The Department of Søren Kierkegaard Research

Enrahonar 29, 1998 1 7 11 7 2 The Department of Søren Kierkegaard Research Bruce H. Kirmmse University of Copenhagen Connecticut College. USA The De p a rtment of Søren Kierk e g a a rd Re s e a rch [Afdelingen for Søre n K i e rk e g a a rd Forskning] is a part of the Institute of Systematic T h e o l o g y [ Instituttet for systematisk teologi] of the Theological Faculty of the Un i ve r s i t y of Copenhagen and is located at the Søren Kierk e g a a rd Re s e a rch Centre in the middle of the old city of Copenhagen at St o re Kannikestrade 15. The De p a r tment of Søren Kierk e g a a rd Re s e a r ch (and its associated K i e rk e g a a rd Library) is open to qualified scholars both from De n m a rk and f rom all over the world. Over a period of ca. 30 years the department has hosted hundreds of scholars —both PhD students and more senior re s e a rc h e r s — including many of the world's most distinguished experts. The depart m e n t ' s e x t e n s i ve and specialized re s e a rch library not only includes all of Kierk e g a a rd ' s published works and posthumous papers (both in the various Danish editions and in translation into many of the world's major languages) but also a we a l t h of secondary literature (including a compre h e n s i ve collection of well over 100 PhD dissertations) and a great deal of related material on Danish intellectualcultural and social-political life in the 19th century. A special, climate-cont rolled room contains a re c o n s t ruction of part of Kierk e g a a rd's personal lib r a ry, in the editions he owned. The Kierk e g a a rd Library's most recent acquisition is a microfilmed version of the entire Søren Kierk e g a a r d Arc h i v e fro m the collection of the Manuscript De p a rtment of the Royal Library. Vi rt u a l l y anything not obtainable from the Kierk e g a a rd Library is available either in one of the other theological libraries in the building or at the Royal Library, to which the De p a rtment of Kierk e g a a rd Re s e a rch is connected by computer and which is a ten-minute walk from the depart m e n t . Guest re s e a rchers are assigned a study desk and issued a key that prov i - des 12-hour access to the department and to the various other libraries of the Theological Fa c u l t y. In addition to excellent re s e a rch facilities, advanced students are usually able to enroll in courses dealing with Kierk e g a a rd. In re c e n t years these course offerings have ranged from a short series of lectures on K i e rk e g a a rd in English to specialized, semester-length lecture courses (in Danish) on Kierk e g a a rdian topics. A specialized re s e a rch seminar for PhD stu- 1 7 2 Enrahonar 29, 1998 N o t i f i c a c i o n s dents and other advanced students who are working on Kierk e g a a rd - re l a t e d p rojects is generally taught eve ry semester. In one recent ye a r, the De p a rt m e n t of Kierk e g a a rd Re s e a rch hosted scholars from De n m a rk, No rw a y, Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ge r m a n y, Spain, Poland, Ge r m a n y, Ja p a n , China, Hong Kong, It a l y, Bosnia, Greece, and Australia. The majority of the n o n - Danes learned to read —and in many cases to speak and to understand— Danish. In d i v i d u a l i zed advice and guidance is available for scholars work i n g on specific projects. In t e rested scholars should apply to: Pia Søltoft S ø ren Kierk e g a a rd Re s e a rch Centre St o re Kannikestrade 15 DK-1169 Copenhagen K D E N M A R K e-mail: [email protected] Submitted by : Pro f. Bruce H. Kirmmse (past dire c t o r, De p a rtment of Søren Kierk e g a a rd Re s e a rc h ) De p a rtment of Hi s t o ry 5487 Connecticut College 270 Mohegan Ave n u e New London, Connecticut 06320-4196 U S A Tel: +1 860 439 2009 Fax: +1 860 439 5333 e-mail: [email protected]