ATTENTION HUMAN SCIENCE RESEARCH STUDENTS AND INTERESTED PROFESSORS/SUPERVISORS

Given the theme of this IHSRC, qualitative and human science research students and interested professors/supervisors are invited to an informal meeting at the next IHSRC in Tokyo, Japan. The purpose of the meeting is, at the most fundamental level, to discuss the building of a supportive, collaborative, and generative community for upcoming and future generations of human science researchers (currently graduate and undergraduate students working in qualitative/phenomenological research). This potential community represents an attempt to reduce the isolation (whether at the level of a university, nationally, or internationally) that many human science research students experience, to increase contact and dialogue among the upcoming generation of human science researchers, and to promote current and future human science research. This idea was motivated by experiences of encountering little student exposure and activity in human science research at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Personally, I (Richard Zayed) found the IHSRC last year (which was my first) very inspiring, both as a forum for me to be exposed to human science research and to share my research in the presence of an audience receptive to phenomenological research, as well as providing me with a sense of community in a world of natural science positivistic psychology. I found myself envious of other students who possess a sense of community with other student-researchers in their field. This meeting is the beginning of our attempt to create such a community, which would perhaps meet annually at the IHSRC in person but would mainly exist in the virtual universe of the internet in some form. We hope that our words resonate with a need that exists in the student human science community, and we look forward to our coming together to discuss it in Japan. We will meet after Dr. Giorgi's talk on the last day in room A-1, but we may group there and then go out for lunch to make the discussion more comfortable and enjoyable ... we hope to see you then.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact us (the organizers) of this meeting:

Richard Zayed (rzaye001@uottawa.ca)
Keiko Yabe (keiko-y@rk9.so-net.ne.jp)
 
 

Fall 2000

 

Published by the Department of Psychology,

Seattle University, 900 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122-4340, U.S.A.

 

 

IHSR NEWSLETTER IS ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB

 

The IHSR newsletter can be accessed at:

 

http://www.seattleu.edu/psychology/ihsr.htm

 

If you are able to access the newsletter this way, PLEASE let us know. By reducing the number of newsletters we actually mail, we will save a great deal of money.

 

The next newsletter will be published Fall, 2001. Deadline for submissions is October 15, 2001.

 

It is costly to mail the newsletter. If you do not read it, or if you change your address, please let us know by filling out and sending the form below, or contact us by e-mail.

 

 

State of the Newsletter

 

Again, this year, we are grateful for financial support from the organizers of the past conference. Barbara Peters and Armand LaMacchia of Southampton College, Long Island University, have recently sent $ 500 which enables us once more to send out about 400 hard copies of the Newsletter. At the same time, we would very much like to get to the point where the newsletter is only mailed to those who do not have ready access to the WEB. So if you receive this newsletter and do have access, please e-mail us (shalling@seattleu.edu).

 

Steen Halling

The Twentieth International Human Science Research Conference,

August 19-22, 2001, Taisho University, Tokyo, Japan

(Homepage introducing Taisho University is on http://www.tais.ac.jp)

 

The Conference Theme: Caring for the Next Generation

 

The Site: National Olympics Memorial Youth Center, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan

 

(The information on the Conference Site is available on: http://www.nyc.go.jp. Please click the English page sign even though it starts with pages in Japanese.)

 

This is the first time this conference has been held in Asia. The Japan Planning Committee is eager to welcome as many international and Japanese participants as possible. The Committee is chaired by Prof. Akihiro Yoshida, co-chaired by Prof. Kayoko Murase and actively assisted by Prof. Ryuichi Sato, Prof. Kenji Uzuki and sixteen other members, all from the Counseling Institute of Taisho University, a representative Buddhist University in Japan.

Keynote speakers include Amedeo Giorgi and Wade F. Horn (a specialist on family problems) and others.

 

Call for Abstracts

 

Deadline: Abstracts should be postmarked by April 30th, 2001. Decisions will be made by May 31, 2001.

Mail HARD copy of abstracts to: Japan IHSRC Planning Committee, Counseling Institute, Taisho University, Nishisugamo 3-20-1, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, 170-8470, Japan.

 

Length of abstracts should be contained within paper size A4 with 30 mm margins both sides as well as top and bottom. Keep in mind that the abstracts will appear in the conference program just as submitted. Individual presentations as well as symposia are welcome. Presentations on the conference theme are encouraged but presentations on other topics and issues are also welcome.

 

Accommodations: The rooms at the Conference Center (right in the middle of Tokyo) are quite inexpensive, ranging from about $35 a night with shared bath, to about $65 for rooms with individual baths (this includes breakfast and lunch). (Depending on currency exchange rates this may change slightly.)

 

Registration fee will be about $300, including a copy of the conference program, events and three dinners. Details will be posted on our Homepage when available.

 

Tokyo: Even with a population of twelve million people, Tokyo is one of the safest cities in the world. It has an excellent transportation system and it is easy to travel by train from Tokyo to other parts of Japan. It has many attractions, from landscaped gardens, festivals, art treasures, and shrines to baseball. Tokyo is made up of a series of small towns and neighborhoods, each with its own history, flavor and atmosphere. In August the average temperature is 80 Fahrenheit (27 Celsius), it is likely to be humid, and, on average, there are eight days of rain. In Japan, you may forget about tipping with taxi, in restaurants and hotels, because the Japanese dont have this custom. The sales tax is 5 percent. Tourist information on TOKYO is available on the website:

 

http://www.tcvb.or.jp

 

On JAPAN:

 

http://www.jnto.go.jp.

 

If you wish to stay at the Hospitable and Economical Japanese Inn (Ryokan) Group before and/or after the Conference, please look up the website:

 

http://members.aol.com/jinngroup

 

In Tokyo, The Sawanoya is recommended:

 

http://www.tctv.ne.jp/members/sawanoya.

 

For Further Information, Registration Forms, etc:

 

WEB Homepage address for the Japan Planning Committee:

 

http://www.tais.ac.jp/ihsrc

 

Use this address to get registration forms, information about lodging, etc. The forms will be available by Christmas.

 

E-mail address: IHSRC@mail.tais.ac.jp

 

If you want to write for information and registration forms, use the mailing address given above for mailing of abstracts. Your suggestions for the conference program are welcome.

 

International Human Science Research Conference, June 19-22 2002,

University of Victoria,

British Columbia, Canada

 

Theme: Inciting Dialogue at the Edges In Human Science Research

 

As human science researchers we all live and work on the edge. Some researchers are working the edges of their own research while others may be pushing the edges of their particular field. Some researchers may view their work as being situated on the edge of the mainstream or may be working edges of other knowledge realms that have the potential to offer deeper insights for human science knowledge and research. Whatever your edge might be, this conference is an opportunity to further inspire the exciting and insightful process of human science research.

 

The conference will be held at the University of Victoria which is located about 30 minutes from the airport and 10 minutes from downtown Victoria. Housing on campus is very reasonable and single, double, and clusters of 4 rooms with a small eating area are also available. Victoria itself is a beautiful location and has become a popular tourist destination. For more details about the city visit:

 

http://www.travel.victoria.bc.ca

 

A website for the conference is under construction. Cheers from the conference planning committee.

 

Marla Arvay, Gwen Hartrick, Marie Hoskins, Ann Marshall, Antoinette Oberg, Blythe Shepard.

 

 

 

Report on the 19th International Human Science Research Conference

 

Report on Conference

The conference was held at Southamptom College of Long Island University, New York State, USA, June 12-15, 2000. Approximately 70 participants from around the world gathered to explore the theme, Openness. The three keynote speakers, Patch Adams, M.D., Erik Craig Ed.D., and Mike Arons, Ph.D. presented inspiring addresses which elucidated varied aspects of openness. In the spirit of openness, the public was invited to attend the presentation of Patch Adams, founder of the Gesundheit Institute in Virginia, which provides free healing treatment for anyone seeking help.

In addition to the consummate presentations by conference participants, undergraduate students from San Diego State University in California, provided a unique perspective on identity formation from a multicultural point of view. This unique style using performance as a vehicle, provided a personal perspective of this complex growth process illustrating the richness and depth which emerges in an open society.

The Philo Cafe, introduced to the Human Science research community in 1999 at the Sheffield conference, was continued at the Long Island University conference and served as a venue for Mike Arons retirement. Despite the complications inherent in any international conference, attendees enjoyed the atmosphere of intimacy and comraderie.

Barbara Peters and Armand LaMacchia, co-hosts of this conference extend their appreciation for the patience and good humor expressed by the participants in the face of cold, rainy weather, skimpy towels, and a paucity of audio-visual equipment. They thank past organizers for their advice, encouragement and support. See you in Japan.

 

Report on the Business Meeting

Armand LaMacchia asked Steen Halling to chair the business meeting. The meeting started with a presentation by Professor Akihiro Yoshida who is the chair of the organizing committee for the 2001 conference in Tokyo, Japan. On behalf of the organizing committee, Professor Yoshida invited all of the conference participants to come to next years conference, August 19-22 (see above for details). The Counseling Institute of Taisho University, Tokyo, is the sponsor of the conference. A Call for Papers was passed out, and was followed by a number of questions about the forthcoming conference as well as an expression of appreciation to AkihiroYoshida and his colleagues for their willingness to host the conference.

The next item on the agenda was the site for the conference in 2002. Professor Darius Sleszynksi, from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, offered to host the conference. He had been discussing this possibility with the universitys administrators and a number of faculty and had secured their support. Then, unexpectedly, Prof. Marie Hoskins, of the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and four of her colleagues, also offered to host the conference. Faced with two attractive offers, the conference participants asked a number of questions so they could arrive at a decision. During the questioning it became clear that neither Darius Sleszynski nor Marie Hoskins could assure us they could host the conference in 2004 if their university was not selected for 2002. With time running out, a vote was taken. The group from British Columbia abstained so that their five votes could not decide the outcome. After several (manual!) counts of hands raised, the final vote appeared to be 17 in favor of University of Victoria, 12 in favor of Sacred Heart and 2 abstentions. The hope was expressed that Sacred Heart would offer to host the conference in the future.

Finally, the conference participants expressed their warm appreciation to Barbara Peters and Armand LaMacchia for having taken on the very hard work of organizing and running this years conference.

 

[Since I chaired the business meeting, I also offered to write up the report on it. Unfortunately, I lost my notes from the meeting and so the above account relies entirely on my memory of the event and of my notes. Accordingly, I apologize for any omissions or errors. Steen Halling]

 

WEB Site for Doctoral Dissertations in Phenomenological Psychology

 

You may remember that several years ago, David Smith, Ph.D., the Director of The Simon Silverman Phenomenology Center at Duquesne University, and I were working on setting up a directory for phenomenological dissertations. I am delighted to be able to tell you that David Smith and his staff have made this a reality. The WEB site has the abstracts of almost all the psychology dissertations done at Duquesne University, University of Dallas, a number from Georgia State University and the Saybrook Institute. The dissertations cover a vast spectrum of topics including hopelessness, forgiveness, depression, infidelity, magic and science, psychotherapy, eating disorders and many others.

 

The web site for the Silverman Phenomenology Center is:

 

http://www.duq.edu/library/silver2.htm

 

[scroll down to the end]

 

or go directly to:

 

http://www.duq.edu/library/DisAbsDuquesne.htm

 

Of course there are many other institutions that have phenomenological dissertations. If you represent one of these institutions and are interested in having the relevant abstracts added to the web site, please contact:

 

David L. Smith, C.S. Sp., Ph.D.

Executive Director

The Simon Silverman Phenomenology Center

Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, PA 15282-0801, USA.

 

Book Notes

 

Peter Ashworth, organizer of the 1999 IHSR Conference, has just had his book Psychology and Human Nature published by Routledge in the UK ( 30 hbk, 9.99 pbk; 208 pp.). This book problematizes what psychology usually takes for granted, that is, the meaning of psyche or human nature. It provides a coherent account of many of the major schools of thought in psychology, such as sociobiology and evolutionary psychology, psychoanalysis, cognitive psychology, radical behaviorism, existentialism, discursive psychology, and postmodernism. For each approach, Peter Ashworth considers the claims or assumptions being made about human nature, especially regarding issues of consciousness, the self, the body, other people and the physical world. To order or to get more information: book.orders@psypress.co.uk. Website: www.psypress.co.uk.

 

Marlene Cohen, David L. Kahn, and Richard H. Steeves (all of whom have attended the IHSR Conference on several occasions), (2000), Hermeneutic Phenomenological Research: A Practical Guide for Nurse Researchers. Thousand Oaks, California, USA, SAGE. ($24.95, 114 pp.) This book discusses hermeneutic phenomenology as the study of how people interpret their lives and make meaning of the experiences and its obvious relevance for nursing and health care because of the centrality of understanding patients perceived needs. The authors, who conduct nursing research, use examples from their work to show graduate students and practitioners in their field and other research areas how to conduct a research project using this method. The book reviews the phenomenological tradition, explores issues to consider in proposal writing--such as writing, budget projections, gender and minority inclusion and sampling. The authors explain how to conduct research: interviewing, field documents, data analysis (including working in teams) and methods for reducing bias, and provide specific advice about ways to present findings in writing.

 

David Seamon and Robert Mugerauers edited book, Dwelling, Place and Environment (originally published in 1985) has been reprinted (2000) with a new introduction, by Krieger Publishing Company, Melbourne, Florida, USA ($32 hdb., 322 pp.). This volume considers how buildings, places, and environments might sustain a more powerful sense of human wholeness, identity and life. Contributors include philosophers, geographers, architects, and psychologists, who use a phenomenological approach to explore such themes as environmental experience, sense of place, architecture as at-homeness, and environmental design as place making. E-mail: info@krieger-publishing.com; web: www.krieger-publishing.com

 

Russell F. Farnen and Jos D. Meloen (2000), The Authoritarian Personality Revisited: Democracy, Authority, Multiculturalism and Educational Policy in A Survey of 44 Countries, New York: St. Martins Press (209 pp). This volume reviews recently published empirical findings on democracy, authoritarianism, and political and civic education, as well as results from a 1991-1997 survey of the attitudes of almost 10,000 college and university students in 44 countries and eight world regions towards autonomy, democracy, multiculturalism, political repression, pacifism, militarism, educational policy choices, etc. It lays out cross-national political and educational similarities and differences, and tests the interrelatedness of the main concepts using a theoretical multidimensional model of political culture types and authoritarian personality characteristics, elaborating on the work of Adorno et al in The Authoritarian Personality (1950).

 

Wanted: Programs from Past Conferences

 

If you have copies of any of the following Human Science Research Conference programs 1982 (Ann Arbor), 1983 (Pittsburgh), 1984 (West Georgia) please e-mail me at shalling@seattleu.edu or send me a note c/o of the newsletter. Someone somewhere ought to have a complete set of programs so that we have a record of our twenty year history.

 

Steen Halling