|
|
|
|
Biographical
Information
I grew up in Brooklyn New York. After graduating high school in 1963, I
enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley where I had the blind good
luck to experience the sixties from hippy central. After graduating from
Berkeley in 1967, I went on to get a master's degree in clinical psychology
from Florida State University in 1969 and a Ph.D. in personality/social
psychology from New York University in 1974. I've been a Professor of
Psychology at California State University, Fresno ever since, with stints as
Chairperson of the Department and as Associate Dean of the College of Science
and Mathematics. Over the years I've also served as a Visiting Professor at Universidade Federal Fluminense
in Niteroi, Brazil, at Sapporo Medical University in Japan, and at Stockholm
University in Sweden.
I've written four books. The first, A
Geography of Time (Basic Books/Perseus, 1997 was awarded
the Otto Klineberg Intercultural and International
Relations Award. It has been translated into six languages. The German
translation (Eine Landkarte
der Zeit) has also won awards,
including being named "Non fiction Book of the
Year" by the German science magazine Bild der Wissenschaft in 1999.
Second, my colleague Aroldo Rodrigues and I
co-edited Reflections
on 100 Years of Experimental Social Psychology (Basic
Books/Perseus, 1999). This book grew out of a remarkable conference held in
Yosemite National Park to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Triplett's
seminal study of bicycle racers-an experiment which has often been cited as
the beginning of modern experimental social psychology. We brought nine
giants of social psychology to Yosemite National Park to reflect upon the
field which they have been so instrumental in creating: Elliot Aronson,
Leonard Berkowitz, Morton Deutsch, Harold Gerard, Harold Kelley, Albert Pepitone, Bertram Raven, Robert Zajonc,
and Philip Zimbardo. They each contributed chapters
to the book.
Third, The Power of
Persuasion: How We're Bought and Sold (John Wiley &
Sons, 2003; updated paperback edition published in 2006) targets the mindsets
of those who prod, praise, debase, and manipulate others to do things they
never thought they'd do-and are sometimes later sorry they did. I took a
hands-on approach in my research by, for example, taking jobs as a
door-to-door salesman and a used car salesman. It was a fascinating
experience. The book has now been translated into eight languages. It was
named one of the "Ten Most Influential Books of 2003" by one
international book group.
Finally, I co-edited Journeys in Social Psychology:
Looking Back to Inspire the Future (Psychology Press, 2008) with my
colleagues Aroldo Rodrigues and Lynnette Zelezny. This book consists of first person,
narrative accounts of the career journeys of 13 of our most eminent social
psychologists. Contributors include: Ed Diener,
Robert Cialdini, Shelley Taylor, Alice Eagly, Bernard Weiner, Philip Zimbardo,
Aroldo Rodrigues, Robert Rosenthal, Harry C. Triandis, Bertram Raven, Morton Deutsch, the late Harold
Gerard, and the late Harold Kelley.
I love teaching and have had the good fortune
to win several teaching awards. I teach courses in social psychology,
including a special topics course, "The Psychology of Persuasion and
Manipulation" (my favorite course), and am currently teaching the
psychology department honors seminar.
I am active at Poverello House, a local
organization that provides meals, services and shelter to the homeless. My
major current project there is a tent city community we began in January,
2004, named "The Michael McGarvin, Jr. Village
of Hope" in honor of the late son of the founder of Poverello
House, "Papa Mike" McGarvin, Sr. The
Village is a unique and ambitious enterprise in which a group of homeless
people have come together, at their own initiative, to build a mutually
supportive, self-governing community and, in the process, try to reclaim
control of their lives. It has been a remarkable, educational and humbling
experience to be part of this experimental community project. For more
information about the Village go to my article in the UN Human Settlements NGO
Newsletter. For more about Poverello House, see
the Poverello
House website.
I love creating art work-both paintings and sculpture. My work can be seen at
the Chris Sorensen Studio, 2205 S. Van Ness in Fresno or by appointment.
I am married to Trudi Thom, who works as a school
psychologist with Fresno County schools. We have two sons: Andy, who is
working for the non-profit organization New Leaders for New Schools in New
York City while simultaneously studying for his Master’s Degree in the Sociology
of Education at Columbia Teacher’s College and Zach, who is an undergraduate
at Columbia University majoring in anthropology.
For details of my work, see my VITA
________________________________________________
Brief Biographical
Blurb:
Robert Levine is a Professor of Psychology and former Associate Dean of the
College of Science and Mathematics at California State University, Fresno
where he has won awards for both his teaching and research. He is a
Fellow in the American Psychological Association. In 2007 he was both
named Outstanding Teacher of the year by the Western Psychological
Association and received the Provost's Award for Teacher of the Year at
California State University, Fresno. He has published many articles in
professional journals as well as articles in trade periodicals such as
Discover, American Demographics, The New York Times, Utne
Reader, and American Scientist. His book, A Geography of Time (Basic
Books, 1997), was the subject of feature stories around the world, including
Newsweek, The New York Times Magazine, CNN, the BBC, ABC's Primetime, and
NPR's All Things Considered and Marketplace. It has been translated into six
languages. His recent book, The
Power of Persuasion: How We're Bought and Sold (John
Wiley & Sons, 2003), has been translated into seven languages. An
updated, paperback revision was published in 2006. He
is President-Elect of the Western Psychological Association.
|
|
Books:
|
|
