BVU Professor Uses Textbooks She Writes

By researching and writing on the subject matter she teaches, Dr. Wind Goodfriend has tightened her grip on where theories originate, and where nuances of results are replicated.

Enter Dr. Wind Goodfriend’s office at Buena Vista University and a stack of books greets you, each book boasting of Goodfriend content.

“I have 14 book chapters in these books,” Goodfriend says with a nod toward the stack. “I have this, ‘Social Psychology,’ which I co-authored and am using in my classes, and I have its companion book I wrote, ‘Case Studies in Social Psychology.’”

Goodfriend, BVU professor of psychology and division chair of social sciences, has a third book she’s authoring, “Intimate Relationships,” coming out in August. A fourth book, an introduction to psychology, is also in the works. That book, she says, has the capacity to reach the largest audience as some two million students across the U.S. take an introduction to psychology course each year.

“Writing these books has made me a much better teacher,” says Goodfriend, whose “Social Psychology” effort with Tom Heinzen won the Textbook & Academic Authors Association’s 2019 Most Promising Textbook Award in the Social Sciences category.

“I’m trying to show students and prospective students that the BVU faculty, not just me, really love the subjects we teach, and that we’re truly engaged with current trends.”

Dr. Wind Goodfriend

By researching and writing on the subject matter she teaches, Goodfriend has tightened her grip on where theories originate, and where nuances of results are replicated.

She may have Homer and Marge Simpson to thank.

“When I finished graduate school at Purdue University, I was offered the chance to write my first chapter on pop culture in a book called, ‘The Psychology of The Simpsons,’” she says. “I wrote a chapter on the romantic relationships seen in ‘The Simpsons,’ specifically on good and bad times Homer and Marge go through.”

That research and ensuing publishing success introduced Goodfriend to a new world in her discipline, at least for her.

“I fell in love with the idea of making psychology accessible to anyone and how the concepts involving psychology surround us in the media every day,” she says.

Seven years ago, Heinzen, then a professor of psychology at William Paterson University in New Jersey, chose Goodfriend to join him as a book co-author. He sought out Goodfriend for her writing ability as well as her presence as a young feminist.

The resulting “Social Psychology,” published by SAGE Publishing, earned national accolades and has won over professors as it’s now being used in collegiate classrooms across the country, from Maryland to Florida to Oregon to California, and including those at BVU directed by Goodfriend.

“Two sections of the class use my textbook this fall,” says Goodfriend, noting that 51 BVU students read her textbook for the class.

“On the first day of class I point out that I’m the co-author of the book we’re using,” she says, patting the book on her desk. “I tell them that any royalties I receive from the sale of the book to BVU students will be donated back to the BVU Psychology Department to be used to help fund admission for our students to attend conferences, the same conferences I attended when I was a BVU student, the same conferences that helped make my time at BVU so special.”

Wind Goodfriend in class

In mid-October, Goodfriend spoke about psychology in pop culture during three panel discussions at Wizard World Comic-Con in Madison, Wis. She joined Dr. Shawn Stone, BVU professor of physics and computer science, in conducting a presentation on artificial intelligence at the festival.

“I wore a business suit while presenting,” she says with a smile. “I kept my Wonder Woman suit for Halloween.”

In all seriousness, Goodfriend says she seeks to have her writing add a level of credibility and currency for students at BVU.

“I’m trying to show students and prospective students that the BVU faculty, not just me, really love the subjects we teach, and that we’re truly engaged with current trends,” she says. “BVU has given me the resources and support to allow me to teach with my books, allowing me to pass my excitement about psychology on to the next generation.”

Tags: