Id: 040482 Credits Min: 3 Credits Max: 3

Description

An advanced seminar to consider special topics in community psychology with focus on critique of the theoretical and empirical literature, identification of future research pathways, and the potential for application with consideration of ethics and social responsibility. This course explores dilemmas that can emerge when working to bridge diverse groups in community-based work. The seminar will be organized around narratives that address multiple dimensions of diversity including race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, disability, and religion. Too often, guidelines for addressing very complex diversity dynamics are presented as neatly packaged lists of recommendations. However, it is within the stories of the challenges and dilemmas that the complexity of the political, historical, social, and psychological dynamics of diversity are most evident. Students will explore examples of everyday diversity challenges and utilize psychological theories to better understand how the challenges can be shaped by struggles over limited resources, deep historical conflicts between groups, privilege dynamics, intragroup dynamics, organizational cultural norms, and/or other issues. This is a writing-intensive course.

Prerequisites

PSYC.1010 Intro to Psychological Science, and PSYC.2090 Social Psychology, or PSYC.2550 Community Psychology, and PSYC.2690 Research I: Methods.

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