Lior Rosenfeld, PhD in Rhetoric, Theory and Culture, 2026
I want to express my gratitude to the Graduate School and the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory Panel for the Finishing Fellowship award. I would also like to thank my advisor, Professor Scott Marratto, for his guidance and support.
I earned a Master of Arts in Philosophy from The New School in 2020. Since 2022, I have been conducting my research as a PhD student at the Department of Humanities at Michigan Technological University. My research demonstrates that the public sphere is fundamental to democracy. By engaging in public dialogue, speakers begin to recognize themselves and others as free and accountable to one another. This process creates a dynamic, pluralistic world that supports collaboration and stimulates thought-provoking ideas. Therefore, to commit to democracy, academic institutions must ensure that techno-scientific reasoning does not become a tool for displacing the public sphere.
In addition to my research, I have been teaching courses in rhetoric and composition, ethics, and philosophy. I also presented papers at various conferences, including the International DerridaToday Conference, the International Conference of the British Society for Phenomenology, the Annual Conference of the Society for Philosophy in the Contemporary World, the Brown Bag series at Michigan Technological University, and the CCCC Annual Convention.
I appreciate the support this fellowship provides. My attendance at the AI governance conference at UNESCO in June 2025 inspired me to get involved with policymaking. Therefore, in the medium term, I aim to pursue a consultancy role with the U.N., UNESCO, think tanks, or non-profit organizations. In the long term, I look forward to pursuing an academic career. I am interested in holding a position at an academic institution where I can advocate for a free public sphere and create a non-violent society.