Advanced Research Seminar in Philosophy and Theology

Founded in 2013 by Professors Jeffrey Bloechl (Boston College, philosophy) and Andrew Prevot (Boston College, theology), the Advanced Research Seminar in Philosophy and Theology encourages discussion among graduate students and faculty within these fields.

The seminar generally meets four times each semester, once per month, over a casual lunch. Each meeting begins with a 30-45 minutes presentation of ongoing research, followed by discussion for about 45 minutes. Most presentations are given by Boston College faculty and graduate students, but an effort is made to also invite people from other universities. By the end of the fifth year of the seminar’s existence, we had met nearly fifty times and welcomed scholars from several US institutions beyond Boston College and several outside the United States.

Students enrolled in the Joint MA program in philosophy and theology are required to attend. All meetings are open to students, staff, researchers, and faculty of the entire university.

Speakers and Presentations to Date

Tomáš Halík
Charles University, Prague
The Afternoon of Christianity
William Woody, SJ
Graduate Student,
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
’Out of the Depths I Call to You, Oh Lord!': Lamentation and the Ethical Demands of Forgiveness
Stephen Suhr
Graduat Student,
Theology Department, Boston College
'Il mio veder fu maggio che 'l parlar mostra”: Expressing the Inexpressible—The Vernacular and Dante's Philosophy of Language in the Commedia
James Mumford
Institute for Advanced Studies and Culture, University of Virginia
For Real? Contemporary Psychology, Iris Murdoch and the Status of the Good