The Doctoral Council
The Doctoral Council of the Faculty of Social Sciences (SDR) brings together the doctoral students at the faculty and works to increase the doctoral students' influence on the programme and in the work situation. SDR is part of the Göta Student Union.
SDR promotes issues relating to the quality of doctoral studies, the working environment, legal certainty, collaboration, internationalisation, gender equality and equal treatment. Among other things, SDR has particularly pushed the issue that all doctoral students should be offered reasonable financial conditions with a doctoral position throughout the programme and that the faculty should comply with rules and regulations, which are there to strengthen the doctoral student's working conditions.
Ongoing discussions include the advantages and disadvantages of shortening the length of the doctoral programme from four to three years. We have also recognised the need to include foreign doctoral students in decision-making and information processes at the faculty by increasing the use of English as a language of communication. In short, we are working to increase the influence of doctoral students on their education and work situation.
See the joint GU steering document for doctoral education ‘Doctoral student rules’. (in Swedish)
In short, we work to increase the doctoral students' influence on the programme and the work situation.
SDR appoints doctoral student representatives to all faculty-wide bodies. All positions of trust give the right to an extension of the study period.
Quote in large print: We work to increase the influence of doctoral students on the programme and in the work situation.
The SDR board has three meetings per semester. The board consists of representatives from each department (one regular and one substitute) who are appointed by each subject group or equivalent, and of a presidium, which is appointed by the board at an annual meeting at the end of the spring semesters.
The work of the Board is very much about exchanging information about what is happening at departmental level and in different places in the faculty and to decide which issues the doctoral students should pursue in the faculty's highest decision-making (Faculty Board - SFS) and preparatory (the Advisory Committee for Research and Doctoral Studies - BFF) bodies. Through this work, doctoral students can influence decisions concerning both doctoral education and other activities at the faculty.