1. Who we are

FINO (standing for FIlosofia Nord Ovest, or philosophy in the North West) was founded at the University of Turin in 2013, with the support of the Compagnia di San Paolo. FINO consists of four universities of the North-Western region of Italy and aims to strengthen the already established relationships and cooperation among faculty members of  University of Genoa,  University of Pavia,  University of Eastern Piedmont, University of Turin.

The Administration of the Convention  rotates between the four Universities.
Cycles 29-32: University of Turin (dottorati@unito.it)
Cycles 33-35: University of Genoa (dottorato@segreterie.unige.it)
Cycle 36-38: University of Eastern Piedmont at Vercelli (mario.repole@uniupo.it)
Cycle 39-41:   University of Pavia (uoc.formazionericerca@unipv.it)

The towns of Alessandria, Genoa, Pavia, Turin, and Vercelli are fairly well connected by train. Students, who are each based at one of the four Universities, are expected to do some traveling in order to attend some of the common curricular activities.

The Faculty of FINO includes over 80 scholars covering a large variety of philosophical approaches, interests and topics. All faculty members are eligible to act as supervisors for PhD dissertations and/or play a fundamental role as personal tutor.

2. The Ph.D program offers

  • Ca. 10 positions each year for graduate students (the number may vary slightly from year to year)
  • At least 10 three years scholarships each year (this is the minimum number per year)

3. Aims and Objectives of the Program

In line with the European philosophical tradition, the FINO doctoral program embraces a broad range of philosophical perspectives and approaches, aiming to provide graduate students with a rich context in which to discuss different traditions of thought. Moreover, it favors interdisciplinarity, including at the interface with research in non-humanistic fields. Upon completion of the program, newly graduated researchers will possess up-to-date knowledge and skills that include at least the following:

  • the state of the art within the scope of their own disciplinary research;
  • research methods appropriate either to theoretical investigations or to historical inquiries in philosophy;
  • the planning, design and execution of a research project
  • publication of research results according to the standards of the international research community.
  • mastery of research tools (computing techniques, use of library resources and cataloguing tools).

4. Professional Profile of FINO Graduates

Academic Research: FINO graduates should be qualified for employment in the global philosophical market, in any of the branches pursued by the four FINO curricula (see also below).
– Teaching skills: once awarded a Ph.D. title, FINO graduates will be prepared to teach in academia.
– Non-academic professional abilities: FINO graduates will develop skills for professions related to the organization of information and knowledge, bioethics, philosophical counseling, applied ontology, web managing, and non-profit organizations.
– Furthermore, FINO aims to train the opinion-formers of the next generation, by selecting and cultivating a group of well-educated people with a strong cultural background, who excel in critical thinking and are capable of autonomous reasoning and of vision concerning new scenarios in social and political cooperation.

5. Curricula

The PhD Program of FINO comprises 4 curricula that cover the main philosophical areas of expertise, both theoretical and practical:

Curriculum 1: Mind, Language and Cognition (Coordinator: samuele.iaqiunto@uniupo.it)
Curriculum 2: Ethics and Politics (Coordinator: michel.croce@uniuge.it)
Curriculum 3: History of Philosophy and of Science (Coordinator: giuseppe.cospito@unipv.it)
Curriculum 4: Phenomenology, Ontology, Hermeneutics and Aesthetics (Coordinator: gaetano.chiurazzi@unito.it)

Each curriculum is tailored to provide advanced and highly specialized research and teaching meeting graduate students’ needs and interests. Each doctoral student chooses one of the four curricula; moreover, some overlapping seminars are run for all doctoral students, allowing them to compare their views with those adopting different theoretical and methodological approaches. The Consortium aims to foster interdisciplinary exchanges among different philosophical areas. Interdisciplinary seminars, workshops, and graduate conferences are therefore established year by year by the faculty teaching committee. (see more info on curricula)

6.  Deadlines and Languages

Italian Doctoral Programs necessarily last for three years, at the end of which students are required to submit their theses. The deadline is extendable by up to 6 months at the discretion of the Steering Committee.
Students are encouraged to spend at least six months abroad.
Mobility programs and international exchanges are available both for students and teachers.
In order to facilitate study periods outside the Convention, both abroad and within Italy, FINO pursues partnerships with other universities.

LANGUAGES: Courses are either in English or Italian. Curricular activities are normally held in English when non-Italian students are present. English is a requirement for participating in most events and graduate conferences.

7. INFO (academic issues) PhD coordinator – Write to prof. Luca Fonnesu: coordinatorefonnesu.fino@unipv.it