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PhD course in Alnarp, Sweden, 6 – 8 May 2015:
Enacting the urban landscape: running as an everyday practice
Objective
In recent years, relational thinking in landscape and urban studies in general, and mobility and
performative studies in specific, have provided new ways of conceptualizing landscape, in
which the importance of everyday practices, rhythms and mobilities are acknowledged. Key
examples are research on walking and bicycling, which has facilitated a critique on urban
planning and its taken-for-granted focus on the car. The landscape, however, is constituted by
a multitude of mobilities, with partially different methodological challenges; this calls for a
wider discussion on everyday mobilities, including various ways of running.
In this course we focus on the emerging field of studies of running and its implications for
the understanding and design of the urban landscape. Runners, like bicyclists, pedestrians,
skiers and car-drivers, interact with the landscape in particular ways. Runners do not just run
anywhere and anyhow; they enact with the landscape in particular rhythms, following certain
routines, and, if they can chose, run on certain routes. By gaining better knowledge of why
and how the runners interact with the urban landscape, we can inform planners on how to
develop a more inclusive urban environment for wellbeing. Running is not only an important
case as such, but also an interesting case for methodological discussions on how to study the
enactment of the landscape.
This course is combined with an international seminar, which aims to discuss how to study
runners and their interaction with the (sub)urban landscape. Focus is set on running as an
everyday activity, rather than on sport events (or on the sport as such).
The interdisciplinary research project Reinterpreting fitness running: a topological study
for healthy cities provides a base for the PhD course, in terms of international contacts, and
research overview.
Content
The course includes literature seminars and lectures, an international seminar with invited
speakers, and an excursion. In addition, the student is required to complete a written essay.
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The theme of the course bridges disciplinary divides (e.g. between urban studies, landscape
planning, ethnology and sport studies). We aim to use the interdisciplinary character of the
course to nurture methodological discussions on how to study running as an everyday
practice.
Examination
To complete the course the student must take an active part in the three days of seminars,
lectures and excursion in May. The students should read the compulsory course literature for
the literature seminar, and prepare for the discussion with questions and comments. They
should also prepare a short presentation of their own research project. Finally, the students are
required to write an essay (5 – 10 pages), discussing the course literature in relation to a minor
study of running, or their ongoing research.
Learning outcomes
The student should be familiar with contemporary research on running & landscape, and its
theoretical context. The students should be able to explain methodological approaches to
studies of the enactment of the landscape.
Prerequisites: The course is only open for PhD students. We aim for a multi-disciplinary and
international class.
Level: PhD
Credits: 3 ECTS (which equals two weeks of full-time studies)
Marking scale: Pass/Failed.
Date: April – June 2015
Language: English
Examiner: Mattias Qviström
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Schedule
Early April
The students will receive the compulsory course literature (4 – 5 papers) with information on
what to prepare for the literature seminar. A list of recommended readings will also be
provided, and notes on how to prepare for the written essay.
Wednesday 6th of May
13.00 – 14.00. Introduction to the course: Mattias Qviström
14.00 – ca 18.00. Literature seminar. The layout of the day will depend on the number of
students and their background.
Thursday 7th of May
Ca 9.30 – 19.00. International seminar on Running & Landscape. Confirmed speakers: Tim
Edensor, Alan Latham and Mattias Kärrholm. Additional speakers will be invited in spring
2015.
Friday 8th of May
Ca 9.00 – 18.00. Excursion, with lectures related to the Swedish case.
Ca 18.00 – 19.00. Workshop with the students on their ideas for the written essay.
15th of June
Deadline for handing in the essay. Each student should comment on another students essay
during the second half of June.
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