Curriculum Vitae

EDUCATION

Ph.D. Human Development and Education, UC Berkeley, 2015

Title: Adolescents and College Students’ Understanding of Others’ Moral Decisions

Chair: Professor Elliot Turiel

M.Ed. Human Development and Psychology, Harvard University, 2006

B. A. Social Welfare, UC Berkeley, 2005

DISSERTATION

Adolescents and college students’ thoughts about other people’s social and moral judgments

Committee: Elliot Turiel, Chair; Frank C. Worrell, Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton

Examination fields

Adolescent moral judgments

Moral development

Children’s social development

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

  • 8/12 – 5/13 Research seminar instructor responsible for training undergraduates on transcribing and coding interviews.

    Supervisor: Professor Elliot Turiel, UC Berkeley, Education Department, University of California, Berkeley

  • 9/09 – 8/10 Research assistant responsible for data management and analysis, as well as creating summary reports of the analyses.

    Supervisor: Professor Rhona S. Weinstein, UC Berkeley, Psychology Department, University of California, Berkeley

  • 8/06 – 8/08 Research assistant responsible for inputting, organizing, and analyzing data

    Supervisors: Professor Frank C. Worrell, Graduate School of Education and Professor Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton, Psychology Department, University of California, Berkeley

  • 9/07—5/08 Assisted a post-doctoral student with transcribing, analyzing, and coding responses from a qualitative study involving interviews with Oakland Youth.

  • 9/05 — 12/05 Conducted a quantitative research project involving 4th graders in Cambridge, MA, Harvard University.

  • 01/03 — 08/03 Conducted a quantitative research project involving Upward Bound high school students in Northern California, UC Berkeley.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

  • 7/23 – Present Associate Professor of Psychology, Whitworth University

  • 7/18 – 6/23 Assistant Professor of Psychology, Whitworth University

  • 7/15 – 6/18 Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology, Whitworth University

  • 9/14 – 5/15 Instructor of Psychology, Bethel University

  • 8/13 – 12/13 Graduate Student Instructor for Development During Infancy, UC Berkeley

  • 6/12 – 8/13 College Success Instructor for SMASH, UC Berkeley

  • 1/12 – 5/12 Graduate Student Instructor for Development During Infancy, UC Berkeley

  • 1/11 – 5/11 Graduate Student Instructor for Introduction to Psychology, UC Berkeley

  • 6/08 – 8/08 Freshman Seminar Instructor for Summer Bridge, SF State University

  • 6/07 – 8/07 Freshman Seminar Instructor for Summer Bridge, SF State University

  • 6/06 – 8/06 Freshman Seminar Instructor for Summer Bridge, SF State University 

COURSES TAUGHT

  • 8 Years Developmental Psychology (Traditional Undergraduates)

  • 8 Years Psychological Statistics

  • 8 Years Research in Psychology

  • 8 Years Senior Thesis

  • 8 Years Perspectives on Moral Development

  • 2 Years First Year Seminar 

  • 4 Years Developmental Psychology (Continuing Studies)

  • Spring 2021 God’s City, Hell’s Kitchen: The Morality of Marvel’s Daredevil

  • 3 Years Morality in the Marvel Universe

  • Spring 2023 Advanced Senior Thesis

  • Spring 2024 Senior Thesis Independent Study

OTHER TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Dissertation Reader, spring 2023-spring 2024

ADVISING LOAD 

Fall 2022 – 27 advisees with four seniors

Fall 2021 – 22 advisees with four seniors

RELATED WORK EXPERIENCE

  • 6/13 – 8/13 Graduate Student Tutor for Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, UC Berkeley

  • 6/08 – 6/12 Program Director for Berkeley Scholars to Cal II, Stiles Hall

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

  • Martin, J. (2004). Identity and academic achievement: perceptions and attitudes of Black high school students. Berkeley McNair Research Journal, 12, 14-28.

  • Martin, J. (2007). Children’s attitudes toward superheroes as a potential indicator of their moral understanding. Journal of Moral Education, 36, 239-250.

  • Woodland, M. H., Martin, J. F., Hill, R. L., & Worrell, F. C. (2009). The most blessed room in the city: The influence of a youth development program on three young Black males. The Journal of Negro Education, 78, 233-245.

  • Meyer, E. L., Schaefer, B. A., Merino Soto, C., Simmons, C., Anguiano, R., Brett, J., Holman, A., Martin, J. F., Hata, H. K., Roberts, K. J., Mello, Z. R., & Worrell, F. C. (2011). Factor structure of Child Behavior Scale scores in Peruvian preschoolers. Psychology in the Schools, 48, 931-942. doi:10.1002/pits.20596

  • Worrell, F. C., Mendoza-Denton, R., Telesford, J., Simmons, C., & Martin, J. F. (2011). Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS) Scores: Stability and relationships with psychological adjustment. Journal of Personality Assessment, 93, 637-648. doi:10.1080/00223891.2011.608762

  • Martin, J. F. (2020). God and Gotham?: Batman narratives as potential for theological reflection. Theology, Religion, and Popular Culture Review, 2, 7-11.

  • Martin, J. F. (2021). The many ways of Wakanda: Viewpoint diversity in Black Panther and its implications for civics education. Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy, 8, 24-36.

  • Martin, J. F. (2021). Capes, Conflict, and Co-Viewing. Academia Letters, Article 2149. 

    https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2149

  • Martin, J. F. (2023). Harlem’s superhero: Social interaction, heterogeneity of thought, and the superhero mission in Marvel’s Luke Cage. Popular Culture Review, 34(2), 43-89. https://doi.org/10.18278/pcr.34.2.3

  • Martin, J. (2023). Superhero media as a potential context for investigating children’s understanding of 

  • morally relevant events. Libri & Liberi: Journal of Research on Children’s Literature, 12(1), 11-35. https://doi.org/10.21066/carcl.libri.12.1.1

  • Martin, J. (2024). Time-travel and teleology: Morality, society, and the life of Lucas Bishop. REDEN. 

  • Revista Española De Estudios Norteamericanos, 5(2), 128–153. https://doi.org/10.37536/reden.2024.5.2414

  • Martin, J. F., & Kapoor, H. (2024). It’s worse if Superman does it: Perceptions of moral transgressions committed by superheroes and supervillains. Heroism Science, 9(1), Article 7. https://doi.org/10.26736/hs.2024.01.08

  • Martin, J. F. (2025). Figuring out fairness: Justice considerations in superhero comics. ImageTexT, 15(2). https://imagetextjournal.com/martin-fairness/

BOOK CHAPTERS

  • Weinstein, R. S., Martin, J. F., Bialis-White, L. H., & Sami, N. (2016). Tracking student indicators across time. In R. S. Weinstein and F. C. Worrell (Eds.), Achieving college dreams: how a university-charter district partnership created an early college high school (pp. 185 – 208). Oxford University Press.

  • Martin, J. F. (2019). Growing up in Wakanda: Understanding the psychological features of social life. In T. Langley and A. Simmons (Eds.), Black Panther psychology: hidden kingdoms (pp. 21 – 35). Sterling Press.

  • Martin, J. (2022). Social life from scratch: Morality, religion, and society in The Walking Dead. In S. Donahue-Martens and B. Simonson (Eds.), Theology, Religion, and Dystopia (pp. 75 – 88). Rowman & Littlefield.

  • Martin, J. F., Killian, M., & Letizia, A. (2023). Comics and community: Exploring the relationship between society, education, and citizenship. In Jason D. DeHart (Ed.), Exploring comics and graphic novels in the classroom (pp. 203 – 228). IGI Global.

  • Martin, J. (2023). Cold-Hearted: Mr. Freeze and moral development. In Marco Favaro and Justin F. Martin (Eds.), Batman’s Villains and Villainesses: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Arkham’s Souls (pp. 259 – 275). Lexington.

  • Favaro, M., & Martin, J. F. (2023). Not Exactly a Cowardly Lot: Gotham’s Villains. In Marco Favaro and Justin F. Martin (Eds.), Batman’s Villains and Villainesses: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Arkham’s Souls (pp. 1 – 9). Lexington.

  • Martin, J. (2024). Social superheroes: Interactions, judgments, and the superhero mission. In Jason D. DeHart (Ed.), Transmedia applications in literacy fields (pp. 65-102). IGI Global.

EDITED BOOKS

  • Favaro, M., & Martin, J. F. (2023). Batman’s Villains and Villainesses: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Arkham’s Souls. Lexington.

BOOK REVIEWS

  • Martin, J. F. (2019, October 18). Review of the book Superhero ethics, by Travis Smith. Journal of Popular Culture, 52, 1218-1220. doi:10.1111/jpcu.12838

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

OTHER PUBLICATIONS - CREATIVE

  • Martin, J. (2012). Light Weightz: The anthology, part one. (Art and Lettering: P. R. Dedelis; Colors: Lya). Oakland, CA: Justin Martin R Squared Comicz. 

  • Martin, J. (2013). Light Weightz: The anthology, part two. (Art and Lettering: P. R. Dedelis; Colors: Lya). Oakland, CA: Justin Martin R Squared Comicz. 

  • Martin, J. (2013). The Story of Peter: Faith. (Art, Colors, and Lettering: Earnest Graham). Oakland, CA: Justin Martin R Squared Comicz. 

MANUSCRIPTS IN PRESS

  • Martin, J. F. (In Press). The Phoenix and Dark Phoenix sagas: Ambiguity, disagreement, and the superhero mission. The Routledge Companion to Superhero Studies.

MANUSCRIPTS SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION

  • Martin, J. F., & Strong, M. T. (2022). Dimensions and decisions: Time travel, Alternate realities, and moral judgments [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department of Psychology, Whitworth University.

  • Martin, J. F. (2024). The spirit, the letter, and the devil in between: Daredevil’s approach to the morality-convention distinction [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department of Psychology, Whitworth University.

  • Martin, J. F. (2024). X marks the perspective: Humans, mutants, and the world as understood in Grant Morrison’s New X-Men [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department of Psychology, Whitworth University.

  • Martin, J. F. (2024). Powers for the people: Social complexity, Luke Cage, and civil discourse [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department of Psychology, Whitworth University.

PRESENTATIONS

  • Martin, J. (2003, August). Identity and academic achievement: perceptions and attitudes of Black high school students. Paper presented at the annual McNair Scholars Research Symposium at UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

  • Martin, J. (2006, February). ‘Yeah I like superheroes, so what?’ Children’s attitudes toward superheroes. Paper presented at the Student Research Conference at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA

  • Martin, J. (2007, April).  Facing History and Ourselves curriculum proposal: teaching the abolitionist movement, moral agency, and social justice.  Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL

  • Martin, J. (2007, November). Children’s attitudes toward superheroes as a potential indicator of their moral understanding. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Moral Education, New York, NY

  • Martin, J. (2008, October). Children’s attitudes toward superheroes as a potential indicator of their moral understanding.  Paper presented at the first annual conference on the Comic Book and Popular Culture, Bowling Green, OH

  • Weinstein, R., Sami, N., & Martin, J. (2011, April). Creating a high-expectation secondary school for underserved youth: Intervention research informs policy. Research presented at the Clinical Science Colloquium, University of California, Berkeley, CA

  • Martin, J. (2014, May). Adolescents and college students’ understanding of others’ moral decisions.  Paper presented at the forty-fourth annual meeting of the Jean Piaget Society, San Francisco, CA

  • Martin, J. (2016, October). Seen, heard, and understood. Presentation at the Gospel and Racism Conference at Whitworth University, Spokane, WA

  • Martin, J. (2018, October). Superheroes and society: a convergence of socio-moral concepts. Paper presented at the Gonzaga Law School Faculty Speaker Series, Spokane, WA

  • Martin, J. (2019, April). Wakanda’s wisdom: Agreement, disagreement, and the complexities of social life.  Paper presented at the forty-ninth annual meeting of the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association, Washington, D.C.

  • Martin, J. (2019, November). Superheroes, society, and…social studies?: Superhero narratives and their potential to facilitate socio-moral discourse.  Paper presented at the forty-fifth annual meeting of the Association for Moral Education, Seattle, WA.

  • Martin, J. (2020, February). The many ways of Wakanda: Viewpoint diversity and its implications for civics education.  Paper presented at an event sponsored by the philosophy club at Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA.

  • Martin, J. (2020, April 15-18). Comic Book Justice: Potential Associations Between Popular Culture and Developmental Psychology [Conference Session]. Annual meeting of the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association, Philadelphia, P.A. https://pcaaca.org/news/2020-04-11/2020-program-draft-available (Conference canceled)

  • Martin, J. (2020, July). Comic Book Justice: Potential Associations Between Popular Culture and  Developmental Psychology.  Paper presented at the Conference at the End of the World, Online, https://www.alt-ac.uk/.

  • Martin, J., & Letizia, A. (2020, October). Living Together: The Walking Dead as a Context for Exploring Different Perspectives on Citizenship.  Paper presented at the forty-sixth annual meeting of the Association for Moral Education, Online, https://www.amenetwork.org.

  • Martin, J. (2021, February). The many ways of Wakanda: Viewpoint diversity and its implications for civics education.  Presentation for Spokane Public Library’s celebration of Black History Month, Online, https://www.spokanelibrary.org.

  • Martin, J., & Kapoor, H. (2021, May). It’s worse if Superman does it: Perceptions of moral transgressions committed by superheroes and supervillains.  Paper presented at the third biennial Heroism Science Conference, University of Limerick, Ireland [I Presented Online], https://rise2research.wordpress.com/heroism-science-conference

  • Letizia, A., & Martin, J. (2021, June). From super to civil: What Marvel’s Civil War conflict can teach us about society and freedom.  Paper presented at the fiftieth annual meeting of the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association, Online, https://pcaaca.org

  • Killian, M., Letizia, A., & Martin, J. (2021, November). Graphic societies: The potential role of comics and graphic novels in the relationship between education and citizenship.  Presented for a roundtable discussion at the forty-seventh annual meeting of the Association for Moral Education, Online, https://www.amenetwork.org.

  • Martin, J. (2022, April). Cold-Hearted: An analysis of Mr. Freeze through the lens of moral development.  Paper presented at the fifty-first annual meeting of the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association, Online, https://pcaaca.org.

  • Martin, J. F., & Strong, M. T. (2023, August). Dimensions and decisions: Time travel, alternate realities, and moral judgments. Paper presented at the one-hundred eighteenth annual meeting of the American Sociological Association [Sociology of Cultures Roundtables; I did not attend], Philadelphia, P.A.

  • Martin, J. F. (2025, May). The Primacy and Potential of Superhero Narratives: Insights from Developmental Psychology.  Paper presented at the Art of Storytelling: Archetypes in Focus Conference for the London Arts Based Research Center, Oxford University [I Presented Online], https://labrc.co.uk/2025/02/09/storytelling-2025/

OTHER SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

  • Martin, J. (2018, February). Heroes, media images of African Americans, and Marvel’s Black Panther. 

    Panelist. Spokane Public Library, Spokane, WA

  • Martin, J. (2018, May). Studying Superheroes. Panelist. Spokane Public Library, Spokane, WA

GUEST LECTURES AND CONVERSATIONS

  • Martin, J. (2015, March). Understanding Youth Morality from a Social Domain Perspective. Guest lecturer for Educational Policy Studies 150: Youth, Education, and Society at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI

  • Martin, J. (2017, October). The Use of Correlations in Research. Guest lecturer for Psychology 301: Research in Psychology at Whitworth University, Spokane, WA

  • Martin, J. (2017, October). The Use of Between Subjects ANOVA in Research (Pre-Recorded Audio). Guest lecturer for Psychology 301: Research in Psychology at Whitworth University, Spokane, WA

  • Martin, J. (2017, October). Psychosocial Development in Adolescence. Guest lecturer for Psychology 210: Developmental Psychology at Whitworth University, Spokane, WA

  • Martin, J. (2017, October). Biosocial Development in Emerging Adulthood. Guest lecturer for Psychology 210: Developmental Psychology at Whitworth University, Spokane, WA

  • Martin, J. (2018, October). Similarities and Differences Between Psychology and Sociology. Guest discussant for Sociology 120: Introduction to Sociology at Whitworth University, Spokane, WA

  • Martin, J. (2020, March). A Developmental Approach to Discrimination and Prejudice. Guest lecturer for Psychology 396: Multicultural Psychology at Whitworth University, Spokane, WA

  • Martin, J. (2020, October). A Healthy Approach to Relationships. Guest panelist for Health Sciences 162: Personal Health at Whitworth University, Spokane, WA

  • Martin, J. (2023, April). Belonging: Features of Moral Understanding. Guest lecturer for the Belonging Luncheon Lecture Series at Whitworth University, Spokane, WA

  • Martin, J. (2023, April). Toward a Developmental Analysis of Superhero Media: Lessons from Wakanda. Guest lecturer for Public Philosophy Night at the Spokane Public Library, hosted by Eastern Washington University, Spokane, WA. 10.13140/RG.2.2.12191.33448

  • Martin, J. (2023, October). Toward a Developmental Analysis of Superhero Media: Lessons from Wakanda. Guest lecturer for English 1105: Superheroes and Society at Centenary University, Hackettstown, NJ (Pre-Recorded on September 26th, 2023)

  • Martin, J. (2024, April). Something from Nothing?: Joker and Moral Development. Guest lecturer for Comparative Cultural Studies 2: Seminar 120 IBM at University of Europe for Applied Sciences, Berlin, Germany (Pre-Recorded on April 5th, 2024)

  • Martin, J. (2025, January). Superheroes, Society, and Social Arrangements. Guest presenter for the Faculty Scholarship Recognition Luncheon at Whitworth University, Spokane, WA

MEDIA APPEARANCES

  • Martin, J. F. (2022, August 11). Black Panther, Moral Development, and Comics (No. 190) [Audio podcast episode]. In Sectarian Review. https://the-sectarian-review.castos.com/podcasts/41014/episodes/sectarian-review-190-black-panther-moral-development-and-comics

  • “How Black Panther can be a template for a psychologically sound civics education for kids”, Inlander, 2 June 2022.

  • “Drawing on Faith”, Whitworth Today, 5 June 2018.

  • “Whitworth’s ‘super’ professor”, KXLY News, 30 November 2017.

  • “The ageless appeal of superheroes: What effect do superhero stories have on audiences?”, Deseret News, 24 March 2016.

Pre-Qualifying Papers

  • Martin, J. F., (2008). ‘I see where you’re coming from’: Theoretical approaches to perspective taking. Prequalifying paper, Cognition and Development, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley.

  • Martin, J. F. (2009). Children, superheroes, and prosocial behaviors: Correlates among self-attitudes, superhero familiarity, and superhero attitudes. Prequalifying paper, Cognition and Development, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley.

  • Martin, J. F. (2009). The nature of moral understanding: Exploring the relationship among concepts, judgments, and behaviors. Prequalifying paper, Cognition and Development, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley.

    INSTITUTIONAL SERVICE

  • Faculty Assurance, Psychology senior student research project, Whitworth University, spring 2024 

  • Member, Institutional Review Board Committee, Whitworth University, 2016 – spring 2022, spring 2024 – present

  • Reviewer, Spokane Intercollegiate Research Conference, Whitworth University, spring 2024

  • Speaker, Mentorship Visit Program, Whitworth University, spring 2024

  • Chair, Nomination Committee, Whitworth University, fall 2023 – spring 2025

  • Discussion Leader, Honors Scholarship Weekend, Whitworth University, spring 2023

  • Co-Advisor, UMOJA, Whitworth University, fall 2022 – present

  • Reviewer, Hugh Johnston Interdisciplinary Grant, Whitworth University, spring 2022

  • Member, Nomination Committee, Whitworth University, fall 2021 – present

  • Attendee, Faculty Assembly (All Meetings), Whitworth University, fall 2021 – spring 2022

  • Member, Math Faculty Search Committee, Whitworth University, spring 2021

  • Member, Academic Dishonesty Task Force, Whitworth University, fall 2020 – fall 2021

  • Co-Facilitator, Men of Color Connection Group, Whitworth University, fall 2020

  • Co-Facilitator, Inclusive Communication and Storytelling, Whitworth University, August 2020

  • Faculty Panel, Academic Dishonesty, Whitworth University, July 2020

  • Faculty and Staff Panel, Courageous Conversations, Whitworth University, June 2020

  • Member, Computer Science Faculty Search Committee, Whitworth University, fall 2019

  • Co-Advisor, Black Student Union, Whitworth University, fall 2019 – present

  • Faculty Panel, International Counselor Fly-In Program, Whitworth University, July 2018

  • Interim Chair, Institutional Review Board Committee, Whitworth University, spring 2018

  • Member, Patricia MacDonald Scholarship Committee, Whitworth University, 2017, 2018, 2020

  • Library Liaison, Psychology Department, Whitworth University, 2016 – present


PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

  • Editorial Board, Heroism Science, spring 2025 - present

  • Reviewer, Humanity & Society, summer 2024

  • Reviewer, Transmedia Applications in Literacy Fields, spring 2024

  • Reviewer, Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy, spring 2022

  • Reviewer, Libri & Liberi: Journal of Research on Children’s Literature and Culture, spring 2021

  • Reviewer, Academia Letters, spring 2021

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

  • Comic Studies Society, 2021 - present

  • Popular Culture Association, 2018 - present

  • Association for Moral Education, 2017 - present

  • American Educational Research Association, 2006-2007, 2012

HONORS AND AWARDS

  • Provost’s Award for Scholarly Promise, 2024

  • National Society of Collegiate Scholars, 2002-2005

  • Ronald E. McNair Scholar, University of California, Berkeley, 2003-2004

  • Intellectual Contribution Award, Harvard University, Graduate School of Education, 2006


    COMMUNITY SERVICE

President, Young Adult Ministry, Phillips Temple CME Church, Berkeley, CA, 2009 - 2014