Read on for information on (1) the Yale University CEAS Postdoctoral Associates Program and (2) the Cluster of Excellence “Understanding Written Artefacts” at Hamburg University.
Category Archives: Graduate study
PhD position in Yijing Studies in European Societies
PhD Position – City University of Hong Kong 香港城市大學 – “Yijing studies in European societies”
Supervisor: Prof. Tze-ki Hon, Department of Chinese and History
Workshop on Manuscript Cultures
Fourth Biannual Ph.D. Student and Early-Career Scholar Workshop
“Manuscript Culture in Ancient Egypt and China”
International Center for the Study of Ancient Text Cultures
Renmin University of China
Beijing, January 14–18, 2019
The International Center for the Study of Ancient Text Cultures (ICSATC), hosted at Renmin University of China, will hold its Fourth Ph.D. Student and Early-Career Scholar Workshop on January 14 -18, 2019. Four days of seminars will be concluded with student presentations and plenary discussion on the fifth day. The principal language of instruction and interaction will be English.
Ph.D. students, see application details below.
2 PhD Positions on New Confucianism
2 PhD Positions on New Confucianism
The Institute for European Global Studies at the University of Basel invites applications for two PhD positions starting on February 1, 2019. They are part of the research project “The Exterior of Philosophy: On the Practice of New Confucianism” funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF). The candidates will complement the research team of Prof. Dr. Ralph Weber and Philippe Major, Ph.D. The research project studies New Confucian philosophy by deploying a sociological perspective for philosophical aims. Existing scholarship has often chosen an approach that is either historical, as in the genre of intellectual history, or philosophical, tuned towards showing the contemporary philosophical relevance of New Confucianism. The current project builds on recent studies that add to these established approaches by offering sociological perspectives on New Confucianism. The project hence breaks new ground in terms of its disciplinary approach beyond the specific context of New Confucianism. Drawing on work done in sociology, the research project explores the possibilities of a sociology of philosophy approached as a philosophical sub-discipline. For more information, see here.
Call for Applications: Intensive Program in Buddhism
Call for Applications: An International and Intensive Program on Buddhism at Cambridge
August 20-September 10, 2018; Cambridge, United Kingdom
The Glorisun Global Network of Buddhist Studies at UBC, with the assistance from its partner at Cambridge and the Research Center for Buddhist Texts and Arts at Peking University, cordially invites applications for an intensive program on Buddhist Studies. Lasting for three weeks from August 20 to September 10, 2018, this program is composed of two segments: Segment 1 from August 20 to August 29 and Segment 2 from September 1 to September 10, which are connected by an intersegmental conference (detailed below).
2017-18 PGR / Chinese Philosophy Rankings
The 2017-18 Philosophical Gourmet Report (PGR) has been released here. It includes “specialty rankings” for various areas, including Chinese philosophy. This year, for the first time, I was invited to be among the evaluators, and after wrestling with this a bit, decided to give it a try. As explained at the top of this page, evaluators see lists of faculty and then choose one of the following categories:
- 0 – Inadequate for a PhD program
- 1 – Marginal
- 2 – Adequate
- 3 – Good
- 4 – Strong
- 5 – Distinguished
Evaluators can do this for the program overall, and then for the various specialties. I chose to only rank the Chinese philosophy specialty (I did not select overall rankings). The vast majority I assigned a score of 0. I believe that the highest score I gave was a 3. Programs that have one or even two specialists can be — other things being equal — good places to study. But in my judgment there are no English-language programs that merit “strong” or “distinguished” rankings. In my view, that would take multiple specialists, and others with cognate interests, in the context of an overall strong and supportive department. We may get there one day, but we’re not there yet.
I have mixed views about this whole rankings thing, which has been discussed before on the blog. What we have tried to do here at Warp, Weft, and Way is provide as much objective information about graduate study as possible. But since PGR exists and I was invited to take part, I decided to give it a try.
One other thing. As Bryan Van Norden (another evaluator, and also someone on the Advisory Board) explains here, PGR policy is that programs need to have a certain minimum overall score in order to be ranked. Programs with significant “specialty” strengths but without the minimum overall score end up being listed as “Additional programs not evaluated this year but recommended for consideration by the Advisory Board.” I agree with Bryan’s sentiment that the programs listed under this rubric are as strong as the ones officially ranked, and thus disapprove of this policy, which I find to be highly misleading.
Application Extension: BNU Int’l MA Program
The deadline has been extended to April 8th for applications to the Beijing Normal University (BNU) International MA Program in Chinese Philosophy. This is a 2-year master’s degree program conducted in English. The program will provide scholarships for most of the students which will cover their tuition fees and living expenses. For information, please see here.
Grad Student / Young Scholar Workshop, with Application
Third Biannual Ph.D. Student and Young Scholar Workshop: “Ancient Historiography in Comparison”
International Center for the Study of Ancient Text Cultures, Renmin University of China (Beijing, June 13–18, 2018)
The International Center for the Study of Ancient Text Cultures (ICSATC), hosted at Renmin University of China, holds its third Ph.D. Student and Young Scholar workshop on June 13-18, 2018. Four renowned scholars from the fields of Ancient Chinese Historiography, Ancient Greek and Roman Historiography, and Ancient Jewish and Biblical Historiography will present lectures and seminars on specific topics. In addition, there will be a keynote lecture at the beginning of the workshop. There also will be student research activities to complement the lectures and seminars. The principal language of instruction and interaction will be English.
International MA Program in Chinese Philosophy, Beijing Normal University
International MA Program in Chinese Philosophy: School of Philosophy, Beijing Normal University
The School of Philosophy at Beijing Normal University, one of China’s premier institutes of higher education, offers a two-year Master’s Degree in Chinese Philosophy.
The program offers a comprehensive range of courses in the major traditions of Chinese philosophy, including Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, as well as an inclusive range of courses in the Chinese philosophies of history, ethics, and politics. Courses emphasize comparative and international perspectives while engaging with the Western and other great traditions of world philosophy.
ECNU’s English-Language MA and PhD Programs
From Paul D’Ambrosio:
East China Normal University’s English Language MA and PhD programs are up and running. Last year top students in English language graduate programs at ECNU were accepted to do their PhDs in the history department at McGill and in anthropology at Harvard.
We currently have six spots open for next year. Each student is strongly encouraged to apply for the Chinese Scholarship Counsel scholarship, which awards free tuition, housing, and a 3,000rmb per month stipend. 100% of our English language (and Chinese language) foreign graduate students have been offered this scholarship to date.
