Teaching Philosophy:
Scaffolded Independent Inquiry
Academic Excellence as Marketable Skills
Embodied Diversity In and Beyond the Classroom
PSYCHOLOGY OF SEXUALITY
Sexuality is more than who’s hot and who’s not. It is an exploration of who we are and how we relate to others, both in our minds and with our bodies. Psychology of Sexuality explores the underpinnings of sex and gender through the critical examination of scientific literature, clinically relevant experiences, and socio-cultural landscapes. Students will learn about a breadth of sexual behavior across gender identities and explore diverse theories of sex from evolutionary, social-psychological, and queer perspectives. Students will gain an understanding of safe sex behaviors in diverse types of sexual scenarios and will develop evidence-based communication skills to promote personal safety including consent-refusal protocols and support mechanisms in instances of unwanted sexual contact. Overall, students will engage in active learning about the psychology of sex-related thoughts, feelings, and behaviors while prioritizing personal well-being and pleasure.
Social Psychology
Social Psychology is all around us. It’s in our heads, our hearts, our relationships, and our communities. In fact, it is their very essence. In this class, we will explore how people think, feel, and behave in the presence of others - real or imagined. In this course, students learn to see the world in a new way by peeling back layers of ourselves to expose the mechanisms that underlie our beliefs, emotions, and actions. The members of our tripartite expedition are the self, the other, and the group. Since one is nested within the other, we pick apart the whole that is greater that the sum of its parts in am attempt to comprehend the nature of humankind. At times our questions may be only answered with more questions, but we are be firmly guided by critical analysis of empirical investigations, contemporary think pieces, and a mixture of medias that propel us towards an answer to the question: what does it mean to be human?
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Experimental psychology
Experimental psychology is an approach to studying human thoughts, feelings, and behavior that focuses on conditional control. We will conduct a hands-on exploration of the methods, procedures, and implications of experimental research methods by executing group research projects on topics of your choosing. There is great power in the scientific method, and even more in experimental design as we learn how to control conditions of empirical investigations in order to draw cause-and-effect conclusions about psychological phenomena. As of now, you are no longer a sponge indiscriminately soaking up information from professors, peers, parents, or the media. This course will build on your previous experience in research methods and statistics to transform you into a psychological scientist who capable of critically evaluating the world around you.
survey of psych science
Psychology is a broad field with implications across disciplines. This course is a survey of the basic concepts involved in the study of behavior and applications of psychological principles. We will be using scientific foundations to study the major domains of psychology (biological, cognitive, developmental, social, and mental/physical health) to integrate cross-cutting themes of social and cultural diversity, ethics, and variations in human functioning.​
Psych of Sexuality
Experimental Design
Survey of Psychological Science
coming soon!
Psychology of cults
Group dynamics and social influence have never been more relevant to social life. As human beings, we have psychological needs for social connection, identity, and sense of meaning, which are robust motivating forces for engaging with groups and causes that complement to our moral and spiritual values. However, these fundamental needs have been, and continue to be, exploited on mass scales by profiting organizations who seek to exert control,
This course examines the social dynamics of cult culture in historical and contemporary contexts. By interacting with journal articles, podcast productions, and historical accounts, students will learn to identify high control groups, understand the psychological mechanisms they employ, and work to generate novel solutions to modern-day domains of social deprivation people experience to reduce exploitation of peoples in contemporary cult-ure.
