I am a Professor of Psychology and former Director of Environmental Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN, where I have taught since 1996.  I received my B.S. in psychology from the University of Iowa in 1990 and my Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1997. 

I enthusiastically advocate curricular integration of psychology and environmental education and have published a web site to encourage it: www.teachgreenpsych.com.  As a social psychologist, my current scholarly focus is on the ecologically connected self as a potential antidote to the negative consequences of women's bodily objectification in consumer culture.  Presently, I serve as a Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee of Division 34: Population and Environmental Psychology of the American Psychological Association. I live in Minneapolis, MN with my husband and two daughters.

 

Britain A. Scott, Ph.D.

bascott@stthomas.edu

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Selected Publications

Selected Conference Presentations & Talks

Original Courses I've Designed

 

Selected Publications

Scott, B. A., & Koger, S. M. (2013) The psychology of environmental sustainability. In W. Weiten, Psychology: Themes and Variations (9th ed., Briefer Version).

         Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Koger , S. M. & Scott, B.A. (2012). Teaching environmentally focused psychology [guest editorial]. Ecopsychology, 4, 77-80.

Scott, B. A., & Koger, S. M. (2011). Psychology and environmental sustainability: What's good for the planet is good for us. In W. Weiten, D. Dunn, and E. Y. Hammer,

         Psychology applied to modern life: Adjustment in the 21st century (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Scott, B. A. (2011) Psychological disorders, therapy, and women’s well-being (updated version). In M. Crawford, Transformations: Women, gender, and psychology (2nd ed).

          New York: McGraw-Hill.

Scott, B. A. (2010). Babes and the woods: Women’s objectification and the feminine beauty ideal as ecological hazards. Ecopsychology, 2, 147-158.

Scott, B. A. (2010). Thoughts on the first special issue of Ecopsychology [Editorial]. Ecopsychology, 2, 125-127.

Koger, S. M., & Scott, B. A. (2010). Embedding sustainability into psychology teaching. University of York: York, UK: The Higher Education Academy Psychology Network.

Manning, C.M., Amel, E. L., Scott, B. A. , & Forsman, J. W., (2009).  Framing climate change solutions: Get the numbers right. International Journal of Climate Change

          Strategies and Management, 1, 326-339.

Amel, E. L., & Manning, C. M., & Scott, B. A. (2009). Mindfulness and sustainable behavior: Pondering attention and awareness

as means for increasing green behavior.  Ecopsychology, 1, 14-25.

Scott, B. A. (2008). Women and pornography: What we don’t know can hurt us (3rd version). In  J.C. Chrisler, C. Golden,  and P.D. Rozee (Eds.) Lectures on the

          Psychology of Women (4th ed.).  New York: McGraw-Hill.

Koger, S. & Scott, B. A. (2007).  Psychology and environmental sustainability: A call for integration.  Teaching of Psychology, 34(1), 10-18.

Scott, B. A. & Koger, S.M. (2006). Teaching psychology for sustainability: A manual of resources. Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology. 

          Electronic publication at www.teachgreenpsych.com.

Scott, B. A. & Scott, S. W. (2006). Dirty business: Women managing objectification in the workplace.  In M. F. Karsten (Ed.), Gender, race, and ethnicity in the workplace: 

Issues and challenges for today’s organizations (Vol. 3, pp. 43-68)Westport, CT: Praeger.

Scott, B. A. (2006).  In a woman’s body.  In M. Crawford, Transformations: Women, Gender, and Psychology (pp. 199-236)New York: McGraw-Hill.

Scott, B. A., & Derry, J. A. (2005).  Women IN their bodies: Challenging objectification through experiential learning.  Women’s Studies Quarterly, 33, 188-209.

 

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Selected Conference Presentations & Talks

Scott, B. A. (2011, August). Teaching psychology for sustainability. In A. T. Brook (Chair), Greening your classes: Incorporating environmental sustainability across the psychology curriculum. Symposium at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.

Scott, B. A., Amel, E. L., & Manning, C. M. (2011, April). Why I’m a concerned citizen, but not an environmental activist. Presentation at the Society for Human Ecology meeting, Las Vegas, NV.

Scott, B. A. (2010, November). Getting psyched for sustainability. Keynote address for the Tri-State Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Loras College, Dubuque, IA.

Scott, B. A., Beck, K., Graff, D., & McClellan, A. (2010, Feburary). Embodied for the earth: Women’s self-objectification and the feminine beauty ideal as ecological hazards. Paper presented at the Association for Women in Psychology meeting, Portland.

Scott, B. A. (2009, November). Teaching psychology for sustainability: The why and how of greening your psychology course. Keynote address at the Iowa Teachers of Psychology conference, Pella, IA.

Scott, B. A., & Koerner, C. (2009, August). Beauty vs. the beasts: Self-Objectification, nature-connection, and women’s environmental behavior. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association meeting, Toronto.

Scott, B. A., Manning, C. M., & Amel, E. L. (2008, September). Dangerous boys and daring girls: Participating in nature vs. protecting it.  In B. A. Scott (Chair), Shades of Green: Implications of Human Diversity for Environmental Education and Advocacy. Symposium for Society for Human Ecology, Bellingham, WA.

Scott, B. A., Amel, E., & Manning, C. (2008, August). Man vs. wild: Measuring ecological connectedness as Participation in

Nature.  Presentation in session on “Methodological Challenges in Ecopsychological Research” at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Boston.

Scott, B. A. , (2008, March). “Babes and the woods: Women’s objectification and the feminine ideal as ecological hazards.” 

Brownbag talk for women’s history month (theme: Women’s Views of the Environment), Bemidji State University.

Scott, B. A. & Koger, S. (2005, October). Psychology in the conservation curriculum.  Presentation in session on “Conservation Psychology: Issues, Applications, and Possiblities” at the 20th anniversary meeting of the Society for Human Ecology.

Scott, B. A. (2005, August). Educational Expeditions: Using Field Experiences in an Ecopsychology Course.  Presentation in symposium on “Teaching the Psychology of Environmental Problems: Context, Curriculum, and Courses” at the annual meeting of the Amercan Psychological Association, Washington, DC.

Scott, B. A. & Derry, J. A. (2005).  Learn how to empower women to live IN their bodies. Workshop at the National Association for Girls and Women in Health program at the American Alliance for Health, Recreation, Physical Education, and Dance (AAHPERD) National Convention, April 14, Chicago, IL.

Scott, B. A. (2004).  Integrating psychology into the environmental education curricula. Presentation in symposium on

“Environmental, Eco-, and Conservation Psychology: Exploring the Intersections” at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, July 28.

 

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Original Courses I Have Designed

Women IN Their Bodies 

In our culture, many women learn to live outside their bodies, not in them.  Traditional feminine socialization impedes the development of bodily skill and physical self-confidence in girls and women because its dominant message is that female bodies are valuable for their form, not their function.  In this seminar we discuss theory and research on the psychological ramifications of women’s bodily objectification, such as chronic body shame and appearance anxiety.  We look at cultural and structural barriers to women developing their physical potential, historically and in the present.   We explore the paradox between femininity and strength through critical thinking about topics such as women’s competitive bodybuilding and the heterosexual objectification of women athletes in popular media.  We address the psychological and physical benefits of women living in their bodies, utilizing a combination of classroom discussion and experiential activities such as rock climbing, skiing, martial arts, and weight lifting.

Ecopsychology

Theodore Roszak (1992) said, "Psychology needs ecology and ecology needs psychology." The field of psychology cannot continue to ignore the ecological context of human life, and environmentalists need psychologists to help them understand human behavior -- the root cause of all environmental problems.  This course explores the emerging discipline of "eco-psychology." Topics include the psychological implications of the human disconnect from nature, therapeutic approaches toward healing that disconnect, and methods and benefits of staying connected in a contemporary urban context. In this course we spent our spring break engaged in experiential activities at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in Finland, MN.  For a course syllabus, click here.

Psychoanalysis and Feminism: French, British, and American Perspectives

In this team-taught UMAIE study abroad in Paris and London, we explore the intersection and divergence of the Psychoanalytic perspective in psychology and Feminist theory and activism. The extent to which Freudian theory and Feminist theory are compatible or in opposition depends upon the historical and cultural context; in particular, French, British, and American feminists have had strikingly different reactions to psychoanalytic theory.  In this course we adopt a historical perspective to illuminate how social conditions, political events, and cultural developments in the three countries influenced intellectual reaction to Freudian theory, and were also influenced by it.  While in Paris we visit several relevant sites including: the Hospital de la Salpêtrière, where Freud studied with Charcot in 1886; the Salvador Dali museum, to explore connections between psychoanalysis and Surrealist art of the 1920s-30s; and the Sorbonne University and Luxemborg Gardens, to experience the 1940s-50s world of French feminist philosopher, Simone de Beauvoir.  In London we visit sites including: the Museum of London, for an overview of women’s lives and political activism in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries; the Bloomsbury district, home of British feminist Mary Wollstonecraft in the late eighteenth century and feminist author Virginia Woolf in the 1920s; and the last home of Sigmund Freud, to see his collection of artifacts and his famous analysis couch.

Evolutionary Social Psychology

The evolutionary perspective in psychology explores how human behavior and thought processes have been shaped and molded by natural and sexual selection.  Social and personality psychologists recently have shown a renewed interest in this theoretical approach.  This special topics seminar examines current research applying evolutionary theory to social psychological topics such as person perception, interpersonal attraction, and aggression.  As we address these topics, we discuss the special challenges facing evolutionary social psychologists as they generate theory and design studies using this controversial approach. 

Other courses I teach regularly include: General Psychology, Social Psychology, Current Research Issues in Social Psychology Lab, Psychology of Women, and Social Dynamics and the Environment.

 

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