The Mercator Spring School at Bochum hosted by the Mercator Research Group "Spaces of anthropological knowledge" brings together international experts from science and media studies, history of science, sociology and anthropology of knowledge, literary studies and philosophy to discuss their work with Ph.D. students and advanced Master students on the topic "Interventions: What it means to be human in 21st century life sciences". Our aim is to foster an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural analysis of the production and circulation of recent research in the life sciences and neurosciences. We want students to become familiar with and participate in current debates in these fields and to be able to adopt an interdisciplinary approach to their research projects. The title “interventions” not only refers to manipulative and intervening approaches found in recent life sciences, it also includes work done in the past decades in science studies, literary and media studies, history of science and other approaches engaging critically with the sciences by exploring material, technological and cultural structures and processes of knowledge production and knowledge circulation.

The Mercator Spring School invites applications from doctoral candidates in science studies, history of science, philosophy, cultural, literary and media studies as well as related fields such as art history, politics, medicine and film studies. Participants will receive a Spring School reader with texts and materials.

External PhD students are very welcome. If you want to participate, please submit your application to the Mercator Spring School electronically, including:

• Letter of Intent with an abstract of your research project, explaining your interest in the topic and indicating how you would like to contribute (including a presentation of your own project or attendance) (1-1,5 pages)

• Curriculum Vitae

All application materials must be submitted by *January 11, 2013* to mrg2@rub.de.

All Applicants who have been accepted will be notified by mid-January 2013. A limited sum of accommodation funding will be available upon application.

The Spring School will be directed by Christina Brandt, Estrid Sørensen, Anna Tuschling, Yvonne Wübben (Bochum) in cooperation with Soraya de Chadarevian (Los Angeles) and Edna Suarez-Diaz (Mexico). The faculty will further include: Sen Cheng (Bochum), Thorsten Heinemann (Frankfurt), Erich Hörl (Bochum), Klaus Lindgaard Høyer (Copenhagen), Markus Krajewski (Weimar), Thomas Lemke (Frankfurt), Veronika Lipphardt (Berlin), Astrid Deuber-Mankowsky (Bochum), Andreas Mayer (Berlin), Monique David Ménard (Paris), Annemarie Mol (Amsterdam), Nicolas Rose (London), John Tresch (Philadelphia), Staffan Müller-Wille (Exeter).

(text from official announcement)

Further information: http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/mam/mrg/content/knowledge/call_for_participation.pdf