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Education University of Groningen Summer Schools Winter Schools

Creating Change: Integrating Narrative Research And Storytelling Practice

The Netherlands Winter School on Narrative
student from a group of students discussing with professor

Storytelling pervades all spheres of life: people write their own autobiography, social media enable to share your story, art works tell a story, organizations search for their corporate story, marketeers tell stories to persuade customers in buying products, politicians use narratives to attract voters. In a high-tech society, stories seem to become even more important: technologies to record and share stories are developing quickly, whereas storytelling is also used in designing new technologies. At the same time, narrative scholars from a variety of disciplines have developed intricate theories about stories and methods to analyze them. But how can we bring practice and research together? How can we start a dialogue that mutually fertilizes practice and research? What are the conditions, ways of working and ethical issues involved in a fruitful dialogue? What is the societal and academic impact of such a dialogue?

This interdisciplinary winter school invites researchers and practitioners from the humanities, behavioral, social, and technological sciences to take stock and reflect on their work, but also to work hands-on in a design science approach. Participants prepare themselves by studying reader texts and doing homework assignments. During the winter school, they work in small groups and present their insights and findings to each other.

Practical information

Dates & location

16 - 18 January 2024, Enschede, The Netherlands

Deadline for application

TBA

Level

PhDs and early career researchers interested in the study of narrative, as well as professionals interested in storytelling.

Fees

€ 350 (including lunches, coffee/tea breaks and reader, excluding dinner and stay)

PhD students of the University of Twente can participate free of charge.

PhD students from the partners (University of Groningen and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) receive a reduction of € 100.

Academic committee

Anneke Sools & Gerben Westerho (Story Lab)

Contact
Daniëlle Boelen & Talitha Ruarus

Secretariat Psychology, Health and Technology (University of Twente)

pgt utwente.nl
Lecturer bios

Anneke Sools is assistant professor in Narrative Psychology at the University of Twente. Her focus is on narrative change research with specific attention to ethically responsible methods for the creation of new, more life-sustaining stories.

Gerben Westerhof is professor in Narrative Psychology and Technology and director of the Story Lab at the University of Twente. His theoretical interest is in how storytelling is related to well-being and mental health across the lifespan. Methodologically, he is interested in the dynamics between human interpretation and computerized analyses of stories. Practically, he develops and evaluates narrative interventions in health care together with professionals and clients.

Elise Talgorn is a researcher and visual artist working as a senior design strategist at Philips Design and research fellow at Delft University of Technology. She develops collaborative methods based on systemic design and storytelling to trigger disruptive thinking and mindset shifts towards sustainable futures.

Sjoerd-Jeroen Moenandar is assistant professor with the Minorities and Multilingualism program at the University of Groningen. He works on border thinking – the way humans conceive of themselves as opposed to something or someone else – as manifested and negotiated in the stories we tell. In his recent research, he has tried to develop an applied narratology: using the insights and findings of narratology to improve storytelling practices.

Heidi Toivonen is Assistant Professor in Narrative Research at the University of Twente. She worked for ten years as a clinical psychologist in a variety of psychiatric and other settings. Her academic work as largely revolved around the concept of agency; lately, she has been studying environmental narratives and how they invite people to rethink both the agency of the nonhuman others as well as that of their own. She is interested in developing narrative-based interventions for psychologically navigating the times of the climate crisis.

Target group

The winter school is designed for a maximum of 25 PhDs and early career researchers interested in the study of narrative, as well as professionals interested in storytelling. It is expected that the participants have a sufficient command of the English language in order for them to participate actively in the discussions and to present their own work in English. Participants get a certificate of participation. PhD students get 2ECTS for preparing and participating in the Winter School for their TGS Training and Supervision Plan.

Learning outcomes & workload

At the end of the winter school, the participant is able to

  • Critically reflect on different approaches in narrative research;
  • Critically reflect on the dialogue between narrative research and storytelling practice;
  • Use design research as a way of bridging research and practice.

Course schedule

Please find the course schedule below.

Application

Apply now via The University of Twente's website.

Partners

logos of the winter school partners
Last modified:20 September 2023 10.44 a.m.