Consciousness and Cognition Research Group

Welcome to the Consciousness and Cognition Research Group / Volda medvitsforum 

The Consciousness and Cognition Research Group (In Norwegian: Volda Medvitsforum/Volda Consciousness Forum) is an interdisciplinary discussion forum, open to all interested in exploring questions about mind and experience, in connection with both individuals and society. We welcome anyone, from any discipline, who would like to explore complex questions opened by the interaction of members from diverse disciplinary backgrounds.

The group is led by Yasemin Hacıoğlu (Associate Professor of English Literature, Culture and Didactics). In our work we draw on insights from psychology, neuroscience, sociology, philosophy of mind, sociology, literature, anthropology, and aesthetics. We aim to create a friendly environment to consider multiple discipline perspectives, as well as building a platform for potential collaborations and starting research questions across disciplines.

Reading Group and Events

Our current program for Autumn 2023 is:

  • 17th of October 15:15, Møterom Synnøve Riste 307: Discussion Reading Group on sections from Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Perception (PDF will be circulated).
  • 10th of November 12:30-13:15, (Online, zoom link to be circulated to members): Online Talk and Discussion, “Poetry and Time”, Dr Emma Helene Heggdal, Senior Lecturer in Comparative Literature at the University of Oslo (co-run with the Literature Research Group)

Dr. Miranda Anderson, University of Edinburgh will present her work on how art enlarges our experience and view of the world. In this seminar she will connect an exhibition she recently curated (https://www.trg.ed.ac.uk/exhibition/extended-mind), with her theoretical work (https://philarchive.org/rec/ANDECA-12).

Yasemin Hacioglu will also present a work-in-progress on cognitive approaches to trauma in feminist performance art (focusing on Tracey Emin's video artwork). 

We then invite participants to an open and friendly interdisciplinary discussion about how their work and interests might relate to body, mind, experience, or memory.

Get involved!

This research group is open to members in and outside of the Volda University College. Our current membership includes researchers from across linguistics, anthropology, biology, literature, music, and literature. We are keen to further widen our membership to build on the diverse and interdisciplinary insights we create as a group. We host meetings in person, and also run some events online. Our reading group and events are run as open discussions. To join our mailing list please contact [email protected] for details of reading group meetings, events, and social meetings.

 

Future Plans and Proposals

We also invite members to make suggestions of papers or topics that they would like to discuss as a group, and we are also very glad to host work-in-progress papers and presentations. We also invite collaboration proposals from other research groups at Volda and from other institutions.

 

Members (contact us to join):

Anders Aanes

Anemari Neple

Eirik Søvik 

Farzad Boobani

Jeannique Darby

Jonas Lillebø

Kjetil Myskja

Timothy Saunders

Tor Arne Haugen

Tor-Johan Ekeland

Yasemin Hacioglu

Affiliated Members: 

Miranda Anderson (University of Edinburgh / Open University) 

Natalia Igl (Østfold University College)

Sarah Hoem Iversen (HVL) 

Erik Fooladi

Helga Synnevåg Løvoll

Jan Inge Sørbø

Jorunn Hetland

Katrin Lunde

Knut-Willy Sæther

Magnar Åm

Siri Vevle

Sondre J.C.Kvamme