Topic and Purpose

In the second Summer School we will focus on major sceptic concepts, strategies and key terms in medieval Hebrew, Arabic, and Latin literature. Participants and instructors will focus on sceptical and anti-sceptical enquiry of concepts of truth and knowledge as well as sceptical methods of doubting and arguing. The Summer School will offer a unique platform to discuss the tension between philosophy and faith, and between reason and revelation within medieval discourses. Participants will be engaged with primary Hebrew, Latin, and Arabic texts. The aim is to provide participants with the tools to examine scepticism and anti-scepticism within Christian, Islamic, and Jewish contexts in relation to attaining true knowledge.

Lecturer Team

Course leaders are Racheli Haliva and Giuseppe Veltri. They will be supported by an international team of experts in scepticism from the fields of medieval philosophy and religious studies: Elena Baltuta, Guido Bartolucci, Daniel Davies, Heidrun Eichner, Amira Eran, Yehuda Halper, Steven Harvey, Gitit Holtzman, Henrik Lagerlund, Giovanni Licata, Ariel Malachi, Yoav Meyrav, and Ronny Vollandt.

Maimonides Centre for Advanced Studies at the University of Hamburg

The Maimonides Centre for Advanced Studies is a Humanities Research Institute at the University of Hamburg funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation). The central aim of the Maimonides Centre is to explore and research scepticism in Judaism in its dual manifestation of a purely philosophical tradition and a more general expression of sceptical strategies, concepts, and attitudes in the cultural field.

Target Group

The Summer School is intended for MA students and PhD candidates from the Humanities. Depending on capacity, BA students in their last year of studies may be accepted. Students must be competent in Arabic, Hebrew, or Latin. Familiarity with more than one of these languages is desirable, but not required.

Application

Up to 15 fully-funded scholarships, covering accommodation as well as travel expenses, are available. Applicants are requested to submit the following documents [in one pdf file]:
- a CV
- a personal statement outlining motivation and academic background. Applicants must indicate the group (Christian/Islamic/Jewish) to which s/he wishes to be part of.
- one letter of recommendation
- language certificate(s)
- a copy of academic degree(s) or a transcript of records

Participants can gain up to 5 ECTS Credit Points for successful participation in the Summer School.

Applications may be submitted via e-mail until January 31, 2018 to maria.wazinski@uni-hamburg.de
Acceptance letters will be sent out by the end of February/beginning of March 2018.