As the last of approximately 75 students made their way into Professor Andy Knapp's introductory psychology class, he turned off the Metallica album playing on the loud speakers and got down to business. He gave instructions to his students, each of whom had one rubber band and was intrigued by what Knapp said."Stand up with your rubber band and turn to face the left side wall," he said.
The students complied, with puzzled looks on their faces.
"Now, move toward the wall until you are close enough to put a hand on the person in front of you."
The 52-year-old grey-haired professor, sporting a T-shirt, tight, faded jeans and a pair of slip-on shoes, jumped on the table in front of him.
"Now put your thumb in the middle of the back of the person in front of you and pull it back with the other hand until it is about eight inches away," Knapp said.
Again, without question, the students did as they were instructed.
"Now let go."
"Ow" reverberated through the classroom. Knapp chuckled.
"Why did you do that!" he shouted.
"You told us too," the students said.
"Yes that is true, I did," he said. "And that is how the Holocaust happened."
This experiment demonstrated obedience to authority, a concept in social psychology. It was one of many Knapp developed to supplement the conventional lecture-listen format common in undergraduate teaching. Surprisingly, Knapp is only in his second semester of teaching. He received his bachelor's and master's in Psychology from The College at Brockport, the latter in 2008. His ultimate goal was a doctorate degree.
"Getting credentials is a mission of mine," Knapp said. "I am on this quest so I can live the lifestyle I want, teaching and conducting research as a full-time faculty member."
Knapp is dedicated as much to his students as he is to his own education.
"I love it when students suddenly seem to get it," he said. "It is also rewarding to know that students find my lectures engaging and entertaining. I may be the only [exposure to] psychology students ever get, so I want the experience to be memorable."
For freshman Vanessa Moreira, a Nursing major in one of Knapp's introductory psychology classes, the experience is exactly that.
"Other professors are usually boring and don't interact much with their students," she said. "But, Professor Knapp is loud and very enthusiastic. He keeps us engaged."
In addition to his creative demonstrations, he interjects his personal life into his lessons. This makes it easier for students to relate to him, as well as the material.
"I add my own experiences with alcohol, drugs and life to my lectures, and I have a generally irreverent perspective on psychology," Knapp said. "I am somewhat profane. In general, I try to relate to and be relatable to my students. My philosophy is that introductory psychology shouldn't be punitive."
The life experiences Knapp brings into his classrooms are enormous.
After serving in the Army as a tank mechanic in Germany from 1975 to 1978, Knapp explored a number of religions before accepting Mormonism. He was attracted to its emphasis on "self-sufficiency" and its "rustic" appeal; Knapp moved from Rochester to the birth place of Mormonism, Palmyra, in 1990. He lived there with his wife, daughter and son, on a seven-acre property, gardening, hunting and raising and slaughtering chickens. He denounced Mormonism in 1998 because of inconsistencies found within the religion, as well as with his own scientific ideals.
"Up until I became an adjunct professor, I always worked in the technical field," he said. "I always had a scientific perspective. Having religion align with science is a full-time mental exercise. You kind of have to kid yourself."
Knapp's scientific perspective was fostered during his 27-year career at Kodak. He started as an apprentice to an automated equipment mechanic, but worked in electronics.
"Kodak liked people that could do multiple things because they are more economical," he said.
As Knapp's abilities shone, he was promoted to technician and was asked to go to China to help build a film manufacturing plant. He spent nearly three years there, proving his adaptability.
"He had to acclimate to an entirely new culture," Dr. Laurel Mcnall, Knapp's former master's thesis advisor at Brockport said. "He told me that it was a great experience to be a minority for the first time in his life. It taught him a great deal."
Kodak required Knapp to take two weeks off from work every quarter. During these time periods, he and his family traveled extensively, visiting territories in Europe, Asia and Australia. It was in China, however, where the teaching seed was planted, as Knapp instructed and mentored his Chinese coworkers through an interpreter.
Upon his return to the U.S., Knapp decided to go to college.
"It always bothered me that I didn't have a degree," he said. "I went through my entire career without one, pulling myself up by my own boot straps."
Despite lacking a degree, he was always expanding his knowledge base, a practice he began in middle school. A friend's dad use to take him and his friend to the library on Saturdays and "turn them loose." Knapp began reading Freud. An interest in psychology emerged, but went dormant as he became interested in other things. Thirty years later, it came back to life.
In 2001, Knapp enrolled at Monroe Community College. His major was Liberal Arts. One of his first classes was Social Psychology of the Holocaust.
As an aged, experienced and well-traveled man, Knapp sat in the classroom full of teens and 20-year-olds, getting back in touch with the little boy in the library.
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