Wanna Study with LeRon Shults?

LeRon Shults is one of my favorite theologians, and, were I to be looking to start a PhD program today, I’d strongly consider the offer he writes of in his guest post:

I’ve asked Tony to help me spread the word about two new opportunities to study theology here at the University of Agder in Norway. Before you say “that is crazy, I can’t move to Norway!” read a little further…

This is a great opportunity to do doctoral studies in a European context, with links to resources all over the world. I would love to have one or two students over here doing work on the kind of themes that are of interest to Tony Jones’s blog readers!

For those of you in the US, Great Britain (or elsewhere) who are not familiar with the Norwegian system, becoming a PhD stipend here means that you are employed by the University for three years and given a salary of approximately 353,200 kroner (about 61,000 US dollars) per year, as well as office space, travel funds, etc. As explained in the announcement, you also receive contributions toward a pension.

The Institute for Religion, Philosophy and History is emphasizing internationalization and so explicitly encourages non-Norwegians to apply for the stipends. Dissertations can be written, and all doctoral lectures are in ENGLISH.

Here is the post with the invitation to apply:

http://uia.easycruit.com/vacancy/372819/35068?iso=gb

The deadline for application materials is 15 April 2010. Applications received after this date will not be considered. The top candidates will be flown in for interviews, most likely in late spring.

I also should say that this will be very competitive, as you can imagine. It would only be worth going through the application process, which is a bit more rigorous in the US, if you can develop a strong research proposal and have an excellent academic background.

Finally, due to the procedural constraints in the Norwegian process, I cannot respond in detail to particular proposal ideas. However, I am posting notes intended to be helpful on my blog: www.leronshults.typepad.com