The UNMC College of Nursing played host to an international institute that allows attendees the chance to explore a unique qualitative research methodology.
In July, the UNMC campus served as the venue for the 2024 Institute for Hermeneutic Phenomenology. This year’s theme was “Turning Towards Aging: A Phenomenology of Transitions and Becoming Older.” This was the first time UNMC hosted the event, which began in 1994. The institute holds workshops each summer, rotating among academic institutions across the country.
Hermeneutic phenomenology is a research approach that applies a particular “continental” philosophical perspective to collecting and analyzing data. The purpose is to understand meaning in the context of shared human experience. This often involves interviewing persons and/or examining texts, and the approach can reveal overlooked or previously unseen insights or understandings.
Established by Nancy Diekelmann, PhD, professor emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the institute connects persons interested or experienced in phenomenology with renowned philosophers. Each year, the institute features a traveling philosopher. This year’s was Kirsten Jacobsen, PhD, professor of philosophy at the University of Maine.
Roxanne Vandermause, PhD, UNMC College of Nursing professor and PhD program director, was co-director of this year’s event. She said 30 attendees from across the United States, England and Ireland attended. Multiple disciplines were represented, including nursing, allied health, sociology, philosophy, medicine and ecology.
The array of backgrounds and the topics presented by Dr. Jacobsen led to spirited discussions and the exchange of new ideas, Dr. Vandermause said.
“There is diversity of thought and new ideas that come from such exchanges,” she said. “The conversations were robust. There was actually a buzz in the room, and every break, every discussion period, there was conversation.”
A valuable facet of the institute Dr. Vandermause said, is the peer-reviewed research presentations and the chance for researchers to receive feedback from fellow attendees, which allows for different perspectives on projects.
“We have a motto in the business of our research: ‘Everyone is new here,’” she said. “New ideas only come if you’re open to them and take on the attitude that you don’t yet have the answer. That’s one of the tenets of the philosophical approach.”
One of the highlights of the event was an evening reception at the Kiewit Luminarium. Guests enjoyed food and drinks while continuing their conversations in a more relaxed setting. Seeing the interactions that evening and throughout the week, Dr. Vandermause said she was reminded why such events were valuable to the research community.
“This is the kind of work you love,” she said. “It was all about thinking, talking and envisioning new ideas all day and all night.”
UNMC plans to host the institute again next summer. For questions, contact CONQuallab@unmc.edu.