In October 2019, the interdisciplinary research project “Innovation through Education: Pioneering Change in Law and Theology in Louvain’s Golden Age” will be launched. The project is led by a team of KU Leuven researchers consisting of LECTIO members Prof Wim Decock (Roman Law and Legal History, spokesperson), Prof Wouter Druwé (Roman Law and Legal History), Prof Randall Lesaffer (Roman Law and Legal History), Dr An Smets (KU Leuven Libraries) and Prof Violet Soen (Early Modern History), with the support of Prof Mark Depauw (Ancient History/Digital Humanities), Prof Wim François (History of Church and Theology) and Prof Jan Papy (Latin Literature). The team is now opening a call for 5 PhD positions within the project, funded by the Research Fund of the University of Leuven.
Project Description
The project studies the teachings of professors in law and theology at the University of Louvain and the Jesuit College of Louvain in the 16th and 17th centuries. By analyzing hitherto unexamined notes taken by students during courses of selected professors (Michael Baius, Jacobus Jansonius, Robertus Bellarminus, Leonardus Lessius, Andreas Vallensis, Petrus Peckius, Petrus Gudelinus and Antonius Perezius), the objective is to propose a grassroots perspective on intellectual change in law and theology in the early modern period. Handwritten material (e.g. student notebooks) will be confronted with printed sources (e.g. published treatises) to examine whether innovative ideas were tested in the classroom before they found their way (or not) into printing. Special attention will be paid to the interaction between new societal challenges and changes in the contents and methods of teaching law and theology. Moreover, the question will be raised what impetus, if any, Louvain professors received from (inter)national scholarly networks, especially from Douai and Salamanca. The project builds upon and expands the Magister Dixit-project (http://lectio.ghum.kuleuven.be/lectio/magister-dixit).
Candidates are invited to apply for a full-time, four-year fellowship in one of the following subprojects:
- scholarship 1: “Towards a New Book Archeology of Teaching in Louvain”
- scholarship 2: “The Biblical Turn in Theology and New Teachings on Grace and Free Will”
- scholarship 3: “Re-Inventing Canon Law: Teaching the Decretals After Trent”
- scholarship 4: “Re-Constituting the Habsburg Netherlands: Civil Lawyers and the Rise of
Public Law”
- scholarship 5: “Transforming the Morality of the Market: The Jesuit Contribution to Law & Theology”
The letter of motivation should indicate in which of the subprojects the candidate would prefer to be involved and how the candidate envisages the content of the PhD-project.
The final decision about the sub-project and PhD-topic will be made in common agreement with the promotors. Depending on the sub-project and the promotors, it will be possible to pursue a PhD degree in either history, law or theology.
Requirements
You hold a master’s degree with at least distinction in one of the following fields: history, law, canon law, languages and literature, philology, philosophy or theology and religious studies, or, ideally, in more than one of those fields. Students graduating in September 2019 are eligible to apply.
A good command of Latin is essential, as the primary source material is not available in translation. The working language of the project is English, but dissertations can also be written in Dutch, French or German. Paleographical skills are an asset. Training will be provided in the first year of the project.
Candidates are team players eager to work in an interdisciplinary and international research environment. The PhD candidates will be expected to live and work in Leuven and contribute actively to the monthly seminars of the research group.
Remuneration
The net amount of the scholarship will be approx. 2000 euro/month, depending on age, professional experience and family status; in addition, the fellowship provides for social and health benefits, office space and a benchfee for research expenses.
Subject to positive evaluation after the first year and the second year, the scholarship has a total duration of 48 months (1+1+2).
KU Leuven offers a wide variety of courses for PhD candidates, a minimum of which must be followed as part of the compulsory doctoral training program, the specific content of which may vary from one faculty to another.
The PhD candidates will benefit from a unique experience in an interdisciplinary environment with junior and senior experts in the fields of book history, digital humanities, history of law, history of church and theology, early modern history, religious history, and philology.
All senior team members are involved in LECTIO, KU Leuven’s Centre for the Study of the Transmission of Text and Ideas in Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. PhD candidates will be encouraged to participate in LECTIO’s activities; http://lectio.ghum.kuleuven.be/
How to apply
Applications should include a detailed CV, a writing sample and at least one letter of recommendation.
The candidate is expected to submit a letter of motivation in which she/he expresses her/his preference for one or more of the sub-topics and how she/he envisages the PhD-project.
Candidates are asked to submit their application to wim.decock@kuleuven.be. As from July, candidates will be requested to follow the online application tool available at https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/en/phd/phd-candidates.
The deadline for applications is 15 August 2019. After a preliminary screening, selected candidates will be invited for an interview, involving accomplishment of a project-related task, in Leuven at the end
of August/beginning of September. Starting date of the scholarship is 1 October 2019.