Humanics and Higher Education: A Psychological Interpretation - Dr. Seth Arsenian (c. 1969)

Item Information

Title:
Humanics and Higher Education: A Psychological Interpretation - Dr. Seth Arsenian (c. 1969)
Description:
This document titled “Humanics and Higher Education: A Psychological Interpretation,” was the third Humanics Lecture given at Springfield College by Distinguished Professor of Humanics, Dr. Seth Arsenian, in 1969. Arsenian, a faculty member who taught psychology at the college, filled the position as the first Distinguished Professor of Humanics from 1966-1969. The purpose of the position was to catalyze a renewal of consciousness in the philosophy.
Creator:
Arsenian, Seth
Date:
1969
Format:
Documents
Location:
Springfield College Archives and Special Collections
Collection (local):
College Archives Digital Collections
Series:
Distinguished Professor of Humanics Collection
Subjects:
Humanics
Springfield College
Springfield College--Faculty
Springfield College--Alumni and alumnae
Arsenian, Seth, 1902-
Places:
Massachusetts > Hampden (county) > Springfield
Extent:
11 Pages
Link to Item:
https://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/6605
Terms of Use:
Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Babson Library, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
Springfield College
Language:
English
Notes:
Humanics is a word that has a special meaning in the history and philosophy of Springfield College, as well as in the college’s motto of “Spirit, Mind, and Body.” The Oxford English Dictionary defines Humanics as, “the subject or study of human affairs or relations, especially of the human element of a problem or situation as opposed to the mechanical.” In 1962, Dr. Glenn Olds, President of Springfield College at the time, began to wonder why this name was given to the intended philosophy of the college by Dr. Laurence Locke Doggett, Springfield College’s first full-time president. Olds acknowledged that the practices of the faculty were in large part consistent with the Humanics philosophy, but he believed that a more self-conscious application would improve chances of its continuity and survival. In Arsenian’s lecture he describes the Three Major Views of Man that have dominated psychological thinking in America and their influence on our thinking about education in general as well as higher education. The views are: behavioristic, psychoanalytic, and personological. He then goes on to explain Three Levels of Capacities that are positively correlated with intelligence. These capacities are: the actual or survival level, the potential or growth level, and the possible or self-transcendent level. Arsenian finishes his speech with the Three Functions of Humanics Education, which are knowledge, character, values, and appreciations, and finally, commitment. He says: “Humanics education is a wholistic approach to man, and action is where the person is whole. It is in action where his cognition - feeling and physical stamina - his spirit, mind and body - join together and are fully interactive and interdependent.” Dr. Seth Arsenian was born in 1902 in Vaspurakan, the capital of the kingdom of Urartu in Armenia. He became an American citizen in 1940, after which he was hired by Springfield College. During World War II, he took a leave of absence from to work in Washington, D.C., first with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and then with the Office of War Information, where he was in charge of propaganda for the Middle East. When he returned to Springfield College, he was hired as acting dean, director of admissions, and eventually the director of the graduate program. He retired in 1969 and moved to San Diego.
Identifier:
Arsenian_Humanics and Higher Education