Robert A. Swoap received his B.A. in Psychology from Duke University (1987) and his Ph.D. in Clinical and Health Psychology from the University of Florida (1992).  He completed internships and fellowships at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (Colorado Springs), the Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston), and the Duke University Medical Center (Durham).  Bob joined the Warren Wilson College faculty in 1998.  He has been the chairperson of the Department of Psychology since 2005. In addition to his normal teaching load (e.g., Health Psychology, Counseling Psychology, Sport Psychology, Research Methods), Bob has  taught four International Field Courses -- two in Costa Rica, one in Greece, and one to Belize.  The most recent course to Belize involved partnering with the Oceanic Society to assist in their bottlenose dolphin research project.   Bob has a passion for the environment and for animals, serving on the advisory board to WWC's Environmental Leadership Center and working with Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots group.

Bob and his wife, Christine, Spanish professor at WWC, have three children -- twins, Julien and Sofia, and Nolan.  Bob enjoys hiking, paddling, table tennis, movies, and music.  His desert island records include: Lyle Lovett's "Step Inside this House," Nanci Griffith's "Other Voices, Other Rooms," Rumer's "Seasons of the Soul," Martin Sexton's "Black Sheep," and Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks."

I have been teaching college since 1994 and have been at Warren Wilson since 1998.   In 2007, I was given the Teaching Excellence Award for the college. While I use a variety of approaches to teaching, my primary goal is to connect with students so that they feel an ownership of the course and of their learning.  Through this connection, I feel that I can help students develop their skills in critical thinking, research, writing, speaking, and understanding psychology.  This link will take you to my courses, including syllabi and class notes. Teaching

I am licensed in North Carolina as a Clinical Psychologist.  I also work with individuals and teams in sport psychology. This link will take you to information on my consultation work as a psychologist. Counseling & Consulting