In choosing themes for our psychology lecture series, we look for topics that have broad interest and that generate scientific research from a variety of perspectives. All invited speakers meet and network with St. Mary’s psychology students. Lectures may be used to fulfill the Lecture Reflection Requirement in PSYC 303, PSYC 490, and PSYC 493/494. All lectures are free and open to the general public.
2017-18 Series: 
Psychology of Oppression
In these tumultuous times we have witnessed disturbing levels of bigotry against women and trans people, police violence against men and women of color, and economic and health inequalities related to discrimination on the bases of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and other dimensions of social identity. Where is Psychology in these and other instances of oppression? How could the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes help our society identify and eliminate systemic social injustices?
The AY17-18 Psychology speaker series will explore various facets of the “Psychology of Oppression” by inviting academic psychologists whose professional research and expertise is situated in the examination of various forms of oppression at individual (psychological, intrapsychic, and biophysical), interpersonal, and systemic (structural, institutional) levels. Our theme is directly connected with the Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (IDE) Office’s theme of “Unmasking Oppression: Bring Back Humanity to the Conversation.” Speakers representing diverse academic perspectives and backgrounds who are united in their passion for understanding the psychological principles underlying oppression are encouraged to discuss their expertise in ways that highlight how psychological knowledge informs notions of social, political, and personal oppression.
Series Lectures
Wednesday, October 25, 2018
4:45 pm in Goodpaster Hall 195
Dr. Durryle Brooks ’06 presents “Healing Ourselves: An Exploration of Race-, Gender- and Sexuality-Based Trauma”
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
4:45 pm in Goodpaster Hall 195
Dr. Patrick Corrigan presents “Erasing the Stigma of Mental Illness: What Says the Dodo Bird?”
Patrick Corrigan (Psy.D. Illinois School of Professional Psychology) is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Prior to this, Corrigan was professor of Psychiatry and Executive Director of the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at the University of Chicago, being there for fourteen years. Corrigan has been principal investigator of federally funded studies on rehabilitation, the stigma of mental illness, and consumer operated services. Ten years ago, he became principal investigator of the Chicago Consortium for Stigma Research, the only NIMH-funded research center examining the stigma of mental illness.
Monday, April 23, 2018
4:45 pm in Goodpaster Hall 195
Dr. Angela Byars-Winston presents “Threading the Diversity Needle: Building Cultural Responsiveness in Research Mentors”
Angela Byars-Winston is a Professor in the University of Wisconsin Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine. She is also the Director of Research and Evaluation in the UW Center for Women’s Health Research and Faculty Affiliate of the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research. Her research examines cultural influences on academic and career development, especially for racial and ethnic minorities and women in the sciences, engineering, and medicine with the aim of broadening their participation in STEM fields. In her talk she will share research program highlights and implications for scientific workforce diversity.
Previous lecture series topics:
- 2016-17: Psychology Across the Globe: Cross-Cultural Perspectives
- 2015-16: Autism Spectrum Disorder: Fact and fiction
- 2014-15: Benefits and Risks of Technology Use on Children in the Home and at School
- 2013-14: Health and the Obesity “Crisis”
- 2012-13: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention
- 2011-12: Populations in Need