PhD Courses in Denmark

Dates and time: 28 - 29 January 2027 from 9:30 to 6:15. 

The Copenhagen Winter School in Phenomenology is a PhD course that offers a close reading of a classical work in phenomenology. In 2027, the selected text is Gerda Walther's Ein Beitrag zur Ontologie der sozialen Gemeinschaften (1923)(Toward an ontology of social communities, trans. S. Luft & R.K.B. Parker, De Gruyter, 2025).

The Winter School will consist in two keynote lectures, 6 presentations by participating PhD students, and sessions devoted to a close reading of Walther's text. The two keynote lectures will discuss Walther's text and PhD students who wish to present will be expected to also engage with the work in question.

Although Walther’s (recently translated) work will constitute the point of departure, the systematic focus of the winter school will be broader. It will also engage with questions pertaining to social phenomenology, phenomenology and social ontology, and the application of phenomenology in the social sciences

The two keynote speakers will be Alessandro Salice (University College Cork) and Dan Zahavi (CFS - University of Copenhagen).

Target group: The winter school is aimed specifically at researchers at the beginning of the career.

Organisers
Dan Zahavi (University of Copenhagen)
Søren Overgaard (University of Copenhagen)

Catering and common dinner
On both course days, we will provide:
 - Morning croissants, coffee, and tea
 - Coffee and tea in the breaks
 - A lunch voucher (including food and a beverage)
 - Cake during the final break of the day

There will be a common dinner on Thursday 28 January 2026, but this will be self-paid. The restaurant charges approximately 185 DKK for the buffet (all you can eat) and 39 DKK for a beverage. Please let us know in the registration if you will join.

Max. number of participants: 35

ECTS: 1.2 ECTS for participation / 2.7 ECTS for participation with presentation

Course fee: Participation is free

Registration: Prior registration is required: Please register before 1 November 2026: Winter School 2027 
Notification of whether you have been accepted as a participant in the Winter School: 15 November 2026.

Application for participation with presentation
Please register and submit an abstract before 1 November 2026: Winter School 2027 

Abstracts must be 500-1000 words in length.
Abstracts that in some way engage with Walther's book on social communities will be prioritized.

How to submit an abstract:

1. Send an email with your abstract included as an attachment (acceptable formats: .doc, .docx, .rtf, and .pdf)
2. Make sure that the subject line of the email reads: “Abstract Copenhagen Winter School 2027”
3. Address the email to zahavi@hum.ku.dk

Notification of reviewers’ decision: 15 November 2026 

NB: As of spring 2023, Danish universities do not accept visitors or students with financing from CSC (Chinese Scholarship Council). The reason is that the terms of the contracts that CSC scholarship holders must sign compromise their working and living conditions and are inconsistent with academic freedom as it is understood at Danish universities.

Further information: Please direct any questions to zahavi@hum.ku.dk