Culture and Psychology in London
May 17-31, 2022
- Students will be able to differentiate a broader view of the human psychological experience by interacting with communities that may be different than those typically described in psychological literature.
- Students will be able to recognize and critically reflect on the cultural ecologies that shape and promote beliefs and desires that identify our own culture as well as others.
- Students will be able to evaluate the extent to which psychology reflects cultural domination by a powerful Eurocentric elite, and the effects this has on populations outside of this elite group.
Observe, understand, and connect with a variety of different cultures, while being immersed in one of the most multicultural cities in the world.
PSYC 545 Culture and Psychology
The course is 3 credit hours and considers the relationship between culture and psyche. One theme throughout the course involves revealing the cultural grounding of psychological functioning. The second and complementary theme involves identifying the psychological processes involved in the phenomenon of culture.
Students are expected to engage in readings prior to departure, participate in discussions related to the different site visits, and take pictures and write about experiences for a course blog. After students return to the US, they will complete a 3-5 page synthesis paper that connects experiences and reflections on the trip to existing literature about cultural psychology.
Students will be housed in apartments within the public transportation system’s Zone 1 or 2, with easy access to a variety of central London neighborhoods and attractions.
There will be a guided bus tour of London early in the program to help students get familiar with the city, along with a separate guided walking tour in the city.
Entrance fees for group visits while in London are included in the program fee. Group visits within Greater London include the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton, the Freud Museum in Hampstead, and the Bethlem Museum of the Mind in Beckenham. During your free time, you will be able to take advantage of numerous London museums that have no entrance fees. Students will be provided with public transportation passes that can be used for program travel as well as free travel within central London.
Two day trips to cities outside of Greater London are also included. More information on the day trips will be available during the Spring 2022 semester.
Open to undergraduate and graduate students from any accredited U.S. college or university. Minimum 2.5 GPA required (exceptions considered after submission of a petition). Listed prerequisites are any of the following: PSYC 333, 334, 360 or 361. Students without these prerequisites are encouraged to request permission from the faculty director to enroll in the program’s course.
The course will be taught and led by Marsha McCartney, Ph.D., who is faculty in the Psychology department at KU.
