Templeton Foundation Fellowship Program Details
Fellowship Description
The Templeton Research Fellows Program will grant a one-year award to three applicants. Templeton Research Fellows will live in Oxford from October 2011 - June 2012, while interacting with Oxford's philosophy, science, and religion scholars for the urpose of writing and doing ground-breaking research in the philosophy of religion.
Categories of Fellowship: Topical categories: Two of the fellowships will be given to applicants proposing research at the interface of philosophy of relition and philosophy of physics, cosmology, mathematics, logic, or the natural sciences. One of the fellowships will be given to an applicant proposing research in any area of the philosophy of religion. Age categories: The two age categories are junior and senior, where "junior" is defined as no more than twelve years since completion of the applicant's Ph.D. to start of fellowship. Two fellowships will be awarded to junior scholars. One fellowship wil be awarded to a senior scholar.
The three major components of the Templeton Research Fellows Program are:
- Doing research and writing in the philosophy of religion as described above
- Extensive face-to-face converstations with colleagues and experts in the field
- Utilizing the rich resources that are available at Oxford University
While there have been many contacts between British and American philosophers of religion, there have been comparatively few opportunities for the sustained critical interaction which is so essential to the philosophical enterprise. The most helpful critical tool is typically extensive face-to-face converstations with colleagues over comparatively long periods of time. Both the philosophers of religion associated with teh fellowship program and their Oxford counterparts can be expected to benefit immensely from the interchanges made possible by a one-year residence at Oxford.
Each Fellow is expected to complete and disseminate the results of their research at Oxford through publications, lectures, or presentations at academic conferences within a short time after the end of the fellowship program. Fellows are also expected to submit a report to the Fellowship Director describing the effects of their time at Oxford on the direction of their research within a year following the fellowship period, and to send the Fellowship Director notices of presentations, as well as copies of any papers and books resulting from research conducted during the fellowship period.
Application Instructions
Fellows will be chosen from applicants in a worldwide open competition administered by the Society of Christian Phiosophers in collaboration with the University of Oklahoma
Applicants are required to submit the following:
By September 15, 2010 (Letters of Intent)
- Prospective title of the project with a brief description of the proposed project (2-3 sentences)
indicating how it falls within the program's parameters - Complete curriculum vitae with current institutional affiliation
Those qualified to submit full applications will be notified by October 1, 2010
By November 15, 2010 (Complete Application)
- Complete curriculum vitae
- Three confidential letters of recommendation
- A prospectus of no more than 1200 words describing the project
- One published or unpublished paper
Letters of Intent and completed applications should be submitted electronically (preferably in Microsoft Word) to the Program Administrator, Sammuel R. Byer, at srbyer@ou.edu. Should you have any questions about the application process, please email either the Program Administrator or the Program Director, Linda Zagzebski, at lzagzebski@ou.edu.
Awards will be made by January 30, 2011.
Fellowship Eligibility
Applicants must have a Ph.D. prior to application and be affiliated with an accredited college or university. Applicants should have an established record of successful publication and be able to work collegially with their academic counterparts at Oxford.
Fellowship Benefits
The University of Oxford is home to many resources that are greatly beneficial to a person exploring and researching the vast array of topics within the philosophy of religion.
The two junior scholars will each receive a $50,000 fellowship stipend, plus partial reimbursement for Oxford college fees, as well as travel and research-related expenses. The senior Fellow will receive a $70,000 fellowship stipend, plus partial reimbursement for Oxford college fees, as well as travel and research-related expenses. There may also be funds available to attend post-fellowship conferences and to lead post-fellowship workshops.
Timetable
September 15, 2010 - Deadline for letters of intent
October 1, 2010 - Notification made to qualified scholars inviting them to apply
November 15, 2010 - Deadline for applications
January 30, 2010 - Awards announced
October 2011 - Fellowships commence with the start of the Oxford University academic year
June 2012 - Fellowships end with the conclusion of the Oxford University academic year
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a question that is not answered below, please contact us at srbyer@ou.edu or lzagzebski@ou.edu.
What kinds of research projects may I work on?
Three examples of topics (among a much broader range of possible topics) are the following:
(1) A number of contemporary metaphysicians endorse so-called A-theories of time which posit a moving now or privileged present. Moreover, the currently popular open theism requires an A-theory. Yet because it is difficult to reconcile A-theories of time with relativity, an examination of attempts in contemporary physics to find some room for a moving now or privileged present should be of great interest to a variety of philosophers and theologians.
(2) A second set of questions concern the nature of logico-mathematical truth. Do these sorts of truth have any relation to or dependence on God? And if so, what is it, and how can we make sense of it? The mathematician Hugh Woodin of Berkeley, for example, has recently argued that new developments in set theory make it almost impossible to avoid being a platonist in mathematics. Since many theists are attracted to platonism, construing abstract objects as ideas in the mind of God, whereas naturalists have tended to reject it, there is an important issue here for philosophical inquiry. If, on the other hand, logico-mathematical truths have no relation to or dependence upon God, why don’t they, and does it matter?
(3) There is a need to explore the implications of contemporary cosmology for traditional arguments for the existence of God. While the relevance of some of these debates to fine tuning versions of the design argument seem obvious, less attention has been paid to the implications of current science for traditional cosmological arguments. Another important issue concerns the methods and aspirations of cosmology. Does it seek anything like ultimate explanation? If so, in what sense? And are religious ultimate explanations complementary to or rather competing with the project of empirical cosmology?
September 15th, 2010
Deadline for Letters of Intent
November 15th, 2010
Deadline for Completed Applications
October 2011 - June 2012
Dr. Linda Zagzebski
University of Oklahoma
Program Director
Dr. Brian Leftow
Oxford University
Program Co-Director
Sammuel R. Byer
University of Oklahoma
Program Administrator
Dr. Dave Leal
Oxford University
Program Administrator