Sport, Innovation and Social Change
Sport organisations are currently facing a range of grand challenges, including the impact of climate change and environmental degradation on sporting events and organizational practices, the growing commercialization of sport and the resulting increase in social inequality in participation (e.g., "pay-to-play" models), widespread corruption scandals, sportswashing, and human rights violations linked to bidding processes and the hosting of global mega events. Additionally, the sector is grappling with a decline in the recruitment and retention of volunteers following the COVID-19 pandemic, among other pressing issues. Simultaneously, rapidly evolving societies are reshaping the conditions for participation in and governance of sport. For example, the development and adoption of new and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data, the emergence of virtually played sports, and increased use of performance-enhancing technologies in elite sport, are among the novel phenomena that impact practitioners in sport at all levels. 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, sustainable development and the impact of climate change on sport organisations, culture and management in sport. 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, psychology, history and anthropology. The course promotes international collaboration and innovative, creative approaches to the social scientific study of sport.
The course has 20 seats, with a minimum number of participants of 5. If the number of applicants exceeds the available number of seats, applicants will be ranked from category 1 to 3.
Category 1: Doctoral students
Category 2: Applicants with a master's degree (120 ECTS) or equivalent. (A Norwegian Master ́s Degree of 5 years or 3 (bachelor's degree) + 2 years (master's degree).
Category 3: Postdoctoral researchers
All students must be fluent in English and hold a completed master’s degree.
PhD students will be given priority.
After completing the course, the student must have obtained:
Knowledge
The candidate 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 sociology of sport
- knowledge of key research needs and research challenges in sport management and sociology of 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 of a high international standard in the field of sport and society.
Competence
By the end of the course, the participants can:
- identify relevant ethical issues in their own research
- participate in public and academic debates on sport and sport organisations
- plan and carry out social scientific research within the field of sport with scholarly integrity
Format and content:
- Lectures about key topics in sport
- Student presentations of their PhD projects
- Opportunities for individual supervision by the invited experts
- Workshops
Most of the teaching in the course will consist of a full five days of lectures, workshops and seminars conducted by leading academic staff from participating universities. Students are expected to attend at least 80% of the course's lectures and seminars and participate actively in them.The planned workshops will enable students to discuss their projects with lecturers and fellow students. Each PhD student should present their own project for discussion and participate actively in seminar discussions.
Teaching is organized over five days (17th - 21st of November 2025), from 09.00 - 17.00.
Portfolio to consist of:
- Participants are required to develop and produce/write either: an opinion piece, a blogpost, a vodcast, a podcast, a social media post/carousel or a reel about their research.
- Participants are required to submit a course paper that explores and critically discusses a self-chosen theme related to their own research interests. This paper can also be related to the research disseminaton activity (part I of the examination). The paper should draw on relevant course literature and reflect on key debates, theoretical perspectives, and methodological considerations addressed throughout the course. Emphasis should be placed on analytical depth and the ability to situate the chosen theme within broader societal and organisational contexts. The paper should be between 4,500 and 6,000 words (including references).
The portfolio will be assessed on a pass/fail basis.
