Ethnic & Minority Perspectives in Psychology is a new undergraduate course that was offered this fall. Students gained a broad understanding of methods, theoretical concepts, and applications of psychology relevant to ethnic minorities. For one of the course activities, students worked in groups on a class presentation and paper based on a topic and a related theory discussed in the course.
Slideshow of Class Presentations
Some of the topics for the students’ group projects included: neighborhood disorganization and Latino communities, mental health and Asian Americans, and spirituality and health among African Americans. Here are just a few of the students’ comments about the class:
“I think all of us have learned something new about other cultures, heard from peers about their thoughts on multicultural issues, and its one step in a direction in bringing ethnic groups together. It has been an honor to be apart of the first class here at UMKC and I hope to use many concepts of multiculturalism that I have learned as I continue my educational professional career.” Carmen Benn
“Not only did Dr. Berkley-Patton present multicultural information that is much needed throughout our society, but she offered an environment promoting open communication and critical thinking. This class should be mandatory for all psychology majors in order to better understand and serve others.” Emilie Mendala
“This class has been very inspiring. Dr. Berkley-Patton as well as other students in the class helped open my eyes to certain multicultural topics. The structure of the class made us all comfortable to speak freely about our opinions and concerns. I feel this course should be mandatory for any undergraduate degree because the topics covered will help in any profession.” Jenni Branham
