The Northwestern University Paris Program in Critical Theory was inaugurated in Fall of 2001, under the directorship of Samuel Weber, Avalon Professor of the Humanities at Northwestern University, who brought the program with him from UCLA. It affords up to five highly qualified advanced graduate students from a wide variety of disciplines a unique opportunity to spend one year in Paris familiarizing themselves with French and European theoretical research.
During the Fall quarter, the Program Director leads a weekly research seminar on a question of current concern in contemporary critical theory. The seminar can also serve as a forum for work in progress. The particular topic of the seminar will be determined in consultation with participating students. The Program Director will also endeavor to make the Program a focal point for international exchanges by inviting French and European scholars to participate in informal discussions, both in Paris and, whenever possible, at Northwestern. Students and visiting scholars may continue to present their research in the seminar in Winter and Spring quarters.