CDN Digital Narrative PhD Summer School
CFP and information – 10-14 June 2025.
Main content
The Center for Digital Narrative invites PhD students who are writing a dissertation on digital narratives to participate in a five-day PhD summer school at the University of Bergen from 10-14 June 2025.
Participants will:
- learn methods for researching digital narratives both from a scholarly and an artistic perspective
- interact with world-leading scholars in digital narrative
- receive feedback on work in progress from experts and fellow PhD students
- build a network of colleagues in the field
- explore beautiful Bergen in June
We welcome applications from PhD students in disciplines such as digital culture, literary studies, game studies, media studies, digital art or design. Applicants can be working on a research-based PhD or a PhD using creative practice or artistic research.
Content of the summer school
The summer school has three main components.
Keynotes by Maria Mäkelä (Finland), Yudhanjaya Wijeratne (Sri Lanka), Alexandra Saemmer (France), and Fox Harrell (USA). See more information about the individual speakers below.
Feedback on writing: Students will share a draft of a chapter or article they are working on. Participants will be assigned to feedback groups that will work together each morning. Facilitators will include Jason Nelson, Kristine Jørgensen, Jill Walker Rettberg, Caitlin Fisher and other experts in the field.
Each participant will be asked to read all the drafts for their groups (6-10 people in each group) and to be lead respondents on two drafts. Each student will get 30-50 minutes discussion time for their draft.
Workshops: After lunch participants will choose one of two or more methods workshop options led by experts in the field of digital narrative. Each day there will be a choice between a creative and a critical methods course. Workshop convenors include Nick Montfort, Gabriele de Seta, Lin Prøitz, Scott Rettberg, Jason Nelson, Alinta Krauth, Caitlin Fisher and others.
Each workshop will be about a specific method that is relevant for the study and creation of digital narratives, e.g. within creative practice, digital humanities, narrative analysis or ethnography.
Key dates
- 20 December - The full text of the call for abstracts will be published
- 30 January - Applications due
- 7 March - Confirmation of participation
- 23 April - Sign-up for workshops
- 25 May - Draft articles or chapters due (3000-7000 words). Participants must set aside time to read drafts from 6-10 other students.
How to apply
Fill out the application formDeadline passed- Attachment:
- A single PDF with a 300 word abstract of the chapter, article or creative project you wish to present at the summer school and a 1-2 page summary of your PhD project.
Costs
There is no tuition fee. Lunches, two dinners, and an excursion will be provided by the Center for Digital Narrative. Participants must cover travel and accommodation themselves.
We have three scholarships to cover visa fees, travel and accommodation for participants without institutional funding who are coming from Africa, South America and South Asia. Please include a letter applying for this with your application if this is relevant for you.
Keynote speakers
Maria Mäkelä is a Senior Lecturer in Comparative Literature at Tampere University, Finland, and was the Director of Narrare: Centre for Interdisciplinary Narrative Studies from 2016-2020. Her research spans a wide range of topics, including storification, neoliberal narrative logic, and the literary tradition of adultery, covering media from 17th century French novels to contemporary fiction and corporate storytelling.
Yudhanjaya Wijeratne is an author, data scientist and general tinkerer from Colombo, Sri Lanka. He is the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Watchdog, a research collective that works on fact checking, investigative journalism and community tech.
Alexandra Saemmer is Full Professor of Information and Communication Science and co-director of the CEMTI laboratory at University of Paris 8, France. Her research focuses on socio-semiotics of cultural productions (texts, images, videos, websites, platforms), and digital literature. She is also an author of digital literature herself.
D. Fox Harrell, Ph.D., is Professor of Digital Media, Computing, and Artificial Intelligence at MIT in the Comparative Media Studies Program, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), and Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. He is the founder and director of the MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality. He is a Nebula Award finalist and an Emmy Award winner.
Travel information and guide to Bergen
Download the Bergen Map and Bergen Guide: Bergen Map and Bergen Guide.
Events happening in Bergen: What’s on in Bergen.
Or simply enjoy the Norwegian nature around Bergen: Hiking in Bergen.
Many of the links below are to our local tourist office Visit Bergen, they are a trusted source for information on the city, events and accommodation.
Accommodation
We suggest Citybox Bergen City, Hotel Park, Scandic Byparken, Hotell Klosterhagen, or AirBnB. Here are lists of accommodation in Bergen.
Travel information
Insurance
The organisers will not accept liability for personal accident, loss, or damage to private property, which may be incurred as a result of the participation in the workshop or linked social activities. Participants are therefore advised to arrange appropriate insurance cover. Make sure the insurance also applies to cancellation costs.
By plane
Bergen is well connected to several major European hubs through frequent flights from Oslo, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, London or Stockholm. There are also direct routes from Paris, Munich, Zürich, Madrid, and Hamburg – and over 40 other destinations.
Local transport into town
- Tram: take the Bybanen directly from the airport to Bergen downtown. It takes about 45 minutes and you can buy a ticket either at a machine on the platform or through their app (called “Skyss”). One ticket lasts for 1.5hr, is valid on all trams and Skyss buses and costs approx. 4 Euros. Get off at the last stop, Byparken to get to the hotel/downtown.
- Airport shuttle bus (https://flybussen.no/en): choose route: Bergen lufthavn (Airport) Flesland to Bergen Busstasjon, for example. This costs about 170 NOK = ~15 Euros.
- A taxi will take 20min (more if rush hour) and will cost around 50 Euros (or more if outside 9:00-15:00 or on weekends).
By train
The scenic train between Oslo and Bergen takes you across the Hardangervidda mountain plateau and has iconic stops at e.g. Finse (the highest station on the entire Norwegian railway system, and location chosen to portray the ice planet in The Empire Strikes Back Star Wars movie).
Oslo-Bergen (430 km, 6 h 40 min; 6 daily departures)
From Sweden: Stockholm-Oslo (5h 59min if high speed; otherwise 6h16m), Gothenburg-Oslo (3h 39min)
More info on Norway Trains.
By ferry
Fjord Line runs a daily ferry between Hirtshals (Denmark) and Bergen, via Stavanger. See routes and times here.
There are also ferry connections between mainland Europe (Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands) and southern Norway (Kristiansand, Oslo). More info here.
Places to eat and drink
Bergen City of Gastronomy
Bergen City of Gastronomy builds on its thousand-year history as a meeting place and trading centre for local produce and unique culinary traditions.
Surrounded by the sea, deep fjords and high mountains and with ample access to fertile mountain pastures, the region produces first-rate produce from the sea and land.
Its rich traditional culinary culture and access to a great variety of produce from magnificent, pure surroundings provide the inspiration for creative and innovative cuisine. The Bergen region has a number of internationally renowned restaurants and a growing number of world-world-class chefs. Creative culinary artists who cultivate, develop and pass on local food culture and gastronomy, and who combine local produce, seasonal twists and creativity exquisitely.
Food tours
Combine beautiful nature and fjords with great cuisine.
A food tour from Bergen will give you a taste of local produce and an experience to remember.
One of the most popular food tours in Bergen is the Seafood experience at Cornelius Seafood Restaurant just outside the city center. Choose between visiting Cornelius for lunch or dinner. This restaurant is perhaps one of the best seafood restaurants in Norway. With local food and a beautiful setting, it has definitely found a winning formula.
If you would like to taste lots of different foods, join the tour “Food and culture guided walk”.
Restaurants
Bergen has a growing reputation as a city for great dining experiences. Access to first-class ingredients from sea and land, and a culinary environment where creative food artists can flourish, are two of the main reasons why Bergen has world-class restaurants.
In Bergen, the gastronomic experiences are in abundance, and you are guaranteed to find a restaurant that suits your palate. But with well over 250 eateries, it can sometimes be difficult to choose. We have tried to make it easier for you to find the right restaurant by giving you the opportunity to see only restaurants in these four main categories: Typical Norwegian food, sushi and seafood, restaurants with an international menu, pizza, exclusive restaurants with the best local ingredients. You can of course see the entire selection as well, that list can be found below the text in this article.
Pubs & Bars
The nightlife in Bergen is an experience of its own. Sit down at one of the bars with outdoor seating along the historical Bryggen or Fisketorget on a spring day and let the fresh sea air fill you with energy and inspiration.
Many of the buildings in this area have a lot of history from the Hanseatic times, when seafarers from all over the world left their mark on Bergen in general and especially Bryggen.
Bergen is well known as one of Norway larges student cities, and the student life has created a young, viral and compact atmosphere in Bergen city center. There is a wide range of everything.
Center for Digital Narrative (CDN)
Humanities-driven research in electronic literature, games studies, digital culture, and computation to advance understanding of digital narrative.
CDN is a Norwegian Centre of Research Excellence funded by the Norwegian Research Council from 2023-2033. CDN focuses on algorithmic narrativity, new environments and materialities, and shifting cultural contexts.
Key dates
- 20 December - The full text of the call for abstracts will be published
- 30 January - Applications due
- 7 March - Confirmation of participation
- 23 April - Sign-up for workshops
- 25 May - Draft articles or chapters due (3000-7000 words). Participants must set aside time to read drafts from 6-10 other students
