Skill School at the Lund Social Science Methods Centre

Instructor: Nils Holmberg, Lund University, Department of Communication
Dates: 15-19 September (week 38), 09:15-12:00
Schedule and location TBA.

Abstract

This course is aimed at users with no previous experience of programming, but who are nevertheless interested in leveraging Generative AI tools for data analysis. In the first two workshop sessions, you will learn how to navigate the Google Colab interface, explore AI-aided low-code programming. You will gain hands-on experience with Python’s potential for automating tasks and analyzing data with minimal coding effort. 

In the remaining sessions, the course dives into AI-assisted data analysis using Python. We will explore new techniques for "chatting with their data" using natural language, including creating and manipulating tables and visualizing data through graphs. By the end of the course, you will have practical knowledge of using low-code Python environments and AI tools to perform data analysis tasks efficiently and effectively. 

About the instructor

Nils Holmberg has a doctoral degree in Media and Communication Science from Lund University in December 2016. The focus of his dissertation was to investigate the effects of web advertising on children aged 9-12 when they use the internet to solve different types of tasks, e.g. read and understand texts in an online newspaper. To investigate this, he used experimental methods to systematically vary the content and form of web ads. Physiological measuring equipment was then used to investigate how different advertising properties affected children's visual attention and ability to solve tasks online. He has used Python extensively over the years to collect and analyze data. 

Instructor: Aleksandros Sopasakis, Lund University, Department of Mathematics
Date: 22 September (week 39), 10:00-12:00
Schedule and location TBA.

Abstract

We begin with a short introduction to machine learning and by demystifying “What is AI?” through concrete examples from Lund University research. We then peel back the layers to explain “How does AI really work?” by examining the inner workings of different popular machine learning algorithms by looking at concrete applications and collaboration with a number of different scientific disciplines. 

Building on this foundation, we explore AI’s role in education and academia, survey state‑of‑the‑art capabilities in generative and applied AI, and conclude with a discussion of commercialization pathways, ethical challenges, and emerging trends. 

Along the way, attendees will also discover relevant educational and training opportunities at Lund - such as courses in neural networks, deep learning, and parallel programming of HPC systems - to support their own AI explorations.

About the instructor

Alexandros Sopasakis is an Associate Professor at the Department of Mathematics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Lund University. His research focuses on hybrid stochastic modeling, machine learning, and Monte Carlo methods for complex systems - anging from traffic flow and micromagnetics to climate models - alongside applications in computer vision and scientific computing; he contributes to national research infrastructures as an Application Expert for CIPA and InfraVis. In industry, he is the founding CEO of Ximantis AB, developing software for mathematical modeling and data visualization since 2014. 

His implementations are publicly available on GitHub. 

Instructor: Tullia Jack, Lund University, Department of Service Studies
Dates: 23–24 September (week 39), 13:15-16:00
Schedule and location TBA.

Abstract

Can we use generative artificial intelligence (AI) to code qualitative data? Can it help detect themes? How can we use large language models to brainstorm analysis avenues? Will it be possible for Chat tools to conduct interviews? In this workshop we explore these questions, using GAI in qualitative data analysis in hands-on format.  

We will test a variety of GAI-powered text analysis tools and platforms that can assist with data coding, theme extraction, sentiment analysis, text summarization and more. Bring your curiosity and laptop - no experience necessary. 

Learning outcomes: 

• Using GAI to brainstorm, collect data, summarise, find themes, code and disseminate
• Understand ethical considerations and best practices, including issues related to privacy, bias, and transparency
• An increased curiosity and confidence in engaging GAI to analyse qualitative data 

No prior experience with AI is required. Participants should have a basic understanding of research methods and an interest in exploring the potential of AI in qualitative analysis. 

About the instructor

Tullia Jack is an Associate Senior Lecturer at the Department of Service Studies at Lund University in Helsingborg. She is also a Marie Skadodowska-Curie International Fellow researching the consumption impact of living alone at Aalborg University in Copenhagen.

Her main research and teaching areas are Sustainability, Social practices, and Consumption. She is currently investigating why cleanliness expectations are increasing despite our raising awareness of the imperative to save water and energy. She uses domestic water and energy consumption, time use surveys, observations, and interviews for her research. She is involved in teaching subjects including Research Methods, Sustainable Fashion, and Managing Sustainability, Society, and Collective Behaviour. Her research interests are in sustainability, consumption, and everyday life.

Instructor: Benjamin Claréus, Kristianstad University
Dates: 29-30 September and 2, 6, 7 October (week 40 and 41), 13:00-16:00
Schedule and location TBA.

Abstract 

NVivo is a Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) with the potential of facilitating qualitative analysis, mixed methods research, and literature synthesis/review. It can be used to compile data from fieldwork, interviews, images, research articles and more, and to create and organise codes and notes during the analytic process.

During this workshop, we will discuss how CAQDAS in general and NVivo in particular can and can’t support our analytic endeavours, and familiarise ourselves with some of NVivo’s basic (e.g., node creation and merging) and more advanced functions (e.g., matrix coding). 

Participants are encouraged to bring their own empirical material to work on during the workshop. No prior knowledge of NVivo or qualitative methods is required.

About the instructor

Benjamin Claréus is a PhD in Psychology and senior lecturer at Kristianstad University. He has been teaching research methods for the past few years. He has applied NVivo in his own research, for example, in conducting narrative analysis and in synthesizing literature for his dissertation. 

Instructor: Kristin Anabel Eggeling, Copenhagen University, Department of Political Science
Dates: 6-7 October (week 41), 13:15-16:00
Schedule and location TBA.

Abstract

Ethnography is a broad, interdisciplinary research strategy that seeks to generate contextual knowledge about social worlds based on the immersion of the researcher into those worlds. In its classical (perhaps, analogue) version, researchers working in an ethnographic key commit themselves to ‘being there’ and ‘getting close’ to the everyday lives of the people, practices or places they study. Focusing on ambiguity, mess and mundanity, ethnographic research is celebrated for putting the ‘life’ back into everyday life and the ‘social’ back into social science.  

This course provides a space to learn about and experiment with what it means to study politics and power ethnographically, with a particular emphasis on how ethnographic research can be conducted, needs to be adapted, and may be altogether changing in the digital age.  On the one hand, the course is ‘close to the ground’ and ‘hands on’. 

By listening to the voices of influential ethnographers, we will see how ethnographic analysis can address substantive political questions concerning, for example, the state, diplomacy, or war and mass violence. Keeping those voices in the backs of our minds, we will also venture out ‘into the field’ for methodological try-outs of doing research from under the ethnographer hat. 

On the other hand, the course will also tackle and unpack a number of more ‘abstract’ conundrums of social science research from an ethnographic perspective, including questions of theorization, methods of data collection, research ethics and authority in academic writing. For this, participants will be invited to share some of their own (ethnographic) work for group discussions. 

The course may be especially interesting for participants who are planning to conduct fieldwork that requires some degree of ethnographic sensibility or a working on an otherwise immersive qualitative research project. But eventually, anyone interested in the epistemological, political and ethical implications of studying politics and power through immersion in both online and offline worlds will be most welcome.  

About the instructor

Kristin Anabel Eggeling is assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen. Her research interests are in diplomacy, everyday international relations, global tech policy and political ethnography. She is the author of ‘Nation branding in practice: The politics of promoting sports, cities and universities in Kazakhstan and Qatar’ (Routledge, 2020), and has published articles in Review of International Studies, European Journal of International Relations, Global Studies Quarterly, Millennium: Journal of International Studies, Big Data & Society, International Journal of Cultural Policy, and more. Her article 'The Synthetic Situation in Diplomacy: Scopic Media and the Digital Mediation of Estrangement' (co-authored with Rebecca Adler-Nissen) received the 'Best Article Award' of the Diplomatic Studies Section of the International Studies Association in 2022. 

Instructor: Priscyll Anctil Avoine, Swedish Defence University 
Dates: 8-9 October (week 41), 09:15–12:00
Schedule and location TBA.

Abstract

This workshop focuses on emotions and embodiment in qualitative methods to comprehend the challenges of working in uneasy and cross-cultural fieldwork. It draws on feminist scholars’ experiences and methodological tools to critically discuss feminist multi-methods, ethics, the circularity of fieldwork, and security dilemmas during qualitative fieldwork research. 

Based on the workshop facilitator's previous work with women and men former combatants from different armed groups in Colombia, the workshop discuss the challenges of conducting feminist and cross-cultural individual and collective interviews as well as body-mapping workshops in (post)war settings. T

he workshop is based on collective knowledge building; therefore, you must expect to engage in activities such as body-mapping, autobiography writing, or narration reading.  

About the instructor

Priscyll Anctil Avoine is a researcher in Feminist Security Studies and an Assistant Professor at the Department of War Studies, Swedish Defence University. Her research focuses on embodied and emotional processes in contemporary wars, with a particular emphasis on women’s political militancy in leftist insurgencies and in peace processes. In her work, she has extensively used participatory and creative methods in cross-cultural contexts, such as collective and biographical interviews, body-mapping, podcast creation, participant observation, and art-based workshops. She is the co-author of the graphic novel Militancia feminista post-lucha armada de las farianas (2024) with Zulay Carolina Rueda. Priscyll is also actively involved in the activities of the Fundación Lüvo, a feminist and antiracist collective.

Instructor: Michael Bossetta, Lund University, Department of Communication
Dates: 8-9 October (week 41), 13:00-16:00
Schedule and location TBA.

Abstract

Using web scraping, data that is publically available on the internet can be collected and structured for academic research. This means downloading information from a website and transforming it into a spreadsheet. The workshop provides an introduction into the logic of web scraping, and students will learn how to scrape simple websites. For example, web scraping can collect the press releases of organizations, consumer reviews or product ratings, posts on public forums, or public records (such as court cases or financial statements). The workshop uses Data Miner, a freely available Google Chrome extension, and therefore no programming proficiency is required.  

About the instructor

Michael Bossetta is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Lund University. His research focuses on social media and politics, such as political campaigning and online discussions during elections.  

Instructor: Christopher Swader, Lund University, Department of Sociology
Dates: 13-17 October (week 42), 9:15–12:00
Schedule and location TBA.

Abstract

The workshop provides an introduction to the R programming language for the purpose of data analysis in the social sciences. R is an increasingly popular scientific tool and often becomes the first-choice software for implementing newly developed statistical and computational methods, especially within academia. The main goal of the workshop is that participants learn the basic functionality of R language that covers the full cycle of data analysis including data loading, pre-processing, visualisation, modelling, and communication of the results. The practical work is based on real data problems and prepares participants for a whole range of diverse data analysis tasks. 

About the instructor

Christopher Swader is an Associate Professor (Docent/Senior Lecturer) at the Department of Sociology in Lund. His previous academic appointments were with the Higher School of Economics in Moscow (prior to 2015) and the University of Bremen in Germany. His work focuses on the connection between intimacy, modernisation, and normative order, which he has approached through multiple and mixed methods. He serves as the founding Programme Director of the Social Scientific Data Analysis master programme at LU's Graduate School. He has developed a model machine learning method ('ICRegress'), visualisations, and robustness routines, available on GitHub, in addition to numerous innovation projects, each implemented using the R programming language.

Our Skill School workshops are primarily for teaching/research staff and doctoral students.

Students who sign up will only get a spot in the workshops that they want to attend in case there are openings. This only applies to students admitted to a master program at Lund University. If you are enrolled in Bachelor level studies or study at another institution, we will disregard your application.

All Skill School workshops are free-of-charge for all doctoral students at Lund University, as well as for all LU Faculty of Social Sciences staff.

For other cases, please sign up with your interest, and we will provide you with fee information for the workshops you are interested in attending. Alternatively, please send us an email at skillschool [at] sam [dot] lu [dot] se.

All the workshops will take place on campus in Lund, and it will not be possible to participate remotely. Detailed schedule and room information can be found under each relevant workshop listed above. If you are not familiar with the Paradise Campus where the majority of departments at the Faculty of Social Sciences are located, see this map.

Note that if you sign up for a workshop, but cannot attend, you must inform us two weeks before the workshop starts. Otherwise, your institution will be charged a no-show fee of 800 SEK for the missed workshop.

Our workshops are not designed as credit-bearing courses with officially established syllabi. However, you can ask your department/institution if you can earn credits if you submit a certificate of attendance with the description of the workshop (see next question about certificates of attendance).

Certificates for attending a workshop can be provided upon request from skillschool [at] sam [dot] lu [dot] se. Please note that you need to have attended 80% of the workshop to receive a certificate.

While some of our Skill School workshops are offered every year, we cannot guarantee that we will offer a certain workshop again in the future. Please check this page next spring for more information.