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Hawaii Pacific University
PSY 3235 Cross-Cultural Psychology Section ____
Semester and year, meeting times
Instructor: Name, contact information and other relevant information about the instructor.
Course description: A study of cross-cultural differences in perception, motivation, expression, verbal
and nonverbal behavior, and values and meaning systems, and the implications of these differences for
cross-cultural interaction and understanding.
Course prerequisite: PSY 1000 and WRI 1200
General Education Requirement: This course is classified as a Global Citizenship course which meets
the Upper-Division Citizenship requirement for general education. Be aware that some majors specify a
particular service-learning course or a different Global Citizenship course to meet the citizenship
requirement. Check your degree requirements if you are planning to use this course to meet the
citizenship requirement. This is the required citizenship course for Psychology majors.
This course addresses Global Citizenship by engaging students with various cross-cultural topics and
issues, including, but not limited to, prejudice, international conflict, religious conflict, gender issues
(e.g., sexual-orientation, transgender issues, same-sex marriage), land-rights issues, etc. Students also
examine how to participate in negotiations, e.g., work-related negotiations, taking into account crosscultural issues. The course also challenges and encourages students to become more politically active.
General Education Student Learning Outcomes and the Five Themes: HPU’s general education
curriculum is focused around five themes. This course emphasizes two themes: Values and Choices and
World Cultures. Under the Values and Choices Theme, it provides students with opportunities to
achieve the following related general education student learning outcomes.

Students should be able to apply their understanding of ethical systems and models to develop
and demonstrate a conscious value system as individuals, students, professionals and citizens.
This outcome is addressed through the Integrating Universal and Culture-Specific Findings paper
where students [1] examine several cross-cultural research findings where both cross-cultural
similarities and differences are found; [2] integrate the conflicting findings into a conceptual
framework; and [3] examine how their personal value system influences their interpretation and
integration of the findings, as well how their personal value system may be modified in light of
examining cross-cultural research. In class discussions, students will examine how their moral
and political choices and positions interact with others’ moral and political choices. In
particular, students will communicate differing positions on issues and develop productive
communication strategies to resolve conflicting points of views.

Students should understand a range of meanings for concepts associated with individual and
social ethics such as rights and responsibilities, justice and impartiality, citizenship and social
responsibility. Cross-cultural psychology examines the nature of ethnocentrism, prejudice and
stereotypes. The course covers how these concepts are related to interpersonal, working, and
political circumstances, and how they affect subjective v. objective perceptions, attitudes and
behaviors. In particular, cross-cultural psychology examines how these concepts are related to
issues of discrimination and injustice. Aside from participation in class discussion of these
issues this outcome is addressed through the Prejudice paper, where students discuss [1] a
personal experience of prejudice, e.g., prejudicial beliefs on their part, prejudicial beliefs
maintained against them and/or their cultural group; and [2] the multiple contributing factors to
this experience, and how they manage their thoughts and feelings about this experience.
The course also emphasizes the World Cultures Theme by providing students with opportunities to
achieve the following related general education student learning outcomes:

Students will investigate the roles that race, ethnicity, class, power, belief systems and gender
play in past and present cultural systems. The course examines how these concepts may be
related to legal, economic, and political issues, e.g., marriage, employment, land rights. The
course focuses on the enculturation process, i.e., how we learn our cultural beliefs, and how
culture affects the development of cognition and emotions. Further, it examines how culture
affects theories of abnormal psychology and psychological/psychiatric treatment. Further, it
examines how race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual-orientation, and religion are defined
and the research on these variables. Group discussion will examine cross-cultural attitudes and
behaviors related to gender roles, co-habitation, marriage, parenting, and gay and lesbian
issues.

Students will analyze cultural forces that have influenced customs and choices in contemporary
lifestyles and world views. Cross-cultural psychology examines the enculturation process, i.e.,
how we learn our cultural beliefs, and how culture affects the development of cognition and
emotions. The class also covers the relationship of culture and gender, focusing on customary
behaviors and lifestyle choices as a function of cultural notions of gender roles. Cross-cultural
psychology examines the relationship between culture and health, focusing on how culture
influences diet, exercise, body conceptualization, and conceptualizations and choices regarding
health care and health care service utilization. The course discusses the relationship between
culture, language, and thinking, and how these variables affect choices and behaviors.
Note: Purple text shows places where specific course information must be filled in. Red text provides
explanatory notes to the instructor which should be deleted before using the syllabus. Blue explanations
above should be rephrased by the individual instructor to reflect the specific approach in that section to
these required outcomes. Course specific outcomes below are an example and should also be rephrased
or modified by the instructor to fit the particular emphasis of his or her course.
Student Learning Outcomes for PSY 3235 Cross-Cultural Psychology
1. Students should demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the theories and research
related to cross-cultural psychology;
2. Students should evaluate the quality of cross-cultural psychological information, including
differentiating empirical evidence from speculation and the probable from the
improbable;
3. Students should use reasoning to recognize, develop, defend, and criticize arguments
related to how to study cross-cultural groups and differing views of cultural groups; and
4. Students should recognize and respect human diversity and understand that psychological
explanations may vary across populations and contexts.
For the rest of these required syllabus items see the details in the faculty handbook. Delete this note
once the syllabus is complete. For online courses there are some additional requirements given at this
link.
Texts List textbooks with ISBN’s and include this language as well
All textbook information (pricing, ISBN #, and e-books) for this course can be found on the HPU
Bookstore website: hpu.edu/bookstore.
If you have any questions regarding textbooks, please contact the HPU Bookstore at:
Phone:
808-544-9347
Or e-mail:
[email protected]
[email protected]
Assignments and mode of evaluation
Summary of important dates and deadlines (if the schedule is a separate document and due dates are
not given with the description of the assignments).
Class rules and policies (including regarding attendance, late work and academic dishonesty)
Schedule of events (may be attached separately)