Course PhD Masterclass with Sophie Loidolt

Course description

This PhD course with Professor Sophie Loidolt (TU Darmstadt) entails a masterclass and her talk as the 2026 Hartnack lecturer at Aarhus University. The masterclass will offer participants a chance of discussing texts by Loidolt, to present their own work, and reflect upon how their own research may gain from engaging with Loidolt’s work. Students are required to read about 50 pages of different readings by Loidolt, and to prepare a presentation prior to the session on a topic related to their PhD project. The four-hour masterclass is thus comprised of two, main sections: a) discussion of Loidolt’s work and b) presentations by PhD students and feedback on these. The masterclass offers a unique opportunity for direct dialogue with an internationally recognized senior scholar and fosters a collegial environment for exchange and feedback among peers.

The PhD masterclass is organized in connection with Professor Loidolt’s visit to Aarhus University as the 2026 Hartnack Lecturer. Loidolt is a leading philosopher working in the fields of phenomenology, political and legal philosophy, and ethics, as well as transcendental philosophy and philosophy of mind. She is particularly interested in theories of intersubjectivity, alterity, and plurality, as well as the connection between experience, normativity, and justification. Her last book from 2018 was awarded the Edward Goodwin Ballard Book Prize and investigates the philosophy of Hannah Arendt which Loidolt conceives mainly as a phenomenology of plurality.

Aim/Learning outcomes

• To gain insights into Loidolt’s research with particular focus on phenomenological approaches to politics, ethics, and societal life.
• Improve the ability to present complex research ideas clearly and persuasively.
• Receive targeted feedback from an internationally renowned philosopher. 

Requirements for participation

• Participants without presentation are requested to read the material and to prepare one or two questions (0,5 ECTS)
• Participants with presentation are expected to prepare a 10-12 minutes oral presentation on a free topic in relation to their phd-project (no matter the stage). (1 ECTS)

Target group/Participants

• The course is open to all PhD students at any stage of their enrolment into their graduate program.

Workload

• Course/ teaching hours: 4
• Preparation hours: 8 hours reading; plus 12 hours preparation of presentation

Language 

• English

Lecturers

• Sophie Loidolt
• Thomas Schwarz Wentzer

Literature

• To be distributed after the application deadline.

Venue

• TBA

Course dates:

• 03 December 2026 13:00 - 17:00
• 04 December 2026 13:00 - 15:00