The PhD program is divided into two curricula (philosophical-naturalistic and technological-social).
The curriculum “Philosophies of Language and Mind, Psychology, and Evolutionary Sciences” brings together research interests in cognitive sciences relevant to interdisciplinary interactions between the fields of philosophy, psychology, pedagogy, and scientific naturalism, in particular neuroscience, ethology, and evolutionary biology. The method adopted is theoretical-experimental and requires the use of laboratories, including those of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Messina and Noto campuses.
The “Social, Territorial, Media, and Performing Arts Theories and Technologies” curriculum brings together research interests in cognitive sciences relevant to interdisciplinary interactions between media, social, territorial, and artistic technologies that adopt unified methodologies to investigate the performative dimension of cognitive processes and their social practices. The method is theoretical-experimental in nature and uses computer, cartographic, and multimedia (video-photo-web) laboratories. Doctoral students are required to organize seminars and teaching support activities within the disciplines covered by the relevant study plan.
The two curricula are structured as follows:
CURRICULUM 1: PHILOSOPHIES OF LANGUAGE AND MIND, PSYCHOLOGY, AND EVOLUTIONARY SCIENCES. Scientific-disciplinary sectors: Information processing systems (IINF-05/A), Neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience (PSIC-01/B), General psychology (PSIC-01/A), Philosophy and theory of language (PHIL-04/B)
CURRICULUM 2: SOCIAL, TERRITORIAL, MEDIA, AND PERFORMING ARTS THEORIES AND TECHNOLOGIES. Scientific-disciplinary sectors: Museology and art and restoration criticism (ARTE -01/D), Sociology of cultural and communication processes (GSPS-06/A), Performing arts (PEMM-01/A), Social psychology (PSIC-03/A), Cinema, photography, radio, television, and digital media (PEMM-01/B).