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FLFI.01.105 The Philosophy of Existence (3 ECTS) Jaanus Sooväli Thu 14-16 Jakobi 2-337 In the course of reading major texts of the philosophy of existence, the following topics will be focused on: (1) The cultural and philosophical context the philosophy of existence grows out of; (2) The fundamental philosophical problems and questions pertaining to the philosophy of existence; (3) The place of the philosophy of existence in the wider context of modern philosophy. For everybody interested in the topic.

The Juri Lotman Fund announces its scholarship contest intended for graduate students from the University of Tartu whose research carries on the tradition of Lotman and his school in semiotics and slavic philology. In 2019, the Juri Lotman Fund will award two scholarships á 600€ to a master’s or a doctoral student in slavic philology and in semiotics and culture theory. The grantees will be disclosed on Juri Lotman’s birthday, 28 February 2019. To apply for the scholarship the candidate should submit:

Estonian Semiotics Association celebrates this year its 20th birthday and invites everyone to join the birthday/christmas party on December 15, at Struve 2, Tartu. Here, an invitation in English as well. The theme of the evening is bringing change into the world, and we have invited two guest to talk about their experiences with it.

Tartu Workshop in Ancient Philosophy University of Tartu December 14th-15th 2018 Jakobi 2-336, Tartu, Estonia

We are happy to announce the publication of Volume 10.1 (2017) of Studia Philosophica Estonica (edited by Research Fellow of Philosophy of Science Edit Talpsepp-Randla), titled "Contemporary Questions of Metaphysics in Science: NNPS 2016".

Next week the defence of three PhD theses brings many international guests to our department. On 3rd of December at 10.15 (Jakobi 2 – 306) Paul Cobley (UK) gives a lecture on „Semiotics and Close Reading“.

On Saturday, 1 December, the University of Tartu celebrates the 99th anniversary of the Estonian national university. At the anniversary ceremony, doctorates and honorary doctorates are conferred and the award for contribution to national identity is presented. During the week, many fascinating anniversary events take place at the university – for students, alumni and all those interested.

December 3, 2018 at 12.15, at UT Senat Hall (Ülikooli 18), Nelly Mäekivi will defend her PhD thesis „The Zoological Garden as a Hybrid Environment: A (Zoo)semiotic Analysis“. The thesis can be read here: http://hdl.handle.net/10062/62517 Supervisor: Timo Maran, PhD Opponents: Professor Paul Cobley, PhD, Middlesex University (Great Britain)

A new issue (vol. 10.2) of Studia Philosophica Estonica has been published. It is edited by Daniel Cohnitz (Utrecht) and it contains a book symposium on Bruno Mölder’s Mind Ascribed. The book is devoted to the presentation and defence of interpretivism in the philosophy of mind. Broadly construed, interpretivism is the view that interpretation has a central role to play in fixing what mental properties one has.

Our famous Semiosalong series is set to continue againnext week, November 29, 18:00 at Genialistide Klubi. Semiosalong is an ongoing biweekly salon style afterhours semiotic meetingplace. Series title: Excavations in the Esoteric Session 3 speakers: Nov. 29. Òscar Castro: "Hermeticism and the Search for a Semiotics of the Sacred" and Tiit Remm: "The Personal and the Universal in Spatial Models of the Sociocultural World"

Our famous Semiosalong series is set to continue again this week, November 14, 18:00 at Genialistide Klubi. Semiosalong is an ongoing biweekly salon style afterhours semiotic meetingplace. Series title: Excavations in the Esoteric Session 2 speakers: Nov. 14. Israel Chavez: "An Exoteric Image and Its Esoteric Semiotics" and Kyle York "Approaching Buddhism Through Analytic Philosophy"

The renowned semiotician and social scientist Gunther Kress will give a public lecture on ‘A social semiotic account of meaning and meaning-making: getting beyond the past and its frames’ at the Department of Semiotic of the University of Tartu. In his lecture, Professor Kress will discuss the traces of past frames and their continuing limiting effects on present understandings. His concept of ‘semiotic work’ expands the traditional understanding of learning and communication. The central thesis of the lecture is that communication is always also learning.

FLSE.00.317 Zoosemiotic Perspectives on Human-Animal Communication Intensive course (1 ECTS), registration open on SIS Department of Semiotics, UT 12th and 14th November 2018 Tartu, Jakobi 2-306 Dear all!

The chair of philosophy of science of the University of Tartu organises the workshop „Science & the Deep Past“ on March 18-21, 2019, taught by Adrian Currie from the University of Exeter. The workshop will take place at the department of philosophy (Jakobi 2) and the University of Tartu Museum of Natural History (Vanemuise 46) and includes seminars and practical work as well as public lectures.

November 7th at 14.15, Nils Lindahl Elliot’s (UK) will give a guest lecture “Observing Wildlife in Tropical Forests. A Geosemeiotic Approach” (abstract below). The lecture is part of the Jakob von Uexküll lecture series organised by the department of semiotics and the Jakob von Uexküll centre. The lectures is held at Jakobi 2-114 at 14.15-16.00. Everyone is welcome! …………………………………

Our famous Semiosalong series is set out to start again next week, October 31, 18:00 at Genialistide Klubi. Semiosalong is an ongoing biweekly salon style afterhours semiotic meetingplace. Series title: Excavations in the Esoteric Session 1 speakers: Mehmet Emir Uslu: "When the Hunt Goes Wild: Cynegetic Relationships with Nature" and Sugata Bhattacharya: "Visual Hunting and Gathering"

The Philosophy of Science research group, Institute of Philosophy and Semiotics, University of Tartu, is delighted to be hosting an international workshop on the evaluation of interdisciplinary research on Saturday 29th September.

On 26 September at 16:15, the University of Tartu professor of philosophy of language Juhani Yli-Vakkuri delivers his inaugural lecture “Is Meaning Arbitrary? A Philosopher Looks at Semiotics” in the university assembly hall.

Open Estonia Foundation and Centre for Ethics at the University of Tartu are pleased to invite you to XXII Open Society Forum “Long Shadow of the Financial Crisis: Social Strains and Economic Recovery” on Tuesday, October 2 at 1:00 PM at Nordic Hotel Forum (Viru väljak 3).

Today, on 26 April 2018, the 263-member electoral council elected Professor of Neurosurgery Toomas Asser as rector of the University of Tartu with 187 votes.