Megan Craig to Speak at
Smith-Willson Lecture
Winfield, Kan., Feb. 5, 2024 — Megan Craig, associate professor of
philosophy and art at Stony Brook University in New York, will be the featured
speaker for Southwestern College’s Smith-Willson lecture on Thursday, Feb. 8,
at 4 p.m. in Messenger Recital Hall in the Darbeth Fine Arts Center. There is
no admission charge and the public is invited to attend.
Craig’s lecture is titled, “When is a Child? William James and the
Varieties of Education.
Criag teaches courses in aesthetics, phenomenology, and 20th century
continental philosophy at Stony Brook University. Her research interests
include autism, color, embodiment, psychoanalysis, and synesthesia. She is the
author of “Levinas and James: Towards a Pragmatic Phenomenology” (Indiana
University Press 2009) and is currently at work on a book on Levinas, Derrida,
and palliative care in America.
“Reading Megan Craig's book ‘Levinas and James: Towards a Pragmatic
Phenomenology’ was a life-changing experience for me, both as a person and as a
scholar,” says Jacob Goodson, associate professor of philosophy at Southwestern
College. “In the manuscript I am currently writing, I engage with Craig's
interpretation of French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas and quote heavily from
her book. Additionally, her reflections on failure, love, and living with
trauma have offered me great wisdom. I believe her talk at SC will prove
beneficial in similar ways for community members, faculty, and students.”
The Smith-Willson lectureship was established by Mr. and Mrs. J. M.
Willson to call attention to the important moral and religious aspects of
education. National leaders on various related topics are asked to speak at the
annual lecture.
