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Merritt Lecture will cover values in education

October 6, 2011
Helen and James Merritt

Helen and James Merritt

Harry Brighouse, professor of philosophy and educational policy studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will deliver the annual James and Helen Merritt Distinguished Service Award to Philosophy of Education Lecture at NIU.

Brighouse will speak on “How Should We Judge School Reforms?: The Place of Values in Evaluation” from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, in the Holmes Student Center Skyroom. The lecture is free and open to the public.

His major publications include “On Education” (Routledge, 2006) and “School Choice and Social Justice” (Oxford University Press, 2000). He is a co-editor of Theory and Research in Education and a regular contributor to the Crooked Timber blog.

James Merritt, philosopher of education and professor in the NIU College of Education, and Helen Merritt, artist and professor of art history in the NIU College of Visual and Performing Arts, sponsored a series of presentations and colloquia featuring premier scholars whose works have deeply influenced educational thought and practice at local, national and international levels.

As the first professor of philosophy of education at NIU, it was James Merritt’s conviction that philosophy has a strong and positive role to play in teacher education. His enduring hope was that this series, which began in 1993, would continue to bring philosophical thought to a wider audience to enhance its educational commitments and participation as democratic citizens.

Helen Merritt died May 12, 2009. James Merritt died Dec. 20, 2010.

For more information about the Oct. 20 lecture, call (815) 753-4404 or email lepf@niu.edu.