PhD in Asian and African Studies

Courses

Common activities organized by the Phd Degrees Office

The PhD Degrees Office organizes many common activities for all the PhD programmes, such as disciplinary and inter-disciplinary seminars, linguistic and IT training, as well as focuses in the field of European and international research and of results and copyright enhancement.


The PhD Programme

The PhD program is characterized by a strong focus and qualification in the relevant areas of study, covering the geo-cultural regions of Asia and North Africa with a marked multi- and interdisciplinary approach (humanities and social sciences). The main feature that links the educational, research, and exchange activities is the use of English as the lingua franca, combined with in-depth knowledge and mastery of the research language(s). Doctoral students develop their works in a highly international and cosmopolitan environment, where interdisciplinary research is conducted based on methodological and ethical rigor with a transcultural perspective.

In the PhD programme, the research lines of the Department of Asian and North African Studies, enhanced by the Excellence Project and collaborations within the framework of national projects (PRIN and PNRR) and international projects (ERC, SPIN, and MC), intersect with innovative and experimental proposals: from the prestigious philological and linguistic-cultural tradition to research on the environment and new technologies. The course offers a hybrid and innovative teaching approach, centered on students, combining individual experience with collective work through interactive seminars and workshops conducted by faculty and researchers from the Department and the network of Italian and foreign universities it is part of.

Thanks to the international vocation of the course, doctoral students can take advantage of numerous opportunities for joint supervision and international mobility provided by the Department and Ca’ Foscari. Additionally, they are encouraged to develop autonomy and initiative in organizing symposia, collective publications, and other research activities. Central to the program remains the ability for theoretical reflection and the practice of academic writing, essential components of scientific training.
 

Class timetable
A.y. 2023/2024

13 May 2024

Ca' Dolfin, Aula Saoneria
Guest speaker

  • 9:30-10:15 Sara Fraser (Heidelberg University) Transcultural Shifts in Chinese Art: Republican Period Paintings between Asia and Europe
    Chair: Sabrina Rastelli

Sala A, Palazzo Vendramin
Guest speaker

  • 14:00-16:00 Hans Harder (Heidelberg University) T‘Vernacular(s)’ in South Asia: Tracing and Evaluating an Ambivalent Concept

14 May 2024

Palazzo Vendramin, Sala A
Guest speaker

  • 9:30-11:00 Zhang Hongxing (Victoria and Albert Museum) Formats of Chinese painting
    Chair: Sabrina Rastelli

Presentazione degli studenti

  • 11.30-13.30 Aggiornamenti e prospettive future del proprio progetto di ricerca (15 min per la presentazione + 15 min per il dibattito)
  • 14.30-19.00 Aggiornamenti e prospettive future del proprio progetto di ricerca (15 min per la presentazione + 15 min per il dibattito)

15 May 2024

Palazzo Vendramin, Sala A

Guest speakers

  • 11.30-13.00 Zhang Hongxing (Victoria and Albert Museum) Presentation of the Chinese Iconography Thesaurus
    Chair: Sabrina Rastelli
    14.30-16.30 Angela Meriggi Università di Padova) Qualitative and participatory methods for data collection &
    meaningful engagement

12 February 2024

Palazzo Vendramin, Sala A

Student presentations

  • 9:30-13:30, Method and methodology of the PhD project (15 min presentation + 15 min discussion)
  • 14:30-18:00, Method and methodology of the PhD project (15 min presentation + 15 min discussion)  

13 February 2024

Palazzo Vendramin, Sala A

  • 9:30-10:30 Organisation of the 4th International Doctoral Symposium on Asian and African Studies (IDSAAS IV): introduction and task assignment

Guest speaker

  • 10:45-12:15 Sara De Vido (Ca’ Foscari University) International legal framework on countering gender-based violence against women including ICT facilitated violence

14 February 2024

Palazzo Vendramin, Sala A

Guest speaker

  • 9:30-11:00 Joshua Mostow (University of British Columbia) Humanities Academic Publishing in English

Research at DSAAM  

  • 11:30-13:00 Piera Rossetto (Ca’ Foscari University) In other words: When research meets creativity

12 December 2023 

Palazzo Vendramin, Sala A

Guest speaker 

  • 9:00-11:00, Wei Wang (University of Sidney), Sociolinguistic approaches to Chinese Sociolinguistic /approaches to Chinese Discourse 

Research at DSAAM: Linguistic

  • 11:15-13:15, Bianca Basciano, Marco Casentini e Alessia Iurato, The PRIN project ACHIEVE - The acquisition of Chinese resultative verbal complexes by L1 Italian learners: theoretical and methodological issues
  • 14:30-15:30, Anna Morbiato, Corpora as a research tool: methodological potential and issues
  • 15:30-16:30, Marco Casentini, Introduction to statistical analysis and tools in linguistics research
  • 16:30-17:30, Carlotta Sparvoli, Semantic disambiguation of modal expressions: Methodology and available taxonomies

13 December 2023

Sala Marino Berengo, Ca’ Foscari 

Josie Dixon (Lucian Consulting), 2-day workshop “Writing Articles for International Publication in Peer-Reviewed Journals” 

  • 9:00-16:00, Josie Dixon (Lucian Consulting) Article publishing workshop

14 December 2023

Sala Archivio, Ca’ Foscari 

Josie Dixon (Lucian Consulting), 2-day workshop “Writing Articles for International Publication in Peer-Reviewed Journals” 

  • 9:00-16:00, Josie Dixon (Lucian Consulting) Article publishing worksho

15 December 2023

Palazzo Vendramin, Sala A

Student presentations

  • 9:30-15:00, the theoretical basis of your PhD project (15 min presentation + 15 min discussion)

16 October 2023

Palazzo Vendramin, Sala A

Student presentations

  • 09:30-13:00, Method and methodology of the PhD project (15 min presentation + 15 min discussion)  
  • 14:30-16:30, Method and methodology of the PhD project (15 min presentation + 15 min discussion)  

Joint book discussion

  • 17:00-18:00, (with Nicoletta Pesaro) T. Mullaney, C. Rea Where Research Begins.

17 October 2023 

Palazzo Vendramin, Sala A

Research at DSAAM: The New Institute Centre for Environmental Humanities (NICHE)

  • 9:00-10:30, Natasha L. Rooney (Deakin University), Ayurveda and Epigenetics: Hybridizing molecular biology and traditional medicine around pre-pregnancy clinic
  • 10:45-12:15, Maurizio Meloni (Deakin University), Orientalism and the History of the Body 
  • 14:30-16:30, Roberta Raffaetà (Deputy Director of NICHE, Ca’ Foscari), Microbes, Environments, Cultures

18 October 2023

Aula 0C, Palazzo Moro

Research at DSAAM: Lab on Area studies for Sustainability Transformations (LAST) 

  • 9:30-12:00, Daniele Brombal, The Joy and Sorrows of Transcending Discipline. A Personal and Scientific Journey Across Methods, Ethics, and Politics.

19 October 2023

Palazzo Vendramin, Sala A

Guest speaker 

  • 10:00-12:00, Bart Dessein (Ghent University), Taixu: A Buddhist Monk's Quest for Modernity

Doctoral symposia

The doctoral symposia at the Department of Asian and African Studies at Ca' Foscari University of Venice have a strong tradition of promoting academic exchange and scholarly development. 

Organized annually by the department's PhD candidates, these symposia have been a highlight of the academic year since they began. 
With four successful editions so far, our upcoming symposium will be the 5th edition of this valued event. 

The primary purpose of these symposia is to provide a dedicated forum for doctoral students to present their research, receive constructive feedback from peers and experienced academics, and engage in meaningful discussions that transcend disciplinary boundaries. 
By bringing together emerging scholars and distinguished researchers, the symposium not only presents innovative research in Asian and African studies but also strengthens the academic community through collaboration and shared knowledge.