ACADEMIC BIO

I have a longstanding interest in the practice of philosophy. In my opinion, philosophy has the potential to benefit people in sociocultural, cognitive and metacognitive ways.

I have related interests in the areas of comparative religion and spirituality, sexuality, and psychology. As part of a masters degree in educational psychology, my thesis research focused on "polyamory" -- specifically, issues that may be relevant for mental health professionals when working with polyamorous clients: "A Phenomenology of Polyamorous Persons" (pdf file).

My academic focus in educational psychology has since moved toward the learning sciences. My primary areas of interest are cognition, metacognition, reading and writing, as reflected in the research for my dissertation: "Integration of Comprehension and Metacomprehension Using Narrative Texts" (pdf file).

DEGREES

Ph.D., University of Utah, Educational Psychology: Learning Sciences, 2011

M.S., University of Utah, Educational Psychology: Professional Counseling, 2004

B.A., University of Utah, Middle East Studies: Hebrew, 1998

B.S., University of Utah, Philosophy: Comparative Religious Studies, 1998

VITA (pdf file)