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Call for Applications Theme: Cultural, Economic, and Evolutionary Perspectives on Global Challenges Subtitle: Prospects and Perils of Radical Interdisciplinarity Type: PhD Research Course Institution: Centre for the Study of Mind in Nature, University of Oslo Location: Oslo (Norway) Date: 28.9.–2.10.2015 Deadline: 8.6.2015 __________________________________________________ Can new interdisciplinary work at the intersection of evolutionary biology, the social sciences, and the humanities help to understand and manage global challenges? This PhD-level course aims to use an evolutionarily-informed and interdisciplinary lens to take a critical look at contemporary global challenges, or ”crises”—climate change, the economic and poverty crises, public health, as well as various forms of cultural-political upheavals. The central aim will be to discover ways in which the combined insights from various disciplines, including evolutionary biology, cultural history, philosophy, political science, systems theory, and economics, can provide a better understanding of why such crises emerge and how they can be managed. Questions to be addressed will include the following: How can we explain the emergence of human society? Can individual self-interest be reconciled with collective interests, and work for the public good? How is large-scale cooperation possible? What makes human social groups function well? What factors lead to breakdowns in cooperation? How can principles of well-functioning groups be used to understand and remedy failures of cooperation? What role should the sciences and humanities play in shaping public policy? Lecturers: David Sloan Wilson (Evolutionary Biology, Binghamton University) Robert Frank (Economics, Cornell University) Peter Turchin (Ecology and Evolution, University of Connecticut) Katharine Browne (Philosophy, Dalhousie University/CSMN, University of Oslo) Dag Hessen (Biology, University of Oslo) Atle Midtun (Economic Organization, University of Oslo) Ola T. Westengen (Agricultural Development, Norwegian University of Life Sciences) Nina Witoszek (History of Cultures, University of Oslo) Application procedure: Interested students should send the following materials by e-mail to Katharine Browne [log in to unmask]: 1. A cover letter signed by your PhD supervisor or another person at your institution, stating your academic background and academic degree(s) held, your research interests and current research projects (if any), including estimated date of completion of doctoral project. 2. A statement of purpose, in the form of a 1 page note that a) briefly describes your current research b) explains in what respect this course will relate to your work. 3. A current CV. The closing date for applications is 8 June 2015. The course will be limited to 20 students. Applications will be considered on a first come, first served basis. PhD students will be prioritized, but under special circumstances applications from non-PhD students will also be considered. Students will be notified of the decision concerning their application by 15 June 2015. For course schedule, lecture topics, and readings, please see the course website at: http://csmncourse.wix.com/globalchallenges __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________
