Theoryboi

I think you're on the wrong thread, Placebo. Good luck anyways.

Well, I think Brown is a little higher in the rankings and has the benefit of being among the Ivys (for prestige purposes), but really the difference is probably in subjective things like personal fit and POI fit. I am guessing no notification for me signals an implied rejection (also in the same boat with you for UChicago).

Any idea if Hopkins Theory has come out folks?

Let's get this bread.

Hey gang, First, thank you to everyone for the varying perspectives. I value all of your input! Second, I am sorry if I gave off the impression that I have no background in philosophy. @hector549 I have taken some UG courses in Philosophy of Religion, Post-Modernism, and Nietzsche (including having extensively read the vast majority of Nietzsche's written work and translated some fragments from German to English). @ProseI don't mean for philosophy to come off as my panic option and I didn't originally clarify that this would be applying to MAs rather than PhDs. I have long held an interest in philosophy and have long felt the distinction between theory/philosophy is trivial. (I understand there are some methodological differences, however, I consider myself adaptable in that regard). My interest in doing an MA in philosophy is to give myself a more formal education in an area that I have long held an affinity for and have already been incorporating in my work to this point. I think its more about broadening than about switching in my mind. @notaphilosobro1k90 The politics between analytics and continentals is something I have faced in my academic career even in politics. This sort of pettiness is rampant in both departments, creating rigid distinctions where none need exist and propagated by small-minded compartmentalists (yeah, I made that word up). It's so unproductive and so sad. @_izzythekid_ I have mostly Foucault and Derrida in mind, though I am interested in Baudrillard and Deleuze (Guattari) as well. I'd particularly like to do work using the genealogical method building off of Foucault and Nietzsche's work on morals as the product of power relations, however specifically applying this to IR and to academic IR Theory. Anyways, I appreciate the feedback from you all and I am sorry if my desire for interdisciplinarity has offended anyone!

Hey all! So I've been meandering about the Phil forum for a few weeks now as my luck on my politics PhDs seems to be running dry. I am reasonably well-read in some philosophy topics (mostly Nietzsche and the Post-Modernists), though I don't have a lot of experience in 'proper' Phil departments. I have a background in Political Theory and International Relations, and the short version of what I am interested in is ethics and moral claims in IR, specifically using a post-structuralist frame of reference. My question is: is this at all an area discussed in Continental Phil departments or am I theorist barking up the wrong tree? I appreciate any insight you fine folks can offer. I am considering shooting an app to Loyola Marymount to broaden my ethics base; does anyone have any thoughts on their program? Thanks!

Not too sure. I've noticed a trend that the mid-ranked schools often get turned down by their top picks (and they know it), so they could have a 2nd round or a very active waitlist I suspect. Just my guess though.

I am, but they said to give them this week to notify people, so it shouldn't be too long now.

For anyone waiting on Oregon: I gave the department a call today and they told me that there will be a 2nd round of admissions coming at some point (implied in the near future). The person I spoke with said she didn't know when the committee was re-convening, but she said all decisions will be out before March 15th.

That's nuts! I was scheduled to re-take the GRE the day after the fires broke out too (I also live in that area). I wound up not going because I was evacuated from my house at 3 am. (5 hours before I was supposed to be there!

Hi Strength & Honor! Thank you for your reply. Your note and the blog post have given me a lot to think about in truth. I am interested in continental philosophy (of the postmodern variety), which seems to fit firmly within the blurred lines camp as pointed out by Levy. To be more specific, I want to examine moral and truth claims in international relations, especially related to Neo-Conservative foreign interventions under the premise of the moral good. Furthermore, post-intervention state building such as in Iraq after 2003 was littered with truth claims such as 'democracy can work in Iraq'. This all probably reads as very Theory oriented, rather than Philosophy, however, I want to marry these topics with post-structuralist views on truth and morality (ie: there is no objective truth) as a commentary on Liberal (Neo-Con) IR claims to morality as a means of justifying interventions. Basically, I want to critique the use of metanarratives in IR. On the methods side, I am not at all interested in empiricism. Overall, I see this project as greatly spanning the traditional field and sub-field boundaries that we are talking about. From IR Theory to continental ethics, I personally see this as all interrelated and departmental divisions to be constraining, so my thought has been to try and gain insights from a variety of these disciplinary perspectives as a means to synthesize these topics. I have a background in politics (theory) and IR, but I am finding most departments are perhaps not interested in my investigations concerning post-modernism since it can be seen as more philosophically-oriented and less 'scientifically rigorous', however, Analytics then relegate PM to literary theory. So you can see my problem. The Phil MAs I had in mind are specifically continental-focused, so I think there could be more room for me to branch out, especially when considering that post-modernism defies a lot of these field distinctions. Anyways, sorry for the long post and the outlandish question. Thank you again for your insight. I don't know what I will do.

Hey gang, I am wondering what you esteemed theorists think of the political theory vs. political philosophy divide. To me, it's a pretty arbitrary distinction that creates a gap between politics and philosophy departments (though this varies from school to school of course). I have a Politics/IR background, but I have always integrated philosophy/theory into my writings. I've been pondering this a lot as I consider contingency options (the politics PhD app cycle has been rough for me), so I have been considering doing an MA in ethics to diversify my portfolio in a way. Is that a weird idea?

#Squadgoals

Gillespie and his Germans were what I was shooting for. Congratulations are in order even if you don't go there!

My random theory thought is that we theory folk are a more oppressed group than gamers given how few spots are available at unis plus the job market.

Sorry, you're right. I do Theory/IR so I applied for IR at SC. I applied so long ago I forgot!

Hey gang, I got this as well and also didn't interpret this as a rejection. It seems they are just running late and are simply acknowledging so (which I think is admirable of them to do). Best of luck to you both. I'm theory subfield, so not sure if we are competing or not.

No acceptances here. Though I have only heard from one school so far. I am pretty nervous now, and I am looking into contingency plans. Does CIR give much financial assistance? I already have an MSc from a big UK uni T-3, so I wonder if that would be worth it for me.

Congrats to all the Duke admits. I don't see any theory folks listed on the results page. I'm certain I didn't get in but I am wondering where my theory peeps are at.