Topic: international

In the summer, two large book donations were made to the University of Tartu Library, adding to its existing collection of books on the classical and early modern periods.

On October 16 at 16:15, J. Michael Ryan will give a guest lecture titled "McDonaldization and Semiotics". Ryan is a professor of sociology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú). He has studied the phenomenon of McDonaldization and co-edits the book "The McDonaldization of Society" with George Ritzer.

On 15 October at 10:15, Jordan Zlatev will give a guest lecture titled 'Phenomenology and Cognitive Semiotics in an Extended Life World'. Zlatev is a professor at Lund University, one of the leading cognitive semioticians in the world and one of the foremost semioticians in Sweden.

The discussion game developed by researchers at the Centre for Ethics of the University of Tartu has received a remake – the game is now available in English.

On October 3, Daria Arkhipova defended her doctoral thesis "How Artificial Intelligence Recommendation Systems Impact Human Decision-Making" in semiotics and culture studies with cum laude at the joint committee of the University of Tartu and the University of Turin.

On September 20, 23 and 24 September Andreas Ventsel and Mari-Liis Madisson from the University of Tartu's Department of Semiotics, along with other colleagues participating in the Erasmus+ project "S.HI.E.L.D. vs Disinfo" (2023-2025), will organize a webinar to share practical techniques for addressing the growing challenge of disinformation.

Gottlob Frege Lectures in theoretical philosophy in 2024 are held by Emma Borg from November 4 to 6.

In the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the academic peer-reviewed journal Studia Philosophica Estonica has launched a groundbreaking special public edition, “Reflections on the Russia-Ukraine War”. It is the first issue of a philosophy journal to exclusively cover Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The renowned public intellectuals and distinguished scholars who contribute to this volume have written essays that combine rigorous academic analysis of the conflict with an accessible and engaging style. As a result, this special issue on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine offers insight that will resonate with professional academics and the general public alike.

On 5 September, one of the world’s leading moral philosophers, Professor Jeff McMahan from the University of Oxford, will give a public lecture on the ethics of killing and just war theory. His lecture marks the publication of a special issue of a philosophy journal focused on the Russia-Ukraine war. The event will be held from 16:00 to 18:00 in White Hall at the University of Tartu Museum.

The University of Tartu is hosting a series of events titled “A global and interdisciplinary perspective on using AI tools in university teaching and learning” from 15–18 October 2024.