“I want students to understand and have faith in the idea that they are capable of learning, improving, and figuring it out!”
What are your areas of research and teaching expertise?
I am a clinical psychologist by training, which means that I am particularly qualified to teach students about psychopathology – a fancy word for mental illness. My area of clinical specialty is traumatic stress (the reactions we sometimes have to trauma, including Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD). My research focuses on sexual violence – both victimization and perpetration. I study the reasons that sexual violence happens as well as its effects. I am particularly interested in rape myths (false beliefs about rape that exonerate a perpetrator, blame a victim, and/or minimize the crime) and also the role of attachment (how we think, feel, and behave in relationships) in sexual violence.
What is your teaching style?
My teaching style varies with the class I am teaching. Some courses are more lecture-based, where I have a very structured/organized but (I hope) conversational style that incorporates a lot of visuals, examples, stories, and humor. In my more discussion- and project-oriented courses, I tend to be less organized and more responsive to current classroom and project needs. I do a lot of one-on-one teaching in those classes, both verbally and in writing (e.g., feedback on student work). My expectations for students are high, and I provide a lot of support and assistance to those who want it.
What do you enjoy outside the classroom?
I vaguely remember having hobbies before becoming a parent. They included things like reading, playing board games, and cross-stitching. I am slowly reclaiming a few of those hobbies these days. For example, I recently got my seven-year-old to play an old favorite board game with me, and it was like magic. Then he beat me.
What tips do you have for student success?
My main tip for students is to take responsibility for your own learning. When you don’t understand something (and that should hopefully be happening a lot in college!), it’s your responsibility to figure it out – whether that means asking your professor, doing some extra reading, or sometimes even just looking up a word or Googling how to use a specific software program. We all have nearly unlimited information at our disposal, but in my experience, students often seem reluctant or unsure of how to harness that. I want students to understand and have faith in the idea that they are capable of learning, improving, and figuring it out!
What campus traditions are your favorite?
I really love when the full faculty and much of the student body comes together in ritual, like our opening convocation. I love the idea of a long but changing tradition of scholars, choosing to be and learn together. And I will never get tired of dressing up in an academic robe. I also think that Gustavus is particularly good at getting really smart people from different disciplines together and making them talk to each other – like at our annual Nobel Conference, which is one of my very favorite things.
What is your favorite author/book?
My most recent favorite reads are by sci-fi authors Ann Lecki (e.g., Ancillary Justice) and Arkady Martine (e.g., A Memory Called Empire).
What is your favorite class to teach?
My two favorite courses to teach are Abnormal Psychology and my upper-level seminar, Psychology of Sexual Assault.