Dissertation seminar: or how to acquire research skills and abilities

Dissertation seminar

This is a master level seminar dedicated to the discussion of student's projects, research and papers. The purpose of this seminar is to familiarize students with the rules and methods of scientific research.

Format: 4 hrs/week seminar (Tuesday 16-20) plus online collaboration on this web-page.

First meeting: Tuesday 5 March, 16-20. (By then, however, you will have to do a couple of things, so read the following carefully).

 

General presentation of the course/seminar:

Most present-day jobs are research-oriented. One is expected to be able to put together research proposals, projects, and to take part in open, research-oriented competitions. In order to do this, one needs all sorts of skills: planning efficiently, being able to collaborate and work in a team, being able to respect deadlines, being able to go through a lot of reading in an optimal time, being able to write, re-write and re-re-re write until the result is convincing and competitive.

The purpose of this seminar is to teach basic research skills and abilities (such as: how to choose a research topic, how to write a project proposal, how to discuss a project proposal, how to re-write and collaborate for improving a project proposal). The subsidiary purpose of this seminar is to teach students how to write an academic research proposal and how to develop a research project. More precisely, to learn what a research proposal, research application and research project are and how one can develop, starting from them, papers and dissertations.

In order to pursue an academic career you need to learn to write and publish. Academic activity in philosophy is highly specialized and quite ‘technical’. It has its own jargon and requires precisely defined ‘skills’. Often, books on ‘how-to-do’ begin by saying: “Most students and beginning researchers do not fully understand what a research
proposal means, nor do they understand its importance. To put it bluntly, one’s research is only as a good as one’s proposal.”

British Library, London (curtea interioara). Si o celebra statuie (inspirata dintr-o si mai celebra gravura a lui Blake) reprezentandu-l pe Isaac Newton in rolul 'demiurgului geometru'

 
The purpose of this “Dissertation seminar” is to teach some of the skills required for ‘survival’ in the present-day, project-oriented, world (irrespective whether you want to pursue an academic career or a non-academic career). Here are some of them:

1. Learning and understanding: understanding the nature and structure of a research project, developing the abilities necessary for picking a research topic and developing a research project. Learning and understanding the way in which research hypotheses are formulated and demonstrated.
2. Explanation and interpretation: forming the abilities necessary to explain and develop a research project and to transform it into a dissertation plan
3. Instrumental: learning how to put together a bibliography in an efficient and time-saving way, learning to use online resources, data bases, learning the basics of the scientific evaluation and project evaluation.
4. Atitudes: The seminar will attempt to form in the students the essential attitudes and values of the profession: respect for intellectual work, understanding and developing values essential for research, learning the rules of research, collaboration and community.

ATTENDANCE

This seminar is an MA level research seminar, but undergraduate students can also attend (without receiving credits). It is a compulsory course/seminar for the MA students in Analytic Philosophy (second year).
NB: For all level students willing to take part in the seminar: you need to register via email to dana.jalobeanu@gmail.com

General topics:
1. What is a research project? How do I choose a research topic? What does it mean to have a research project? (When do we have a research project?)
2. How do I pursue a research project? What are the steps in developing a research project?
More specific topics:

1. Living in a project-oriented, project-dependent-kind-of world. Financing, organizations, requirements, structures.
2. Research proposals, research projects, research topics.
3. What is a research topic? How do I choose a research topic?
4. Bibliographical search 1: how do I select my bibliography? (practical exercise) Bibliographical databases and research libraries (including online libraries)
5. Discussion on examples of good and bad research topics – on examples provided by the professor
6. From the research topic to the research questions. How do I formulate the research questions? Estimating the extent and time-length necessary for answering a research question.
7. Bibliographical search 2: rapid reading, annotated bibliography, review papers. Collaboration and asking for help. In what way can I ask for help from the academic community? Lists of discussions and forms of collaboration.
8. Steps towards writing the research project: writing an abstract, applying to a conference, taking part on discussions (Why is is important to discuss your ideas?).
9. Critical discussions of the research projects. Presentation of the research projects of all the students involved in the seminar. Peer-review procedures (what are the peer review procedures? How do they work?).
10. Issues of plagiarism. Types of plagiarism and related ethical issues. How do plagiarism distroy a career (examples).
11. From the research project to the work plan. How do I write a work plan?
12. Developing the work-plan.
13. Presenting the work-plan: practical exercise for all the students registered in the seminar
14. Writing the dissertation
15. Presenting the dissertation
16. Academic evaluation and methods of evaluation. How is research being evaluated?

Format:
The seminar will have two components:
1. Regular meetings (4 hours discussions on assigned tasks and topics). In these meetings students will have to do presentations of various things: projects, papers and dissertations of others and two presentations of their own research topic. They will have to discuss and interact. Participation in the seminar is compulsory.
2. Online colaboration: this blog will form an important part of our collaboration. On it we will post texts and questions, we will distribute tasks and topics and we will collaborate in writing research projects in common. The active participation in writing on this blog is also compulsory.


Course materials and seminar tasks:

All students in this course will share a common drop-box folder where I will assemble quite a large range of materials necessary for our discussions. We will have a data-base of reasearch projects, papers, dissertations which each of you will have to read and evaluate. Learning how to do research is learning by doing.
A good place to start is by having a look at the financing mechanisms and organization, at the top places where research is planned, organized, directed, measured and rewarded. Here is where the future of European reserach is planned: http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020/index_en.cfm. Compare this with the Romanian Research Council plans and organization: http://www.cncs-nrc.ro/.

Seminar tasks:

Task 1: Create a research profile on Academia.edu. Each student will be require to create his/her own research profile on the Academia.edu network. Visit Academia.edu, register there are start building your research profile there by uploading a picture, a field/fields of interest, CV, and your reserch topic(s). By the end of the course/seminar each student will have to have a complete research profile on Academia.edu.
Task 2: Find people woking on similar things. Using Academia.edu, finding appropriate email lists etc., find 5 people working on your field and get in touch with them. You can write a specialist in your field and you can ask for bibliography, bibliographical advice and even more pointed/practical help.
Task 3: Read two theses/dissertations in your field – in topics similar to your research topic and evaluate them (in writing). Use http://ethos.bl.uk/Home.do;jsessionid=DD5E7CB163D912C75E3DEE0658599329
Each student will have to present in a seminar meeting the evaluation of the two teses chosen. Deadline for finding the two theses: 5th March.

New Course 2010-2011: From Natural Philosophy to Newtonian Science. Theories of matter in early modern Europe (in Romanian)

De la filosofia naturală la fizica newtoniană

Spaţiu, timp şi materie în secolele XVI-XVII

            Cursul îşi propune să ofere studenţilor o introducere într-un domeniu important al istoriei şi filosofiei ştiinţei, domeniul modernităţii timpurii (early modern philosophy, early modern science). Tematica cursului oferă o privire de ansamblu asupra filosofiei naturale şi a contextului în care se naşte ştiinţa modernă. Vor fi discutate în special teme şi autori al căror loc în istoria ştiinţei sau istoria filosofiei este bine stabilit, însă vom insista asupra conexiunilor mai puţin cunoscute între autori sau probleme tratate de obicei în cadrul unor discipline diferite. Vom discuta, de exemplu, teoriile despre natura şi constituţia corpurilor materiale sau disputele cu privire la natura luminii şi existenţa vidului, aşa cum apar ele la fondatorii modernităţii: Descartes, Pascal, Hobbes, Boyle, More sau Newton (autori studiaţi îndeobşte de discipline diferite, cum ar fi istoria filosofiei, istoria gândirii politice, istoria ideilor sau istoria religiilor, istoria fizicii sau a matematicii). Studenţii vor învăţa în acest fel cât de importantă este, pentru acest domeniu, renunţarea la diviziunile disciplinare ale prezentului, importanţa studierii textului primar, importanţa stabilirii mediului ideatic şi instituţional în care se constituie şi se articulează ştiinţa modernă.

Cursul va avea o componentă tradiţională (prelegeri cu diapozitive), o componentă de seminar (lucru pe text, discuţii pe marginea unor texte primare, cu scopul de a învăţa cum se citesc, comentează şi înţeleg textele primare) şi o componentă electronică (participarea la un grup de discuţii special construit în acest scop). Gasiti aici o prezentare generala a cursului, a temelor de curs si de seminar, a bibliografiei si a sistemului de evaluare.

The Scientific Self: Evaluation

The evaluation will take place during the semester on the basis of three written assignments:

1. A portrait of a scientist

You are required to select a seventeenth century ‘scientist’ (natural philosopher) and assemble a 4 pages presentation of his life and work. You need to read at least:

a. a standard biography of your character (NOT Wikipedia or internet-source)
b. two encyclopedia articles on his work/personality (NOT Wikipedia)
c. one of his works (full)
d. two papers/articles on a certain aspect of his work


After submitting the paper presentation you will be required to give a slide/seminar presentation of your character. Both the paper presentation and the ppt. presentation will be uploaded on the discussion group.

How to write the presentation: try to find out who she/he was and what she/he did; why was his work important for the emergence/advancement of science/philosophy? Whose contemporary he/she was? What kind of scientific contacts/philosophical connections he/she had? Was she a professional scientist? What else? (social class, major profession, connections, source of income….). What else did he/she write? Which of his works survived? Who read them and why?

And, most important of all: what kind of inheritance did we receive from your character? Why should we care today about him or his works?

Note: Some of the characters of our story are not only scientists. However, in your presentation you should concentrate on the scientific aspects of their activities, trying to show in what way these were important and how are they related with other activities/aspects of their personality.

Deadline for the 4 pages presentation of a scientist (to be sent through email and uploaded on the group): 23rd March


2. A scientific/philosophical problem of the seventeenth century: the issue at stake, people involved, sides, works involved, how did it develop, what was the outcome

A four-pages presentation of the emergence of a scientific/philosophical problem and the disputations surrounding it based on:

a. at least one full-account of the problem (book/books on the subject)
b. at least 2 papers/articles/talks discussing different aspects of the problem

Before choosing your topic we need to discuss. We will select the bibliography after/during this discussion.

Deadline for selecting the topic and having the preliminary discussion with me: 23 March
Deadline for handing in the written material: 11th of May

3. A two pages abstract of a paper for the summer seminar at Bran plus a complete application file for the Princeton/Bucharest seminar in early modern philosophy

Deadline: 1st of May

The Scientific Self: Course Syllabus

1. The scientist’ persona: A discussion of Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis




Bibliography:
Francis Bacon, New Atlantis

Secondary literature:
Shapin, The Scientific Life, 2009, ch.2, ‘From calling to Job: nature, truth, method and vocation from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century’
Jalobeanu, Preface to Noua Atlantida , Nemira, 2007

Further reading:
Bronwen Price, ed. Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis. New Interdisciplinary essays, 2001
S.McKnight, Francis Bacon’s theology, 2006, ch. 1
Dear, P., The Intelligibility of Nature, ch.1


2. Who is the natural philosopher? Solomon House and other societies

Bibliography:
Bacon, General plan (of the Instauratio Magna)
Robert Hooke, Micrographia, Preface
Excerpts from Oldenburg letters (Oldenburg to Spinoza and Spinoza’s replies)

Further primary reading:
The first number of Philosophical transactions (online on Gallica.fr)

Secondary:
Jalobeanu, D. ‘The fascination of Solomon’s House in seventeenth century’s England’, in V. Alexandrescu, Branching off, Zeta Books, 2009

Further reading:
Lynch, Solomon’s Child: Method in Early Royal Society, ch 1


3. Experimental philosophy/experimental science, Baconian experiments and the Royal Society

Bibliography:
Birch, History of the Royal Society – excerpts on the web-page of the course
Excerpts from Oldenburg letters (to be posted on the group)

Secondary bibliography:
Kuhn, T. Mathematical versus experimental traditions in the development of the physical sciences, The Essential Tension, 1977, 31-66

Secondary reading/further reading:
Hunter, M. ‘The Early Society and the Shape of Knowledge’, in Kelley, Popkin, Shapes of knowledge from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, Kluwer, 1991, 189-203


4. Experimental philosophy and the method of reasoning

Bibliography:
Bacon, Novum Organum, p. II, fragments
Bacon, Historia densi et rari , in Instauratio magna : the last texts, OFB vol XIII, 1-60

Secondary bibliography :
Peter Urbach, Francis Bacon’s philosophy of science, ch.1-3

5. Gentlemanly virtue, moral philosophy and early modern science

Bibliography:
Bacon, preface to Natural and Experimental History, OFB XII
Bacon, Valerius Terminus
Sprat, excerpts from the History of the Royal Society, part. III

Secondary bibliography:
Eamon, B., Science and the Secrets of Nature, p. 259-266 with notes
Jalobeanu, Experimental philosophy as therapy


Extras:
TALKS:
Fri 26 March (extra) Ed Slowick: Hobbes and the ‘phantasm’ of space

No course on the 14th of April

Tue 20 April (extra) Roger Ariew (University of South Florida) Galileo’s telescopic observations

6. Experiments and the new physics: Descartes

Bibliography:
Descartes, Discours de la methode, VI
Excerpts from the scientific treatises (Dioptrics)

Secondary bibliography :

M. Martinet, Science et hypothese chez Descartes, Archive internationale d’histoire des sciences, 24, 1974, 319-39
C. Larmore, Descartes’ Empirical Epistemology, in Gaukroger, ed, Descartes: philosophy, mathematics and physics, Brighton, 1980
S. Sakellariadis, Descartes’ Use of Empirical Data to Test Hypotheses, ISIS, 73 (1982), 68-76


7. Experiments and the new physics: the Royal Society

The problem of finding the true laws of collisions

Bibliography:
Descartes, Principles, II (excerpts)
Oldenburg (correspondence)- excerpts
Wallis, Wren, Huygens’ accounts on collisions from Philosophical transactions

Secondary bibliography:
Jalobeanu, in Jalobeanu, Anstey, Vanishing bodies: the philosophy of matter from Descartes to Hume, Routledge, forthcoming (2011)
Jalobeanu, The nature of body in 17th century English natural philosophy, in Anstey, The Oxford handbook of seventeenth century British philosophy, forthcoming

8. Experimenting with spirits: the human body and the human soul as a subjects to experiment

Bibliography:
Bacon, History of life and death, introduction plus selected experiments
Shakespeare, Hamlet: Who/What is the ghost? (and how can we prove it?)
Glanvill and More’s experiments with ghosts (Sadducismus triumphatus)

Secondary bibliography:
Daniel Garber – the paper on ghosts
Wallace, Francis Bacon on the nature of man, 1967, ch.2-4

9. A science of the soul: the faculties of the mind

Bibliography:
Bacon, The Advancement of Learning, p. II (the division of sciences)
Bacon, De Augmentis Scientiarum, II, VII

Secondary reading :
Wallace, Francis Bacon on the Nature of Man, 1967, ch.5-7
Grazia Tonelli Olivieri, ‘Galen and Francis Bacon : Faculties of the Soul and the classification of knowledge’ in Kelly, Popkin, eds., The Shapes of knowledge from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, Kluwer, 1991, 61-83


Extras (16-21 May)
Mini-worskhop on Bacon and imagination with Koen Vermeir and Dana Jalobeanu


10. The disciplinary status of scientia de anima: between natural philosophy and metaphysics

Primary:
Simplicius, On Aristotle on the Soul, 1.1-2.4
Aristotle: De part. An, I, 1, 641a-b10

Secondary:


11. A science of the soul (II) Treatises on the immortality of the soul

Descartes, Meditations (1-3)
Charleton, The immortality of the soul, dialogues 1-2

Secondary: Ariew et.all Background to Descartes’ Meditations, CUP 2001

12. Sciences of the embodied soul: Treatises on passions

Charleton, The natural history of the passions

Secondary:
Dana Jalobeanu, Experimental philosophy as therapy…

13. Experimental philosophy, natural philosophy and therapeutics

Sprat, History of the Royal Society, Excerpts from part III
Hooke, Micrographia, Preface
Hooke, A general scheme

14. Experimental versus speculative philosophy: the problems of the seventeenth century’ science

Sprat, History, part III excerpts
A comparison of Descartes and Bacon’s experiments
Ben Chaim, Experimental philosophy, ch.1
Peter Anstey, Experimental versus speculative philosophy, in Anstey, The science of nature in seventeenth century, 2004

The Scientific Self: Body and Soul in Seventeenth Century Europe

General presentation

This is a course jointly designed and taught by Dana Jalobeanu (University of Bucharest), Katherine Brading (University of Notre Dame) and Sam Newlands (University of Notre Dame).

• Level: undergraduates/advanced
• Language: English
• Year: 2010
  

Subject:

The seventeenth century is widely acknowledged as a time of profound change in European thought. It is frequently depicted as a time of “crisis” -- socially, politically, philosophically, theologically. But it is also the century of the “scientific revolution”, the very origin of modern science and a certain way of thinking that is still with us today.

Our course will explore one of the major philosophical concepts emerging in this time of crisis and revolution: the concept of the self. We won’t to that in the traditional manner, however, linking the emergence of the self with metaphysics and moral philosophy, but we will inquire into this very modern concept from the perspective of the historian and philosopher of science.

The title ‘The Scientific Self’ is deliberately ambiguous, encompassing two objects that will be the focus of our course:

• The ‘scientists’ themselves: who were they, how did they think of themselves, what did they think they were doing, why were they doing it, and how is s/he engaged in the world?

• The story told by the ‘science’ of the seventeenth century about the human self: what is a human being, what is a body, what is a mind, what is a soul, what are the relations between them, what is the nature of body in general, and its relations with the rest of the universe?

The course will focus on primary texts from seventeenth century treatises, scientific correspondence, scientific journals or literary works. We will use secondary texts to complement our readings and understand better primary texts.

Motivation:

The motivation for teaching this seminar jointly is the goal of creating a research environment. The course will be prepared by three professors who, although sharing a number of interests in early modern philosophy, come from different philosophical perspectives.

Katherine Brading specialized in philosophy of modern physics, Dana Jalobeanu is a historian and philosopher of early modern science and Sam Newlands comes from metaphysics and philosophy of religion.

To the diversity of teachers we will add the diversity of our two groups of students. The US group will comprise 12 students, mostly advanced undergraduates (Philosophy majors) and a number of graduate students.

The Bucharest group will consists primarily in advanced undergraduates (philosophy majors, European Studies majors with preliminary courses in philosophy). For both groups it will be a new and (we hope) forming experience to take part in common activities and interact on regular basis through the discussion list and through posting materials/questions/comments on a specially designed web-page.

Teaching:

Since our groups of students are different and there are also important differences in the schedule and the number of hours per week, there will be (we hope) interesting differences among the materials studied.

To help you follow what your colleagues are doing, the course will have an important on-line component. Course materials, seminar requirements and seminar questions will be posted on the course web-page at Notre Dame and the course page at Bucharest.

The course will have a common list of discussions and students are encouraged to post regularly comments and questions regarding the US or the Romanian part of the course.

Some of the lectures will make use of skype as a mean of communication and a professional web-cam so that professors and students from the University of Bucharest and the University of Notre Dame can communicate in real-time. The lectures will be designed so that we can use smart-boards and the slides will be also posted on the web-page.

The students will be required to read from one week to the other a number of texts and parts of relevant texts (approx. 20 pages/week) and are expected to take part on the live and on-line discussions (posting comments on the web-page and exchanging emails with their US colleagues) on the basis of these materials.