Potestas essendi

Medieval philosophy and unconceivable stuff, by Nicola Polloni

Project Design for Philosophical Research: A Hands-on Workshop

Workshop, KU Leuven (BE). 4 February 2023.

Stemming from the 2022 Common Seminar of the Institute of Philosophy at KU Leuven, the workshop Project Design for Philosophical Research will delve into the specificities of research proposals and their most mysterious, troublesome sections. All students from the Common Seminar are free to join the workshop, which will expand on many features of philosophical academic publishing, research proposals, and persuasive communication that we have discussed in the classroom.

The workshop will be take place in Room N (HIW, Kardinaal Mercierplein 2) at 4 pm on 4 February 2023. Being a hands-on workshop, much time will be dedicated to discuss real research proposals and, most importantly, your drafts. To that end, there are two tasks that participants will have to carry out.

Firstly, participants will have to use a worksheet made of 15 questions on your draft proposal that will nurture a more critical, nuanced perspective on the research that has been designed specifically to apply for a research fellowship/grant. Each question is based on problematic aspects of research proposals and the aim of this “assignment” is to facilitate your reflection on the proposal you are going to submit either now or in the future. To receive the worksheet, please, send me an email. The worksheet should be sent back to me by 27 January 2023 in order to move on to the second task (see below).

Secondly, all participants will have a chance at peer-reviewing the worksheet submitted by everyone else. Working as a referee will facilitate a more objective grasp of the proposals that you are writing and understand the subtleties of how research proposals both in terms of structure and compelling arguments. Needless to say, all these materials are confidential and need to be treated accordingly, which means that participants won’t be allowed to share the worksheets with anybody else.

After the workshop, there will be a “good luck with your career” dinner. If you are willing to participate, do send me an email (I will have to make a reservation a week before).

Naturally, the workshop is free and everybody is welcome to join! Just send me an email to register for the workshop.

If you would like to have more info about this event, contact Nicola Polloni. To register, use the dedicated registration page.