academic life

Courses at elon

  • The Science of Happiness

  • The Science of Happiness at Disney

  • Self and Society

  • Sociology and Mental Health

  • Medical Sociology

  • Authenticity: Is there a true self?

My Educational and Professional Journey

Current Position:

Department Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Elon University

Publications :

Alexis has published in a variety of academic journals and books including the journals Sociology Compass, Aging and Mental Health, Personality and Individual Differences and others. Her scholarship is included in the text Authenticity in Culture, Self, and Society and the Handbook of Social Psychology and in other texts, Alexis recently co-edited (with Dr. Jill Peterfeso),Why the Magic Matters: Discovering Disney as a Laboratory for Learning which will be published this year (2025).

Education:

Clinical Internship (Psychology), Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Graduate Study at Duke University (4 degrees):

M.A. & Ph.D., Sociology

M.A. & Ph.D., Psychology (Clinical)

Undergraduate Study at Union College: B.A.