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Monica C

- Research Program Mentor

PhD at University of Maryland

Expertise

multicultural psychology, gender studies and women's issues, dating violence and intimate partner violence, social justice advocacy, anti-racist education

Bio

My name is Dr. Monica Cushnie. I am currently a Lecturer (Professional Track Faculty) in the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland (UMD). In this role, my main responsibility is to teach courses for undergraduate students, including Multicultural Psychology, Psychology of Women, Psychology of Men and Masculinity, Domestic Violence Service Learning, and Counseling Theories and Research. I am also the Assistant Chair for Equity and Inclusion for the Department of Psychology at UMD. In this role, I create programming to make the Department more inclusive and equitable for students, faculty, and staff. My research and professional interests include the impact of gender roles on ability to recognize warning signs of dating violence, Black women and their body image and dieting behaviors, understanding the barriers for students to engage in social justice advocacy, and training faculty to engage in anti-racist educational practices. In my free time, I like to read fiction and self-help books, spend time with family including my two dogs (Legend and Merci), watch movies, make social media content for TikTok and Instagram, and productively procrastinate by baking desserts.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

"How Can Barbie Not Love Ken?": Social Media Backlash to Progressive Depictions of Women

I recently saw the Barbie movie and was surprised to see discourse online about the lack of romantic connection between Barbie and Ken. This project could analyze social media responses to progressive depictions of women in popular media. Participation in this project could entail conducting a literature review regarding media consumption and reactions, analyzing psychological theories about gender roles and critical media consumption, and the development of a review paper or podcast series.

Teaching experience

I am a professional track faculty member in the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland. My role involves teaching 7-8 courses per year, including summer courses. Each course enrolls 75-150 undergraduate students per semester. The courses I teach include Multicultural Psychology, Psychology of Women, Psychology of Men and Masculinity, Helping Skills, and Counseling Psychology Theories and Research. I also supervise teams of undergraduate teaching assistants.

Credentials

Work experience

University of Maryland (2019 - Current)
Lecturer
University of Texas, Austin Counseling and Mental Health Center (2018 - 2019)
Doctoral Intern
University of Maryland (2019 - 2021)
Part Time Staff Psychologist

Education

University of Maryland
BA Bachelor of Arts (2013)
Psychology & Family Science
University of Maryland
MS Master of Science (2015)
Psychology
University of Maryland
PhD Doctor of Philosophy (2019)
Counseling Psychology

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