Aspiring PhD Student Discussion Colloquia

Undergraduates, MA students, and recent graduates interested in pursuing a PhD are invited to apply for IHS’ Aspiring PhD Student Discussion Colloquia.

IHS will host four two-day discussion colloquia this Summer. Participants can apply to attend one of three programs including: “The History of Policing and Alternative Models,” “Entrepreneurship,” “Visions of Environmentalism,” and “Modern Perspectives on Political Problems.” These programs are designed for students interested in pursuing a PhD and consist of four discussion sections centered on a selection of readings pertaining to each topic.

• Participants will be required to complete a set of provided readings prior to the colloquium.
• This program is free to attend and will take place online via Zoom.
• Participants will receive a $100 honorarium for completing this program.
• Space is limited. All applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

What to Expect

Participants will receive readers roughly one month in advance of the program and should come thoroughly prepared to discuss the material. Discussion will be Socratic—that is, question-driven—and will include a diverse collection of participants. Discussion Colloquia do not include any lectures, workshops, or presentations. They depend entirely on the quality of discussion each member brings to the table and occasional thoughts offered by the discussion leader. Each discussion colloquia takes place over two days and consists of four sessions of 75 minutes each, and participants are required to attend all sessions as well as all social events.

Abigail Hall Blanco’s work focuses on topics surrounding the U.S. military and national defense. She has worked on issues including domestic police militarization, arm sales, weapons as foreign aid and imperialism. Her co-authored book, Tyranny Comes Home: The Domestic Fate of US Militarism was published by Stanford University Press in 2018. Hall Blanco is currently working on a co-authored book project that examines the creation and dissemination of propaganda in democratic societies.

Her previous work has been included in a variety of peer-reviewed journals including: Public Choice, Defense and Peace Economics, Advances in Austrian Economics, Review of Austrian Economics, The Independent Review, Atlantic Economic Review, and The Journal of Private Enterprise. She is a research fellow with the Independent Institute and an Affiliated Scholar with the Mercatus Center and Foundation for Economic Education. Her popular press pieces have been featured in outlets such as Newsweek, The Hill, The Daily Caller, The American Thinker, and The Huffington Post, among others. She’s appeared on a variety of local and national news outlets including PBS and Fox Business.

Alicia Plemmons is an Assistant Professor and Economics Program Director in the Department of Economics & Finance at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, a Research Affiliate of the Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation at West Virginia University, and the co-founder and leader of the Scope of Practice and Medical Licensure Research Group in the Arkansas Center for Research in Economics at the University of Central Arkansas. Her research uses applied spatial and econometric methods to determine how policy changes affect labor markets by studying how to create environments that facilitate healthy economic growth and business development through research into the determinants of entry, operation, and exit decisions of firms, laborers, and consumers. Her research has been published in numerous academic journals, such as the British Journal of Industrial Relations and Annals of Regional Science, and has been discussed in several news outlets.

Dan Shahar is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy—Research at the University of New Orleans and a member of the Urban Entrepreneurship and Policy Institute. Before arriving at UNO, he was a Research Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before that, he completed a Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Arizona, where he was also a Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy and a Fellow at the UA Center for the Philosophy of Freedom.

Prof. Shahar’s research focuses on the implications of environmental challenges for liberal societies and their members. His book, Why It’s OK to Eat Meat, came out this past fall with Routledge. With David Schmidtz, he is co-editor of the latest edition of the popular textbook, Environmental Ethics: What Really Matters, What Really Works. His paper, “Harm, Responsibility, and the Far-Off Impacts of Climate Change,” won the International Society for Environmental Ethics’ Holmes Rolston III Early Career Essay Prize in Environmental Philosophy. Prof. Shahar teaches courses in ethics, political philosophy, and philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE).

Chad van Schoelandt is an associate professor and department chair in Tulane University’s Department of Philosophy, and affiliated with Tulane’s City, Culture, and Community Ph.D. Program, Tulane’s Program in Medical Ethics and Human Values, and George Mason University’s F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. He works on social and political philosophy, particularly in the social contract and public reason traditions.