Course Overview
The PhD course Sport, Innovation and Social Change will provide PhD students with in-depth knowledge about social scientific approaches to the study of sports, with particular focus on contemporary challenges and technological innovations, as well as ethical and methodological issues. The course covers the following topics and lectures: Innovation and technology in sport, governance and social change, interdisciplinary methods and critical inquiry, innovative and creative research dissemination. The course adopts a cross-disciplinary, social scientific approach to explore new frontiers of sport organisations and research areas within sport. It features contributions from multiple experts across various fields, including sociology, sport management, history, innovation and organisational studies. The course promotes international collaboration and innovative, creative approaches to the social scientific study of sport.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge
The participanr will have:
- relevant knowledge of the development and adoption of new and emerging technologies in sport
- knowledge of cutting-edge research within the field of technology, innovation and social change in sport.
- knowledge of key research needs and challenges related to technology, innovation and social change in sport.
Skills
By the end of the course, the participants can:
- apply their knowledge and skills from the course in order to identify, explore and solve complex problems and issues in relation to sport and sport organisations.
- use creative, logical and intuitive thinking and particular methods and tools of research
- carry out research dissemination in innovative and creative ways using digital tools and platforms
Competence
By the end of the course, the participants can:
- identify relevant methodological and ethical issues in their own research
- participate in public and academic debates on sport and sport organisations
Practical Information
- Dates: 17–21 November 2025
- Location: Nord University, Bodø Campus, Norway
- Credits: 5 ECTS
- Language: English
- Fees:
- Internal PhD candidates: FREE
- External applicants: NOK 1 000
- Capacity: 20 seats (minimum 5 participants)
Examination: Portfolio (Pass/Fail)
Your portfolio comprises two elements:
- Research Dissemination Project
- Choose one format: opinion piece, blog post, vodcast/podcast, social-media post/carousel or reel
- Produce a public-facing piece that showcases or critiques your own research
- Course Paper (4 500–6 000 words, incl. references)
- Select a theme tied to your PhD project or your dissemination piece
- Engage with course literature, key theoretical debates and methodological reflections
- Demonstrate analytical depth and situate your topic within broader societal and organisational contexts
Admission & Selection
If demand exceeds capacity, applicants are ranked by category:
- Current PhD students
- Master’s degree holders (120 ECTS or equivalent)
- Postdoctoral researchers
Registration
Opens August 2025.
For enquiries or to express interest in a spot, contact:
Professor Anne Tjønndal
✉️ anne.tjonndal@nord.no
Tentative program (subject to change)
Monday 17.11.2025
09.00 – 10.30: Opening session: presentation of faculty and participants
10.30 – 10.45: coffee break
10.45 – 12.15: Lecture: Esports: Growth, Challenges, and Futures (Egil Rogstad, Nord University)
12.15 – 13.15: Lunch
13.15 – 15.00: Workshop: Innovative Research Dissemination – podcasts and vodcasts (Martin Steinholt and PLUS – Centre for Professional Development and Learning, Nord University)
15.00 – 15.30: coffee break
15.30 – 16.30: Student presentations
17.30 – 18.30: Social activity: boxing at Bodø Bokseklubb
Tuesday 18.11.2025
09.00 – 10.30: Lecture: Social inclusion in sport governance: Current issues and future opportunities (Lucy Piggott, NTNU)
10.30 – 10.45: coffee break
10.45 – 12.15: Lecture: Sport and work – Anne Kamilla Lund (Nord University)
12.15 – 13.15: Lunch
13.15 – 14.45: Workshop: Innovative Research Dissemination – Carousels, REELS and graphics (Anne Tjønndal, Nord University)
14.45 – 15.00: break
15.00 – 16.30: Lecture: Analyzing institutional change in sport (Eivind Skille, University of Inland Norway)
16.30 – 17.30: Student presentations
20.00: Course dinner in the city center
Wednesday 19.11.2025
09.00 – 10.30: Lecture: The innovation, changes and controversy of sports technology – Bryce Dryer (Bournemouth University, UK)
10.30 – 10.45: break
10.45 – 12.15: Lecture: Sportswashing, Human Rights and Politics: The Battle for Recognition (Hans Erik Næss, Kristiania)
12.15 – 13.15: Lunch
13.15 – 14.45: Workshop: Visual methodologies – Åsa Bäckström (GIH, Sweden)
14.45 – 15.00: break
15.00 – 16.30: Student presentations
18.30: Aesthetic attractions and embodiment in sport at PUST (Dagmar Dahl, Nord University)
Thursday 20.11.2025
08.30 – 10.00: Lecture: Parasport, Sports Technology and Ethics – Bryce Dyer (Bournemouth University, UK)
10.00 – 10.15: break
10.15 – 12.00: Workshop: Opinion pieces, blogging and other forms of written research dissemination (Mads Skauge, Nord University)
12.00 – 13.00: Lunch
13.00 – 14.30: Lecture: What If We Took the Flag Down? Sport History as Method, Critique, and Provocation – Jörg Krieger (Aarhus University)
14.30 – 14.45 : break
14.45 – 16.00: Workshop: Oral history as methodology – Jörg Krieger (Aarhus University) and Svein Erik Nordhagen (University of Inland Norway)
16.00 – 17.15: Lecture: Artificial intelligence and sport – Egil Rogstad & Anne Tjønndal
17.15 – 17.30: break
17.30 – 18.30: student presentations
Friday 21.11.2025
09.00 – 10.30: Lecture: technological innovations and gender (Sigbjørn Skirbekk, Nord University)
10.30 – 10.45: break
10.45 – 12.15: Lecture: Innovation theories applied to sport – Maja Nilssen (Nord University)
12.15 – 13.15: Lunch and student supervision
13.15 – 14.45: Workshop: planning your research dissemination (examination task) – Mads Skauge (Nord University)
14.45 – 15.00 : Break
15.00 – 16.00: Course summary, evaluations and goodbyes
