University News (Irving, Tex.), Vol. 16, No. 7, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 4, 1992 Page: 6 of 15
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: University of Dallas Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the University of Dallas.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
6
March 4,1992
University News
,v
News
J
L
ip
A
ft
Churchill did say, however, that the
task of psychology is to understand, not
to judge. He said it was important that
the psychologist gain the trust of the
patient. “This did not mean that the
patient tells his feeling and the psy-
chologist celebrates those feelings,” said
Churchill.
The difference between the kind of
psychology taught here and what
Churchill called “mainstream psychol-
ogy” is that the former is concerned
with intentionality and the latter em-
phasizes causality.
One illustration of phenomenologi-
cal psychology Churchill offered was
in terms of the emotion of hatred. The
branch of psychology he practices
understands this emotion by saying that
people do not like to be hurt. Using
anger, a person is able, through name-
calling and the like, to reduce a person
from a person to an object. “An object
cannot hurt you,” said Churchill.
Through the intention of reducing the
prospect of hurt, an individual may
her B.A. from Brooklyn College in
history and an M.A. and Ph.D. from
Yale University in Classics and Arche-
ology, respectively.
It is only through the generosity of a
loyal patron that UD’s McDermott lec-
tures are possible. An endowment
specified for this purpose was made by
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene McDermott in
1974.
After Mr. McDermott’s death soon
afterwards, Margaret McDermott con-
I
-
IV
V
Meyerson, Mrs. McDermott helped
bring Menuhin to UD.
Eugene McDermott was one of the
founders of Texas Instruments and a
prominent philanthropist in the areas of
education, science and the arts. The
McDermotts’ generosity extended to
many other institutions of higher learn-
ing in the Dallas area besides UD. Dr.
Louise Cowan and Mrs. McDermott
worked together on the arts council of
Dallas, establishing a connection be-
tween the McDermotts and UD. Eu-
gene McDermott wished to establish a
program at UD which would benefit the
public community as well as the institu-
tion. The original idea was to bring in
a visiting professor for two to three
weeks who would also give two public
lectures.
As previously mentioned, the first
McDermott Lecturer was Jacques
Barzun. McDermott was involved in
planning Barzun’s visit, but, unfortu-
nately, McDermott died before the lec-
ture took place. The original gift was
made in the form of an endowment. An
endowment consists of a sum of money
which is then invested. The income
from these investments is used to ar-
range the lectures. However, several of
the events, such as the Cowans’ visit,
would not have been possible without
additional support from Mrs. McDer-
mott.
Over the years, the McDermott
Lecture program brings to UD a lec-
turer in the fall semester and a visiting
professor in the spring. A faculty
committee suggests candidates for the
was able to come. She said that she was
hoping it would help her study for her
midterm in psychology.
Churchill said that there are mis-
conceptions at this campus about this
brand of psychology. He said that
phenomenological psychology has been
accused of supporting relativism, which
he found to be ironical because its
founder, Husserl, wanted to combat it.
Relativism is a school of thought which
says that reality is dependent upon the
individual, and what is right for one
individual may be wrong for another.
Phenomenology maintains that there is
an objective reality, but it may be per-
ceived or reacted to in a variety of
different ways.
The example he used was that of a
Rorschach, or ink blot, test. There is an
objective reality in the ink blot, but
there is an individual, subjective per-
ception of what that ink blot represents.
He said that this subjectivity has noth-
ing to do with the absoluteness of moral
truth.
McLuhan (1975); Hans-Georg Gada-
mer (1976); Malcolm Muggeridge
(1977); Mortimer Adler (1979); J. Car-
ter Brown (1982), the director of the
National Gallery in Washington, D.C.;
scientific thinkers Steven Jay Gould,
Douglas Hofstader, Stephen Toulmin
and Steven Weinberg in 1985, in con-
cert with the dedication of the Patrick E.
Haggerty Science Center; Horton Foote
(1986), a playwright and screenwriter;
Allan Bloom (1988); journalist Paul
Johnson (1988); violinist and conduc-
tor Yehudi Menuhin (1989)); Shake-
spearean director and producer Cedric
Messina (1990); and Weiming Lu, ur-
ban planner (1991).
1988 also brought two special lec-
turers, Drs. Donald and Louise Cowan,
former President and Director of the
Institute of Philosophic Studies at UD,
respectively. Mrs. McDermott was
actively involved in bringing the Cow-
ans back to UD.
She sponsored several events, be-
sides the actual lectures, such as recep-
tions, meetings with faculty and stu-
dents and a formal dinner honoring the
Cowans, who had a large part in devel-
oping the core curriculum and making
UD what it is today. Usually Mrs.
McDermott takes an active part in sug-
gesting lecturers and planning the events
surrounding the lectures. For example,
because of her great involvement with
the new Dallas symphony hall, the honor with input from Dr. Robert Sas-
seen, president of UD, and Mrs. McDer-
mott.
For an assessment of Brann's latest
book, see Dr. Bostaph's commentary on
page two.
employ anger and depersonalize the
offending human.
Churchill said that he disagrees with
mainstream psychology because it uses
premises that are legitimate for the
natural sciences, but not for the human
sciences. Human
has tentatively scheduled for this year
include Dr. Robert Dupree on April 10
on teaching and multimedia. Hazel
Cazorla may give a talk March 13, and
Dr. Robert Kugelmann may lead a dis-
cussion titled “Health and Wealth.”
b
P
K
FA
I
< s ■■ ■
I
I
K
■
I ’
I
*
-I
I I
F I
1
■r jh
Eugene McDermott
tinned to support her husband’s wishes
in supporting a myriad of educational
and cultural programs, including the
McDermott lectures.
The endowment is important be-
cause it allows UD to have the benefit of
funding to attract internationally known
scholars from a broad range of disci-
plines.
Through the years, the McDermott
lecture has brought such luminaries as
Jacques Barzun; Herbert Marshall
.......I
bso
Er
by Diane Gilcreast
The Spring McDermott Lecturer and
Visiting Professor is Dr. Eva T. H.
Brann, academic dean of St. John’s
College in Annapolis, Maryland. She
will deliver a lecture open to the public
tonight in Lynch Auditorium at 7:30
pun on the topic “The Derivatives of
Reason.” She is also leading a seminar
for the Institute of Philosophic Studies
during the entire week of March 2-6
based on her most recent book, The
World of the Imagination: r m and
Substance.
Brann has been a tutor at St. John’s
since 1957. St. John’s is a unique
college with campuses in both Annapo-
lis and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Its
uniqueness stems from the fact that its
curriculum is based on the “Great
Books” tradition. All students follow a
demanding, interdisciplinary course
sequence with very few electives. Most
classes are constructed as seminars led
by two faculty members.
Brann is an example of the compre-
hensive nature St. John’s wishes in its
faculty. Her other two published books
are Paradoxes of Education in a Repub-
lic and Late Geometric and Protoattic
Pottery, the Athenian Agora. She has
also published articles and written chap-
ters of books on many different sub-
jects.
Brann has been a member of the
U.S. Advisory Commission in Interna-
tional Education and Cultural Affairs
(1975-1978) and a Fellow of the
Woodrow Wilson International Center
for Scholars (1976-1977) and has held
numerous other honors. She received
Yearly Speaker Series to Sponsor Eva Brann,
Respected Scholar, Tutor from St. John's
Churchill Lectures on Psychology at Convivium
by Mark Zuniga
On Friday, Feb. 21, Dr. Scott
Churchill gave a talk on phenomenol-
ogical psychology.
It was sponsored by the Convivium
Series. Under the direction of Dr.
Samuel Weston, Dr. Sally Hicks and
Dr. Edward Wilson, “the Convivia are
informal gatherings, usually held on
Friday afternoons, and typically featur-
ing a 30-45 minute lecture followed by
a discussion,” according to its litera-
ture. The purpose of the Convivia is
generally to provide an opportunity for
faculty of different departments to meet
and discuss a variety of issues. They are
not limited to faculty. “The primary au-
dience is the faculty, but students have
come in the past,” said Weston, the
senior member. “I guess I’d have to buy
more wine.”
Weston said that students usually
come when a teacher has a following,
and they want to hear what he has to say.
This particular convivium was not well
advertised, so only one other student
Human
beings, he said, are
not totally depend-
uivu 4^
and their M
|
J
1
ent upon their envi-
ronment iu.w . y* t
perception of that en-
vironment. The
question “How are I
you?” is an example \
he used. “The an- \
swer does not come
from a mere sense ;
perception, like‘I am
.... _.................
Dr. Scott Churchill
sitting in my chair.’”
The talk con-
cluded with a num-
ber of questions from
UD faculty.
Other events the
Convivium Series
Ml
I
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
University News (Irving, Tex.), Vol. 16, No. 7, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 4, 1992, newspaper, March 4, 1992; Irving, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1218400/m1/6/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting University of Dallas.