Degree type
PhD, Masters by research
Closing date
1 February 2025
Campus
Hobart, Launceston
Citizenship requirement
Domestic / International
About the research project
What is the particular value of philosophy within the academy and for the wider society? The overall aim of this project is to bring philosophy as presented in the tradition of phenomenology into engagement with other disciplines to critically examine intersecting questions and pressing problems that impact our lives.
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 or altered states like those experienced after taking psychedelics? How are the new technologies shaping our sense of self and our worlds? 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 lifeworld in addressing philosophical problems. His work has been further developed by other phenomenologists – Edith Stein, Max Scheler, Martin Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Levinas and others. Merleau-Ponty, notably, built his philosophical vision on the key axes of the body, perception and intersubjectivity, thereby establishing phenomenology as a powerful voice within contemporary philosophy and demonstrating its relevance 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, philosophy of technology, 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
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 $33,511 per annum (2025 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.
Other funding opportunities and fees
For further information regarding other scholarships on offer, and the various fees of undertaking a research degree, please visit Scholarships and fees.
Eligibility
Applicants should review the Higher Degree by Research minimum entry requirements.
Ensure your eligibility for the scholarship round by referring to our Key Dates.
Additional eligibility criteria specific to this project/scholarship:
- Applicants must be able to undertake the project on-campus
- Applicants should review the Higher Degree by Research minimum entry requirements. 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 desirable selection criteria specific to this project:
- Adequate language skills
Application process
- Select your project, and check that you meet the eligibility and selection criteria, including citizenship;
- Contact Dr Anya Daly to discuss your suitability and the project's requirements; and
- In your application:
- 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.
- Submit a signed supervisory support form, a CV including contact details of 2 referees and your project research proposal.
- Apply prior to 1 February 2025.
Full details of the application process can be found under the 'How to apply' section at Research degrees.
Following the 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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