Cultural Psychology

Catalog description

This course provides an introduction to cultural psychology. Cultural psychology focuses on the ways in which culture influences our mental processes and behavior. According to Wang (2016), “cultural psychology is necessary for the building of a true psychological science” (2016, p. 3). As part of this course, students will learn about the types of research methods and theoretical models required for investigating the impact of culture on our psychology.Cultural psychologists study a number of key research questions including but not limited to how and why cultural groups differ, how cultural groups are similar, the dynamic interaction between culture and individual differences or personality, and the multiple ways in which culture influences cognition and behavior. Critically, cultural psychology emphasizes the value and importance of appreciating diversity and multiculturalism. As one example, cultural psychology incorporates intersectionality by focusing on the combined effect of multiple identities, such as gender and cultural heritage in shaping our psychology. This course will provide an in-depth focus on diversity, multiculturalism, and the value of appreciating the global landscape in which we live.