Teaching

Courses taught:


Introductory Psychology

This course will introduce you to the field of psychology – the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. You will learn about different sub-fields within psychology as we talk about personality, motivation, emotion, development, therapies, mental disorders, health, and organizations. We will cover the basic findings and concepts of the field and attempt to apply them to the lives of real people including ourselves.

Social Psychology

This course will introduce you to the field of Social Psychology – the study of the way people think about, influence, and relate to each other. We will cover the basic findings and concepts of the field and attempt to apply them to the lives of real people.

Personality Psychology

Everyone is different and such differences are often attributed to our personalities. But what is ‘personality’ exactly? How does it develop and change? This course will introduce you to the field of Personality Psychology and answer these and other questions. We will talk about theories of personality development, personality assessment, and genetic and cultural influences on personality. We will discuss the basic findings and concepts of the field and apply them to the lives of real people including ourselves.

Cultural Psychology

This course examines a range of topics at the intersection of psychology and culture. In this course, we will examine how culture affects the way we think, feel, and behave, but also how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors affect the culture and the world around us. We will explore how cross-cultural research is conducted and examine the principles and theories of cultural psychology. Most importantly, we will apply the material that we learn regarding cultural diversity and its relationships with psychology to our own lives and our community.

Happiness

Most people want to be happy, and we all have our own theories or ideas of what it takes to be happy. What do we get right and what do we get wrong when it comes to improving our mood, happiness, and well-being? In this course, we will learn what science tells us about effective ways that actually lead to more happiness in our lives.

Psychology Of Everyday Life

In this class, we will discuss topics within Social/Personality psychology that connect to our daily experiences. Such topics will include food, TV and other entertainment, boredom, nostalgia, everyday social connections, and more. We will read and discuss empirical research articles on these topics. Students will gain a better understanding of the psychological processes involved in our daily activities. This is a writing course, so students will be expected to write a paper on one of the topics discussed in class.