Assignments to Foster Sociocultural and

International Awareness

Dana Gross

St. Olaf College

ACM FaCE Workshop

June 4, 2011

Reasons to Internationalize Undergraduate Psychology

(American Psychological Association)

Increasingly global society Cultural competence in research and practice

Growth of psychology worldwide International students in U.S. classrooms & programs

Greater emphasis on global perspectives in the undergraduate psychology curriculum http://www.apa.org/ed/psymajor_guideline.pdf http://www.apa.org/ed/pcue/international.pdf

Sociocultural & International Awareness

The ability to:

interact effectively and sensitively with people of diverse abilities, backgrounds, and cultural perspectives.

understand how privilege, power, and oppression may affect prejudice, discrimination, and inequity.

predict how interactions among diverse people can challenge conventional understanding of psychological processes and behavior.

Psychological Knowledge in International Perspective

Use psychological theories to compare differences and commonalities between aspects of one’s own cultural background and those of people in another region of the world.

Use psychological concepts to promote effective interactions with people whose beliefs, philosophies, and values differ from one’s own.

Understand that internationalization and globalization influence both individual and group psychological processes.

Explain how the discipline of psychology is developed, studied, and applied differently across cultures.

Apply knowledge of psychology to issues of global concern and human welfare (e.g., poverty, trauma, inequality).

Recognize the role of national and cultural identity in understanding and interacting with other people.

Explain the risks of generalizing about a culture from small, unrepresentative samples.

On-campus InterimHuman Development in East Asia:

Perspectives from China and Japan

Week 1: Culture and Context

The psychology of globalization

Golden Arches East: McDonald’s in East Asia

Preschool in Three Cultures

Week 2: Infancy and Childhood

Parenting and children’s social functioning

Family narratives

Views of children’s personal discretion

Week 3: Adolescence

Family obligation

Parental control of the personal domain

Peer relationships

Identity development

Academic achievement

Week 4: Adulthood

The status of women

The father’s role

An aging world

Assignment #1: The Matrix

“Supply 3 words that reflect your beliefs about China, Japan, and the United States for each of the categories shown:”

Infants Children Adolescents Adults Older adults Culture

Readings

Golden Arches East: McDonald’s in East Asia

Preschool in Three Cultures: Japan, China, and the United States

Wild Swans

Articles directly comparing China and Japan Mathematics achievement of

Chinese, Japanese, and American children

Fathering in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cultures

Articles Comparing the U.S. with China or Japan Personal storytelling as a medium of

socialization in Chinese and American families

Rice balls and bear hunts: Japanese and North American family narrative patterns

The role of parents’ control in early adolescents’ psychological functioning…in the US and China

Parental control of the personal domain and symptoms of psychopathology…in the US and Japan

Close relationships in Japan and the U.S.

Films about China and Japan:Virtual Travel

Families in China Families in Japan Families in the U.S. Preschool in Three

Cultures The Family Game The Polished Stones

Two Million Minutes Linda! Linda! Linda! Small Happiness Her China Today Chado (Tea Ceremony) The Blue Kite Spirited Away

Writing in Response to Film

Choose either “The Blue Kite” or “Spirited Away” and explain how our course helped you understand:

the main character’s family relationships one other aspect of the film

Other Classroom Activities

Virtual (website) visits to McDonald’s in China, Japan, and the U.S.

Do the websites support or contradict the ideas in Golden Arches East?

Teen Magazinesin China, Japan, and the U.S.

Compare the amount and type of attention given to individuals versus groups.

Writing in response to photographs…

To what extent does identity development among Japanese adolescents “fit” Erikson’s theory and other widely held accounts of this important stage?

Write a caption for one of these photos and use materials from our course to explain why it is an appropriate title for that image.

Writing about CulturalDifferences and Similarities

“Some people in the United States believe that China and Japan are so similar as to be virtually interchangeable. Thinking about human development and the range of topics that we’ve covered:”

“What do you believe are the 3 most important differences between China and Japan?”

“What do you think are the 3 most important

similarities between these cultures?”

Final Exam Question:Revisiting the Matrix

“Reflect on your matrix from the first day of class. What were your initial impressions about human development in China, Japan, and the United States?”

“Did any of your ideas change, become reinforced, expand, or otherwise develop as a result of our class?”

“Choose 3 topics or impressions from the matrix and describe specific aspects of our course that affected your original impressions and beliefs.”

Student-Selected Essay Topics

•Parental roles, parenting styles and behaviors•Individual versus group orientation, independence and

interdependence•Traditional values versus modernization•Preschool participation: rates and reasons•Peer relationships during childhood and adolescence•Marital relationships and spouse selection •Identity development during adolescence •Gender differences and gender roles •Academic achievement orientation•Intergenerational relations

“Before starting this class, I was under the impression that Ido not possess any stereotypes about people…Then we hadthis matrix. And I was proved wrong again….”

“I imagined we would be drawing parallels between these twocultures and defining their marked differences from the UnitedStates, which seemed a world away from the collectivism andconformity I thought bound these cultures so closely to eachother. What I discovered was two distinct societies with verydifferent aspects of human development yet many similaritieslying at their heart that came unexpectedly given my naïvepreconceptions.”

Off-campus Interim Exploring India

Bangalore:• Honors Program Psychology

Students (Peer Partners)Chennai:

• Internship site visits with Social Work students (Peer Partners)

Readings:• Databases and reference info• Novels and memoirs• Child development and family life• Culture• Gender• Psychology & mental health

Assignments:• Field Notebook• Reading Notes• Peer Partners: Observation Project

in Bangalore• Peer Partners: Social Work

Internship Site Visits in Chennai• Final Exam Essays

-Child Development & Family Life -Psychology in India

Other Course Experiences:

• Cooking classes, yoga classes, dance and music performances, cinema, visits to temples and other significant sites

Field Notebook(Anderson & Cunningham, 2009)

Make three kinds of notes: Vivid, detailed objective descriptions of a single event,

such as a site visit, lecture, performance, meal, or conversation

Personal reflections about the event you chose to describe, commenting on your own cultural assumptions and responses

Insights about the event gained through our readings site visits, lectures, and class discussions

Supplement your written entries with visual evidence, such as maps, postcards, and other artifacts. With permission and where appropriate, record your experience with photos.

Peer Partners:Observation Project in Bangalore

Mixed groups of students from St. Olaf & Christ University explore Indian identity in Bangalore

Visit a bustling public setting, such as a park, temple, shopping area, or transportation hub

Descriptions, Reflections, Insights Gather evidence by observing and discussing:

People: Who do you see? How are they using the public space? How are they dressed? How are they interacting with other people?

Consider gender, age, religion, social class/caste, language Other characteristics of the urban environment, such as

advertisements, shops, merchants, and displays of merchandise (clothing, food)

How does what you see compare with back home? If you had more time, which behaviors would you study more closely?

Which psychological questions would you like to explore in this setting?

Peer Partners:Social Work Internship Visits in Chennai

Mixed groups of students from St. Olaf & Madras Christian College explore Service Learning in Chennai What are social work students doing and learning at their internship sites

(schools, clinics, NGOs)? Descriptions, Reflections, Insights Gather evidence by observing and discussing:

People at the site: Who do you see? What are they doing? How are they interacting with other people?

Consider gender, age, religion, social class/caste, language Other characteristics of the urban environment, as in Bangalore

How does what you see compare with service learning back home? If you had more time, which behaviors would you study more closely?

Which psychological questions would you like to explore in this setting?

Final Exam Essay: Psychology in India(Hull, 2001)

What motivates students in India to study psychology? Which courses do most psychology students take?

What is the public image of psychology in India? What do students’ families think about their choice of program?

What level of education & licensing are required to practice psychology in India? What are the most prevalent subfields?

What is the ratio of male to female psychology students and psychologists?

How have India’s historical, economic, religious, and political characteristics influenced the development of psychology there?

How have psychological research and practice in India benefited psychology worldwide? Describe any other potential benefits.

What is the future of psychology in India likely to be?

References and Resources

Anderson, C.S., & Cunningham, K. (2009). Culture, religion, and nationality: Developing ethnographic skills and reflective practices connected to study abroad. In E. Brewer & K. Cunningham (Eds.), Integrating study abroad into the curriculum: Theory and practice across the disciplines (pp. 63-84).

Goldstein, S. (2007). Films for teaching multicultural psychology. http://eracism.pbworks.com/w/page/4666395/Films-for-Teaching-Multicultural-Psychology

Hull, D.B. (2001). Teaching students about international psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 28, 29-32.

Koschmann, N., & Wesp, R. (2001). Using a dining facility as an introductory psychology research laboratory. Teaching of Psychology, 28, 105-108.

Marchel, C.A. (2004). Evaluating reflection and sociocultural awareness in service learning classes. Teaching of Psychology, 31, 120-123.

Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology. Presidential Task Force on Diversity Education.

http://www.teachpsych.org/diversity/ptde/index.php Film in Psychology.

http://teachpsych.org/otrp/resources/index.php?category=Film%20in%20Psychology

International Psychology. http://teachpsych.org/otrp/resources/index.php?category=International%

20Psychology

Society for the Teaching of Psychology Diversity Committee. http://www.teachpsych.org/diversity/index.php