What about NYU?

[surlefil]

Hi! I'm a Philosophy student in Argentina and I'm looking for Ph.D. programs in Philosophy or Comp. Lit. I'm interested in continental aesthetics, and some people recommended me the Ph.D. program in Comp. Lit. in NYU. I didn't find many comments on that program, and I wonder why! What do you think about it? Do you think it's possible to do philosophical research in aesthetics there? I'm sure it is possible with Zizek, but I wonder if he won't retire anytime soon...

Any comment will be useful. Thanks!!

[poliscar]

Zizek's post at NYU doesn't involve teaching—he's more of a figurehead than anything else. I believe his post at UCL Birkbeck has involved a couple short modules, but more or less he's a celebrity intellectual and gets to travel the world lecturing. 

Other than that, yes, NYU is an excellent department and you could very well do work on aesthetics there. Without a more defined description of your research interests, however, it is difficult to know how well the program would be suited to you. 

 

[ComeBackZinc]

I think it's about as likely that I'll end up working with Zizek on my dissertation about computational linguistics as you'll end up working with him on philosophical aesthetics at NYU. It's not exactly a position with a lot of opportunity for mentorship.

 

Otherwise, people really love NYU's program.

Edited August 7, 2013 by ComeBackZinc

[surlefil]

Ok, thanks a lot! Here from the distance it seems possible to work with a celebrity like him, but now that I think of it, it's quite naïf. Which other programs like this (maybe with a focus in philosophical aesthetics) do you know?

[poliscar]

Oh no I wouldn't say naive—there are plenty of superstar intellectuals (Butler, Weber, Spivak, etc) who supervise dissertations quite regularly, Zizek just doesn't happen to be one of them. 

In terms of other departments, it's difficult to say, as "philosophical aesthetics" is a vast field. You're far more likely to find something appropriate in a comparative lit department than a philosophy department, so I would look into the top schools there (Princeton, Columbia, Harvard, Berkeley, etc). There are also programs at Vanderbilt, SUNY Stony Brook/Buffalo/Binghamton, The New School, Northwestern, and the University of Chicago (probably more that others can list) that are continentally inclined. I would check out the faculty at these schools and see how you feel. 
 

Edited August 8, 2013 by poliscar

[surlefil]

Thank you! Yes, I've been checking out the faculty and the Ph.D. program in some of those faculties, but sometimes I find them too... literary, like in the case of Columbia's Ph.D. program in Comp. Lit. New School is GREAT, but I think it's really difficult to get funding there.

I will check out the programs you mention that I didn't know.

[Gustav]

Just took a summer course with Prof Lezra from NYU CompLit department. According to him, the department is definitely continental philosophy heavy, and they have more people doing continental philosophy and critical theory than the philosophy department does. He himself is a specialist in post-structuralist theory, political theory, and translation studies. I would suggest that you email him and kindly ask him (who is very approachable) to evaluate your suitability to the program. 

Other CompLit programs you might want to check out, apart from those mentioned by Poliscar, are Berkeley (Rhetoric), Cornell, Emory, Purdue (esp. the Philosophy and Literature program), Duke, and U Southern California.

[somethinbruin]

It's probably a good thing if you don't work directly with Zizek (who I quite like, for what it's worth). He's on record about his distaste for working with students (American students particularly draw his ire, but as an Argentinian you may escape this). Still, he's not big on student-prof interaction. 

[surlefil]

Than you, Gustav and somethinbruin!!

 

Gustav, it's really good to know that is how the program is considered. My main problem with Comp. Lit. programs is that I'm not particularly interested in literature, so I'm afraid I might not be at all suited for them, though continental philosophy may be there...

Thank you very much for your recommendations, I think it's a good idea to write an e-mail to Prof. Lezra.