Raye Kass is a Canadian academic and professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. She specializes in group dynamics, small group development, leadership, and human relations training, and has contributed to space psychology research.
Education
Kass earned a Baccalaureate of Arts with Distinction from Sir George Williams University in 1970, a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto in 1972, and a PhD in Educational Theory from the University of Toronto in 1987.
Academic career
Kass was hired as an Assistant Professor of Applied Human Sciences at Concordia University in 1972, promoted to Associate Professor in 1976, and to Professor in 2012. She has taught seventeen different courses and was instrumental in creating the Human Systems Intervention graduate program. She is a member and past Program Director of the Centre for Human Relations and Community Studies (CHRCS).
Publications
Kass is the author of Theories of Small Group Development (first published in 1996, currently in its 4th edition and 17th printing), which is used as a standard text at universities including the University of British Columbia, Royal Roads University, McGill University, and the Université de Montréal. She is also the co-author of three other works on group theory: How to Observe Your Group, Making Workgroups Effective, and Leading and Managing Dynamic Groups. She has published over 80 scholarly works, including refereed journal articles, book chapters, and conference presentations.
Space research
Kass has been involved in space research projects with the Canadian Space Agency and NASA, including the CAPSULS Mission (Canada), the SFINCSS mission (Russia), and the NSBRI Ground-based Research Project with NASA Ames Research Centre. Her research has examined conflict-handling modes, team training, and psychosocial dynamics in long-duration spaceflight simulations. She was previously an advisor to the Mars One project, contributing to psychosocial selection criteria for applicants.
Selected bibliography
- Kass, R. (2008). Theories of Small Group Development. 4th ed. Montreal: Concordia University Centre for Human Relations and Community Studies.
- Dimock, H. & Kass, R. (2011). Making Workgroups Effective. 6th ed. Toronto: Captus Press.
- Dimock, H. & Kass, R. (2008). Leading and Managing Dynamic Groups. 4th ed. Toronto: Captus Press.
- Dimock, H. G. & Kass, R. (2007). How to Observe Your Group. 4th ed. Toronto: Captus Press.
- Kass, R.; Kass, J.; Binder, H.; Kraft, N. (2010). "Conflict-Handling Mode Scores of Three Crews Before and After a 264-Day Spaceflight Simulation". Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine. 81 (5): 502–505.
- Kass, J.; Kass, R.; Samaltedinov, I. (1995). "Psychological considerations of man in space: Problems & solutions". Acta Astronautica. 36 (8–12): 657–660.
