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Culture and Psychopathology: Cross-Cultural Perspectives and Practice

General data

Course ID: 2500-EN-PS-CS5-01
Erasmus code / ISCED: 14.4 The subject classification code consists of three to five digits, where the first three represent the classification of the discipline according to the Discipline code list applicable to the Socrates/Erasmus program, the fourth (usually 0) - possible further specification of discipline information, the fifth - the degree of subject determined based on the year of study for which the subject is intended. / (0313) Psychology The ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education) code has been designed by UNESCO.
Course title: Culture and Psychopathology: Cross-Cultural Perspectives and Practice
Name in Polish: Culture and Psychopathology: Cross-Cultural Perspectives and Practice
Organizational unit: Faculty of Psychology
Course groups: (in Polish) Neuropsychology and Neuroscience specialization
WISP specialization courses for 5 year
WISP specialization courses: Psychotherapy
ECTS credit allocation (and other scores): 2.00 Basic information on ECTS credits allocation principles:
  • the annual hourly workload of the student’s work required to achieve the expected learning outcomes for a given stage is 1500-1800h, corresponding to 60 ECTS;
  • the student’s weekly hourly workload is 45 h;
  • 1 ECTS point corresponds to 25-30 hours of student work needed to achieve the assumed learning outcomes;
  • weekly student workload necessary to achieve the assumed learning outcomes allows to obtain 1.5 ECTS;
  • work required to pass the course, which has been assigned 3 ECTS, constitutes 10% of the semester student load.
Language: English
Type of course:

elective courses

Prerequisites (description):

(in Polish) Completed introductory course on Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology and completed course on psychotherapy

Short description:

This course will examine different dimensions of how Culture affects our

understanding of psychology and psychopathology, the challenges of cross-cultural

practice, and the relevance of culture to the field of mental health and

psychological research. The course aims to increase awareness and develop

understanding around the topics covered through open-minded study, personal

reflection and lively discussion. Texts will draw from cultural theory, psychology

and clinical practice, inviting students to consider some fundamental questions

which have far-reaching implications for psychopathology, research, and everyday

clinical interventions. Students should be willing to critically reflect on the values

and discourses informing their own perspectives and respect those of others. We

will aim to cultivate a climate of respectful listening and curiosity, sensitive

challenge, and personal reflection.

Learning outcomes:

Critical thinking; an introductory understanding of the far-reaching influence of

culture on psychology as a discipline and how psychopathology is understood;

treatment and practice implications of cultural factors; an insight into some of the

intersections between Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology; self-reflexivity, i.e.

a developing awareness of how factors such as culture, race, gender and our own

specific contexts may affect how we think, perceive, and are perceived by those

around us.

Classes in period "Summer semester 2024/25" (past)

Time span: 2025-02-17 - 2025-06-08
Selected timetable range:
Go to timetable
Type of class:
Seminar, 15 hours more information
Coordinators: (unknown)
Group instructors: Vinai Norasakkunkit
Students list: (inaccessible to you)
Credit: Course - Grading
Seminar - Grading
Full description:

Each week the chosen texts will aim to link theory to practice, examining cultural

discourses around norms, race and ethnicity, mental illness, and cross-cultural

practice and research, amongst other topics. Relevant theoretical issues and

practical dilemmas concerning universalism versus relativism, power, difference,

intersectionality and racism will be explored. Each week students will be required

to familiarize themselves with 2-3 texts and take part in a discussion of the ideas

explored in each seminar topic. Classes will involve student presentations, close

critical reading of the texts, and structured discussion. Students will be able to

explore particular topics in more depth through their presentation and essay. This

Seminar course requires a commitment to reading the minimum assigned materials

and interrogating the potential biases of existing perspectives on the topic areas.

Bibliography:

WEEK 1: Introduction to the course: Social Constructionism (45mins).

Burr, V. (2003), What is Social Constructionism? In Social Constructionism, 2nd Ed.,

(pp.1-16) London: Routledge.

WEEK 2: Discourse – Representation, Power and (available) Identities

Hall, S. (1997), Foucault: Power, Knowledge and Discourse, in S. Hall (ed.)

Representation: Cultural Representation and Signifying Practices, London: Sage.

Hall, S. (1997), The Spectacle of the ‘Other’, in S. Hall (ed.) Representation: Cultural

Representation and Signifying Practices, London: Sage.

WEEK 3: Race, Racism, and Privilege

Combs, G. (2019), White Privilege: What's a Family Therapist to Do?, Journal of

Marital and Family Therapy, 45(1): 61-75

Rustin, M. (1991), Psychoanalysis, racism and anti-racism, in M. Rustin, The Good

Society and the Inner World, pp.57-84 London: Verso.

WEEK 4: Culture and Attachment

Krause, I. B. (2014). The Complexity of Cultural Competence, pp.109-126 in

Thinking Space: Promoting Thinking about Race, Culture, and Diversity in

Psychotherapy and Beyond (Ed. Lowe, F.), London: Karnac.

Rothbaum, F. & Morelli, G. (2005). Attachment and culture: bridging relativism

and universalism. In: Friedlmeier, W. et al, eds. Culture and Development. The

importance of cross cultural research for the social sciences. pp.99-123, Hove:

Psychology Press

WEEK 5: Family, Kinship and Genograms

Hardy, K. V. & Laszloffy T. A. (1995) The Cultural Genogram: Key to training

culturally competent family therapists. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 21

(3), 227-237.

Perelberg, R. J. (1992), Familiar and Unfamiliar Types of Family Structure:

Towards a Conceptual Framework, in Kareem, J. and Littlewood, R. Intercultural

Therapy (1992), Oxford: Blackwell. pp.112-132

Watts-Jones, D. (1997), Towards an African-American Genogram. Family Process

36(4): 375-383

WEEK 6: Intersectionality and Marginalisation

Frazier, K. E. (2012). Reclaiming the Person: Intersectionality and Dynamic Social

Categories Through a Psychological Lens, in Integrative Psychological and

Behavioural Science, Vol. 46, pp.380-386.

Holland, S. (1990). Psychotherapy, oppression and social action: gender, race, and

class in black women’s depression, in Perelberg, R. J. and Miller, A. C. (Eds.) (1990),

Gender and Power in Families pp. 256-269

Roberts, D. (2014). Complicating the triangle of race, class and state: the insights

of black feminists, in Journal of Ethnic and Racial Studies, 2014 Vol.37, No.10,

London: Routledge, pp.1776–1782.

WEEK 7: Refugees and Violence

James, K. (2010) Domestic Violence Within Refugee Families: Intersecting

Patriarchal Culture and the Refugee Experience. In The Australian and New

Zealand Journal of Famiy Therapy Volume 31, Number 3, pp.275-284.

De Haene, L. & Rober, P. (2016), Looking for a Home: An exploration of Jacques

Derrida’s notion of hospitality in family therapy practice with refugees. In

Systemic Therapy as Transformative Practice (2016) Ed. Imelda McCarthy and Gail

Simon, pp.94-110, Farnhill: Everything is Connected Press.

WEEK 8: Cultural & Relational Reflexivity

Krause, I.-B. (2012). Culture and the reflexive subject in systemic psychotherapy.

In I.B.Krause (Ed.), Culture and Reflexivity in Systemic Psychotherapy: Mutual

Perspectives, (pp.1-35). London: Karnac.

Watts-Jones, D. (2010). Location of Self: Opening the Door to Dialogue on

Intersectionality in the Therapy Process, Family Process, Vol. 49, No. 3, pp.405-420.

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