Culture and Cognition

The values and commitments of our cultural environment can shape our ways of knowing, habits of thought, sense of self, emotion, identity, and other psychological processes. Through readings from cultural psychology and other related literature, class discussion, films, and experiential activities, we will explore the relationship between mind and culture. We will also pay attention to how schooling shapes this process within various cultures, particularly with "western" and "eastern" examples. This seminar may be of special interest to those who have lived in other cultures or who are planning to study abroad, to anyone interested in issues of identity and education in our multicultural society, and to those who would like to develop a broader understanding of multiple ways of viewing human reasoning, sense of self, and the social interactions that result.