About
The University of Tartu and the Higher School of Economics, Moscow invite graduate, post-graduate and PhD students to apply for the winter school “Biopower and Semiotics of the Body”. This school is part of an international project “Escapes from Modernity” which has been organizing seasonal schools in several European countries since 2007. In February 2017, the school will keep exploring different dimensions of biopolitics, biopower and corporeality and relate them with domestic and foreign policies of major international actors. This year we shall particularly focus on the cultural semiotic reading of various facets of biopolitical practices and relations.
The learning process consists of lectures and interactive classes based on students' inclusive participation. Basic knowledge in social theories, along with skills in comparative and critical analysis based independent thinking are welcome and strongly encouraged.
The venue of the School is Kääriku Leisure and Sports Centre of the University of Tartu (access via original web page), situated in a beautiful area in Valga County, about 40 km south of Tartu, near the Otepää winter resort. Participants of the School will be provided with comfortable accommodation, full board, free Internet access and numerous sports and outdoor opportunities, including a gym, indoor basketball and volleyball courts, cross-country skis for rent, and will be able to use 150 km of cross country ski tracks, starting right outside the Centre.
The tentative plan of classes includes a number of nodal topics:
- The Anatomopolitics of Art Protest (Sergey Medvedev, Higher School of Economics and Andrey Makarychev, University of Tartu)
- Sexual Democracy and the New Cold War: Recent Trends in Nationalism and Biopower (Maxim Waldstein, University of Amsterdam)
- Far-right parties in Europe: Social Conservatism, Nationalism, Anti-multiculturalism (Jakko Turunen, Sodertorns University)
- "The Loci of Biopower": National Identity and Biopolitics in Former Soviet Spaces (Abel Polese, Universities of Tallinn and Dublin)
- Post-Soviet Biopolitics: Policy Practices and Tools (Andrey Makarychev, University of Tartu and Thomas Hoffmann, University of Tallinn)
- The Biopolitics of Sports (Sergey Medvedev, Higher School of Economics)
Student presentations are scheduled at the final session of the school program.
The working language is English. Participation is equal to 4 ECTS credits, which will be confirmed by a certificate awarded to each student upon successful completion of the School.
International applicants are welcome. Participants are expected to cover their lodging expenses (double room accommodation during the whole duration of the School) and to arrange their travel to and from Kääriku by regular buses from Tartu. For the location and prices please visit the original web page.
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Science at the University of Tartu will provide travel information and advice, and issue visa invitations for those requiring a Schengen visa (normally visas are free of charge for students participating in exchange programmes).
Application
Senior B.A., M.A. and PhD students interested to learn more about different facets of biopolitics and partake in discussions are asked to submit their CVs and motivation letters (max 2 pages) explaining their interest in the topic and its relevance for the applicant’s future career. The deadline for submission is December 1, 2016.
Members of the organizing committee:
Andrey Makarychev (University of Tartu) - andrey.makarychev@ut.ee (for UT students)
Olena Solohub (University of Tartu) – olena.solohub@ut.ee (for international students)
Igor Tomashov (Higher School of Economics) - itomashov@yandex.ru (for Russian students)
For more information please click on "Further official information" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
https://skytte.ut.ee/en/news/winter-school-biopower-and-semiotics-body-2017-kaariku