PSYCH 203 - Introduction to Community Psychology

5 Credits

Community Psychology explores and seeks solutions for social issues and environments that worsen health and wellness for individuals, families, and communities. It focuses on people’s strengths to promote opportunities for increased health, empowerment, and social change through organizational, community, and society-level prevention and intervention efforts. Students will explore social problems such as, but not limited to, systemic racism, homelessness, gun violence, healthcare disparities in BIPOC communities, and DV & sexual assault. Core values of community psychology will be studied as a framework to address issues of oppression, power, liberation, and social change. This course will broaden global perspectives by utilizing a decolonized approach to understanding community psychology. Theories from non-western countries and scholars will be utilized to explore the fundamentals of CP, particularly for groups who have limited resources and opportunities. Students will engage in community action work through service-learning which is a required component of this course.

Pre-requisite(s) PSYC& 100 General Psychology with min 1.0
Fees

Quarters Typically Offered
Summer Day
Fall Day
Spring Day

Designed to Serve All Students
Active Date 20220308T16:46:40

Grading Basis Decimal Grade
Class Limit 38
Contact Hours: Lecture 55
Total Contact Hours 55
Degree Distributions:
AA

Diversity & Globalism
Social Science Area II

Course Outline
The course will look at ways community psychologists work to promote social change in their communities/countries. Course material will cover four main areas in community psychology: 1) Understanding Communities, 2) Theories, Research and Practice, 3) Intervention and Prevention Strategies, and 4) Tools for Action.

Schedule

Week 1: Introduction

Week 2: Theories and Research Methods

Week 3:International Perspectives

Week 4: Understanding Individuals Within Environments

Week 5: Respect for Diversity

Week 6: Oppression, Power, Empowerment

Week 7: Stress and Coping

Week 8: Community Interventions

Week 9: Prevention and Promotion

Week 10: Community Organizing, Partnership, and Coalitions

Week 11: Social and Political Change

The course will include experiential opportunities such as: a service-learning project, site visits, and guest speakers.

Student Learning Outcomes
Discuss the values and principles of community psychology, how it is practiced around the world, and how it differs from other subfields of psychology

Recognize and describe the effects of sociopolitical, cultural, and environmental influences on psychological and community wellbeing

Discuss the relationship between people and their environments and give examples of the ways the relationship can be improved

Assess programs and practices geared towards prevention, intervention, and empowerment of disenfranchised groups

Formulate potential solutions for a community psychology problem in the local or global community, incorporating theory, research, and action