April 2004

 

SS2406.  Cross-Cultural Psychology: Human Behavior in Global Perspective

 

 

Course Syllabus Template for Adjunct Instructors

 

Department of Social Science and Policy Studies

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

 

 

 

 

Course Description:  This course is an introduction to the study of the ways in which social and cultural forces shape human cognition and behavior.  Cross-cultural psychology takes a global perspective of human behavior that acknowledges both the uniqueness and interdependence of peoples of the world.  The effect of culture on traditional topics of psychology (e.g., perception, learning, memory, intelligence, development, emotion, motivation) as well as topics central to social psychology (e.g., attitudes, intergroup relations, gender differences, social norms, conformity, influence, and cooperation) will be covered, as well as the applications of cross-cultural psychology to health, education, management, and engineering.

 

Recommended background:  SS1402 (Introduction to Social Psychology)

 

Course Objectives:

 

1. To provide students with a basic understanding of the theories, methods, and applications of cross-cultural psychology.

 

2. To help students understand the practical relevance of cross-cultural psychology to everyday experience.

 

3. To allow students to gain experience in investigating and evaluating claims about cultural differences in one of three application areas: education, engineering, and management.

 

4. To provide teacher preparation students with the necessary background in cultural differences and their implications to develop competence in the professional standards for teachers.

Required Texts:

 

Shiraev, E., and Levy, D. Cross-Cultural Psychology: Critical Thinking and Contemporary Applications, 2nd ed. Boston:  Allyn & Bacon.

Lonner, W. J., and Malpass, R. S. (1994). Psychology and Culture. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

 

Recommended texts:

 

It is recommended that students purchase one of the following 3 texts to support their term project:

 

For students interested in educational applications:

 

Powell, R. R., Garcia, J., and Zehm, S. (1996). Field Experience: Strategies for Exploring Diversity in Schools. Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Prentice-Hall.

 

For students interested in managerial applications:

 

Harvey, C., and Allard, M. J. (2005). Understanding and Managing Diversity, 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

 

For students interested in engineering applications:

 

National Academy of Engineering (2002). Diversity in Engineering: Managing the Workforce of the Future. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

 

 

Exams:  There will be 3 exams covering both lectures and assigned reading. 

 

Term Project:  Students will complete a single term project. The goals of the project are to give students practice in evaluating theories and claims about cultural differences, to allow students to explore in depth a question or topic related to cross-cultural psychology that interests them, and to increase student familiarity with the literature on cross-cultural psychology and diversity as well as how to find it and interpret it. 

 

 

 

 

 

Course schedule:

 

                        Topics                                      Readings

 

Week 1            Cross-cultural Psychology:        Shiraev/Levy, CH1

(1/2 week)          Definitions and Approaches   Jones; Marin; Lee/Hall

                        Methods in Cross-Cultural        Shiraev/Levy, CH2

                           Psychology

 

Week 2            Critical Thinking in Cross-         Shiraev/Levy, CH3

                           Cultural Psychology

                        IQ, Culture, and Social                         Shiraev/Levy, CH5

                           Justice                                               Serpell

 

Week 3            Culture and Cognition               Shiraev/Levy, CH4

                                                                                    Mistry/Rogoff

                                                                                    Kleinfeld

 

Week 4            Culture, Emotion, and               Shiraev/Levy, CH6, CH7

                           Motivation

 

Week 5            Culture, Development, and        Shiraev/Levy, CH8

                           Socialization                          Dasen; Amir

                        Culture and Mental Health        Shiraev/Levy, CH9

                                                                                    Trimble; Snowdon/Hines

 

Week 6            Culture and Social Behavior      Shiraev/Levy, CH10, CH11

                                                                                    Taylor/Porter; Wade/Tavris

                                                                                    Triandis; Buss

 

Weeks 7          Applications of Cross-              Shiraev/Levy, CH12

and 8                   Cultural Psychology to                       Cvetkovich/Earle

(1/2 week)          Health, Education,                 Beardsley

                           Engineering and

   Management

 

 

 

 

Assigned readings from the Lonner/Malpass text:

 

Amir, Y. The Contact Hypothesis in Intergroup Relations

Beardsley, L. M. Medical Diagnosis and Treatment Across Cultures

Buss, D. M. Mate Preferences in 37 Cultures

Cvetkovich, G. T., and Earle, T. C. Risk and Culture

Dasen, P. R. Culture and Cognitive Development from a Piagetian Perspective

Jones, J. The African American: A Duality Dilemma?

Kleinfeld, J. Learning Styles and Culture

Lee, D. J., and Hall, C. I. Being Asian in North America

Marin, G. The Experience of Being a Hispanic in the United States

Mistry, J., and Rogoff, B. Remembering in Cultural Context

Serpell, R. The Cultural Construction of Intelligence

Snowden, L. R., and Hines, A. M. Reaching the Underserved: Mental Health Services Systems

Taylor, D. M., and Porter, L. E. A Multicultural View of Stereotyping

Triandis, H. C. Culture and Social Behavior

Trimble, J. E. Cultural Variations in the Use of Alcohol and Drugs

Wade, C., and Tavris, C. The Longest War: Gender and Culture

 

 

Accommodations for students with disabilities:

 

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you have medical information to share with me, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. If you have not already done so, students with disabilities who, believe that they may need accommodations in this class, are encouraged to contact the Disability Services Office (DSO), as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. The DSO is located in Daniels Hall, 508-831-5235.

 

Academic Honesty

 

Students are expected to be aware of and to adhere to WPI’s Academic Honesty Policy.  If you have questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty, refer to the Student Guide to Academic Integrity at WPI. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. If you have questions about what constitutes plagiarism, follow this link. Here’s what I will do if I suspect academic dishonesty.

 

Opportunities in Psychology at WPI:

 

The Department of Social Science offers a variety of courses in psychology, including social psychology, cognitive psychology, research methods in psychology, educational psychology, cross-cultural psychology, improving cognitive skills, and the psychology of environmental problems. Courses with a strong psychological component that are offered in other WPI departments include human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and organizational science.  A wide variety of psychology courses that count toward WPI degree designations are available at other schools in the Worcester Consortium. Students may obtain a Minor in Psychology by completing 6 courses. A Major in Psychology is also possible through WPI’s Interdisciplinary Majors program. Please see me if you have any questions about these programs or other questions related to careers and opportunities in psychology.