Psychology 420 – Cross-Cultural Psychology
From start to finish, this course was jam-packed with fun, valuable, and enlightening assignments that taught me about the vast world of cross-cultural psychology. Depending on the assignment, I either took a deep, introspective look at myself and my culture, or I learned about the underlying differences of other cultures. Just by looking at Hofstede’s 6 cultural dimensions – differences abound (more than I thought originally).
I hoped that during the duration of this course, it would benefit me by expanding my horizons. This was another branch of psychology that I am glad I have had the opportunity to explore. Ultimately, the skills that I need to interact with other cultures began to develop as I learned about cross-cultural psychology. Professor Younkin proposed big expectations in her syllabus, but I was ready to tackle them head-on. After the first week, I could tell that I would get the opportunity to develop my critical thinking skills. Finally, I was ready get a better understanding of culture, not just in the psychological aspects, but overall.
Skills that employers are seeking
| Work in a team structure | Plan, organize, and prioritize work |
| Make decisions and solve problems | Obtain and process information |
| Communicate verbally | Demonstrate computer software proficiency |
| Analyze quantitative data | Create and/or edit reports |
| Demonstrate technical knowledge | Influence or sell to others |
Communicate verbally – communication across cultures
Plan, organize, and prioritize work – highest-level course I had taken
Obtain and process information – assignments
Demonstrate computer software proficiency – ePortfolio
I chose these four ‘ skills that employers are seeking’ because I believe they most exemplify what I took away from this course. This was an online course, so without the ability to prioritize work or computer software proficiency, I would have easily failed. Further, while I didn’t have to communicate verbally for the class per se, I can easily take what I have learned and apply it in a real-world setting, such as human resources.
———————– Reflection ———————–
Throughout the duration of this course, the biggest progress that I have made is being able to more effectively apply what I’ve learned in Cross-Cultural into other branches of psychology. Along with this course, I am taking part in the Integrative Learning course, allowing me to see how integrated all the branches of psychology are. The course objective that I believe is most evident now that the course is coming to an end is that I have gained a better understanding of how important it is to learn from other cultures; that way, I can better understand them. Second, I believe I have developed my critical thinking skills. I believe this will greatly benefit me in my professional career. Finally, if I took this course again, I would love to really focus on the textbook reading in order to better apply what I learned into a real-world setting.