Summer (2019) Programs in Philosophy for Graduate Students
Last week’s post about upcoming summer programs in philosophy for undergraduates prompted a few requests for a similar post for summer programs in philosophy for current graduate students.
If you are affiliated with one of these programs, and would like it listed in this post, either email me a brief description and a link, or provide that information in the comments on this post, and I’ll add it. (See the post on undergrad programs for examples of what to include.)
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- Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, June 30 – July 20, 2019.
We believe that pushing back the frontiers of intelligence requires pulling down the barriers between traditional disciplines. It requires the constitution of a new “community of practice” focused on diverse intelligences, in which promising young scholars are connected across disciplinary lines. The Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute will build a community of early career scholars dedicated to actively breaking down transdisciplinary boundaries in investigating the frontiers of intelligence. We seek scholars in fields such as (but not limited to) anthropology, artificial intelligence, ethology, cognitive science, computer science, sociology, and philosophy who are interested in pursuing interdisciplinary, collaborative research in recognizing, programming, and shaping intelligences.
- Public Philosophy and Social Ontology: Rights and Responsibilities for a Just Society, The Centre for Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Groningen and the Dutch Research School of Philosophy (OZSW), the Netherlands, August 26-30, 2019.
How do people live together? And how should they live together? Answering these questions requires a conception of society, and of the role that social practices, institutions and organizations play in it. But what are these social structures? What are their functions? And how can they contribute to a just society? This summer school brings together experts in social theory, social ontology, ethics, and political philosophy. It serves to bring recent developments in social ontology to bear on public philosophy. (Speakers: Christina Bicchieri, Sally Haslanger, Stephanie Collins, Andreas Schmidt, Titus Stahl, Justin Bruner, Frank Hindriks.) The summer school is targeted at PhD students in philosophy with a background or interest in the social sciences. Research Master students and post-docs are also welcome to apply.
- Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL) Internship Program, May 28-July 19, 2019.
The Summer Internship Program offers professional and graduate level students an opportunity to further CERL’s efforts to promote and protect the rule of law in national and international security practice. Summer interns will interact with national security experts on the critical and cutting-edge problems facing our nation today. CERL is a non-partisan interdisciplinary institute dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the rule of law in 21st century conflict, warfare and national security. CERL draws from the study of law, philosophy, and ethics to answer the difficult questions that arise in times of war and contemporary transnational conflicts. CERL unites scholars and policymakers from various fields in a multi-disciplinary conversation on some of the most challenging issues of our time. Law students, as well as graduate students in philosophy, political science, international relations and other related fields interested in examining the intersection of rule of law values, applied ethics, and national security are encouraged to apply.
- Philosophical Lessons from and for the ‘Post-Truth Era’, Radboud Summer School, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, August 5-9, 2019.
This course investigates what it means to live in a ‘post-truth era’, in which emotional or ideological motivations are often considered more valid than objective criteria or facts. It is designed for students who are interested in philosophy as well as political science, sociology, history, or cultural studies; who are concerned about recent developments in politics, journalism, and education; and who wish to gain a better understanding of what truth can still mean in the 21st century. In the first, introductory, part of the course, we will critically engage with 1) the politics of developing post-truth claims, 2) the journalistic tools and strategies for covering such claims, and 3) the psychological mechanisms of the public to process them. In the second, main, part of the course, we will explore the philosophical dimension of the ‘post-truth phenomenon’. To this goal, we will consider three recent philosophical accounts of truth and truthfulness: 1) Harry Frankfurt’s notion of ‘bullshit’ as “a greater enemy of the truth than lies”; 2) Ernst Cassirer’s philosophy of ‘Enlightenment pluralism’; and 3) Martin Heidegger’s theory about the connection between truth, care, and authenticity. On this basis, we will try to formulate (a) response(s) to the problematic features of the ‘post-truth attitude’. For graduate students and advanced undergraduates.
- Philosophy and Technology, Institute of Philosophy, Zagreb, Croatia, June 17-20, 2019.
Technology permeates human life at individual, social and global level. It affects the way we communicate, travel, do business, take care of health, practice politics, fight crime, wage wars, conduct scientific research, raise children, create art, transmit culture, even the way we engage in personal or intimate relationships. Attitudes towards technology, however, are ambivalent: on the one hand, technology is perceived as something useful, progressive and beneficial; on the other hand, it is perceived as something potentially dangerous, alienating and dehumanizing. The aim of the summer school, Philosophy and Technology, is to explore this ambivalence through a number of courses addressing the meaning and implications of different technologies from the perspective of standard philosophical disciplines like metaphysics, logic, ethics, philosophy of science and history of philosophy.
- Feminist Summer Reading School, Cornell University, New York, June 17-June 22, 2019.
This yearly event was created in 2017 by four women philosophy students who wanted to establish a space to read and discuss philosophy together. Basic knowledge of philosophy is required, therefore, applicants should be undergraduates in their second-year or beyond, masters students, or PhD students. The topic and location of the Feminist Summer Reading School changes yearly – the past two years have seen “Philosophy of Science” (Kiel), and “Philosophy of Language” (Vienna). This year, we are being hosted by Cornell University in New York, and the topic is “Philosophy and Bodies”. Spanning from early understandings of mind-body relations to current ethical and political issues surrounding the body, topics will include disability, gender, weight/fatness, sex, confinement/imprisonment, race, and so on. The summer school strives to create a collaborative and diverse environment that facilitates meaningful learning among students with varying philosophical strengths and life experiences. In addition to following a curriculum, we have invited several scholars to give workshops and lectures on a topic related to feminism and the body. Dr. Kate Manne is a confirmed speaker. We especially encourage students from underrepresented or marginalized groups to apply.
- Collegium Spinozanum: an international summer school on Spinoza and Spinozisms in their philosophical and historical contexts. University of Groningen, Netherlands, July 2-5, 2019.
This summer school aims to bring together advanced students and established scholars working broadly on Spinoza’s thought, sources and reception. The goal of the summerschool is to create an international forum to stimulate scholarly exchange and conversations inspired by different approaches and methodologies. During morning sessions, established scholars in several different areas of Spinoza studies will offer seminars on some of the frontier research topics in the field. Afternoon sessions will consist of discussions of selected papers presented by participants and reading groups on short texts belonging to Spinoza’s works, or significant for the reception of Spinoza’s philosophy. Confirmed invited speakers: Susan James (Birkbeck College London), Maxime Rovere (PUC Rio de Janeiro), Hasana Sharp (McGill University), and Jimena Solé (Universidad de Buenos Aires). Deadline for presentations: April 1, 2019. Deadline for registration: June 1, 2019.
photo by J. Weinberg
NEH Summer Seminars often reserve a spot or two for graduate students. From the Eligibility Criteria page, “Advanced graduate students, and those employed by museums, libraries, historical societies, and other organizations are also eligible. All applicants must demonstrate that their participation will advance the teaching and scholarly goals of the program.”
Of course, you can’t get the latest, up-to-date information because of the government shutdown, but you can get the big picture here – https://www.neh.gov/divisions/education/summer-programs?f%5B0%5D=summer_program_audience%3A356