Robert V. Levine, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
California State University, Fresno
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Robert V. Levine, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology California State University, Fresno |
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Teaching I have been teaching psychology courses since 1974 at California State University, Fresno. I have also been a Visiting Professor at Universidade Federal Fluminense in Niteroi, Brazil, at Sapporo Medical University in Japan, and at Stockholm University in Sweden. I've given guest lectures and workshops at many universities and educational venues in other cities and countries. Teaching Awards
Levine, R.V. (1977). An interdisciplinary approach to the introductory psychology course. Teaching of Psychology, 4, 132-134. Levine, R.V. (1983, January). An interdisciplinary course studying psychological issues through literature. Teaching of Psychology, 10, 214-216. (Reprinted in Benjamin, L., Daniel, R., & Brewer, C. (1985). Handbook for Teaching Introductory Psychology, L. Erlbaum & Assoc: New Jersey. Levine, R. (1998) Measuring the Silent Language. Chapter in: Singelis, T. (Ed.), Teaching about Culture, Ethnicity, and Diversity: Exercises and Planned Activities, Newbury Park, CA: SAGE publications, 29-38. Levine, R., Fast, N., & Zimbardo, P. (2004). The power of persuasion: A field exercise. Teaching of Psychology, 31, 136-138. Courses The courses I currently regularly teach are: Social Psychology My main specialties are in the areas of social psychology and cross-cultural psychology. I regularly teach undergraduate lecture courses and graduate seminars in social psychology. We cover topics such as persuasion and social influence, conformity, the self, attitude change, group influence, prejudice and racism, aggression, attraction and intimacy, altruism and helping. Students are engaged in a number of active learning experiences, such as exercises which require them to break social norms, track down family histories, and design their own social psychological studies. I have also taught a course entitled "Social Psychology and Culture" for the Smittcamp Family Honors College. This is a course a lower division, general education course specifically for the honors students. It introduces students to the field of social psychology, emphasizing many of the topics from a cross-cultural perspective. The course also has a field experience option in which students may do volunteer work at a center for Southeast Asian immigrants. Persuasion and Mind Control In addition, since 1984 I have been teaching a course on "The Psychology of Persuasion and Mind Control," usually once a year. We cover the psychology of persuasion from the normal to the pathological, from simple acts of social influence to dramatic cases of totalistic mind control through lectures, readings and experiential projects. Part of the course is devoted to the basic psychological principles underlying persuasion and mind control. We then apply this knowledge to a variety of real-world settings, including diverse areas such as salesmanship, advertising, brainwashing, ideological indoctrination, and hypnosis. Finally, we take a close look at terrorism, the cult phenomenon and the emergence of new religious movements. Supervised Field Experience in Psychology The purpose of this course is to provide psychology students with the opportunity to learn about psychology in its various applied forms through hands on experiences at field agencies. This course allows students to use, integrate, and expand their classroom knowledge in real life situations. Students this year have been placed in such organizations as Head Start, Footsteps (child bereavement center), Stone Soup (Southeast Asian immigrant center) and Comprehensive Youth Services. The Psychology of Diversity I designed this course to address a need of students in our master's degree program in school psychology. It is a forum for current topics in school psychology that are particularly relevant for students who will be working with the culturally and economically diverse population of the Central Valley of California. Topics vary by semester. Last semester we heard guest presentations from established experts concerning southeast Asian mental health, working with Hispanic students in the schools, and the issues concerning homeless populations. Other Courses Other new courses I have previously created and taught :
Finally, I supervise a number of independent studies and master's theses for select students each semester. Some of these independent studies are empirical research projects (e.g. a project last semester focused on gaining charitable contributions; another on the psychological effects of exploitive manipulation); other projects concern subject matter not covered in a regular course offering (e.g. the Japanese-American experience during World War II). If you have an idea for a project for yourself, I encourage you to come by and talk. |
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Robert Levine - Professor of Psychology - California State University, Fresno | |
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