photo of Shirin Khosropour

Shirin Khosropour

Director, Peace & Conflict Studies Center

Professor of Psychology

P: 512.223.3282 F:
Email: shirin@austincc.edu
Office: Rio Grande Campus 3244

Biography

Shirin Catterson Khosropour holds a B.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. She is ACC’s department chair for Interdisciplinary Studies, founder and director of the Center for Peace & Conflict Studies, and a professor of Psychology.

Shirin has earned certificates in Global Conflict Analysis, International Humanitarian Law, and International Conflict Management from the Johns Hopkins Bologna Institute for Peace & Security. In 2012, the American Red Cross appointed her an International Humanitarian Law Teaching Fellow. She has been awarded several teaching and leadership awards.

An educational psychologist, Shirin’s work focuses on peace and conflict in cross-cultural contexts. A former community college student herself, Shirin strives to expand the reach of peace and conflict education in higher education. Her work has culminated in establishing relationships between the College’s academic disciplines and community organizations and the populations they serve.

Teaching Philosophy

My classes are a mix of mini-lectures (topics are guided by students’ needs and interests); small group discussions and activities; guest lectures; short films, etc. followed by whole class briefings. I help students concentrate their course work on topics that have the most relevance to their academic and professional interests. My own deeper engagement with students as they work on a specific topic gives me a sense of their learning needs and interests and how I can best guide them. Working closely with students is not only rewarding and fun; it also gives me much hope for our future!

 

Areas of Interest

Non-violent approaches to conflict, particularly in cross-cultural contexts
Cognition
Quantitative and qualitative research methods

 

Courses Taught

PSYC 2301: Introduction to Psychology
PSYC 2314: Human Growth and Development
PSYC 2389: Internship in Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution