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Interdisciplinary Symposium on Mental Disorder and Mental Health (Optional)
This day long symposium will focus on three reas of study relevant to but not always carefully related to mental health and understandings of mental disorder. They are all relevant to culture and mental health and there will be opportunity for delegates to take part in more than one stream.
The symposium will begin with a short introduction and then break into three streams:
Neuroscience and mental disorder
(Convenors: Grant Gillett, Liz Franz)
An evolutionary model of brain function will be outlined and its application to mental disorder and psychological development will be explored from a perspective of developmental psychology and cognitive neuroscience. Proposals for 30 minute presentations - which can take any form - are welcome. Please send to the convenor, Grant Gillett, Professor of BioMedical Ethics, grant.gillett@otago.ac.nz by Friday 27th April.
Theology and mental disorder
(Convenor: Andrew Bradstock)
Exploring insights a theological perspective can bring to an understanding of all aspects of mental disability. Proposals for 30-minute presentations - which can take any form - are welcome: please send to the convener, Andrew Bradstock, Director, University of Otago Centre for Theology and Public Issues (andrew.bradstock@otago.ac.nz) by Friday 27 April 2012, or call Professor Bradstock (03 479 8450) to discuss your ideas.
The creative arts and mental health
(Convenor: Bridie Lonie)
Links between the arts and mental health range widely. They include the notion that the arts are intrinsically health-giving, the mining by artists of the visions of people struggling with mental health issues and the use of the tools of psychoanalysis as building blocks for artworks . Proposals for 30-minute presentations - which can take any form - are welcome: please send to the convener, Bridie Lonie, Art History and Theory, Dunedin School of Art at Otago Polytechnic bridie.Lonie@op.ac.nz by Friday 27 April 2012, or email me to discuss your ideas.
The symposium as a whole group will reconvene in the late afternoon to have a plenary discussion of the three themes and points of useful intersection, convergence and divergence with the aim of fostering mutual dialogue and possible collaborative scholarship. It is hoped that this will be a valuable adjunct to the main conference that will allow delegates to enhance their visit to Dunedin and to learn more of the diversity of scholarship within the University of Otago. NZ$55.00 includes morning and afternoon tea (lunch as delegates own cost).
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