BA Student Tyson Sereda Wins Roger S Smith Undergraduate Research Award

Tyson Sereda was awarded a Roger S Smith Undergraduate Student Research Award in the Faculty of Arts valued at $5000. Tyson holds a BSc in Psychology, a MSc in Speech-Language Pathology, and is currently finishing a BA in Philosophy. During the summer, he will be conducting a research project titled "A View from the Height of Despair" under the supervision of Prof. Marie-Eve Morin.

Tyson is interested in studying the relation between pessimism as a philosophical position and happiness. His project focuses on Romanian-born philosopher Emil Cioran (1911-1995), who is known for books such as On the Heights of Despair, The Temptation to Exist, or The Trouble with Being Born. Tyson's hypothesis is that a pessimistic existence is not without joy and that a pessimistic view of human subjectivity can better equip us to face crises such as the COVID pandemic. After studying Cioran's works, Tyson wants to see whether his ideas can contribute to non-academic discussions of the value of pessimism that have emerged during the pandemic.

Congratulations, Tyson and every success in your research!