Cross-Cultural Psychology: From Theory to Practice in a Changing World

Dive into cross-cultural psychology and turn insights into action through hands-on projects and real-world, multidisciplinary collaboration.

This minor introduces you to the fascinating field of cross-cultural psychology, where culture and human behaviour intersect. You’ll gain insight into key theories, concepts, and research methods, and explore how cultural differences shape identities, values, communication styles, mental health, and social behaviour. A central theme is learning to recognise and respect sociocultural and global diversity, reflect on your own perspectives, and develop the skills that are essential in today’s rapidly changing world.

A feature of this minor is the strong connection between theory and real-world practice. In collaboration with societal partners who deal with cross-cultural challenges, such as discrimination, migration, or diversity in the workplace. You’ll collaborate in student teams to develop innovative, research-informed solutions. Through hands-on workshops, you’ll use Design Thinking as a step-by-step, creative method, that connects cross-cultural psychology theory to practical outcomes.

Lectures cover core topics in cross-cultural psychology, including identity, stereotyping and prejudice, acculturation processes, globalisation, and intercultural communication. The course culminates in a group presentation, a written report, and a final exam. By the end of the minor, you’ll not only understand cultural diversity, you’ll be equipped to make a meaningful impact in diverse professional and societal contexts.

At the successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Develop a deeper understanding of their own cultural background and its influence on attitudes, values, thoughts, and beliefs, shaping how they relate to others.
• Gain a foundational understanding of theories and constructs in cross-cultural psychology, including culture, race, ethnicity, acculturation, identity, prejudice, and discrimination.
• Analyse and explore various identities related to social categories such as race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, social class, religion/spirituality, sexual orientation, age, and ability/disability.
• Understand basic methodological issues in the study of cross-cultural psychology, including ethical considerations and challenges.
• Critically examine the role of power, privilege, and systemic inequalities in shaping human conditions and interactions.
• Collaborate with societal partners in Rotterdam to identify and address real-world cross-cultural challenges, applying psychological insights to develop effective solutions.
• Employ design thinking methodologies to create innovative, culturally sensitive strategies and interventions for societal issues.
• Recognize, understand, and respect the complexity of sociocultural and global diversity in personal and professional contexts.
• Develop cultural knowledge, sensitivity, and humility to enhance interpersonal communication at individual, institutional, and societal levels.
• Cultivate skills to become global citizens capable of addressing cultural and societal challenges with creativity, empathy, and evidence-based approaches.

The minor will be fully in English. Exams/reports can be written in both Dutch and English.
The minor requires active participation, collaboration, and may involve frequent travel.
Students from all educational backgrounds are welcome to apply. Students who do not have a background in psychology need to be aware that they may need to put in extra work in order to master the material and understand the underlying psychological principles. However, this is accounted for in the time allotted.
This is a 15EC minor, and therefore, a full-time commitment is expected.

Teaching methods

• Workshops/workgroups

• Design Thinking for teaching, as well as in the development of prototypes solutions for societal partners. It is a scientific approach that emphasizes playful and creative thinking, along with building an emotional connection with the target population. This approach helps systematically develop interventions, with an emphasis on co-creation, while addressing their needs and preferences of the target population. We will provide the background of this approach through e-learnings and literature.

• Miro for online collaboration

• Lectures by the coordinators and guest lecturers

Teaching materials
Primary Texts (Required). Multicultural Psychology (6th Ed.,) (2023) by Jeffrey Scott Mio, Lori A. Barker, Melanie M. Domenech Rodriguez, & John Gonzalez (subject to approval and availability in the university library)
E-books available at the EUR library for free:
The Handbook of Culture and Psychology (2nd edn) David Matsumoto (ed.), Hyisung C. Hwang (ed.)
Handbook of cross-cultural psychology / Vol. 3, Social behavior and applications / ed. by John W. Berry, Marshall H. Segall, Cigdem Kagitçibasi.
Handbook of Advances in Culture and Psychology, Volume 7 Michele J. Gelfand (ed.) et al.
Additional Readings: There are additional readings for some topics, and these are required. Readings will be available on canvas.

Method of examination
Mixed exam (50% MC questions and 50% Open ended questions)
Advisory report to the societal partners including an application of cross-cultural theory
Presentation of the project developed for societal partners

Composition final grade
The final grade will be a weighted average of the exam, advisory report, and presentation (weights 6 + 3 + 1).
In order to pass the course, the minimum grade for the exam needs to be 5.5 or higher. In addition, the assessments of the advisory report and final presentation each need to be 5.5 or higher.