The Scuola Superiore Meridionale (SSM) in Naples in partnership with the Università di Napoli Federico II invites applications for 5 fully funded scholarships (of which 2 are funded by the Next GenerationEU Program) in the PhD program in Global History and Governance for the academic year 2024-2025.

The Program

The Scuola Superiore Meridionale (SSM) in Naples in partnership with the Università di Napoli Federico II invites applications for 5 fully funded scholarships (of which 2 are funded by the Next GenerationEU Program) in the PhD program in Global History and Governance for the academic year 2024-2025.

The PhD in Global History and Governance consists of an advanced course of study and research at the end of which the student defends a dissertation based on original and independent scientific work. The course offers an educational program based on a multidisciplinary approach centered on history and law, but it is open to contributions from other disciplines.

The Ph.D. program in Global History and Governance is aimed at highly motivated students with a solid personal background and multiple language skills.

The program focuses on the comparisons, connections, and processes of globalization that have characterized different areas of the planet between the 16th and 20th centuries. It does so by concentrating on the relational dimension of historical processes, legal regimes, and the organization of power; on the interconnections between economic, political, legal, cultural, and social factors; and on the circulation, exchange, and interconnection of ideas, persons, institutions, legal cultures, political models, concepts, rights, and goods on a global scale.

The selection will reward projects of the highest quality and feasibility, with preference given to those that insist on areas on which members of the college can offer world-class training and research preparation. These include, in particular: Ideas and practices of citizenship; the History of the Welfare State; History of rights; History of minorities and history of minority rights; History of migration; History of empires; States, wars, and violence in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; History of slavery and forced labor; History of historiography; The idea of Europe and its history; Europe's legal heritage and its integration; International organizations; Administrative and private law in the global sphere; Global legal pluralism; Rule of law and democracy; Public and private powers as actors in global governance; General principles and methods of dispute resolution in the global arena; Comparative federalism.

Program webpage: https://www.ssmeridionale.it/global-history-and-governance-ghg/  

Program coordinator

Prof. Daniela Luigia Caglioti

Starting date

November 2, 2024

Admission requirements

Candidates must possess an MA/MS degree, an excellent command of English, and possibly a second language other than their mother tongue. They must present a personal statement, a research proposal on a subject relevant to the PhD program, and the review/discussion of a text that particularly inspired applicants in the choice to pursue their studies, as well as in the conception and writing of the proposal itself.

A good knowledge of English is mandatory. In these cases, the interview may be conducted entirely in English.

For more details see https://www.ssmeridionale.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Copia_GHG__scheda-_Dottorato_XL_eng.pdf

Applications

Application deadline: August 20, 2024, 11:59 pm (CET),

only via the online system at HTTPS://PICA.CINECA.IT/SSM/DOTTORATO40-SSM/DOMANDE/

Applications received in any other form will not be considered.

Candidates intending to apply for more than one PhD program can do so by submitting multiple applications – a separate one for each program they intend to apply. 

Please visit the SSM website for full details of the funding of the award, eligibility, and how to apply: https://www.ssmeridionale.it/avcp/bando-di-concorso-xl-ciclo-dottorato-ssm/

For further information, please write to ghg@ssmeridionale.it

The following documents are to be submitted as attachments to the application. Their lack will entail the exclusion of the candidate:

• Copy of a valid identity document (passport or ID card);
• Curriculum vitae following the template available at https://www.ssmeridionale.it/bando-di-concorso-pubblico/?categBandi=Dottorati;
• Copy of the master's thesis (candidates who obtained their degree abroad without submitting a thesis are required to attach a description of a comparable research experience). Candidates who, have not yet submitted their thesis by the application’s deadline are required to submit an extended abstract in Italian or in English (max. 1,500 words/9,000 characters long, including bibliography and sources);
• An abstract in Italian or in English of the master’s thesis or of a comparable research experience (max. 1,000 words/6,000 characters long);
• Transcript(s) of records issued by the applicant’s university, listing the exams/courses taken during the degree, the grades/marks awarded, and (if applicable) the grade for the final exam. Applicants are also required to attach the degree transcript(s) of any previous degree(s) (in a single .pdf file). Should such transcript(s) be in a language other than Italian, English, French, Spanish or German, applicants are also required to submit a translation in one of the aforementioned languages. Alternatively, candidates are allowed self-certify the grade or mark of their master’s degree(s), by submitting a declaration in lieu of certification, prepared in accordance with article 46 of D.P.R. n.445/2000 and subsequent amendments. Candidates who have not yet obtained the degree are required to provide a signed statement listing the courses they’ve followed for the achievement of their Master's degree, as well as the grades received for each final exam (in this case, a declaration in lieu of certification has to be attached. It is to be prepared by using the template made available on the website of the SSM at: https://www.ssmeridionale.it/bando-di-concorso-pubblico/?categBandi=Dottorati

• A personal statement in which the applicants discuss their research interests and their reasons for applying for the chosen doctoral program (max. 1,000 words/6,000 characters).

The proposal should show the candidate’s knowledge of the state of the art in the field, be scientifically and methodologically sound, and illustrative of the candidate’s scientific interests and of their relevance for the research themes of the selected program. The proposal does not preclude or foreclose the dissertation’s topic, which can be selected only subsequently. For the GHG and TTCL doctoral programs, the research project is expected to include a review or a discussion of a text, such as, for example, a book or essay or a public document (minimum 500/3,000 characters-max 1,000 words/6,000 characters) that particularly inspired the candidate in her/his choice to pursue her/his studies as well as in the conception and writing of the project itself.

• Copies of up to 3 scientific publications by the applicant, if available (in a single .pdf file).
• A signed Statement of Veracity prepared using the template available on the website of the SSM at: https://www.ssmeridionale.it/bando-di-concorsopubblico/?categBandi=Dottorati

During the application procedure, applicants may also ask two scholars to write recommendation letters in support of their applications. Scholars are required to send such letters according to the guidelines they will receive from the online submission system once the candidate submits the application.

Deadline for the submission of recommendation letters: August 23, 2024

Selection Process

The selection process is based on the candidates’ comparative evaluation, with the aim of assessing their level of competence, talent, motivation, and inclination for scientific research relevant to their chosen field of study.

Selections will be based on the evaluations of the following elements:

• Academic record and qualifications.
• The scientific report/research proposal and the personal statement.
• The oral interview (for candidates admitted to this stage of the procedure).

All candidates are required to demonstrate a good knowledge of at least one foreign language.

The selection committees will evaluate each candidate by assigning a score of max 100 points divided as follows: 60 points max for the academic record, qualifications and scientific report or research proposal and 40 points max for the oral interview. Candidates who obtain a score of at least 40 points (out of 60) for their academic record and scientific report/research proposal will be shortlisted and interviewed orally. To qualify to the final ranking, applicants must obtain a score of at least 30 points (out of 40) on the oral interview.

The outcome of the evaluation, the list of candidates admitted to the oral interviews, and the interview  schedule will be published by 6 September 2024 on the SSM website at the following URL: https://www.ssmeridionale.it/bando-di-concorso-pubblico/?categBandi=Dottorati.

Oral interviews will be conducted between 9 September 2024 and 11 September 2024.

Publication of the outcome of the evaluation, of the names shortlisted candidates and of the schedule of the interviews on the SSM website will amount to official notification; candidates will not receive any further notification by email or other personal communication.

Shortlisted candidates may be interviewed by video conference (e.g., Skype, Zoom, Teams, etc.).

At the interview, candidates must present a valid identification device.

The final score will result from the sum of the scores resulting from the assessment  of the academic record and qualifications, of the research proposal, and of the oral interview.

The absence of the candidate on the day, place and time of the interview will be considered as withdrawal, whatever the cause, and the candidate will be automatically excluded from the procedure.

The selection Committees are expected to conclude the selection process by 11 September 2024.

Admitted candidates will be required to accept their positions and the annexed scholarships in the following two days, and to notify their acceptance to the Coordinator of the relevant Doctoral Program by the same deadline.

Selection Committees

The composition of the Selection Committees will be published on the website of the SSM at https://www.ssmeridionale.it/bando-di-concorso-pubblico/?categBandi=Dottorati.

In their first meeting, which may also be held remotely, each Committee will set evaluation criteria for the academic record and qualifications and for the oral interview, and devise procedures for assigning the scores.

Scholarship

Scholarships are awarded for 4 years, and renewed each year on condition that the Ph.D. student completes the program scheduled for the previous year, and is thus admitted to the following one by the Board of the relevant Doctoral Program.

Doctoral scholarship’s amount is of € 19,000 yearly, provided in monthly instalments for the whole length of the program (that is, 4 years). For previously authorized research stays abroad, each monthly instalment is increased by a maximum of 50%; the extra funding is provided for no more than 12 instalments. It will not be provided for periods spent in the student’s place of residence (city or province).

The student cannot accept any other funding, unless it is provided by other national or foreign institutions to finance additional research or study abroad periods. Scholarship’s disbursement is conditional to the fulfillment of study and research requirements.

An additional sum, equal to 10% of the yearly amount of the PhD scholarship for the first year and 20% of the yearly amount of the PhD scholarship for each of the remaining three years, will be allotted to each Ph.D. student, to cover research-related expenditures.

Ph.D. students are required to enroll in the “Gestione separata” of the INPS (Italian National Social Security Institute). To register with INPS, please refer to the website http://www.inps.it

Fees and contributions

Students enrolled in the Doctoral Programs of the SSM are required to pay a fee levied by the Regione Campania under its ‘right to education’ requirements. The fee is levied each year for the entire length of the doctoral program.

Rights and obligations of Ph.D. Students

Enrolling in the Doctoral Program amounts to a full-time employment and is incompatible with other work commitments. Students are expected to attend all the course and activities, to submit all the requested oral and written reports, and to fulfill the requirements set by the Board of the Doctoral program they are enrolled in. Admission to each subsequent year is conditional on the fulfillment of such requirements. Students are not permitted to enroll in, or attend, any other university program simultaneously with the SSM Doctoral Program.

Students enrolled in a Doctoral Program may request a leave of absence for reasons such as maternity or paternity, serious illness, or civil service (in the last case, up to 1 year).

They will have to make up for absences lasting more than 30 days; such absences entail the suspension of the scholarship for as long as they last. However, the course length stays the same; in such cases, the completion of the course is deferred.

Ph.D. students are allowed to carry out study and research activities abroad for no less than two academic semesters, and for to up to 12 months overall. Such stays abroad are to be authorized by the coordinator of the Doctoral Program, following a request from the dissertation supervisor.

The degree of “Research Doctor” (in its shortened Italian form “Dott. Ric.”, corresponding to “Ph.D.”) is granted after successful completion of a final examination consisting in the defense of the PhD dissertation. The degree is awarded by the Responsabile della Scuola as per the latter’s regulations.

No more than 30 days after the defense of the Ph.D. dissertation, the SSM will deposit it in electronic format in the MUR’s (Italian Ministry for University and Research) database and in the National Libraries of Rome and Florence. The Program’s Doctoral Board is entitled to establish an embargo on parts of the dissertation in order to protect data covered by industrial secrets, patents or specific intellectual property agreements.