2027 Session

Lectures by Denise Ferreira da Silva, Fred Moten, and McKenzie Wark

All lectures open to the public!

In an intensive course of study, graduate students and faculty enroll in one of three seminars to explore recent developments in critical theory in exciting, multilayered discussions. The whole school comes together for lectures, workshops, and work-in-progress conversations.

Undergraduates convene in small groups for a two-week mini-session and individual mentoring around research and theory: June 7-18.

Denise Ferreira da Silva

Professor of Spanish and Portuguese and Co-Director of the Critical Racial Anti Colonial Study Co-Lab (CRACS) at NYU. Author of Toward a Global Idea of Race (2007) and Unpayable Debt (2022), and maker of multiple collaborative films.

Seminar: “Material Aesthetics”
 

Fred Moten

Professor of Performance Studies and Comparative Literature at NYU. Author of In the Break: The Aesthetics of the Black Radical Tradition (2003), Black and Blur (2017) Stolen Life (2018), and The Universal Machine (2018), and co-author of The Undercommons: Fugitive Planning and Black Study (2013). A Macarthur winner, Moten has also published several prize-winning volumes of poetry.

Seminar: “Existence and Subsistence”
 

McKenzie Wark

Professor of Culture & Media, The New School. Author of over 20 books that take up critical and media theory, the Situationists, and rave and trans culture, including The Hacker Manifesto (2004), Gamer Theory (2007), Capital Is Dead: Is This Something Worse? (2019), Reverse Cowgirl (2020), Philosophy for Spiders (2021), Raving (2023), and Love and Money, Sex and Death (2023).

Seminar: “The Passenger: critical theory and creative practice for the twenty-first century.”

Caroline Levine

David and Kathleen Ryan Professor of the Humanities, Cornell University. Author of The Serious Pleasures of Suspense (2003), Provoking Democracy: Why We Need the Arts (2007), Forms: Whole, Rhythm, Hierarchy, Network (2015), and The Activist Humanist: Form and Method in the Climate Crisis (2023).

Six-week seminar for faculty and graduate students

Application deadline: February 2, 2027. Application materials are submitted via the online application portal. Prospective participants must indicate on the online application form which one of the six-week courses they wish to attend in order of preference. If your institution is a sponsoring partner (list here), you will apply by way of your home institutions and you will have first choice of seminar.

Six-week tuition: $2900. If your institution is a sponsoring partner (list here), your tuition will be $2600.

Paid work opportunities: If your institution is NOT a sponsoring partner, you may apply for a limited number of positions to run a two-week small-group discussion for undergraduates for $2900 or to work as a summer research mentor for an undergraduate participant for $1000.

Application Requirements for those whose institutions are NOT sponsoring partners:

1. A letter of intent: no more than two pages describing current scholarly interests and plans and explaining how the School of Criticism and Theory will help you in your work. The statement should include information about courses taken and/or taught in criticism and theory.
2. One confidential letter of recommendation (follow instructions on application website)
3. A current curriculum vitae
4. A sample of recent writing
5. A transcript (for current graduate students)
6. Indicate your interest in a paid position running a small group discussion for undergraduates and/or a research mentorship. In this section, you must provide a list of other sources of funding you have requested and received.

Admissions decisions will be announced in March. Applicants who have been admitted will have ten days from the date of notification in which to submit a non-refundable $200 deposit to hold their place. The remainder of the tuition is due on May 15, 2027.

Undergraduate mini-seminar applications, tuition, and housing

Application deadline: March 19, 2027. All undergraduates must apply through their home institutions (list of sponsoring colleges/universities here). If your college or university is not on this list, please contact us at sctadmin@cornell.edu.

Two-week tuition: $2000

On-campus housing for 14 nights: $1255 (paid directly to Cornell housing)

Please see Global Cornell and their informational webpage regarding executive actions and statements relating to immigration and travel bans.

Q. I have all my application materials ready but am still waiting for my letters of recommendation.  Can I submit my application now and add the letters once they arrive?
A. Yes, if you are simply waiting for your letters of recommendation, we encourage you to go ahead and upload your application materials while you wait for your letters to arrive.  You will be able to add your letters of recommendation to the application site up until the February 1 deadline.

Q. I am currently a graduate student.  Which transcripts do you require?
A. Please submit a complete current graduate transcript.  If you are a Ph.D. candidate with a master’s degree, you may also include your master’s transcript if you wish.  You should upload your transcript(s) to your online application. We accept unofficial transcripts.

Q. What are the specifications for the writing sample? 
A. Your writing sample can be a recent conference paper, a term paper written for a graduate seminar, an article or text, published or unpublished. There is no specific word-count or page-count.

Q. Should I send a copy of my application by regular mail?
A. No, there is no need to send a hard copy of your application by regular mail.  Only online applications will be reviewed.

Q. I am a non-US citizen. How do presidential executive orders on immigration affect my chances of attending SCT?
A. SCT welcomes applicants of all nationalities and does not give priority to any nationality when making admissions decisions. International scholars should consult Global Cornell’s informational webpage regarding executive actions and statements relating to immigration and travel bans.

Other questions?

SCT e-mail: sctadmin@cornell.edu

Director email: sctdirector@cornell.edu