PSYC 681 Cross-Cultural Psychology

This course offers a broad overview of cross-cultural psychology, a field that uses methods and theoretical ideas from psychology as tools to help understand cultural effects on human psychology, with a focus on the individual. It will examine psychological diversity and the links between cultural norms and individual behavior. It will also examine the ways in which particular individual human activities are influenced by social and cultural forces. Concepts from psychology, such as cognition, intelligence, emotion, motivation and behavior will be investigated and applied to issues in human development, social perception, social interaction and psychological disorders. In addition, by describing cross-cultural psychology experimentation in detail, the course teaches about how the scientific method can be applied to comparative methods that establish psychological universals.

Special information

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing.

4 Graduate credits

Effective August 20, 2011 to present

Learning outcomes

General

To acquaint students with the most important theoretical and research developments in cross-cultural psychology during the past thirty years.
To examine the concepts and processes necessary for cross-cultural research.
To help students understand and think critically about the various manifestations of prejudice in our society and help apply the psychological perspectives for reducing prejudice to our everyday life.
To help students understand behavioral differences in individuals among various cultural groups.
To help students understand their own cultural backgrounds and the dynamics of their cross-cultural experience, discovering cultural and psychological variations which are not present in their own cultural experience.
To illustrate the impact of cross-cultural studies on the development of psychology as a discipline.
To improve intercultural communication.
To integrate theory and lessons from research into a coherent schema to guide field research and interventions in intercultural situations.
To introduce cross-cultural theoretical frameworks.