| Description | Minutes of a committee established by the Senate in 1963 to examine the possible scope of the proposed Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Science and its bearing on related work in other Faculties, documenting meetings held between November 1963 and January 1965, and minutes of a committee established by the Senate in 1966 to consider the establishment of a Department of Phonetics within the Faculty of Arts
The Committee on the Proposed Department of Psychology held its first meeting on 5 November 1963. Membership consisted of the Vice-Chancellor or Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice-Principal; Professor Lafitte; Professor Lowenstein; Professor Peel; and Professor Trethowan. The Committee had the power to co-opt members as necessary.
Minutes of the first meeting refer to a previous Committee on the establishment of a Department of Psychology which had been set up in 1959 and had reported to the Faculty of Arts, though no action had been taken on its report. The matter had then been taken up by a Sub-Committee of the Faculty of Science.
The Committee gathered information about the present scope of Psychological Studies in the University, in the Faculty of Arts, particularly the Department of Education; in the Faculty of Commerce and Social Science, particularly in the Department of Sociology; in the Faculty of Medicine; and in the Faculty of Science. It discussed possible accommodation for the new Department, the staff and maintenance grant required. Minutes of the meeting held on 11 December 1963 include information about Departments of Psychology in other Universities in the UK, and a copy of a paper by Dr H. Maddox entitled 'The Place of Psychology in the University'. The Committee agreed to invite academic staff in Psychology Departments at other Universities to attend meetings. Minutes of the meeting held on 7 January 1964 include statements by individual members of staff at Birmingham on aspects of their work in the field of psychology.
Minutes of the meeting held on 19 June 1964 include a copy of the draft report of the Committee to the Senate on the establishment of a Department of Psychology, and set out the Committee's new terms of reference which centred on the recruitment of a Professor of Psychology and the general provision of accommodation for the new Department and the transfer of staff. Minutes of the meeting held on 26 January 1965 record the establishment of the Chair of Psychology and the appointment of P. L. Broadhurst. They also record details about intended accommodation for the new Department in the Minerals Engineering building, with possible additional provision for staff in the new Arts/Commerce tower [the Muirhead Tower], and give details about academic and technical staff required for the Department. The minutes refer to plans for further meetings of the Committee, but no other records have been transferred to the University Archives
The Committee on Phonetics was appointed by the Senate on the recommendation of the Board of the Faculty of Arts to consider the establishment of a Department of Phonetics. Membership consisted of a chair and one representative nominated by each of the Faculties and the Department of Education. It had the power to co-opt additional members
Minutes of the first meeting of the Committee, held on 10 May 1966, contain information about the development of Phonetic Studies at the University of Birmingham in the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Commerce and Social Science, and the Department and Institute of Education, and potential research developments. Papers for the next meeting, due to be held on 24 May 1966, include copy of a report on discussions with the Heads of Modern Language Departments and Professor Fage , and a report on Enquiries made in other Universities on teaching and research in phonetics. There are no minutes for this meeting, but the volume contains a copy of the Committee's report to the Senate on 22 June 1966 which recommended the establishment of a Department of Phonetics and Speech Acoustics, to be administered within the Faculty of Arts. |