Shaalan Farouk
Senior Lecturer of Psychology
Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: PhD, Birkbeck College, University of London

Professor Farouk completed his PhD at Birkbeck College, the University of London in 2008. His PhD, on teachers' emotions, examined the interaction between specific emotions, such as anger, guilt and pride, and the influence they may have on their relationships with colleagues, parents, and students.
In the last eight years, he has been Principal Lecturer in Educational Psychology and programs convener for the BA/BSc in Education at the University of Roehampton, London. During that time he has worked within the field of narrative psychology focusing on the autobiographical memories of adolescents excluded from school. Before becoming a full-time academic he worked as a senior educational psychologist and taught at University College London, Institute of Education.
He has published on cognitive appraisal theory of emotions, and the autobiographical memories of adolescents excluded from school, a project funded by the Nuffield Foundation. His current research focuses on the autobiographies of teachers from the German Democratic Republic and their memories of life and their sense of self before and after the reunification of Germany.
Courses Taught
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How does the "benefit of hindsight" shape the stories that define our sense of self? Do these stories change depending on what is important to us at the time of looking back This multidisciplinary colloquium brings together the study of psychology, philosophy, sociology, history, and literary memoir to explore how autobiographical memories may be structured less by weighing evidence than by rules of employment and the need to create a morally comprehensible narrative identity. What roles do dominant narratives constructed within different socio-cultural worlds play in shaping individuals' narrative identities? And what happens when dominant narratives are created globally and no longer the preserve of regional societies? Whose interests might such identity-conferring narratives serve? What happens when globalizing cultures create tension between collective memories of belonging (to communities/nations) and autobiographies that foreground exceptionality, individual achievement, and cosmopolitan engagement? What are the psychological consequences of "looking back" on one's life from a critical moral perspective? And what are the implications for "understanding humanity"?
Prerequisite: Must be an NYU Abu Dhabi student and have not completed the Core: Colloquium requirement.
Previously taught: Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023
This course appears in...
- Core Curriculum > Colloquia
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This course explores definitions and theories of the mind and how it may work. Students will learn how philosophers, psychologists, computer scientists, and neuroscientists have studied the mind and will consider several demanding but stimulating questions about thought, memory, and behavior. Readings and discussions will review the historical and scientific developments that led to contemporary understandings of the mind and the challenges and answers that these views pose to our common-sense understanding of, for instance, the unconscious mind, the irrational mind, and the subjective nature of memories.
Previously taught: Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024
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Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
Diogo Almeida - MW 14:10 - 15:25 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
Bas Rokers - TR 12:45 - 14:00 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 1 2025;
7 Weeks
Shaalan Farouk - MW 15:35 - 16:50; F 10:50 - 12:05 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
Diogo Almeida - MW 12:45 - 14:00 Taught in Abu Dhabi
This course appears in...
- Core Curriculum > Data and Discovery
- Core Curriculum > Experimental Inquiry
- Core Curriculum > Quantitative Reasoning
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Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
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Introduction to the fundamental principles of psychology, emphasizing both the unity and diversity of a field that spans major theoretical and research areas, including biological bases of human behavior, learning, cognition, perception, language, development, motivation, as well as social and abnormal behavior. Opportunities to apply knowledge gained in lectures and readings are available through computer-based demonstrations, in-class exercises, and required field experiences.
Previously taught: Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024
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Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
Antje Von Suchodoletz, Jennifer Sheehy-Skeffington - MW 14:10 - 15:25 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 08:00 - 09:15 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 09:25 - 10:40 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
F 10:50 - 12:05 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
Daryl Fougnie, Theodore Waters - MW 14:10 - 15:25 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 08:00 - 09:15 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 09:25 - 10:40 Taught in Abu Dhabi -
Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
F 10:50 - 12:05 Taught in Abu Dhabi
This course appears in...
- Majors > Biology > Brain and Cognitive Science Specialization
- Majors > Psychology
- Minors > Psychology
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Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
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This course examines how psychodynamic, phenomenological, narrative, and cognitive psychology have informed therapy and counseling. Students will study how these alternative explanations for the mind and human behavior have contributed to the creation of different kinds of therapeutic intervention. Students will also have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with fundamental communication and interpersonal skills that counselors/therapists have to be able to apply and to learn about ethical issues that need to be taken into account when working with vulnerable individuals. Finally, the course will include a critical examination of the extent to which the different approaches to counseling are informed by empirical research and been evaluated in terms of their effectiveness.
Prerequisite: PSYCH-UH 1001
Previously taught: Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024
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Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
Shaalan Farouk - MW 12:45 - 14:00 Taught in Abu Dhabi
This course appears in...
- Majors > Psychology
- Majors > Psychology > Psychology Electives: Cognition and Perception
- Majors > Psychology > Psychology Electives: Social and Developmental Psychology
- Minors > Psychology
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Fall 2025;
14 Weeks
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Abnormal psychology is the study of mental disorders from a psychological perspective. The central rational for this course is to provide students with a better understanding of how different mental health disorders may be caused, how they manifest themselves, and how they may be treated. Abnormal psychology constitutes a very controversial and contested field of study and clinical practice, as the manifestation of mental health issues and when they may or may not be diagnosed as abnormal invariably come up against socially and culturally acceptable standards as to what constitutes normal, and how persistent deviation from the norm should be labeled and treated. Hence an important purpose of the course is to introduce students to different perspectives on what it means to have a mental health disorder and how such disorders should be treated by mental health services, families and the wider community. Finally, this course also aims to introduce students to elements of clinical practice in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders.
Prerequisite: PSYCH-UH 1001
Previously taught: Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024
This course appears in...
- Majors > Psychology > Psychology Electives: Cognition and Perception
- Majors > Psychology > Psychology Electives: Social and Developmental Psychology
- Minors > Psychology
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Cognitive psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and human thinking. This course is aimed at providing the student with a better understanding on how we humans perceive and think about ourselves and about the world. Our perception and thought processes are fraught with biases that nonetheless routinely inform human actions. Knowing about these biases and understanding their effects is crucial in a world in which human societies are becoming increasingly more interconnected. The course covers different aspects of attention, memory, language, concepts, reasoning, problem solving, expertise, creativity, decision making, conscious and unconscious cognition, and theory of mind. The course will emphasize how psychologists use experiments to learn about the structure of the human mind.
Prerequisite: PSYCH-UH 1001
Previously taught: Fall 2017, Spring 2020, Fall 2023, Fall 2024
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Spring 2025;
14 Weeks
Stefan Bode - MW 11:20 - 12:35 Taught in Abu Dhabi
This course appears in...
- Majors > Biology > Brain and Cognitive Science Specialization
- Majors > Psychology
- Majors > Psychology > Psychology Electives: Cognition and Perception
- Minors > Psychology
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Spring 2025;
14 Weeks