Postdoctoral fellow / researcher (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul)
The Department of Philosophy of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul invites applications for one (01) position as Postdoctoral Fellow Researcher in Philosophy, starting on March 2018, pending administrative approval. Areas of specialization and concentration: Ancient Philosophy, Modern Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Law, Film and/as Philosophy, and Philosophy of Perception (see more details below).
This is a one-year appointment possibly renewable.
Responsibilities include teaching one undergraduate or graduate course on a topic related to the researcher’s area of interest, leaving the other semester free to pursue research (which may include organizing seminars with students). The course may be taught in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. It lasts one semester, but can be offered in a concentrated period of the semester according to the University rules.
The current monthly value of postdoctoral scholarships amounts to 4.100 reais (Brazilian currency).
Qualifications
Applicants must have completed the requirements for the Ph.D. by February 28, 2018 or before, and have no more than a 10 years PhD degree.
Brazilians with a Ph.D. degree abroad must have obtained it in courses evaluated by CAPES and it must be recognized by the CNE / MEC.
Those who are not Brazilians should prove home address. They cannot be employed by another institution during the period of their appointment at UFRGS, nor be retired.
How to Apply
Candidates should send email to apply to pnpd-filosofia@ufrgs.br with “Application for postdoc position” in the subject, with the following attachments:
- a current curriculum vitae;
- contact information of two referees who will be asked to comment specifically on the applicant’s qualification;
- a research proposal (not to exceed 1,500 words), describing the project to be
carried out; and - a sample of academic writing.
Deadline
Completed applications must be received by November 27, 2017, to ensure full consideration. An interview via Skype in English, Spanish or Portuguese will be scheduled with short-listed candidates.
Areas of specialization and concentration categories
• Ancient philosophy
I) Professor Inara Zanuzzi
- The Presocratic Tradition;
- Topics on Stoicism;
- Ancient Ethics, especially Aristotelian Ethics and its central concepts.
II) Professor José Carlos Baracat Júnior
- The Platonic Tradition, especially Neoplatonism;
- Theories of Space and Time in Ancient Philosophy;
- The Style and Audience of Ancient Philosophers.
III) Professor Raphael Zillig
- Questions of method in Aristotle’s works;
- Interpretation and reconstruction of Aristotle’s Eudemian Ethics;
- Aristotle’s epistemology and philosophy of science;
- Aristotle’s metaphysics.
• Kant: Thinking being, idealism and realism
Professor Sílvia Altmann
The purpose of this project is to consider different Kantian texts concerning the relation between the consciousness of the I as a thinking being and the existence of objects independent from the existence of thinking beings. With that in mind, the project tries to locate and contrast Kant’s position in relation to other modern philosophers (in particular, Descartes, Leibniz, Berkeley and Hume) by the analysis of Kant’s texts and contemporary debate on those subjects.
• Political and Legal Philosophy
Professor Wladimir Barreto Lisboa
- The epistemology of political philosophy, in particular the study of the
fundamental concepts of representation, democracy, the ideas of legitimacy,
sovereignty, and conflict; - The historical study of the fundamental texts of the history of political
philosophy (particularly Thomas Hobbes); - Contemporary debates on Analytical Jurisprudence
• Film and/as Philosophy
Professor Jônadas Techio
After more than a century of history film seems to be finally getting more attention from philosophers. However, more often than not, movies are still used as mere illustrations of pre-existing philosophical problems and / or theories. The central aim of this research will be to explore a radically different conception of the relationship between film and philosophy, focusing on the hypothesis that at least some movies are capable of doing philosophy (in some – perhaps more than one – sense to be specified). That hypothesis receives initial support by exemplary readings offered by Stanley Cavell, as well as by authors inspired by Cavell, such as Stephen Mulhall, James Conant, Rupert Read and Robert Pippin, among others. I will welcome proposals that can contribute with that research.
Topics and issues of interest include (but are not limited to):
- different ways of thinking about the relationship between film and philosophy;
- parallels between ‘analytical’ and ‘continental’ approaches to film and
philosophy; - the ontology photography and film;
- authors on philosophy and film;
- philosophical themes in film (epistemology, existentialism, ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion, etc.);
- reading exemplary films as philosophical exercises;
• Philosophy of Perception
Professor Eros Moreira de Carvalho
In the last decades many philosophers and psychologists have started to take seriously the hypothesis that perception and action are strongly related to the point of claiming that actions constitute at least partially perception. For instance, Susan Hurley and Alva Noë claim that perception is something that we do. For James Gibson, perception happens over time and depends on movement Although the nature of that connection has been pinned down by these authors, its consequences for the epistemology and the metaphysics of perception are yet underdeveloped. The main aim of this research is to develop these consequences in order to show how that hypothesis can be used to tackle traditional problems of the epistemology and metaphysics of perception. I will welcome proposals that may contribute to that research.
Topics and issues of interest include (but are not limited to):
- the cognitive penetrability of perception;
- the myth of the given;
- explanations of the epistemic basing relation between beliefs and perceptual
experiences; - naturalizing perception;
- the relationalism vs. representationalism debate;
- the distinction between conceptual and non-conceptual content;
- the distinction between phenomenal and representational properties.
About UFRGS
Located in Porto Alegre, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) is
one of the five largest and most qualified universities in Brazil and is acknowledged as one of the most important higher education institutions in Latin America. Ranked among the top philosophy departments in Brazil for research and teaching, the Department of Philosophy offers a wide range of courses in the main areas of philosophy.
Further information
Please contact us: pnpd-filosofia@ufrgs.br