Richard Rapson
Professor of History, University of Hawaii
Department of History
University of Hawaii
2530 Dole Street
Honolulu, HI 96822
Office: (808)
956-6801
FAX: (808)
965-9600
e-mail:
rapson@aol.com
Richard L. Rapson (B.A. Amherst, Ph.D. Columbia) is Professor of History at
the University of Hawaii and was Founder and Director of New College. He came
to Hawaii in 1966 after teaching many years at Amherst and Stanford
University. He has written a dozen books dealing with American history and
culture. His last three multidisciplinary books have been done in
collaboration with his wife, Elaine Hatfield, Professor of Psychology at U.H. Love,
Sex, and Intimacy: Their Psychology, Biology, and History was published in
1992 by HarperCollins. Cambridge University Press published their study of
Emotional Contagion in 1994. Love and Sex: Cross-Cultural
Perspectives (Allyn & Bacon) appeared in
1996. In Year 2000, they co-authored their first work of fiction, Rosie
(Sterling House).
Four other collaborative novels followed between 2001 and 2005:
Recovered Memories and Darwin's Law, and two murder mysteries:
Deadly Wager and Vengeance Is Mine. His solo "memoir of ideas," Amazed
By Life: Confessions of a Non-Religious Believer was published in 2004.
His latest book is Magical Thinking and the Decline of America (2007).
He has been a T.V. moderator and, among many honors, has been named one of the nation's best teachers by the Danforth Foundation. Stanford University's Class of 1967, at their 25th Reunion in November 1992, also honored him for his teaching. In addition, he was a psychotherapist for 15 years, beginning in 1982.
Last revised November 16, 2007