Melissa Marcotte

Academic areas of interest
Marcotte’s primary research focus has been understanding precursors to reactive aggression, particularly shame, and perceptions of violence through an interdisciplinary lens, including social, cognitive and developmental psychology; multiculturalism; and neuroscience. She believes that “conflict can easily be extinguished with a dose of humility on both sides, because through believing that all beings, like ourselves, seek happiness and comfort, righteousness and dignity, and love and belonging, we can see ourselves in others. Empathy is the key to forgiveness. We are all worthy of it.”
Specializations include:
- Social/Cognitive Psychology, social cognition, interpersonal relations, social development
- Peace and conflict resolution, Kingian nonviolence methods
- Effective pedagogical methods in psychology
- Multicultural psychology, cultural competency, multicultural research methods
- Industrial-Organizational Psychology application and measures
- Program evaluation
- Statistical analyses (SPSS, R, Excel) and research design methods (both quantitative and qualitative)
- Information technology, software and technology troubleshooting
Courses
Fall 2023 Courses
HPSS S232-01
DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE LIFESPAN II
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Developmental psychology provides an overview of human development throughout the lifespan. The goal of the course is to establish a basis for understanding the processes of developmental change through which humans progress. Physical, cognitive, and psychosocial aspects of human development are explored as well as the methods and philosophies that guide the associated research. Coursework consists of weekly readings with comprehension quizzes, lectures, small group discussions and a final project of student's choosing related to a developmental period. Students pursuing a career that will necessitate working with and being sensitive to people of various ages will find this course valuable. Prenatal development up to young adulthood will be covered in the spring 2021 semester. Middle adulthood to death will be covered in the Fall 2021 semester.
Prerequisite: HPSS-S101 for Undergraduate Students
Elective
HPSS S656-01
INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
SECTION DESCRIPTION
As the study of behavior and mental processes, psychology allows us to better understand how people think, feel and act. This introductory course provides a broad overview of the major content areas within the field of psychology (e.g., physiological, developmental, social and cognitive psychology) and will introduce you to the psychological theories and research used to understand human behavior. We will cover a wide variety of topics, including how people learn, process and store information, why people possess distinct personalities, how social situations and cultural norms affect our behavior, how we grow and develop throughout our lives, etc. Throughout the course we will critically evaluate the merit of classic psychological theory and research in understanding people's thoughts, feelings and actions in real world situations. This course will provide a broad knowledge base for those interested in taking upper level psychology classes.
Prerequisite: HPSS-S101 for Undergraduate Students
Elective
Spring 2024 Courses
HPSS S656-01
INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
SECTION DESCRIPTION
As the study of behavior and mental processes, psychology allows us to better understand how people think, feel and act. This introductory course provides a broad overview of the major content areas within the field of psychology (e.g., physiological, developmental, social and cognitive psychology) and will introduce you to the psychological theories and research used to understand human behavior. We will cover a wide variety of topics, including how people learn, process and store information, why people possess distinct personalities, how social situations and cultural norms affect our behavior, how we grow and develop throughout our lives, etc. Throughout the course we will critically evaluate the merit of classic psychological theory and research in understanding people's thoughts, feelings and actions in real world situations. This course will provide a broad knowledge base for those interested in taking upper level psychology classes.
Prerequisite: HPSS-S101 for Undergraduate Students
Elective