Dr. Anne O’Dwyer
Professor of Psychology & Author
i teach, research, and now, I write.
I've been teaching psychology at Simon’s Rock at Bard College for over 25 years! My research — and the subject of my book — is on the social psychology of road rage. I look at the role of cognitive biases, attributions, expectations, and being in a rush on our propensity to anger while driving as well as in other contexts (such as air rage).
I admit it. I’m a city girl at heart—I love the energy and vibrancy of cities. But, I have become much more of a country girl since I moved to the Berkshires. Now I split my time between Great Barrington, MA and Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. I’ve come to love the peace that open spaces and vast stretches of nature can bring. I love my life in Great Barrington with my husband, Jim Frangione (founder of the Great Barrington Public Theater), and our two cats, Mookie & Jackpot.
As a transplant from Boston, MA, I still love the Red Sox, and Jim keeps me updated about the Boston Bruins. (I also attribute some of my interest in road rage to having learned to drive in Boston.)
I also teach at Bard Academy and Bard Microcollege Holyoke, and have taught at the Bard High School Early Colleges. My courses range from the foundational—Intro to Psychology, Social Psychology, Intro to Cognitive Neuropsychology, Research Methods, Developmental Psychology, and Intro to Statistics—to the more advanced/specialized—Conflict and Conflict Resolution, Theories of Self, William James's Principles of Psychology, and Political Psychology.
My research interests center around how conflicts with others affect how we think and feel about ourselves. I am pleased to be working with Mona Kanin @ Great Dog Literary as I develop this project.
Jackpot keeping a watchful eye on the writing process!
Sly’s reaction to the first chapter…
Teaching, Mentoring, and Advising Experience
I’ve been teaching psychology at Simon’s Rock at Bard College in Great Barrington, MA and Annandale-on-Hudson, NY for over 25 years. Simon’s Rock is an “early college,” meaning our students leave high school early to begin college. I am constantly inspired and impressed by the courage and creativity of our students who take this bold step in their educational path. I also teach courses in Simon’s Rock’s new high school program, Bard Academy, at the Bard High School Early Colleges in New York City and Bard MicroCollege in Holyoke, MA. I am proud to say that the ages of the students I teach range from 14 to 60+!
The courses I teach also span a wide range of subjects in psychology. I have taught Introduction to Psychology every semester for over 25 years (more than 50 times!), and I still find it one of my favorite classes! I love introducing students to psychology and sharing with them some of the best (and sadly, worst) moments in the field’s history. Following on Intro, I also teach courses in many topical areas: Social Psychology (with a deep dive into the ideas of the early social psychologist, Kurt Lewin), Developmental Psychology, Introduction to Cognitive Neuropsychology, Political Psychology, Conflict and Conflict Resolution, Theories of Self, Psychology of Adolescence, William James Principles of Psychology, Research Methods, and Introduction to Statistics.
I am honored to have been recognized by students at Simon’s Rock with numerous teaching awards, including one of my favorites: Teacher Most Likely to Have Her Own Daytime Talkshow. I am also so very proud of the many psychology graduates from Simon’s Rock, who have gone on to do amazing things and important work in many fields, including psychology (of course), but also education, healthcare, social work, law, social justice/community action, public health, the arts, business and marketing, technology, and more!
While teaching, advising, and mentoring have been my primary foci these past many years, I continue to find time to read about my two main areas of interest: interpersonal conflict and the nature of the self. (My dissertation was entitled The Self-in-Conflict: The Consequences of Conflict On Our Sense Of Self.) Since I get to teach courses on both these topics—conflict and self—I can stay connected to these two topics in psychology. Also, road rage—A Driving Anger—is connected to these interests, as conflicts between drivers are somewhat unusual instances of interpersonal conflict (how often are we confronted with our interdependence with total strangers?). And how we perceive other drivers and feel when enraged on the road are connected, I believe, with how we see ourselves.
Courses
at Simon’s Rock at Bard College
Introduction to Social Science (Academy); Introduction to Psychology; Social Psychology; Cognitive Neuropsychology; Developmental Psychology; Quantitative Research Methods in the Social Sciences ; Introduction to Statistics; Conflict and Conflict Resolution; Psychological Theories of Self; Political Psychology; Psychology of Women; Biological Debates at the Turn of the Millennium: Social and Scientific Implications; (co-taught); The Anatomy of Prejudice (co-taught); Freshman Seminar; Writing and Thinking Workshop (week-long workshop for incoming Freshman)
at Bard Microcollege Holyoke
Introduction to Statistics; Introduction to Cognitive Neuropsychology
at The University of Massachusetts, Boston (1996-2003)
Statistics for the Social Sciences (200-level); Social Psychology (200-level); Social Attitudes and Public Opinion (200-level); Introductory Psychology (100-level); Negotiation (graduate-level course)
at Boston College (1990-1997)
Introduction to Psychology-II: Social/Developmental Psychology (100-level); Research Methods Practicum in Interpersonal Relations (300-level); Research Methods Practicum in Intergroup Relations (300-level); Social Attitudes and Public Opinion (200-level); Independent Studies and Tutorials