Denis C. Phillips : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Denis C. Phillips, professor emeritus in Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, shares memories from his career as a teacher and a philosopher of education. Phillips describes his education and early teaching career in Australia and his research in the field of philosophy of education. He recalls the invitation from Lee Cronbach to apply for a philosophy position at the GSE, his arrival at Stanford in 1974, and his impressions of the GSE. He also discusses his work on the Stanford Faculty Senate, his time as a resident fellow in Twain House in Stern Hall, directing the Evaluation Training Program, the Loma Prieta earthquake, and more.
- Summary
- Father’s career in Melbourne, Australia, as a civil servant and a script writer for vaudeville theatre • Family’s involvement with theatre • Participating in theatre as a student at University of Melbourne • Receiving a Department of Education fellowship to pay for college in exchange for teaching afterwards • Selective high school system in Australia • Teaching high school biology at Essendon High School in Melbourne • Interest Darwin’s theory of evolution, John Dewey, and the philosophy of science • Pursuing graduate degree while teaching • Master’s thesis on evolutionary theory as used by Herbert Spencer and John Dewey • Decision to pursue PhD • Master’s and PhD advisor Barbara Falk • Using tape recorders to give comments back to students • First book Holistic Thought in Social Science • Working at the London School of Economics and the University of London Institute of Education • Christensen Fellow at St. Catherine’s College at Oxford • Teaching at Monash University in Melbourne • Invitation from Lee Cronbach to apply for a position at Stanford in the School of Education • Move to Stanford in 1974 • Memories of Lee Cronbach • Similarities in academic culture and governance in Australia and the United States • Research on works of Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget and other stage theorists • Thoughts on value neutrality in education research • Initial impressions of Stanford’s Graduate School of Education (GSE) • Service on Stanford Faculty Senate • Courtesy appointment in Stanford’s Philosophy Department • Teaching undergraduates versus graduate students • Strengths of Stanford’s GSE • Work on philosophy of education with colleagues Arturo Pacheco and Nel Noddings • Distribution requirements for the undergraduate curriculum and the Western Culture requirement • Lecturing on Marx and Freud in Philosophy Department track • Book on methodologies of program evaluation in education with Cronbach, Jim March, Dick Snow, et al • Myra Strober and other GSE colleagues • Acting as a resident fellow in Stern Hall • Philosophy Goes to the Flicks course with John Perry • Musical comedies and plays in residence halls • Loma Prieta earthquake • Emergency preparedness exercises in residence halls following Loma Prieta • Teaching a course called “Popper, Kuhn, and Lakatos” • Approach to teaching philosophical topics • Teaching in the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP) • Colleague Lee Shulman • Seminar reading group on evaluation methodology and coauthoring Toward Reform of Program Evaluation • Directing the Evaluation Training Program • Thoughts on evaluation in education programs • Memories of students • Idea of the Chinese room in philosophy • American Educational Research Association conferences • The Triennial Travesties • Changes in the GSE and curriculum • Phi Delta Kappa Honor Society • Teaching Democracy and Education with Ray McDermott • Fireside Chats Without the Fire series discussing professionalization issues with graduate students • American Association of University Professors presidencies • Serving on Stanford’s Faculty Senate • Working with Marsh McCall to establish Stanford’s Master of Liberal Arts program • Importance of writing skills • Working under John Hennessy on the Presidential Commission on Graduate Education • Philosophy of education field • Struggles to find funding for philosophy students in GSE • Stanford’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences • His book, The Expanded Social Scientist Bestiary • Work on editorial review boards • Thoughts on education research • Emeritus activities
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | March 6, 2018 - 2018-03-13 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Phillips, D. C. (Denis Charles), 1938- | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Phillips, D. C. (Denis Charles), 1938- | |
| Interviewer | Palmer, Anne | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Phillips, D. C. (Denis Charles), 1938- |
|---|---|
| Subject | Education, Higher > United States |
| Subject | Stanford University. Graduate School of Education |
| Subject | Stanford University. Department of Philosophy |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile |
Denis C. Phillips is a professor emeritus of education at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education and, by courtesy, of philosophy. Phillips began his career in education as a biology and science teacher in Melbourne, Australia. He eventually began to study the philosophy and history of social science and thought in the context of educational research. He received a PhD from the University of Melbourne in philosophy of science and philosophy of education.
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|---|---|
| Audio |
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| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/dm156th7387 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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