During the last decade the fast-growing area of 'Social Mind' research has witnessed significant theoretical developments and new empirical and methodological advances that reconsider old debates and prompt new research. This is accompanied by a growing interest in substantive cross-disciplinary dialogue about the need and prospect for methodological and conceptual integration of hitherto largely unrelated approaches. The SMASH PhD training program answers this need by taking a novel approach to doctoral training and research. It offers specialized interdisciplinary PhD positions for promising doctoral candidates who would demonstrate a dedicated interest and strong motivation to pursue their research within one of two predefined areas in the field of cultural transmission: memory and pedagogy'. These areas reflect current expertise and research, and represent ideal entry points to an interdisciplinary approach to and understanding of the Social Mind. The program is specially designed to provide future researchers with the kind of interdisciplinary background and multi-methods competence that are becoming a pre-requisite for conducting cutting-edge scientific research in this field.
The SMASH initiative aims to build a unique doctoral research training program designed to integrate different conceptual and methodological approaches within a well-defined thematic framework and collaborative setup. The program is based on the following features:
- joint supervision of expert faculty members from participating CEU departments who are already engaged in ongoing research in the designated areas,
- specialized training in interdisciplinary research methodologies and practice, core conceptual approaches and analytical models developed within the respective disciplines
- collaborative research frame which includes faculty members, postdoctoral and doctoral students from participating CEU departments and visiting faculty working in the respective areas of research.