Home
Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities
Interdisciplinary reading seminar

Reading seminar on suffering

The reading seminar is an interdisciplinary arena for researchers and students engaged in phenomena or problems of suffering in their research or studies.

Bildet viser Ikaros sin drukning
Photo:
Public domain, Wikipedia

Main content

The reading seminar is an interdisciplinary arena for researchers and students engaged in phenomena or problems of suffering in their research or studies. First organised in 2014, the seminar is a monthly event hosted by Associate Professor Jan Reinert Karlsen and dr. Berge Osnes. Participation in previous seminars is not a prerequisite.

The seminar series has three interrelated epistemic purposes:

  1. To facilitate curiosity, conversation and critical reflection on an under-thematised, poorly unerstood, and complex issue, i.e. suffering
  2. To read fundamental texts pertaining to the understanding of the issue and together discuss them across traditional disciplinary boundaries
  3. To innovate new questions, concepts and methodological approaches that can be pursued as research projects or dissemination activities

The reading material for the seminar is drawn from a broad range of sources, including philosophical, psychological, biological, literary, historical, medical, and religious texts.

Each seminar is structured around a particular text that is part of a broader thematic. The reading material is made available to the participants via dropbox minimum two weeks before each seminar.

Program

Fall 2015 (present)

18th September 15:15-17:00 "A framwork for studying emotions accross species" Introduction by Håvard Eggestøl. Comments by Jan Reinert Karlsen

9th October 15:15-17:00 ""The evolution of Hope and Despair" Introduction by Berge Osnes. Comments by Jan Reinert Karlsen

13th November 15:15-17:00 "Krapotkin was no Crackpot" Introduction by Ragnar Fjelland. Comments by Jan Reinert Karlsen

11th December 15:15-17:00 "The position of suffering" (Workshop). Summary of the seminar series so far by Jan Reinert Karlsen.

Spring 2015 (past)

27th March 14:15-16:00 "Classification of mental suffering" Introduction by Henrik Berg, with comments by Berge Osnes and Jan Reinert Karlsen

24th April 14:15-16:00: "Antonovsky’s theory on salutogenesis" Introduction by Helene Nilsen, with comments by Jan Reinert Karlsen and Amalie Solberg

22nd May 14:15-16:00 "Madness and mental illness" Introduction by Henrik Berg, with comments by Berge Osnes and Jan Reinert Karlsen

10th June 15:15-17:00 "Pain research" Introduction by Berge Osnes, with comments by Håvard Eggestøl and Jan Reinert Karlsen

Fall 2014 (past)

26th Sptember 14:15-16:00 "The concept of suffering in medical ethics" Introduction by Jan Reinert Karlsen, with comments by Berge Osnes and Amalie Solberg

Spring 2014 (past)

12th June 15:15-16:00 "Planning the seminar series" (workshop)

Research

(under construction) 

Resources

(under construction) 

News

(under construction)