Assistant Professor
Department of Child, Family, & Consumer Sciences
California State University, Fresno
5300 North Campus Drive, M/S FF12
Fresno, CA 93740
Tel: 559-278-3081
Fax: 559-278-7824
Email: sseepersad@csufresno.edu
Office: Room 305, Family & Food Science Building
Do you MySpace? Check me out at http://www.myspace.com/drs_bulldog_page
Department Website: http://cast.csufresno.edu/cfcs/
 | Courses I will teach in Summer 2008 and Fall 2008 |
| Courses taught at California State University, Fresno |
| Research Interests |
| Publications |
| Outreach Activities |
| Education. |
| Biography |
Courses I will teach in Summer 2008 and Fall 2008:
Summer 2008 (May 19th to June 12th)
| CFS 131: Family Relations (Class Number 50115) This class will be M,Tu,W,Th,Fr from 10:45am to 12:50pm |
Fall 2008 (August 25th to December 18th)
| CFS 38: Lifespan Development (2 sections) Class Number 70252: This class will be M,W,F from 11-11:50am Class Number 70236: This will be an online class |
| CFS 131: Family Relations (Class Number 76532) This class will be Th from 2:00 to 4:50pm |
| CFS 136: Adolescent Development (Class Number 70085) This class will be M from 6:00 to 8:50pm |
Courses taught at California State University, Fresno:
CFS 31: The Family in America (Spring only)
Prerequisite: G.E. Foundation A2. Interdisciplinary introduction to American families, their place within society, and their influence on human behavior. Topics include historical development, social functions, methods for studying, cultural and subcultural influence and meaning, family types, parenting, family violence, and the impact of race, class, and gender. G. E. Breadth D3.
CFS 32: Intimacy (Fall only)
An exploration of personal, relationship, and social aspects which contribute to loving relationships. Barriers to loving will also be discussed. Topics include the nature of love, awareness, emotional needs, fears, communication, conflict, values, beliefs, expectations, freedom, and responsibility.
CFS 38: Lifespan Development
A balanced study of basic theories, research, applications, and principles of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development from conception to death, presented in an integrated manner in the context of the family in a diverse society. Includes behavior, sexuality, nutrition, health, stress, environmental relationships, and implications of death and dying. G.E. Breadth E1
CFS 131: Family Relations
A study of marriages and families with a focus on strengths. Topics will include methods of studying marriages and families over time, diversity in families, adult gender roles, friendship, mate selection, love, communication, conflict resolution, sexuality, and transition to parenting
CFS 136: Adolescent Development
Prerequisite: CFS 38 or 39 or PSYCH 101. Theories, research, and principles of physical, intellectual, social, and emotional development within the contexts of the self, the family, educational environments, and peer groups.
FCS 190: Independent Study (by permission only)
Independent study is offered to give students experience in planning and outlining a course of study on their own initiative under departmental supervision. Independent study should deal with a special interest not covered in a regular course or with the exploration in greater depth of a subject presented in a regular course. Interested? Send me an email.
FCS 193: Cooperative Education (Spring only)
Combines study with paid or unpaid work experience in a supervised career-related position. Reports and conferences required. Prerequisites: Completion of at least 45 units, good academic standing, and permission of the department.
Research Interests
| Loneliness among adolescents and young adults and its association to attachment styles, coping, and social skills. |
| Intervention programs for lonely teens and young adults. |
| The relationship between intimacy and loneliness. |
| Development and evaluation of youth programs that promote positive social development. |
| Internet research, in particular, how the Internet websites can play a positive role in the development of adolescents and young adults |
| Factors influencing the decision to become young mothers in the
California Central Valley |
Publications
| Seepersad, S., Choi, M., & Shin, N. Cross-cultural variations in romantic loneliness: How do cultural expectations influence the degree of romantic loneliness? Accepted for publication by Journal of Psychology. |
| Seepersad, S. (2006) Loneliness. In Arnett, J., Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media. SAGE Publications. |
| Seepersad, S. (2006) Internet uses, social uses. In Arnett, J., Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media. SAGE Publications. |
| Seepersad, S. (2004). Coping with loneliness: Adolescent online and offline behavior. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7, 35-39 |
| Larson, R., & Seepersad, S. (2003). Adolescents' leisure time in
the United States: Partying, sports, and the American experiment. In
S. Verma & R. Larson (Vol. Eds.), New directions for child and
adolescent development: Vol. 99. Examining adolescent leisure time
across cultures: Developmental opportunities and risks (pp.
53-64). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. |
Outreach Activities
L.U.V. Program: A seven week psycho-educational program for CSUF college students who experience feelings of loneliness. Topics covered include social skills training, negative automatic thoughts and behaviors, and coping behaviors. More information at: http://csufresno.webofloneliness.com/
Web of Loneliness Website: http://www.webofloneliness.com/
Work with various youth groups: Stone Soup of Fresno and Champaign County Operation Snowball
Education
2005 Applied Ph.D., Human Development & Family Studies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL
Dissertation: A Loneliness Intervention Program for College Students
2001 M.S., Human Development & Family Studies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL
Thesis: Analysis of the Relationship Between Loneliness, Coping
Strategies, and the Internet
1997 B.S., Sociology with Psychology
University of the West Indies, Trinidad & Tobago
Biography
Sean Seepersad was born in the Caribbean country of Trinidad and Tobago. In 1997, he obtained his B.S. in Sociology with a minor in Psychology from the University of the West Indies. After working for a year as a high school teacher, and another two years as a graduate teaching and research assistant, both he and his wife moved to the University of Illinois where Sean enrolled as a Ph.D. student in Human Development and Family Studies. In 2001, Sean completed his M.S. and finished his Ph.D. degree in May 2005.
His major research area is concerned with adolescent and young adult relationships. In particular he has focused on adolescent loneliness and also the effect of the Internet on individuals' level of loneliness. For his dissertation, Sean conducted and evaluated a loneliness intervention program that he developed for college students.
Sean loves working directly with adolescents and young adults. As such his life has been marked with a variety of teaching experiences, which continued in his current career as an assistant professor at Fresno State. At the University of Illinois, he has worked as a teaching assistant for the eight semesters he has been a graduate student. He also worked with adolescents in Operation Snowball, a peer-support group for teens and most recently at Stone Soup of Fresno. Sean is also a member of the International Association for Research on Relationships and the Society for Research on Adolescents.