James Madison University Wordmark

Department of Psychology

Eastern Conference on the Teaching of Psychology
June 20 and 21, 2008

“The Art and Science of Teaching”

ETOP Logo

The Department of Psychology at James Madison University will host the next Eastern Conference on the Teaching of Psychology (ETOP) on Friday, June 20 and Saturday, June 21, 2008. The conference will be held at the historic Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center in Staunton, Virginia. The conference will offer concurrent symposia and workshops, a poster session, and two invited addresses on issues related to the teaching of psychology. Our target audience includes teachers from high school, 2-year, 4-year college/university, and graduate school settings.

The invited addresses will be given by:

  • Stephen F. Davis, Texas Wesleyan University
    Stephen F. Davis is Emeritus Professor at Emporia State University. He served as the 2002-2003 Knapp Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences at the University of San Diego. Currently he serves as the Visiting Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Texas Wesleyan University. Since 1966 he has published over 290 articles, 27 textbooks, and presented over 900 professional papers; the vast majority of these publications and presentations include student coauthors. He has served as President of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (APA Division 2), Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Southwestern Psychological Association, and Psi Chi. Additionally, he was selected as the first recipient of the Psi Chi Florence L. Denmark Faculty Advisor Award. He is a Fellow of APA Divisions 1 (General), 2 (Society for the Teaching of Psychology), 3 (Experimental), and 6 (Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology), and a recipient of the American Psychological Foundation’s Distinguished Teaching in Psychology award.
  • Donelson R. Forsyth, University of Richmond
    Donelson R. Forsyth (Ph.D., University of Florida, 1978) is the Leo K. and Gaylee Thorsness Chair in Ethical Leadership Professor, in the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond. He received his college's Outstanding Lecturer Award in 1985, his university's Distinguished Teaching Award in 1992 and its Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Technology in 2000. In 2002 he received the Outstanding Faculty Award for the State of Virginia. He studies reactions to success and failure, individual difference in moral thought, applications of social psychology in educational and clinical settings, group dynamics, and leadership, publishing in such journals as Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, American Psychologist, Journal of Educational Psychology, and Teaching of Psychology. His books include The Professor's Guide to Teaching: Psychological Principles and Practices (2003).

View the Conference Schedule

Call for Proposals

We are no longer accepting proposals for the concurrent sessions, but will accept poster proposals on a rolling basis until we have reached capacity.

View the Call for Proposals

The Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP), Division Two of the American Psychological Association, will sponsor an outstanding poster award. A committee will select the outstanding poster and the authors will receive a certificate of recognition, a $100 cash award, and a free one-year STP membership

Registration

Registration will only be done online. To register, go to the JMU Events Web Payment Site and complete the following steps.

  1. Click on the ETOP logo on the left side of the screen. 
  2. Find the appropriate registration category and click on ‘Add to Basket.’ Answer the questions, click “Continue” and then “Checkout
  3. Complete the registration form and then follow the instructions for payment.  Please note that a $2.50 processing fee will be added to the registration fee when you check out.   

The registration fee includes all meals during the conference (lunch and dinner on Friday and breakfast and lunch on Saturday) and conference materials. Regular registration received by May 20, 2008 is $180.

Registration for high school teachers, community college teachers, and graduate students is only $120.
    
After May 20, the registration fee for all participants will be $220 on a space available basis.

Space is Limited—Please Register Early

Registration is limited to 120 participants. Once we reach 120 participants, additional registrations will be put on a waiting list for openings due to cancellations.

Refund Policy

If you need to cancel for any reason, you will receive a full refund (minus a $2.50 handling fee) if notice of cancellation is received by 12:00 p.m. on Friday, June 13. No refunds will be given after that date.

Lodging and Travel

The conference will be at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center in Staunton, Virginia, located at the crossroads of I-64 and I-81. Rooms are available on Thursday and Friday night at a special conference rate of $85/night plus tax. Reservations can be made by calling 540-885-4848 or 1-866-880-0024 (toll free). Be sure to mention ETOP to receive the conference rate. The conference rate cannot be guaranteed after May 27, 2008, so make your reservations early!

If you plan to drive, directions can be found on the hotel website.

If you plan to fly, the closest airport is the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (approximately 15 miles from the hotel). The airport offers a shuttle to and from the hotel for a rate of $35, round trip. Reservations for the shuttle must be made 24 hours in advance. You can make reservations by calling 540-234-8304.

It would likely be cheaper to fly into one of the following airports:

  • Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport, 45 miles from the hotel
  • Roanoke Regional Airport, 86 miles from the hotel
  • Richmond International Airport, 116 miles from hotel

However, there are no shuttles from these airports. Another option is to travel by train. Staunton is served by AMTRAK from both Philadelphia and Washington DC.

For More Information

For more information about the conference, please email Natalie Lawrence at lawrennk@jmu.edu.

Conference Planning Committee

  • Natalie Lawrence, chair
  • Craig Abrahamson
  • Suzanne Baker
  • Kenn Barron
  • Charles Harris
  • Jessica Irons
  • Holly Robedeau
  • Bryan Saville
  • Tracy Zinn

ETOP is sponsored by:

JMU Department of Psychology