How our seminars work

Each seminar runs from Friday to Sunday and is built around one invited scholar — occasionally two — and a single set of questions, normally in English. The group is deliberately small, the readings are shared in advance, and the three days are spent in discussion rather than in lectures alone.

Ten participants

Each seminar is limited to ten participants, so that everyone can speak and the speaker can answer each of them.

Three days, one subject

Sessions run across Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The number and length of sessions vary with the speaker and the material; each seminar page sets out its own schedule.

Readings

Some speakers set readings, some do not. Where there are readings, they are sent on admission, so that the group arrives having read the same texts.

Discussion, not audience

Participants take part in the discussion throughout and attend all three days. There is no requirement to present a paper.

In English

Seminars are normally held entirely in English. Where a speaker works in another language, the seminar page says so.

No fee

There is no charge to attend. Lunch and refreshments are provided on all three days, and a certificate of attendance is issued on request.

Getting there

Hekimbaşı Av Köşkü — Hekimbaşı Mah., Okul Cad. No:14, Ümraniye, Istanbul. A shuttle leaves from Üsküdar Square on seminar mornings and brings participants back to Üsküdar at the end of the day; times are sent before the seminar. The 15H bus from Üsküdar stops at Köşk, 50 metres from the gate, and parking is available on site. We cannot arrange accommodation, but we are glad to suggest hotels nearby.

Applying

Applications are read as they arrive and we reply within a week. What we look for is a real connection to the subject: that you work on it, have worked on it, or can say clearly where it meets your own field. A well-argued interdisciplinary link counts for as much as a background in the discipline itself.

Body, Brain, and Society: A Psychological and Neuroscientific Journey