Randy
Cornelius Randolph (Randy) Cornelius has been at Vassar since 1982. His interests in American culture revolve around the way emotions are represented in popular culture, how science and religion are represented in the media and popular culture, and the study of Mormon history and culture.
In his home department Mr. Cornelius conducts research on human emotions and emotional expression, including the geography of emotion. For several years he has sought to understand the social functions of weeping and has been developing an evolutionary theory of weeping that focuses on tears as a type of communicative display.
Mr. Cornelius is also a student of close relationships. He is the author of The Science of Emotion. Research and Tradition in the Psychology of Emotion (Prentice-Hall, 1996) and the editor, with Ad Vingerhoets, of Adult Crying: A Biopsychosocial Approach (Brunner-Routledge, 2001).
In addition to the American Culture Program, Randy Cornelius teaches in the Department of Psychology and the Environmental Studies Program.