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Cultural and Communication Psychology

Code: 102564 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2502443 Psychology OT 4

Contact

Name:
José Luis Lalueza Sazatornil
Email:
joseluis.lalueza@uab.cat

Teachers

Joel Feliu Samuel Lajeunesse
Marisela Montenegro Martinez
Silvia Camps Orfila

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

There are no official prerequisites and / or necessary knowledge to follow the subject correctly.


Objectives and Contextualisation

This subject is part of both the Psychosocial Analysis and Intervention Minor and the Psychoeducational Intervention Minor.

Communication is a central process in social and personal construction; a process in which meaning is produced and traded within a constitutive cultural context and constituted by the same communication processes. We are in a context where people live with multiple cultural traditions (intercultural context) and belong to multiple social categories (intersectional context). The subject focuses on the analysis of the current models of coexistence and proposals to improve coexistence and social inclusion, as well as the legitimization of cultural, societal and sexual diversity.

This course aims to develop theoretical and methodological tools that allow us to understand personal and identity development in a complex and multiple context. For this reason, the basic theories about the production of meaning and the ways of approaching the concept of culture are reviewed. An analysis of the general cultural context is carried out, taking into account the processes of globalization, cultural imperialism and the consolidation of the consumer society. The establishment of specific cultural fields will be looked at, such as sexual minorities, ethnic minorities or virtual communities. Finally, the effects of this cultural context on the constitution of the person will be reviewed. The course is based on a critical perspective that identifies the factors that structure the current ways of living and explores communication processes that allow us to transform the current cultural hegemony.


Competences

  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Communicate efficiently, using the appropriate media (oral, written or audio-visual) taking into account diversity and all elements that may ease communication or make it more difficult.
  • Recognise the social dimension of human beings, considering historical and sociocultural factors involved in shaping human psychology.
  • Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Use adequate tools for communication.
  • Use different ICTs for different purposes.
  • Work in a team.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse different socialization practices.
  2. Analyse the phenomenon of social communication in the contemporary context.
  3. Analyse the sex- or gender-based inequalities and the gender biases present in one's own area of knowledge.
  4. Apply concepts and identify processes in analysing the behaviour of the person in connection with their membership of social categories and their social context.
  5. Apply concepts and identify psychosocial processes in analysing the elements that facilitate and hinder social communication.
  6. Assess the impact of the difficulties, prejudices and discriminations that actions or projects may involve, in the short or long term, in relation to certain persons or groups.
  7. Communicate in an inclusive manner avoiding the use of sexist or discriminatory language.
  8. Critically analyse the principles, values and procedures that govern the exercise of the profession.
  9. Identify concepts and psychosocial processes that show the social and cultural dimension of behaviour.
  10. Identify the principal forms of sex- or gender-based inequality and discrimination present in society.
  11. Identify the social, economic and/or environmental implications of academic and professional activities in the area of your knowledge.
  12. Recognise different theories related to social communication processes.
  13. Relate the different socio-historical and cultural factors that enable the development of human beings.
  14. Use adequate tools for communication.
  15. Use different ICTs for different purposes.
  16. Use the tools of information and communications technology for understanding its influence communication processes today.
  17. Work in a team.

Content

Contents of theoretical seminars

- Cultural and Communication Psychology. Conceptual frameworks: classical, modern and postmodern theories

- From Cognitive Psychology to Cultural Psychology.

- From cultural differences to the cultural explanation of the mind. Narrative and identity

- Cultural-Historical approach to social phenomena and Activity Theory.

- Cultural diversity and minority development.

- Signs and meanings. Communication processes and methods of interpretation in the social sciences.

- Ideology, hegemony, race, gender and power. Cultural and communication processes.

- ICTs and communication. New technologies and new spaces for subjective definition of social and gender relations.

- Post colonialism and decolonial thinking. Cultural imperialism and minorities. Development of critical thinking and gender perspective

Contents of practical seminars

Classroom practice focuses on the analysis of social and cultural practices through ethnography.


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Practical seminars in small groups 12 0.48 1, 4, 5, 9, 13
Theory seminar (whole group) 24 0.96 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17
Type: Supervised      
Participation in virtual forum 22 0.88 2, 12, 14, 15, 16
Type: Autonomous      
Evaluation works 50 2 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17
Preparation of oral presentations 20 0.8 2, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17
Reading and analysis 22 0.88 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 12, 13, 16

The entire group will work in a seminar using the Challenge Based Learning (CBL) methodology.

At the beginning of the course, a challenge relevant to the field of Cultural Psychology will be presented in collaboration with a stakeholder that operates in a social field where this challenge is presented. During the 2023-24 academic year the challenge was the impact of racism on young people in Barcelona, and the stakeholder was the Barcelona City Council, while in 2024-25 plan is to maintain racism as a central element of the challenge, and the stakeholder must be confirmed throughout the first semester.

The class dynamics will consist of these phases:

  1.  Presentation of the challenge by the stakeholder
  2.  Joint debate and clarification of the challenge
  3.  Constitution of work teams and election of "specialists" for each team
  4.  Preparation of each topic as a team and presentation in class by the "specialist"
  5.  Preparation by each team of a measure to face the challenge


The activity of the subject is complemented with

ABR seminar is completed with practical seminars in small groups in which the research process will be carried out using the methodology of ethnography. Based on the methodological tools in the field of self-ethnography, students will have to record and analyse different aspects of their cultural insertion taking into account the communication processes typical of their cultural environment. All this will be done based on the study of some features of other cultural groups. Assessment will be based on class attendance and participation, compulsory individual writing exercises and the optional presentation of a final, individual or group assignments at the end of the semester, in which it will reflect on the experience, based on the theoretical tools of cultural psychology and communication.

Autonomous work will consist of the bibliography material and the undertaking of assessment work.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Ev1 30 0 0 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17
Ev2 30 0 0 2, 7, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17
Ev3 40 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

The competencies will be evaluated through evidence:

  •  EV1 individual contributions throughout the semester. One as a "specialist" who energizes a topic in a team and presents it in class, as well as collaborations on the rest of the topics through participation in the team discussion forums (at least 4 to be evaluated in this evidence) (30% )
  •  Ev2 team proposal at the end of the semester through written report and short video of a measure to face the challenge (30%)
  •  EV3 reports of activity in ethnographic practices (40%)
    •  Ev3a: Record of the activity with weight of 20% of the final grade. This evidence implies mandatory delivery of 5 writing exercises throughout the semester
    •  Ev3b: Participation with weight of 8%. It is evaluated on an ongoing basis.
    •  Ev3c: Final synthesis work, with a weight of 12%. Delivery will be made during the week


To consider a student as evaluable, they must have completed at least 40% of the evaluation activities.

To pass this subject it will be necessary to demonstrate having achieved the evaluated competencies. You must have a grade equal to or greater than 5 in each of the three evaluation activities. If these requirements are not met, the maximum grade that can be obtained is 4.5 points.

Those who, once presented to the evaluation activities with at least 2/3 of the weight of the total, have achieved a grade higher than 3.5 in all the evaluations of the subject and have an unpassed evidence will be entitled to recovery. . In the recovery, the students will present new evidence to replace the one they have previously failed. In the case of practices, only the Ev3c can be recovered, since continued participation in the practice activities (Ev3a and Ev3b) cannot be replaced by any specific test. The recovery, if passed, allows obtaining a final grade of 5.

It is not expected that students of 2nd enrollment orlater will be evaluated using a single non-recoverable synthesis test.

You can opt for the Single Evaluation, which will consist of an exam on the syllabus, the presentation of a proposal to address the challenge through information and video, and an ethnography in accordance with the teacher's proposal.

The evaluation system for this subject has been developed in a subordinate manner to the requirements set out in the Evaluation Guidelines for the degrees of the Faculty of Psychology, which can be consulted at: https://www.uab.cat/web /estudiar/graus/graus/avaluacions-1345722525858.html


Bibliography

Bibliography of the theory seminars:

Buraschi, Daniel & Aguilar-Idáñez, María-José (2017). Herramientas conceptuales para un antirracismo crítico-transformador. Tabula Rasa 26, 171-191 https://doi.org/10.25058/20112742.193

Castro-Gómez, Santiago (2000). La colonialidad del saber: eurocentrismo y ciencias sociales. Perspectivas latinoamericanas. Buenos Aires: CLACSO. Capítulo 1. Ciencias sociales, violencia epistémica y el problema de la “invención del otro” (pp. 88 - 98). 

Esteban Guitart, Moisès (2010). Geografías del desarrollo humano. Una aproximación a la psicología cultural. Madrid: Editorial Aresta

Hall, Stuart (2019). El triangulo funesto. Raza, etnia y nación. Madrid: Traficantes de sueños (primera edición 2017). Capítulo: 1 Raza: el significante resbaladizo (pp. 45 – 60). 

Lalueza, José Luis (2012). Modelos psicológicos para la explicación de la diversidad cultural. Cultura & Educación 24(2), 149-162 https://doi.org/10.1174/113564012804932119

Lance Porfilio, A., Ludwig, L. A., y Herzog, B. (2023). Contestar al racismo. Apuntes desde una crítica inmanente. Methaodos. Revista de ciencias sociales,11(1), m231101a12. http://dx.doi.org/10.17502/mrcs.v11i1.668  

Montenegro, Marisela; Ramírez, Álvaro; Planas, Francina y Álvarez, Catalina (2017). Construint un mapa de la solidaritat a Catalunya: difractant les comprensions sobre la “crisi dels refugiats”. Barcelona: Departament de Psicologia Social (UAB). https://cartografiasolidaritat.cat/documents/

Sebastiani, Luca; Cota, Ariana S.; Álvarez Veinguer, Aurora & Olmos Alcaraz, Antonia (2020). Decolonizar la investigación sobre migraciones: apuntes desde una etnografía colaborativa. Athenea Digital, 20(2), e2483. https:// doi.org/10.5565/rev/athenea.2483

 

Bibliography of the ethnography seminars:

Barley, Nigel (1989). El Antropólogo inocente: notas desde una choza de barro. Barcelona: Anagrama.

Bénard, Sílvia M. (Comp.) Autoetnografía. Una metodología cualitativa. Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes y El Colegio de San Luis. https://editorial.uaa.mx/catalogo/ccsh_autoetnografia_9786078652891.html

Cerreruela, Emilio; Crespo, Isabel et al. (2001). Hechos gitanales. Conversaciones con tres gitanos de Sant Roc. Barcelona: UAB.

Lakoff, George i Johnson, Mark (1980/2017). Metáforas de la vida cotidiana (pp.39-90). Madrid: Cátedra.


Software

No specific software is required for this subject


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(SEM) Seminars 111 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 112 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 113 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed