Infusing Diversity Into University of York, United Kingdom Psychology Curricula Dr. Bonnie A. Gray Dr. Paul N. Grocoff 7 September 2007 University of York, United Kingdom

Infusing Your Psychology Module: Practical Applications A. Know Your Own Culture in Order to Learn about Other Cultures

Diversity Wheel: Layers of Diversity

II. IDEAS FOR INFUSING PSYCHOLOGY MODULES

Psychology and Diversity Articles: Dr. Deborah VanMarche Students located three articles from various sources that discussed diversity topics as well as a topic covered in the psychology module, and then answered these questions. How does the article relate to diversity or increase your cultural awareness beyond your culture(s)? Be specific. What were the main points presented in the article? Give enough detail here so that your instructor understands the general concepts in the article from your main points.

How does the article connect with class work, discussion, & readings? What ideas in the article made a difference to how you think or feel about the topic? Explain how it makes a difference. What insights from the article do you expect to apply to your situation? What are some of the aspects of the article that you would like to understand better? What ideas in the article do you wish you had known about earlier?

Create-Your-Own Diversity Assignment Attend a club meeting of a culture different than your own (may require permission) See a movie that depicts a particular culture Attend a cultural event Attend a lecture where the guest speaker’s topic is related to diversity Interview an International student

Interview a person whose culture is different than your own Attend a religious service that is different from your own religion Suggest your own activity – with approval from Dr. Gray / Dr. Grocoff

Students prepare a write-up: A description of the activity the student completed and the culture studied The date and place where the student completed the activity A summary of the information the student learned about the culture Information about how the activity and/or what the student learned relates to some aspect of psychology being studied that semester The student’s thoughts, opinions, and comments about the activity

Obtain different kinds of information: What is an interesting characteristic of this culture? What do people of this culture find offensive or insulting? Discuss something unique or distinctly different in your own culture from the culture with which you interacted. What are common misconceptions about the culture of the person with whom you interacted? Discuss at least one positive thing about the culture of the person with whom you interacted that he or she would like people to know. Discuss at least one thing that would help others better understand someone from the culture with whom you interacted, and what shaped him/her.

Students were also given important issues to keep in mind when interacting with individuals from different cultures: Be sure to learn a style of communication that is appropriate with individuals from the cultures with which you are interacting. For example, how questions and phrases are constructed and used, how responses are given, what is appropriate and inappropriate body language, type and amount of eye contact, tone, volume, and rate of speech, and amount of personal space.

Words, phrases, and sentences take on different meanings in different languages. Language influences how we write, speak, and think about concepts and vice versa. Think about how this applies to your own culture and the culture you are studying. Although there may be differences among cultures, this does not necessarily mean that these are negatives; they are simply differences. Consider some possible explanations for why such differences have developed and possibly state these in your paper. You may even find that there are more similarities than differences among cultures.

As you learn about a culture from a single individual, or even from a group of people, remember that it does not mean that “all” people from that culture behave and respond in the same manner, or that they all think the same way. Also, many different cultures may be present within a single geographic area, just as there are many different cultures within the United States. Be careful not to stereotype.

Culture Project Students explored a particular culture by interacting with an individual from that culture as well as from doing research on that culture. Two components to the assignment: a written paper and a class presentation.

Culture Project Students addressed three topics in their written paper: Cultural Information and Uniqueness Cultural Values Cultural Challenges

Psychology and Culture Portfolio Students were asked to explore and learn about various cultures through a variety of tasks and assignments: Cultural Self Awareness Cultural Exploration

Cultures American Ethnicity (Native American, and /or Hispanic, African-American, Asian, Pacific Islander, etc.) Religion Sexual Orientation Age / Generation Gender Disability International (Non-American) Socioeconomic Status Geographical Region

Psychology Topics Communication (verbal & non-verbal) Cognitive Style / Problem Solving Memory Social Behaviors Parenting / Developmental Issues Learning Issues Personality View of Psychology / Mental Health Customs / Views on Death & Dying

For each culture and psychology topic chosen, students needed to obtain information from at least two sources: 1. An interview 2. A credible and professional publication (article) focusing on the topics chosen.

Summary and Reflections Narrative that summarized what they learned during the course of the semester from working on their portfolio. They included things that surprised them, common as well as unique elements they found among various cultures, and whether or not their behavior changed during the process, and if so how. This section was their opportunity to bring together, integrate, and reflect on things they learned from working on the portfolio project and from the module.

III. DIVERSITY INFUSION BRAINSTORM

IV. DISCUSSION / QUESTIONS / CLOSURE AND REFLECTION

Infusing Diversity Into University of York, United Kingdom Psychology Curricula Dr. Bonnie A. Gray Dr. Paul N. Grocoff 7 September 2007 University of York, United Kingdom