Sexuality and Our Diversity: Integrating Culture with the Biopsychosocial

Marcus C. Tye (PhD University of North Dakota) is Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at SUNY Plattsburgh. Other administrative positions have included Dean of the College of Health Professions at Pace University, and Dean of the School of Health Sciences at CUNY College of Staten Island. He is a licensed clinical psychologist, and his quantitative research has included the role of privileged communication (confidentiality) in psychotherapy, children’s memory, and credibility assessment. Marcus’s work in sexuality has included fair custody evaluations with LGBTQIA+ parents and the ethical dilemmas posed by “re-orientation therapy.” He first started teaching human sexuality in 2003 and aimed to write a comprehensive textbook that was accessible for beginning students, yet relevant for advanced students. His goal was to include cultural variation, gender and economic equity, global development, and LGBTQIA+ equity throughout the text. Dissatisfied with texts that were heavily influenced by one theoretical perspective or only focused on the United States, he has written a text that is respectful of the multiple intellectual disciplines that contribute to a full understanding of gender and sexuality, including neuroscience, developmental, cognitive and social psychology, while also respecting the work of historians, comparative public policy and law. When teaching and writing about sexuality, Dr. Tye explains to students how to reconcile seemingly contradictory perspectives and conflicting studies on topics such as gender differences. He contextualizes specific topics such as STIs in a broader picture of comprehensive sex education and public policy, access to health care, and economic inequality. Prior to full-time academic administration, Dr. Tye’s other regular teaching included the evolutionary origins of human nature, cross-cultural psychology, and abnormal psychology. He has an AB from Princeton University, with additional undergraduate study at St. Anne’s College, Oxford University. Marcus’s doctoral degree is from the University of North Dakota, with clinical training completed within the New York State Office of Mental Health. He has lived and worked in Europe, Asia, Micronesia, and North America, and cultural diversity forms a core part of his professional writing and work.