Types of experiences students can expect:
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Theoretical, methodological, and analytical training related to the areas stated on the homepage.
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Working within an interdisciplinary framework embedded in psychology.
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Participation in research, community action, and outreach working with media.
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Participation in lab meetings with various graduate and undergraduate members.
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Develop independent research projects and/or collaborate on ongoing work.
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Opportunity to collaborate on scholarly presentations and publications.
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A safe, egalitarian, and supportive environment for all students interested in psychology for social change.
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Weekly and scheduled at the start of each semester.
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Lab Manager: Lydia Caldana
Lab Manager Assistants: Sally McHugh and Sophia Mullens
Lab Meetings:
Contact for Admission/Interviews:
Active Research:
International Project On Ethics + Mobile DatinG
Currently: Mobile dating in the COVID era
Mobile Dating In The Covid-19 Era Study seeks to understand how people are using dating apps during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify axes of similarities and/or differences across gender, race, ethnicity, age and sexuality. The study was conducted in two phases: an online global survey from mid-April/2020 to mid-July/2020, and in-depth individual interviews with 50 respondents from January/2021 to December/2021.
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Research Members:
Sara Obaid, Sophia Mullens, Marisa Lopez , Anna King, Sarah Epstein, Dr. Vance, Talea McCalman, Brian Clement, Vanessa Scott, Mianzhui Wang, Tyce Purvis, Eva Hersch, Tara Pond
Understanding the Experiences of Non-Binary Young Adults
While gender has always been a fluid and evolving construct, in recent years transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) individuals have become more visible across the globe. Such visibility has been met with uneven social, political, and clinical responses and understanding. Through a psychological and participatory lens, and utilizing semi-structured interviews, this qualitative research project aims to highlight the narratives of young adults whose genders lie outside of the gender binary. While the experiences of binary transgender and non-binary individuals often overlap, existing research has suggested that non-binary individuals may not only experience unique forms of marginalization, but also conceptualize gender differently than binary trans individuals. Uplifting the experiences of non-binary folks allows for more nuanced discussions surrounding the concept of gender and the effects of both cisnormativity and transnormativity. Further, greater understanding of non-binary genders can lead to enhanced visibility and equity for a population that is understood to be particularly impacted by non-affirmation and invalidation - across a range of sectors and in daily interactions.
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“(Un)Desiring Whiteness: (Un)Doing Sexual Racism”
Edited by Denton Callander, Pani Farvid, Amir Baradaran and Thomas Vance, this forthcoming volume from Oxford University Press brings together some of the world’s leading scholars to examine the complex relationships between racism, sexuality, and desire.
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The collection seeks to challenge popular thought and propose radical new ideas about the reflexive relationship between racism and sexuality. It will also offer a platform from which interdisciplinary thinkers can work together to unpack the complexities of racism, sexuality, and desire while advancing agendas of anti-racism, sexual and romantic well-being, and social justice.
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Dr. Farvid, Dr. Vance
Pablo Mangas, (previously Lydia Caldana and Sara Obaid)
Dr Farvid (US), Dr Gill (UK), Dr Vares (NZ), Dr Gurevich (Canada), Dr Flood (UK)
K. Eskins, Ciela Chavez-Gilbride, Sally McHugh, Sohini Chatterjee, Maso Mazzaferro, Marisa Lopez,
Max Tamola, Luca Forcino (Project Manager)
Dr. Farvid, Dr. Vance, Dr. Callandar
Thyme Canton, Michelle King, Leigh Lumpkin, Derek Scolpino.
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The Psychology of Heterosexuality
When it comes to human sexuality, there is a dearth of research directly examining heterosexuality from a psychological perspective (with much of the theory and research focused on understanding non-heterosexualities). This is largely because heterosexuality has been taken-for-granted as the ‘norm’ within psychology and hence the focus has been on examining what is considered non-normative expressions of sexuality or identity. This tendency has rightly been labeled as ‘heterosexism within psychology’ (Kitzinger, 1990) and continues within the discipline. This sole-authored book (published by Palgrave New York) by Dr Pani Farvid seeks to challenge such heterosexism, and broader societal heteronormativity, by putting heterosexuality under the psychological microscope.
Building on existing and interdisciplinary work on (critical) heterosexuality studies, this book brings a psychological lens for understanding the structures, contours and experiences of heterosexuality. The sections of the book deal with a) temporal, theoretical and methodological framings, b) developmental aspects, c) attraction, dating and heterosex, d) heterosexuality in pop, porn and paid cultures, and e) integrating this new and critical psychological understanding into psychological theory, research, and teaching, as well as in applied settings and popular ideas about heterosexuality. Issues of privilege and equity – inside and outside of heterosexuality – are also addressed.
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The racial stratification of the sex industry
Edited by Denton Callander, Pani Farvid, Amir Baradaran and Thomas Vance, this forthcoming volume from Oxford University Press brings together some of the world’s leading scholars to examine the complex relationships between racism, sexuality, and desire.
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The commercial sex industry is an evolving domain that stratifies people, desire, bodies, income, and access to sex, unevenly. At its core, there is an invisiblized but deep-rooted racial hierarchy that shapes the industry, manifesting in who is sought out by clients, earns the most, the location that they work, and the extent to which they are criminalized or targeted by law enforcement for doing sex work. As part of the Sexual Racism Edited collection, in this book chapter we examine the ways in which whiteness, cisnormativity, heteropatriarchal power relations, along with class and geographical location, create hierarchies of desirability and respectability within sex work.
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Health and wellbeing of TGNC PoC
Research to date has found psychological, reproductive, and sexual health inequities among transgender people in the United States, which are at the intersection of race. This study uses mixed methods to examine the social and structural determinants of health and psychological wellbeing among BIPOC TGNC individuals (focusing on medical healthcare, psychological healthcare, and community services).
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Research Team:
Dr. Farvid
Luca Forcino, Brian Clement, Tonya Pavlenko
Dr. Farvid
Dr. Farvid, Dr. Vance, Dr. Rubin
Sally McHugh, Isabel Glusman, Laura Ovcjak, Anna King, Vanessa Scott, Radhika Rajkumar, Michelle King
Leigh Lumpkin, Michelle King, Thyme Canton
Samantha Klein, Kay Nikiforova, Brian Clement, Sonora Goldman, Tyce Purvis, Hannah Song, Talea McCalman, Lindsey Johnson, Faith Nwando,