Nicola Curtin
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Clark University
Worcester, MA 01610-1477
Phone: 508.793.7261
Email: ncurtin@clarku.edu
Nicola Curtin received her Ph.D. in Psychology (Personality and Social Contexts) and Women’s Studies from the University of Michigan. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Smith College. She joined Clark University in September 2011.
Current Research and Teaching
Dr. Curtin’s primary line of research examines the role of social identity and individual differences in commitments to creating social change, with a particular interest in ally and coalitional activism. In a secondary line of research, she has examined graduate student socialization to the academy, focusing on working-class students, as well as comparisons of domestic and international students in the U.S. Using methods and theoretical foundations from social and personality psychology, as well as gender and cultural studies, Dr. Curtin takes an interdisciplinary approach to examining social structure, identity, and personality. She currently teaches Introduction to Social Psychology and Laboratory in Social Psychology and is interested in teaching future courses on the Psychology of Activism (specifically with a focus on gender and race), advanced courses in social psychology, and Psychology of Gender.
Dr. Curtin is very much looking forward to growing her lab group at Clark, and encourages inquiries from students interested in developing research related to: identity and/or individual differences and their role in political behaviors and social change commitments; understanding the role of gender, race, class, sexuality and other social identities in people's experience of the world (particularly as they relate to the political realm); student’s commitment to social change; and feminist social psychology.
Selected Publications
Activism and Social Change
Curtin, N., & Stewart, A. J. (in press). Linking personal and social histories with collective identity narratives. In S.Wiley, G. Philogène, & T. A. Revenson (Eds.), Social categories in everyday experience.
Curtin, N., Stewart, A. J., & Duncan, L. E. (2010). When the political is personal: Openness, personal political salience, and activism. Journal of Personality, 78(3), 943-968.
McGuire, K., Stewart A. J., & Curtin, N. (2010). Becoming feminist activists: Comparing narratives. Feminist Studies, 36(1), 99-129.
Curtin, N., Stewart, A. J., & Cole, E. R. (under review). The role of intersectional awareness in political beliefs and behavior.
Curtin, N. (in prep). Comparing left- and right-wing activism: The role of beliefs about social structures.
Curtin, N. & Stewart, A. J. (in prep). Experiences of discrimination, collective identification, and structural awareness: Understanding own-group and ally activism.
Student Political Attitudes and Socialization
Cole, E. R., Case, K. A., Rios, D., & Curtin, N. (in press). How do diversity themed courses affect college student attitudes? Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology.
Ostrove, J. M., Stewart, A. J., & Curtin, N. L. (in press). Social class and belonging: Implications for graduate students’ career aspirations. Journal of Higher Education.
Curtin, N., Stewart, A. J., & Ostrove, J. M. (under review). Advisor support and graduate student academic and career outcomes: A comparison of international and U.S. students.
BOOK REVIEWS
Curtin, N., & Stewart, A. (2011). Developing a global perspective on women’s rights and the psychology of women. Sex Roles, 1-3. (Book Review)