Engaged Phenomenology

Engaged phenomenology across the disciplines - from aesthetics to the human sciences.

Degree type

MRes/PhD

Closing date

27 March 2023

Campus

Hobart

Citizenship requirement

Domestic/International

About the research project

Since Plato's 'Divided Line' metaphysics, philosophy has grappled with the many problems arising from dualism and more recently with reductive materialism. Such ontologies have given rise to many of the 'big questions' of philosophy - How is it that I can know a world external to myself when all I directly access are my own thoughts and representations? How can I be sure that what I perceive is accurate?  How is it that the mind influences the body and vice versa? Is there something it is like to have a particular experience? Can I empathically grasp the experience of another? How is it that we can understand and share aesthetic experiences? Is it possible to identify an artwork or art performance as 'great art'? What is happening with mind-body-world relations in anomalous experience – such as in the challenges to mental health? And there are many more such questions.

In the early 20th Century, philosopher Edmund Husserl established a rigorous philosophical framework – phenomenology – which directly challenges both dualism and reductive materialism, bringing to the fore the importance of lived experience and the life-world in addressing philosophical problems. His work has been further developed by other phenomenologists – Edith Stein, Max Scheler, Martin Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty and others. Merleau-Ponty notably built his philosophical vision on the key axes of the body, perception and intersubjectivity. Phenomenology is now a powerful voice on the philosophical stage which is proving its value not only to philosophy but also to the human sciences.

The philosophy program invites applications for projects that address research questions in the domains of embodied cognition, enactivism, aesthetics, philosophy of psychiatry, philosophy of perception, feminism and ethics informed by the work of phenomenological thinkers past and present.

This project may have a part-time study option available. Some restrictions may apply. Please discuss your preference with the Supervisor and note your preferred study option when applying.

Primary Supervisor

Meet Dr Anya Daly

Funding

Applicants will be considered for a Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship or Tasmania Graduate Research Scholarship (TGRS) which, if successful, provides:

  • a living allowance stipend of $31,500 per annum (2023 rate, indexed annually) for 3.5 years
  • a relocation allowance of up to $2,000
  • a tuition fees offset covering the cost of tuition fees for up to four years (domestic applicants only)

If successful, international applicants will receive a University of Tasmania Fees Offset for up to four years.

As part of the application process you may indicate if you do not wish to be considered for scholarship funding.

Eligibility

Applicants should review the Higher Degree by Research minimum entry requirements.

Additional eligibility criteria specific to this project/scholarship:

  • Applicants must be able to undertake the project on-campus

Applicants from the following disciplines are encouraged to apply:

  • Philosophy, cognitive science, arts

Selection Criteria

The project is competitively assessed and awarded.  Selection is based on academic merit and suitability to the project as determined by the College.

Additional essential selection criteria specific to this project:

  • Adequate language skills

Application process

There is a three-step application process:

  1. Select your project, and check you meet the eligibility and selection criteria;
  2. Contact the Primary Supervisor, Dr Anya Daly to discuss your suitability and the project's requirements; and
  3. Submit an application by the closing date listed above.
    • Copy and paste the title of the project from this advertisement into your application. If you don’t correctly do this your application may be rejected.
    • As part of your application, you will be required to submit a covering letter, a CV including 2 x referees and your project research proposal.

Following the application closing date applications will be assessed within the College. Applicants should expect to receive notification of the outcome by email by the advertised outcome date.

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