Course Description

PSYC 2370 Multicultural Issues in Psychology

PSYC 2370: Multicultural Issues in Psychology is a psychology course designed to provide an understanding of the impact of culture upon psychology. This course includes information on cross-cultural research methods, cognition, intelligence, emotion, motivation, human development, mental disorders, social perception, and social interaction as they are influenced by culture.

Prerequisites

Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 2301 or equivalent)

Course Goals (includes core competencies, incorporation of SCANS, etc.)

The goals of the course are to provide needed information for the world traveler, the international student, and the individual interacting with people of other cultures in the mediums of business, medicine, counseling, education, and politics. The ultimate hope is to enable to create positive contexts in which to interact across cultural demarcations.

As part of the core curriculum (cross/multi-cultural cluster), this course is designed to help students develop basic intellectual competencies such as reading, writing, listening, critical thinking and computer literacy. After taking this course, students shall enlarge their knowledge and appreciation of the multi-cultural and multi-racial world in which they live.

Instructor Information

This course will be taught by a qualified psychology instructor. Please read the specific course syllabus for the instructor information.

Textbook Information

Shiraev, Eric and Levy, David (2001) Introduction to Cross-Cultural Psychology: Critical Thinking and Contemporary Application. Boston, MA: Allyn-Bacon.

Goldstein, Susan. Cross-Cultural Explorations: Activities in Culture and Psychology (2000).  Boston, MA: Allyn-Bacon.

Optional: Paludi, Michele A. (2002) Human Development in Multicultural Contexts: A Book of Readings. Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Lab Requirements (if any)

No lab requirements

Students with Disabilities

Students who are in need of special accommodations related to a condition or disability should contact ADA Counselor at each college to obtain the proper documentation. Special accommodations will be provided to those students who show proper documentation.

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited by the HCCS policy and the rules of this class. A student found guilty of the first offense will receive a grade of (F) for that particular assignment. For the second offense, the student will receive a grade of (F) for the course.

Attendance and Withdrawal Policies

Class attendance is required for the successful completion of the course. Following HCCS policy, a student with unexplained absences in excess of 6 class hours may be dropped from a class.

If you wish to withdraw, it is recommended that you submit the withdrawal form in the registration office. If you have ceased attending classes, some instructors may drop you from the class roll at the end of the semester, and you will receive a grade of W, even if you have not filed the official withdrawal form. However, other instructors may give a grade of F instead. Please read the syllabus for your class carefully about the attendance and withdrawal policies.

If you are on the installment plan, please remember to make payments according to schedule. Otherwise, you will be dropped from the class roll.

Grading Policy

Check your specific course syllabus for the specific grading policy.

The following is an examples of how course grade may be earned.

Your final course grade will be calculated according to the following formula:

Course Requirements for example: Testing, Projects, Assignments, Portfolios, Service Learning, Internships, etc.

Different instructors may use different projects, assignments, and activities in their classes. Please consult with your specific course syllabus.

Instructors are encouraged to use a variety of methods to assess students' learning. There may be objective tests and other course assignments. Students must complete a major written assignment for this course as part of their writing across the curriculum requirement. The additional assignments can be oral, class exercises or presentations, interviews,  etc.

Make-up policy

Different instructors may have different make-up policies.

Some instructors may allow make-up exams. Other instructors may not allow make-up tests, but give students the option to drop one test grade.

Course Content

Students will be given a list of learning objectives for this course.

Course Calendar with Due Dates for Assignments and Testing

Please consult with your specific course syllabus concerning course calendar.
The following is a sample course schedule:

Other Student Information (clubs, tutoring, web resources, student services, etc.)

Psi Beta is a systemwide honors organization for psychology majors in community colleges. Psi Beta - HCC chapter's website can be found at http://nwc.hccs.edu/psyc/psibeta.html.  In addition, some colleges (for example, Southwest College) have Psychology Clubs. 

Some useful links to web resources in psychology can be found at http://nwc.hccs.edu/psyc/LINKS.HTML