Tsinghua University has suddenly changed its policy again and taken back all the admissions rights of its pre-tenure professors, so this admissions notice is temporarily invalid. Let’s wait until I’ve struggled my way to tenure before saying more……
Since last year I have been eligible at Tsinghua to recruit doctoral students. I had already written an admissions notice and its supplementary explanation; now that I think about it, there’s no need to scrap them and rewrite everything, and interested students can still refer to them. But I wrote those pieces in a rather long-winded way, which may not make it easy for impatient or careless students to grasp at once what they actually need to do. So here I provide a highly operational version, and students who are interested in applying can quickly confirm the specific things they need to do according to their own situation.
1. How much time is left before you submit your application for doctoral study? (For example, if you want to enter in September 2019, the admissions work should already have been done in September 2018.)
A. Only a few days left (go to question 2)
B. A few months left (go to question 3)
C. More than a year left, or you just want to talk and exchange ideas (go to question 8)
2. Are you a once-in-a-decade, peerless genius?
A. Yes, I am a genius (go to X)
B. No. (go to Y)
3. Are you interested in my research area?
A. I’m not interested in your research at all, or even familiar with it; anyway, I have a promising future in the history/philosophy of technology direction. (go to question 2)
B. I am very interested in one of your research directions, especially the history of technology or philosophy of technology. (go to question 4)
C. I’m not really strong in the history of technology or philosophy of technology, but I’m very interested in other research areas in the history of science department. (go to question 9)
4. Which specific area are you interested in? (multiple choices allowed)
A. Philosophy of technology direction (go to question 5)
B. History of technology direction (go to question 6)
C. Other issues I am interested in (go to question 7)
5. Have you read classic works by Kant, Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Stiegler, and others?
A. I have read all of them or at least some of them (please send me your reading notes or related essays/papers, and go to question 8)
B. I haven’t read them before, but I am willing to read them (please carefully read Heidegger’s article “The Question Concerning Technology,” write a reading report, send it to me, and go to question 8)
C. I don’t want to read obscure philosophical works, but I do want to study certain concrete issues in philosophy of technology (go to question 2)
6. Have you read works by Mumford, Innis, Havelock, McLuhan, Ong, Eisenstein, Postman, and others from the media ecology tradition?
A. I have read some of them (please send me your reading notes or related essays/papers, and go to question 8)
B. I haven’t read them, but I am willing to read them (please read one work by Mumford or one work by McLuhan, write a reading report, send it to me, and go to question 8)
C. These English-language authors are all too weak! I’m more interested in the French tradition of the history of technology (prove your French ability to me, and go to question 8)
D. I don’t want to read works that are too theoretical; I want to study specific issues in the history of technology (please tell me your specific focus, and send me any materials you have already collected or any writing you have already produced, and go to question 8)
7. Have you found a topic in my blog that especially interests you?
A. Yes, I found one, and I want to continue working on this topic. (Please write a comment directly on the relevant blog page to talk with me; and go to question 8)
B. No, but it really is a very interesting area in the history/philosophy of science and technology. (go to question 9)
C. Your blog is too crappy; I can’t be bothered to read it or leave a comment. (go to Y)
8. Are you in Beijing?
A. In Beijing — welcome to join my weekly reading group (this semester it is every Saturday afternoon), the weekly seminar of the history of science department (this semester it is every Thursday morning), and my course (this semester it is the history of technology, every Tuesday afternoon), and so on; we can meet often and exchange ideas. (go to 10)
B. Not in Beijing, but able to come occasionally — when you come, please arrange a time with me to talk. (go to 10)
C. Not in Beijing, and under special conditions cannot meet before admissions — be sure to strengthen online communication, take the initiative to leave comments on the blog, or keep in touch by email and WeChat. (go to 10)
D. I don’t want to meet, and I don’t want to communicate much either; let everything be decided in the final written exam and interview — (go to question 2)
9. Have you tried applying to the other teachers in the history of science department?
A. I contacted them, and was ruthlessly rejected. (go to Y)
B. I contacted them, and they think very highly of me, but the quota may be tight, and they are also in a dilemma. (Let them communicate with me; if you are indeed excellent, I am willing to spare a slot, go to X)
C. I haven’t contacted them. (Every teacher in Tsinghua University’s history of science department has a different research direction, and each can supervise doctoral students; there may be someone more suitable for you. Please contact other teachers according to your own situation, and then answer question 9 again.)
10. After充分交流沟通, choose both ways, and make the final decision around the beginning of September.
A. I am willing to be Hu Yilin’s doctoral student (go to X)
B. Communication or study does not necessarily have to mean becoming a doctoral student (go to Y)
X. In addition to the materials involved in the questions above, prepare the materials according to Tsinghua University’s requirements, and send me electronic versions of the personal statement and the doctoral-stage research plan: hyl510@gmail.com
Y. Unfortunately, we may not have a teacher-student缘 at the moment, but you are welcome to communicate and exchange ideas on a regular basis.
Translated from the Chinese original with AI assistance. The original text is authoritative.
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