The Advanced Studies Seminar is an annual course designed as a space for interdisciplinary dialogue and engagement with cutting-edge research in the social sciences. Its primary goal is to immerse students in innovative perspectives about the complex challenges of the contemporary world. 

The program is structured around the four Thematic Lines of the ICS-ULisboa, which reflect the diversity of issues under discussion: Citizenship, exploring the multiple contemporary challenges faced by both emerging and consolidated democracies; Inclusion and Vulnerabilities, addressing the many webs of social inequality and their consequences; Memories, Imaginaries and Legacies, critically examining how social memory is constructed and fostering dialogue between past, present, and future; and Sustainability, focusing on how to shape sustainable futures through insights into climate change, food security, and urban transformation. 

Each seminar combines sessions open to the wider academic community with masterclasses tailored specifically for the graduate students. This format encourages active participation, critical engagement, and direct dialogue with researchers from diverse disciplinary and institutional backgrounds. The approach ensures close alignment between learning goals and assessment, which emphasizes attendance, participation, and the preparation of critical essays. In this way, the Advanced Studies Seminar helps students develop and sharpen their theoretical and methodological knowledge, while also strengthening their ability to engage with a wide range of perspectives. 

More than a course, the seminar is an intellectual meeting ground and a laboratory for critical reflection. It offers graduate students the opportunity to think globally, grapple with the emerging phenomena that define our time, and contribute to the pursuit of more just, inclusive, and sustainable societies.
 

Pedro Magalhães, Coordinator