SDG 4 Quality Education

February 26 – March 1, 2024

Applications Closed

March 23-27, 2026 | 3rd Edition

Call for applications: December 2, 2025 - January 15, 2026

July 6-10, 2026

Call for applications closed

September 21-25, 2026

2026 edition cancelled

June 2-6, 2025

Call For Application: December 2, 2024 – February 2, 2025

The Graduate Seminar is led by:
- University of Padua, Italy
- University of Exeter, United Kingdom
- Boston College, USA

Phenomenology has gained significant traction in recent decades, particularly due to a scientific rehabilitation of the first-person perspective and the realization of the cultural and bodily conditionality of experience. Critical Phenomenology embosses the contemporary relevance of phenomenology, concentrating particularly on the interdisciplinary nature of critical discourse, encompassing philosophy, and social, political, and psychological sciences. It is an “ameliorative phenomenology” (Weiss, Murphy, and Salamon 2019), expands the conceptual framework and theoretical analyses of the tradition with the aim of denaturalizing the taken-for-granted assumptions and presuppositions that operate at the level of the natural attitude and integrates and revises concepts from classical and existentialist phenomenological traditions to create a more inclusive and intersectional phenomenological analysis.
The Graduate Seminar “Critical Phenomenology” is dedicated to an emerging branch of philosophy that engages with crucial global debates, focusing on pressing topics like health, gender, and discrimination, making it engaging to a community that extends beyond the ranks of philosophers.

Faculty

Andrea Altobrando, University of Padova (Scientific Coordinator)
Elena Billwiller, Università di Padova
Valentina Bortolami, University of Padova
Christine Daigle, Brock University
Luna Dolezal, University of Exeter
Rebecca Lynch, University of Exeter
Elisa Magrì, Boston College
Paddy McQueen, Swansea University
Elif Yavnik, Sabanci University

Topics
- Phenomenology as description of phenomena
- The function of description in the formation of critical attitudes
- What is “critical” in phenomenology and Critical Phenomenology
- Phenomenological relevance of socio-political dimensions (e.g., gender, race, ability)
- Socio-political dimensions and first-person experiences
- Identity, identities, and diversity
- Embodiment, health, and illness
- Phenomenology, embodiment, and shame
- Phenomenology and emotions
- Phenomenology and anthropology
- Phenomenology and psychology
- Embodiment and affect in health research
- Methodological and epistemological aspects of Critical Phenomenology: tradition, pluralism, interdisciplinary.

Who can apply?
This Graduate Seminar is offered to advanced Master, PhD students and junior researchers in Humanities (Philosophy, Medical Humanities, Gender Studies, Critical Theory), Political Sciences, Social Sciences, and Health Sciences.

Fees & grant support
Full fee waiver scholarships are available for students from VIU member institutions. In addition, grant support is available to support partially or fully the costs of international travel. Accommodation is provided free of charge.
Three fee-waiver scholarships and Erasmus+ mobility grants (international travel, accommodation, meals) are available to support the participation of doctoral students from Stellenbosch University. For further information please write to Stellenbosch University Outgoing Student Mobility: matiesabroad@sun.ac.za
The participation fee for students of non-member institutions is Eur 1,150 (incl. VAT). The fee is inclusive of tuition, course materials, accommodation, lunches, social events, and taxes.
Students from non-member institutions are not eligible for VIU grant support.
VIU Alumni are eligible for a reduced fee.

Applicants must submit the (1) application form, (2) a letter of motivation – which should include a short bio and a brief description of the candidate’s research project, (3) a curriculum vitae, and (4) a photo.

For further information please download the brochure and the program or write to: summerschools@univiu.org

Co-funded by Erasmus+ Project 2022-1-IT02-KA131-HED-000068420 in the context of the Erasmus+ VIU Mobility Consortium 2021-2027.

July 7-12, 2025

Call for applications: closed

The PhD Academy is led by:

- Duke University
- Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
- University of Exeter 
- Iuav University of Venice

The performing arts contribute to the environmental humanities, foregrounding their role in understanding and tackling the environmental crisis. In this PhD Academy, this relation will be interrogated from the viewpoint of the city of Venice.
The Academy includes a program of problem-based learning activities consisting of seminars and workshops, concluding in show-and-tell and dissemination activities. As self-documentation will form part of the learning process, students will be encouraged to create archivable resources that will be available to VIU students further afield as well as future VIU students.

The seminars and workshops aim to transfer skills and methods to students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds. The broader field of study, environmental humanities, will underpin all activities which will focus on the impact of environmental crisis and climate change on the city of Venice, looking, specifically, at the role of waste in society and the ways in which theorists and artists have engaged with this concept and related labour practices in Venice and beyond.
The focus is deliberatively placed on the performing arts, though methods and scholarship will draw, characteristically for the performing arts, from a range of disciplines, empowering students to use innovative practices and explore strategies for knowledge production.

Faculty
Susanne Franco, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Gabriella Giannachi, University of Exeter
Annalisa Sacchi, Iuav University of Venice
Katya Wesolowski, Duke University 

Invited Speakers
Ilenia Caleo, Researcher and performer
Piersandra Di Matteo, Researcher and curator
Allison Orr, Researcher and choreographer
Francesca Tarocco, Director of Niche, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice

Learning outcomes for participants
- A clear sense of the impact of environmental issues from the Venetian perspective
- A nuanced understanding of the skills and competences in environmental humanities (in theory and practice) that can help us to address the communication, mitigation, and adaptation to climate change
- An appreciation of the ways in which humanities, the performing arts in particular, can advance knowledge that addresses societal challenges.
- An understanding of how to work ethically, interdisciplinarily, collaboratively, and remotely with beneficiaries in Venice and beyond

Who can apply?
This international PhD Academy is offered to PhD students, post-docs, and junior researchers within all disciplines.
The module requires no prior knowledge or skills in ecological and environmental practice, performing arts or heritage studies and is open to anyone with an interest in addressing the challenge of climate change. It may be of particular interest to those students who are considering a career in environmental humanities. Open to candidates from all the VIU Member Institutions; applications from excellent candidates from non-member institutions will be also considered and evaluated.

Fees & grant support
Full fee waiver scholarships are available for students from VIU member institutions. In addition, grant support is available to support partially or fully the costs of international travel. Accommodation is provided free of charge.
Three fee-waiver scholarships and Erasmus+ mobility grants (international travel, accommodation, meals) are available to support the participation of doctoral students from Stellenbosch University. For further information please write to Stellenbosch University Outgoing Student Mobility: matiesabroad@sun.ac.za
The participation fee for students of non-member institutions is Euro 1,250 (incl. VAT). The fee is inclusive of tuition, course materials, accommodation, lunches, social events, and taxes.
Students from non-member institutions are not eligible for VIU grant support.
VIU Alumni are eligible for a reduced fee.

Applicants must submit the (1) application form, (2) a letter of motivation – which should include a short bio and a brief description of the candidate’s research project, (3) a curriculum vitae, and (4) a photo.

For further information please download the brochure and the program or write to: phdacademy@univiu.org

Co-funded by Erasmus+ Project 2022-1-IT02-KA131-HED-000068420 in the context of the Erasmus+ VIU Mobility Consortium 2021-2027.

September 15-19, 2025

Call for applications: January 15 – May 15, 2025

The PhD Academy is led by:

- University of Padua, Italy
- University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
- University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy
- Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
- KU Leuven

The world is currently witnessing a significant transformation in the way companies operate, driven by the integration of digitalization and sustainability. While this change holds the promise of improved business performance, it also presents a range of new challenges that transcend national and continental boundaries. These challenges are complex, have far-reaching impacts, and are defined by significant uncertainties. As such, addressing them requires extensive international research collaboration.

To tackle these challenges, this PhD academy provides young scholars with a unique opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills in the emerging field of global corporate law. The program is designed to offer a comprehensive curriculum that includes a series of lectures and workshops that explore globally significant questions, including those that address important phenomena and events that are relevant to communities worldwide.

The PhD Academy aims to help participants develop their abilities to identify, collect, and analyze credible information from a range of local, national, and international sources, including those in multiple languages. They will also be taught to recognize that their perspective is shaped by their unique experiences and to compare and contrast their views with those of others. Additionally, the program will equip participants with the skills to articulate the significance of their questions and to respond to them effectively by drawing on credible information from a variety of sources.
Through the PhD Academy, participants will gain practical experience in tackling the challenges of the digital and sustainable economy.

Faculty
Claudia Sandei, University of Padova (Scientific Coordinator)
Giulia Ballerini, University of Padova
Nicoletta Ciocca, Tor Vergata University of Rome
Veerle Colaert, KU Leuven
Alberto De Prà, University of Padova
Andrea Minto, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Gabriele Nuzzo, University of Milano- Bicocca
Carlotta Rinaldo, University of Padova
Marco Speranzin, University of Padova
Rüdiger Veil, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Alessandra Zanardo, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice

Topics
- The Law of Sustainable Corporations
- The Impact of ITC on Business Institutions, Investments and Business Contracts with a view on Consumer Protection
- The European Union’s role in a changing world
- Digital Sovereignty: Resilience and Economic Growth
- AI, blockchain and the Law

Who can apply?
This international PhD Academy is offered to PhD students, post-docs, and junior researchers with background in Corporate Law, Private Law, Financial Law, Comparative and International Law, Economics, Management. Open to candidates from all the VIU Member Institutions; applications from excellent candidates from non-member institutions will be also considered and evaluated.

Fees & grant support
Full fee waiver scholarships are available for students from VIU member institutions. In addition, grant support is available to support partially or fully the costs of international travel. Accommodation is provided free of charge.
The participation fee for students of non-member institutions is Euro 1.100 (incl. VAT). The fee is inclusive of tuition, course materials, accommodation, lunches, social events, and taxes.
Students from non-member institutions are not eligible for VIU grant support.
VIU Alumni are eligible for a reduced fee.

Applicants must submit the (1) application form, (2) a letter of motivation – which should include a short bio and a brief description of the candidate’s research project, (3) a curriculum vitae, and (4) a photo.

For further information please download the brochure and the program or write to: phdacademy@univiu.org