May 18-22, 2026
Call For Application: November 1, 2025 – January 20, 2026
The Graduate Seminar is led by:
- Tsinghua University
- University of Padua
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
An increasing amount of information, including misinformation, disinformation, and (deep)fake news, is increasingly disseminated through both traditional and new media. Our societies need to address and prevent such problems, which affect our belief systems, decision-making process, and public discourse, by developing information strategies and policies. And this largely relies on grasping logical models of belief, which reveals how belief systems and related concepts (such as preferences, desires, questions, and doubts) form and change, as well as how information exchange between individuals influences one’s belief inferences. Epistemic logic offers a thorough analysis of the underlying assumptions, definitions, inference rules, and semantic characterizations of knowledge and belief by examining statements like "Agent A knows X" or "Agent A believes Y." Recent development in epistemic logic is particularly useful for modelling belief changes in both single-agent and multi-agent systems, as well as in philosophical discussions. The Graduate Seminar “Belief Change and Information Exchange: Current Trends in Epistemic Logic” will delve into these models.
The primary focus of the Graduate Seminar will be introduced through both classical and contemporary, as well as syntactic and semantic, methodological approaches in epistemic logic, including propositional logic, modal logic, dynamic systems, inquisitive logic, theories of belief revision, possible world semantics, inquisitive semantics, and game-theoretical semantics. Additionally, we will help students understand: (i) how these approaches relate to topics in scientific disciplines, such as multi-agent systems in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, distributed systems in computer science, and models of belief revision in cognitive psychology; and (ii) how they can address contemporary social issues mentioned at the beginning, such as the spread of false information on social media and its influence on public belief systems, as well as how individuals or groups form and revise beliefs in political or social contexts.
Faculty
Fenrong Liu, Tsinghua University (Scientific coordinator)
Chenwei Shi, Tsinghua University
Norbert Gratzl, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Massimiliano Carrara, University of Padua
Ivano Ciardelli, University of Padua
Wei Zhu, University of Padua
Hans Rott, University of Regensburg
Topics
- Epistemic logic
- Dynamic epistemic logic
- Inquisitive dynamic epistemic logic
- Possible world semantics
- Game-theoretical semantics
- Inquisitive semantics
- Non-monotonic reasoning
- Belief revision and iterated belief revision
- Betterness relation and preference logic
- Logics for social networks and multi-agent systems
- Proof-theory of predicate logic and related systems
Who can apply?
This Graduate Seminar is offered to Master students, PhD students, and young researchers in Logic, Epistemology, Social Sciences, Cognitive Sciences, Psychological Sciences. Open to candidates from all the VIU Member Institutions; applications from excellent candidates from non-member institutions will be also considered and evaluated.
Fees & grant support
Full fee waiver scholarships are available for students from VIU member institutions. In addition, grant support is available to support partially or fully the costs of international travel. Accommodation is provided free of charge.
Three fee-waiver scholarships and Erasmus+ mobility grants (international travel, accommodation, meals) are available to support the participation of doctoral students from Stellenbosch University. For further information please write to Stellenbosch University Outgoing Student Mobility: matiesabroad@sun.ac.za
The participation fee for students of non-member institutions is Eur 1,150 (incl. VAT). The fee is inclusive of tuition, course materials, accommodation, lunches, social events, and taxes.
Students from non-member institutions are not eligible for VIU grant support.
VIU Alumni are eligible for a reduced fee.
Applicants must submit the (1) application form, (2) a letter of motivation – which should include a short bio and a brief description of the candidate’s research project, (3) a curriculum vitae, and (4) a photo.
For further information please download the brochure and the program or write to: summerschools@univiu.org
