Zurich University of the Arts
Epistemologies of Aesthetic Practices
Contact
- General inquiries
- Responsible
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(Head of programme) Prof. Dr. Judith Siegmund: judith.siegmund@zhdk.ch
(Coordination ZHdK) Dominique Raemy: dominique.raemy@zhdk.ch
(Coordination UZH) Benno Wirz: benno.wirz@uzh.ch
Key Information
- Institution
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Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK)
- Degree-granting partner institution
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ETH Zurich, University of Zurich
- Supervision
- Place of Study
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The laboratory at the Collegium Helveticum, Zurich.
- Duration
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The duration of the doctorate is regulated in the doctoral degree regulations of the degree-awarding university. A doctorate in the subjects covered by the program usually takes four years. The duration may vary depending on the individual situation.
- Languages
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German (main)
- Number of Candidates
- Workload
- Funding
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Unfortunately, the program cannot provide funding. Doctoral students are responsible for their own funding. This must be secured before the start of the doctorate.
- Enrollment
- Tuition Fees
Key research themes and fields
The program aims to pool and support outstanding dissertations on fundamental artistic, artistic-scientific and scientific questions in the field of aesthetics.It sheds light on the autonomy, particularity and indispensability of aesthetic knowledge distinct from the scientific discourse, and approaches the arts as forms of thought in their own right. There are two sides to this questioning: On the one hand, art is posited as a sui generis form of knowledge that makes its arguments using more than just discursive means: with the media of film, painting, performance, design, etc. On the other hand, it is just as important to highlight the genuinely aesthetic dimensions of scientific work – such as experimental arrangements, the metaphorics of speaking, research design, etc. In this way, the arts and sciences converge to an extent, as the arts are given their own type of «stating» or knowledge, while artistic or aesthetic components are also brought to the fore in the sciences.
Admission
- Requirements
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Application prerequisites are an outstanding degree in a humanities or artistic subject as well as a doctoral project in the subject area of the program. In addition, a good knowledge of German is expected.
- Application documents
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A meaningful exposé (not more than 10 pages A4) outlining the topic of the thesis, the research idea as well as the approach; a letter of motivation about the intention to do a doctorate; a curriculum vitae, if applicable a list of publications and/or an overview of artistic works; a list of possible supervisors; certificates (copies)
- Procedure
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Applications are possible once a year. Applications are open to interested doctoral students from the fields of philosophy, humanities, aesthetics and art theory. Applications from university graduates and graduates of universities of applied sciences are equally welcome.
Program Structure
The cornerstones of the program are regular research colloquia in which students discuss individual chapters of their dissertation projects with their supervisors; writing retreats in which the focus is on addressing the needs of the individual PhD students as well as the exchange among the PhD students and associates; public lectures, artist lectures, screenings and workshops that are largely carried out in collaboration with partner institutes and programs of ZHdK, UZH and ETH, as well as events designed and organized independently by PhD students. The individual mentoring sessions offered by the supervisors and external experts are also an important part of the program.
Program Completion
- Thesis
- Examination
- Academic title
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Dr. or PhD