Chrysoula K. Fantaousakis, Ph.D.
The multidisciplinary emphasis of my research in cultural psychology and human development contributes both to theoretical and practical domains in the field. I apply my expertise to advocate for professionalism, scholarship, and quality of education in academia. As well as for services and educational reform for people with disabilities. I am happy to share that I have been teaching at Kean University since September 1, 1999. At Kean, I have experienced a wide range of sentiments, but I have always felt teaching at Kean has been a privilege of a lifetime. For me, teaching is an experience of both practical and academic significance. Therefore, it must be a deliberatively transformative experience for both the student and the educator, in concrete learning moments of exploration and collaboration. My students and I create a learning environment that is personally meaningful and academically rewarding. And, of course, the amazing cultural and social diversity we enjoy at Kean contextualizes the classroom learning environment, and makes it culturally relevant and academically engaging. To achieve this in my classroom, I encourage participation, and I organize activities and homework tasks that have personal relevance. I strive to support my students to actively engage in their learning, think critically, and claim their knowledge and confidence in the course. Through this active engagement and social relevance in personalized learning, my students are motivated and inspired to take charge of their academic purpose at Kean University. Every semester, I truly look forward to my collaboration with my students in my classes. We get to build on our shared understanding, so that each and every student can grasp the knowledge which the course offers and gain the confidence to claim it and apply it as needed.
Ph.D. City University of New York Human Development and Cultural Psychology, 1997
- Examine the impact of cultural practices in cognition, modes of communication, and paradigms of understanding the world and ourselves in it. I rely on a developmental model that integrates cultural cognition, emotional intelligence, and positive psychology as a socio-cultural practice.
M.Phil. City University of New York Cultural Forms of Communication and Modes of Thought, 1994
M.A. Hunter College of City University of New York General/Developmental Psychology, 1990
B.A. Hofstra University Psychology/Music,1978
Courses Taught
- Introduction to Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Psychology of Adolescence
- Lifespan Psychology
- Adulthood and Aging
- Cross-Cultural Psychology
- Personality Theories
- Understanding Self and Others
- Seminar on Issues of Contemporary Psychology
- Developmental Study of Children
- Social Psychology of Adolescence
- Advance Psychology of Personality
- Field Experience in Women’s Studies
- Research Methods in Human Development
- Psychology of the Arts
- History and Systems
Research Interests
As a cultural psychologist, I have always been interested in how modes of communication affect human behavior at the intellectual, emotional, and social levels. At the core of this interest has been the critical function of human activity and social interaction. As multimedia hyper literacy dominates social and educational practices one can easily notice the transformations in social interaction and its effects. The paradoxical effects I have been noticing inside and outside the classroom have transformed my interest into a form of cultural psychology that includes communicative, innovative, and spiritual practices. More specifically, I am striving to integrate these three domains into a form of positive psychology that I consider practical spirituality. That is, I am interested to explore the different forms of social discourse in which people engage across contexts to make sense of the world and themselves in it. I strive to integrate my expertise in cultural psychology with Carl Jung’s cultural theory of personality along with positive psychology traditions to capture the transitional practices in today’s fast-changing world.