Popular psych prof reaches milestone

Professor Henry Gleitman celebrated his landmark 100th introductory psychology class yesterday, completing his 100th semester of teaching. In his 50-year career, Gleitman has taught a total of 30,000 students. "It feels odd," Gleitman said. "I have taught a great mass of students, most of them faceless, but they serve to extend me into the future." Among these former students are University President Judith Rodin and College Dean Robert Rescorla. But Gleitman said he does not take any credit for their successes. "I do not doubt that Rodin and Rescorla would have succeeded without me," he explained. But he added that it is not only those students who have become prestigious in the realm of psychology that have been meaningful to him. Gleitman explained that it meant a great deal to him when one of his students, who he had failed for plagiarism, approached him after graduation to thank him for having taught him how to read critically. "I teach that psychology is part of history and part of the world," Gleitman said. "It is a study of the varying approaches to understanding human nature." Gleitman said he first began to explore psychology because he "wanted to learn about myself and to be able to get along better with girls –– unfortunately, it turned out to have very little to do with either." He was 22 years old when he taught his first introductory psychology course at the City College of New York, where he had studied as an undergraduate. "I always loved teaching –– it's like telling stories to people," he said. But he added that it was not until he grew older that he developed an ideology to go along with his teaching. "At the beginning, I taught to impress my professors and colleagues," he said. "I always wore a jacket and tie, and in class I concentrated on becoming a showman. "Eventually, I realized that I should be trying to get the students to fall in love with the subject by showing them my involvement, rather than trying to get them to fall in love with me," he added. Gleitman came to the University in 1964, when he was offered the position of Psychology Department chairperson. "Penn at the time had, and arguably still has, the best psychology department in the world," he said. "How could I say 'no?' " Since his arrival at the University, Gleitman said the field of psychology has expanded and changed drastically. "Looking back at my notes from graduate school at Berkeley, it is pathetic to see how little we knew then," he added. "Now, neuroscience is for real, and the area of cognitive science has exploded." Gleitman said it is partly this constant change that helps him maintain his interest in the information taught at the introductory level. He also said that having young students helps the material seem fresh. "Graduate students are already committed, but my job as an instructor of an introductory course is not just to tell my students what there is, but to give them an idea of why they should be interested," he explained. Another change during Gleitman's teaching career occurred with the publication of his introductory psychology textbook, which currently is used at colleges and universities across the country. For his own classes, however, Gleitman said the book has had negative effects. "Now I have to compete with my book," he said. "I am upset if my students say they prefer the book to the lecture. And since it contains some of my jokes, it cramps my style." In the fall, Gleitman will take a semester-long leave of absence, during which he plans to direct a Shakespeare play at the University and travel. A director in his spare time, Gleitman recently directed Penn Players' Guys and Dolls and last year directed A Midsummer Night's Dream. He will resume undergraduate teaching in the spring of 1997, with his Psychology of Drama course. As to whether or not Gleitman will teach his 101st semester of Psychology 1, he said he is not sure. "It would have saddened me if I had not taught 100, but now I have reached that goal," he said. But he said he will definitely not teach his two Psych 1 sections back-to-back the way he did this year. "Three hours of solid walking gets to the feet," he explained. "I start to feel like a tired psychologist." But he said that he has no plans of retiring. "I enjoy what I'm doing," he said. "If I stopped, I would be bored silly." Looking back on his career at the University, Gleitman said he has only one regret. "Penn is not in Northern California –– I love Philadelphia, but not the weather."