relationship with Boston University (BU), in the US, through a bi-annual BU-RVS seminar, exchange of PhD-students and the contribution of senior academic personell at BU to the RVS.
The RVS Research School is hosted by MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society.
A wide pool of academic disciplines is relevant to the study of religion - values and society: Theology, religious studies, educational sciences, (social) pedagogics, missiology, sociology (of religion), political science, social anthropology, psychology (of religion) etc. The participating institutions in various ways engage in research and teaching of these academic disciplines. By focusing on the interplay between religion – values – society, the research school defines its area of interest by these phenomena and the mutual interaction, interplay and different possible connection they may have, and not from the scholarly disciplines represented in the partaking institutions. Thus, the research school contributes represents a new field of expertise and insight, which may also have an impact upon already existing academic disciplines and the way in which these disciplines are taught and studied at the participating institutions.
Goal
The goal of the Research School is to mobilize and enhance academic expertise in the field related to the interplay between religion, values and society, as well as forming long-lasting research networks in the field, and to promote cooperation between PhD students and senior researchers on relevant and appropriate subjects in the field.
The Research School’s Educational Programme
The Research School's focus is on building competence through active participation. The RVS offers both mandatory and voluntary courses.
Each academic year the school offers three to four courses (including a summer course/school) on subjects relevant to the interplay between religion, values and society. The students are expected to submit parts of their work or papers for colloquiums and meetings, as well as reading and commenting on the work of fellow PhD students. In addition all member students are assigned to online groups that convene throughout the year.