Cornelia B. Rea Ph.D.

Teaching Philosophy: I believe learning about Psychology should contribute to your understanding of people around you and also broaden your self-awareness and knowledge. To do this I give assignments which to help students integrate abstract knowledge and theories with their own real life experiences. I also try to provide active learning exercises in every class and materials matched to a variety of learning styles and modalities (visual, verbal, experiential and even kinesthetic where possible). Finally, my background in cognitive psychology makes me highly aware of how students are best able to learn information and retain it. I am also very interested in positive psychology and helping students identify and develop their personal strengths in ways that will allow them to have fulfilling experiences at Tompkins Cortland and in life in general.

Courses Taught: Social Psychology, Introduction to Psychology, Social Science Capstone (Topic: Conflict Resolution), Freshman Seminar.

Other Interests: Among many other interests, I have worked as a volunteer mediator in Cortland County for the last five years. I have training in family mediation, custody mediation, Special Ed. Mediation, community mediation and environmental conflict resolution techniques. I also sing in a multicultural chorus in Ithaca.

Favorite Quote: "Wherever a process of life communicates an eagerness to him who lives it, there the life becomes genuinely significant."
William James, one of the grandfathers of the psychology field and a great thinker.