Teaching Philosophy:
Scaffolded Inclusivity
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.​
Centre College | Fall 2024
Previously Taught:
Statistics in Psychology
Statistics give researchers the power to ask important questions and test their hypotheses, ultimately acting as the gateway from observation and theory to scientific testing and validity. This is a two-part course including a lecture section on introductory statistics as well as a lab component where students gain hands on experience analyzing data using statistical packages. Students in this course will leave prepared to pose and investigate their own questions across fields of psychology and research design.
Research methods in Psychology
The scientific method is foundational to the field of Experimental Psychology. Students in is two-part course learn the ethics and application of research design and practices while completing a recitation section where they conduct their own experiment and produce an APA-style manuscript. By the end of class, they are trained in research writing an design and understand the history and current policies of ethics in the field of Psychology.
Cult-ure and Society
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.
Me-Search
College is a time of self-discovery, development, and preparation for the future. However, this experience can often feel unstructured. The aim of this course is to provide students with a space to explore the concept of social identity with supplementary explorations of themselves as emerging individuals. Students will learn major themes in empirical literature on the self across subdisciplines of psychology including the self concept, identity clarity, self-change, gender, race, sexual orientation, and more. With an emphasis on self-reflection and prospective of identity formation, students who complete this course will learn about psychological research on the self and use personal experience to enhance their understandings of their own identity.
Course wish List:
Student testimonials
"As a student who has never thought of social psychology, watching Dr. Cope’s passion for the subject made me fall in love with her field. She is an inspirational teacher who re-ignited my passion for psychology. She was able to take difficult concepts and bring them down to a lower level when the class needed it. The dedication to the lecture slides is evident, and she was able to make concepts flow together well. Further, her energy and animation in her lecture behavior made the concepts easier to grasp and hold the class's attention."
-Senior, Social Psychology, Spring 2023
[Dr. Cope] teaching is unique as she was able to bring benefits from smaller colleges and implement them in a university setting. Since I had attended a state college, I missed being able to have discussions in class and have a close, working relationship with a professor. Being able to take her class was a blessing I never knew I needed, and that I will be forever thankful for.
-Senior, Social Psychology, Spring 2023
[Dr. Cope] provided an incredible teaching environment. I think one of the best parts about this course would be the interaction between professor Morgan and the class. In addition, I was able to apply the different things I learned from the course to my everyday life. Overall, it’s changed the way I view social interactions and the idea of different relationships.
- Junior, Social Psychology, Spring 2022
Overall Dr. Cope is very dedicated and I would happily take another class with her as the instructor.
-Sophomore, Social Psychology, Spring 2022
Textbook Publications
I have been contracted to design editorial PowerPoint slide decks for textbooks across subfields of psychology. Contact me for more info!
