‘Psychology Bistro’ – a programme of lectures for our A-Level Psychology students – is in full swing!
Mr Sean Quinn, who is Head of Psychology at King’s Ely Senior, organises the series of in-person and virtual talks for his Years 12 and 13 students, to complement and enrich topics that are covered in the curriculum.
There have been two talks so far this term. The first was given by Linda Sage, who is one of the country’s most eminent criminologists. Her remarkable 40-year career has been dedicated to understanding the motivations behind society’s most heinous criminals. Students heard about determinants of crime, conditions in prisons, and insights from Linda’s work with the likes of The Krays, Peter Sutcliffe, and Myra Hindley and Ian Brady.
The second Psychology Bistro talk was given by Georgia Brask, who joined Mr Quinn and students in the Old Palace, all the way from Denmark, via Zoom. The theme was psychopathology. Georgia is the author of ‘Voices Off’, a book which chronicles her experiences of schizophrenia; from first hearing voices to later experiencing a psychosis which led to her being hospitalised for seven months. This was the first time that Georgia had spoken to students about her experiences, and the talk was both informative and moving.
The third instalment of the series will be in February, when Sean K. Ellis will join us virtually from Boston, America. Sean was unjustly convicted as a teenager in the 1993 killing of police officer, John J. Mulligan. His life story was recently portrayed in the Netflix series, ‘Trial 4’.
Mr Quinn said: “This promises to be an outstanding opportunity for students to think beyond their immediate situation and explore a wide range of societal issues.”