James Maas is a social psychologist, Professor at Cornell University, and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow. He is best known for his work in the field of sleep research, specifically the relationship between sleep and performance. He famously coined the term "power nap" and wrote the best-selling book Power Sleep. He holds a B.A. from Williams College and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell.
Maas has produced numerous film specials on sleep research for PBS, BBC, among others.
For his teaching, Maas has received the American Psychological Association's Distinguished Teaching Award and Cornell's Clark Award for Distinguished Teaching.
For over forty years, he has taught Psychology 101 at Cornell. The class has achieved a "near-mythical status" and often has an enrollment of near 1600 students, making it one of the largest classes in the country [1]. The class' size requires a large venue, Bailey Hall, the University's concert hall. [1] Since he began teaching, he has instructed over 50,000 students.
Maas was found guilty of sexual harassment in December 1994 by a faculty ethics committee.[2] He was not dismissed but warned future complaints would result in his dismissal[2]. Various behavioral sanctions were also recommended by the committee.[3] Maas later sued Cornell but his claims were dismissed. [4]
References
- ^ a b Karen W. Arenson (17-11-2000). "Lining Up to Get a Lecture; A Class With 1,600 Students and One Popular Teacher", New York Times. Retrieved on 23 September 2008.
- ^ a b Davidson Goldin (23-03-1995). "Harassment Case Tarnishes Cornell Star's Luster", New York Times. Retrieved on 23 September 2008.
- ^ Tamar Lewin (27-01-1995). "Sexual Harassment Charged at Cornell", New York Times. Retrieved on 23 September 2008.
- ^ "Court Dismisses Professor's Suit against Cornell", New York Times (29-03-1998). Retrieved on 23 September 2008.
