Psychology 410, Cross-Cultural Psychology: At home and abroad

in Italy and Greece

St. Cloud State University , Summer 2008

 

DRAFT! Will certainly be updated/revised.  DRAFT!

 

Professor:         Joseph Melcher, Ph.D.

Office:              1C Whitney House (basement)

Phone:              308-2188 (has voice mail)

Email:               jmmelcher@stcloudstate.edu

           

Course description

Culture—which comprises much of the "nurture" part of the old "nature versus nurture" debate—has numerous powerful influences on human affect, cognition, communications, and individual and social behavior. This course will provide a survey of psychological issues that have, more or less recently, been explored in terms of how they influence individuals and groups within cultures.  It will also explore cross-cultural and multicultural issues involving human understanding of individuals from different cultures, both between and within societies.  This course will be appropriate for students and a number of related majors, including psychology, anthropology, sociology, human relations, and ethnic studies, as well as students from other areas such as business and marketing, who wish to gain insight into cultural influences.

 

The study-abroad tour version of this course will expose students to the study of cross cultural psychology through the examination of culture and behavior in three countries, the U.S., Italy, and Greece, in which we will observe the influence of these cultures on their citizens’ behavior, communication, attitudes, and values. We will learn about methodological issues in cross-cultural research  and students will conduct a cross-cultural interview (in the U.S. before leaving), and in Greece. Students will be encouraged to examine their own culture in regards to these differences, as well as their own behavior, communication, attitudes, and values.  We will cover traditional topics in psychology (cognition, perception, abnormal, etc.) from a cross-cultural perspective, but with more emphasis on research and theories that address culture specifically, such as bicultural identity development, culture shock in relocated employees, cognitive effects of bilingualism, acculturation and assimilation in immigrant groups, and the psychological effects of stereotyping and racism.

 

The course will be taught seminar-style, with some lecture, but plenty of student involvement in discussion, in-class exercises, demonstrations, videos, out-of-class activities, primary source readings, and a term paper. Each student will prepare a presentation about a relevant scholarly article or book chapter of their choosing. All students are expected to contribute to class discussions.

 

Course objectives. As a result of taking this course, you should be able to:

·         Outline the major issues, theories, and research findings related to how culture influences group and individual psychology;

·         Describe the major research methods in the field;

·         Become well-versed in a cross-cultural psychology topic by writing a literature review and doing related field observations into cultural setting different from your own--either within the U.S. or abroad;

·         Relate aspects of the topic to aspects of your personal experience in a multicultural society;

·         Relate aspects of the topic to your experience as a tourist (for study-abroad versions of the class);

·         Relate elements of the course to your understanding of a work of fiction from either Italy or Greece;

·         Learn about the limitations of using psychology to understand psychology.

 

Required texts

1) Berry, J. W., Poortinga, Y. H., Segall, M. H., & Dasen, P. R. (2002). Cross-Cultural Psychology: Research and Applications. Cambridge University Press.

2) Goldstein, S.T. (2006) Cross-Cultural Explorations: Activities in Culture and Psychology, ISBN: , AB Longman.

Primary source readings will be part of a course-pack.

 

Assignments and grading

Grades will be based on the following assignments (the percentage indicates the contribution to the overall grade):

 

Demonstrate proficiency speaking basic phrases in Italian and Greek (5%). Each student will learn 10 everyday phrases and greetings in Italian and Greek and demonstrate proficiency by speaking them to the class and instructor before leaving on the trip.

 

Research article reaction paper (10% of course grade). Read a primary source article (I will provide a listed of suggested papers) and give it a critical summary and evaluation in a 3-5 page paper. In your paper you should: 1) State the research goal and hypothesis; 2) detail how the author(s) tested the hypothesis; 3) present the main results; 4) evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the research; 5) discuss any applications or implications. You will be expected to discuss your paper at one of the nightly meetings during the tour and attempt to relate it to observations made during the journey.

 

Cross-cultural psych journal (20%). Keep a journal of your observations and thoughts about cross-cultural issues and implications, beginning before you leave and especially, during the tour. Keep this up each day! It is better to have fresh impressions that doing it retrospectively from memory. (It will also make a good tour memento!)

 

Cross-cultural interviews (15%): Using a format provided by the instructor, with your additions, you will conduct structured interviews with either of two individuals: 1) A resident of this country who was not born here, and 2) a citizen of Greece (these interviews will be arranged for you.) Based on the interviews, write a 3-5 page report on your findings and present your findings on the last day of class.

 

Book (novel) interpretation/report (15%). Begin reading (and finish either before or during the tour) a novel written by an Italian or Greek author, interpreting it in light of your studies in cross-cultural psychology and the tour (e.g., comparing and contrasting the actions, thoughts, and motivations of its main character(s) in terms of your and the author’s/characters’ cultural/psychological framework. Your report should be 4-6 pages and should include 2 references (one of which may be from a course text) focused on a relevant issue or theme suggested by the course.  (Must be turned in within 30 days of return.)

 

Term paper (20%). Write a 4-6 page paper (not including title page and References section) (based on at least 4 references) related to any of the course topics. You may use any syllabus readings as references, but you must incorporate at least 4 (4) non-syllabus references. Of these,  only 1 may be a web site.  (Full-text sources that you obtain online do NOT count as Web sites.) (Must be turned in within 30 days of return.)

 

Class participation (15%).  Based on my record of you contributing to class discussions, both here and during the tour. Participation includes asking questions, making comments, stating ideas, offering examples, etc. Twenty contributions (not counting research report) for full credit. This includes pre-departure classes and evening meetings to discuss the day’s events and observations.

           

Class Schedule / Itinerary

PSY 410: Cross-Cultural Psychology

Summer 2008 Short-Term Study Abroad Tour

 

Note: This schedule/itinerary is almost identical to that for the CMTY 466/566 study tour which has been conducted by my wife, Aspasia Rigopoulou. We are submitting separate proposals; if approved, we will offer these two separate classes on the same tour for different purposes, with some variation in activities along the itinerary, as appropriate for students in the different courses.

 

A. Pre-departure sessions:

 

PSY 410 will meet six times before departure and once upon return. These mandatory meetings include:

1)      a three-hour tour orientation. This will include group building activities, cultural orientation, tour code of contact, and class requirements;

2)      five three-hour instructional class meetings at SCSU (initial lectures, textbook readings, and assignments, including student-presented pre-departure “briefings” on selected topics related to Greece and Italian culture; and, upon return, a

3)      three-hour group “debriefing” and sharing.

 

Class Schedule/ Itinerary

Schedule of topics, readings, & assignments

(dates are approximate and are likely to change slightly)

Date

Reading assignments

BPSD = Berry, Pootinga, Segall & Dasen

G = Goldstein

Other assign-ments

March 10

None: Course introductions; policies, etc.

·         Choose and begin reading country-specific novel from list.

·         Get cross-cultural interview form and complete before leaving. You will complete one in the U.S. and one in Greece.

 

 

17

BPSD : Introduction to cross-cultural psychology; Similarities and differences in behavior across cultures

G: Concept of culture 1.1-1.5

 

24

BPSD: Cultural transmission and individual development; Social behavior; Personality

G:  Concept of culture, 1.6-1.10

 

31

BPSD:; Cognition; Language; Emotion

G: Culture & psychological research, 2.1-2.4

 

April 7

BPSD: Acculturation and intercultural relations; Organizations and work; Communication and training; Health behavior; Psychology and the majority world

G: Culture & basic processes, 3.1-3.2; 3.5-3.10

 

14

 

Pre-departure country-culture “briefings”; one week before departure, turn in primary source reaction paper.

 

Travel days

 

Day 1

Day 1: Overnight Flight to Italy

 

2

Arrive in Rome and Orientation: Afternoon walking exploration of the city. Observe the organization of the city, traffic, café culture, interpersonal interactions, public spaces and their utilization.

 

3

Rome: Guided tours of Vatican City (Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica) & Rome.

 

4

Pompeii : Guided Tour of Pompeii; travel to Brindisi to overnight ferry to Patras, Greece

 

5

Arrive in Patras, Greece; travel to Olympia and Argolida:

 

6

Journey to Epidaurus, Mycenae, and Athens:

Epidaurus: Visit the sanctuary and museum of Asclepius, the god of healing, and the ancient medical and spa facilities in the site. Visit a 3rd century theater, which is one of the best preserved classical Greek buildings.

Mycenae: Ancient city known for its highly developed Mycenaean civilization of the Bronze Age. Visit an ancient cemetery in the Circle of Tombs, and the well preserved Beehive Tomb.

Continue trip to Athens and overnight: Take brief rest and have dinner. Take walking Tour of Athens, take the modern sub-way, visit Mount St. George and the Andrian Arch. Do some shopping in the “Rodeo Drive” of Athens and stop for night dessert or souvlaki.

 

7

Athens by Day: Guided and walking tour of the city of Athens. Trace the beginnings of the ancient city and explore the ancient agora (market place) and Pnica (ancient public meeting place). Continue to the Acropolis the  Parthenon, the temple of Athena Nike, and the museum of Acropolis. Walk through the arts and crafts tourist district of Plaka and observe its organization, utilization, and relation to the rest of the city. Visit Constitution Square and the “Royal Gardens”

 

8

Delphi: Travel to Delphi to observe rural mountainous small town community specializing in both antiquity and cultural tourism.

Return to Athens: Using public transportation, visit the town of New Philadelphia, a suburb of Athens inhabited by repatriated Greeks from Asia Minor. Observe, traditional Greek architecture, the organization of the city its public spaces, the influential nature of the inhabitant’s culture on the economic and social life of the town. Students will taste traditional cuisine and listen to traditional music.

 

9-12

Island cruise: Four-day cruise to Mykonos, Patmos, Rhodes, and Heraklion and Santorini islands.

 

13

Return to Athens and depart for Minneapolis

 

14

Final debriefing/sharing meeting at SCSU or instructor’s home.

Share results of your cross-cultural interviews and research reaction paper.