Intro to Cultural Psychology

Course Description

As people, we have intersectional identities rooted in culture. Human beings do not develop and function in a cultural vacuum. We must understand ourselves and our positionality in the world by understanding this world as a cultural world, in fact, as existing of multiple cultural worlds simultaneously. Cultural psychology is the field of study that focuses on the cultural constitution of psychological phenomena. This course will explore why the cultural dimension is crucial for human psychology. To this purpose, we will explore current theories and research on culture, race, and ethnicity and will examine evidence suggesting psychological processes are culture- and context-dependent. Students will better understand how sociocultural contexts influence psychological processes, such as self, agency, motivation, emotion, cognition, and relationships, learn about empirical methods in cultural psychology and achieve a better appreciation and belongingness of people within and outside of the United States. This course will continue building skills of empathy, respect, and open-mindedness of cultural backgrounds. The class will comprise lectures, discussions, and experiential activities.