A&H Research Facilities

Achilles Project

The aim of this project is to bring together a group of scholars working on the history of the Achilles argument, on the interpretation of the work of proponents and opponents of that argument (like Bayle, Clarke, and Mendelssohn on the one hand and Locke, Hume and Kant on the other), and on current issues in the study of consciousness.

Bioethics Research Group

The Bioethics Research Group is a multi-disciplinary team of established researchers based in London, Ontario who collaborate on a variety of projects of an academic, pedagogical and public awareness nature. Members of the group come from a range of disciplines such as Philosophy, Law and Medicine. Many of the group's researchers have a special interest in ethical issues surrounding the reproductive health care sciences.

BiPED

Founded in 1996, BiPED is an interdisciplinary group that brings together faculty, post-docs and students from biology, philosophy and related disciplines to discuss research related to evolution. BiPED meets about once a month, and also sponsors occasional guest lectures or special events.

Descartes Research Group

We are a group of scholars and analytic philosophers devoted to promoting and promulgating the study of all aspects of Descartes' and Cartesian philosophy at The University of Western Ontario. Our interests range broadly, from Descartes' mathematics and natural philosophy to his philosophy of mind and to his ethics. We meet bi-weekly throughout the academic year and much of the summer for round table discussion and critique of members' written work.

Feminist Philosophy Research Group

With eight philosophers in a variety of fields whose work can be classified in full or in part under the rubric “Feminist Philosophy”, Western is one of only 20 philosophy graduate programs in the English-speaking world recognized by the Philosophical Gourmet as having strength in this area. Recently the group was very active in the organization of the XIV IAPh Symposium 2010: Feminism, Science and Values held at The University of Western Ontario. The International Association of Women Philosophers met at The University of Western Ontario in June 2010. It was the organization’s first meeting in Canada and only its second meeting in North America.

Holocaust Literature Research Initiative

The Holocaust Literature Research Institute collects and analyzes published testimonies of Holocaust survivors. The collection is placed in a searchable website.

Medieval and Renaissance Semninar Research Group

The Seminar for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Western was started in the late sixties as a joint venture between History, French, and English (leading lights of the early days were Jack Lander and John Rowe of the Department of History), although it quickly expanded to include members from many other departments and from the affiliate colleges. For its first twenty years, the Seminar focused on very well-attended papers by major scholars in fields of medieval and Renaissance studies, and papers by members of the Seminar.

Performance Studies Research Group

The Performance Studies Research Group is an interdisciplinary body made up of more than twenty scholars - both faculty and graduate students - from across the university. We meet twice per term, organizing our gatherings around shared readings from current debates in performance-related disciplines, the presentation of research by members, and lectures by visiting or in-house speakers. While we do not adhere rigorously to the formal definition of "performance studies" emerging from the discipline's American school (developed by Richard Schechner et al, and maintained by such bodies as TDR and Performance Studies International), we come together in our common faith in what Diana Taylor calls performance's power to enact theory, and theory's power to perform "in the public sphere." Our definition of performance is as flexible as the scholars who number among us, and we always welcome new members

Philosophy of Science Research Group

The aim is to further our understanding of scientific methodology through detailed examination of scientific theories.

Postcolonial and Globalization Interdisciplinary Research Group

To provide a forum for research collaboraton at the point of intersection between postcolonial and globalization studies within interdisciplinary contexts.

Theoretical and Applied Linguistics Research Group

The purpose of this research cluster is to focus on and expand the Faculty's linguistics research program, while at the same time establishing a network of cross-Departmental collaborations and synergies.

Upper Canada Society for Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

The Upper Canada Society for Ancient and Medieval Philosophy is a research group made up of graduate students and faculty members interested in ancient and medieval philosophy. The aim is to offer graduate students and faculty alike a forum to present work-in-progress in a relaxed social setting where they can receive feedback from others working in the area.