The aim of this course is to explore the concept of culture and demonstrate how psychological science is a product of the culture in which psychologists are embedded. The course situates mainstream psychology in the culture from which it has emerged and then explores some psychological implications of practicing psychology as a Eurocentric science, particularly in the context of the colonial history of Australia.

Students will also learn how to apply their knowledge of cross-cultural differences in their real lives and work, and develop an understanding of difficulties practitioners may face in working with clients whose culture is different from their own. Particular emphasis will be placed on Indigenous issues in psychology and the importance of understanding these in the context of working with Indigenous Australian people in practice and research.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Define and explain the concept of culture and how it relates to the history of mainstream psychology
2. Critically examine psychological practices, research and theory in relation to cross-cultural perspectives and theories of cross-cultural competency
3. Contextualise the discipline of psychology in Australia within the wider context of Australia's colonial history
4. Demonstrate an understanding of cultural competency and how to apply these considerations in practice, with a particular focus on working with Indigenous Australians.
5. Demonstrate effective communication and interpersonal skills in a variety of formats (e.g., written and verbal, collaboration with peers) for audiences with diverse cultural backgrounds and/or in the context of understanding the interconnections between culture and psychology.

Research-Led Teaching

All lectures of PSYC2012 will draw on empirical evidence of research. Students will be presented with key research findings to demonstrate the role of culture in psychology and how the application of cultural consideration in psychology can help address real world issues. Students will also learn the research process and a scientist-practitioner perspective through writing an essay, engaging in group discussion and presentations. 

Field Trips

NA

Additional Course Costs

NA

Examination Material or equipment

One A4 page with notes both sides. More information will be provided on Wattle.

Required Resources

No textbook is required.

Required Readings and Videos will be posted on Wattle, the week of the relevant lecture. Each lecture may assign one or more of the following:

1.A scientific paper; 2.A book chapter; 3.A video (e.g., a TED Talk)

These readings will be posted to Wattle, either prior to or following the lecture, depending on the lecturer’s preference. These recommended readings are not directly assessable, but

provide supplemental information to lectures.

Recommended Resources

Recommended student system requirements 

Whether you are on campus or studying online, there are a variety of online resources and activities including:

• video material, similar to YouTube, for lectures and other instruction
• two-way video conferencing for interactive learning
• email and other messaging tools for communication
• interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities
• print and photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings
• home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Individualised written feedback on the essay.
• Summarised oral feedback to labs on lab exercises.
• Peer feedback on presentations.

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

The expected workload for PSYC2012 will consist of approximately 130 hours throughout the semester including:

5 x 2- hour in-person Q&A sessions held in Weeks 2,4,6,9,11 during the timetabled lecture on campus (recorded and uploaded to Wattle afterwards).

These sessions are included to supplement the pre-recorded lectures and provide students with the opportunity to ask the Course Convenor and guest lecturers questions about the content covered in the lectures. We recommend that students be up to date on all relevant lectures before attending the Q&A sessions to get the most out of them. We also recommend sending your questions to the PSYC2012 email prior to the session, however, students can also ask questions during the session as well. Students are strongly encouraged to attend these sessions in person; however, a recording of the sessions will also be made available on Wattle.

6 x 2-hour laboratory classes.

The School of Medicine and Psychology considers the tutorial components of all courses to be an integral part of each course. Tutorial classes may supplement and consolidate material covered in lectures and/or they may introduce entirely new material pertinent to the objectives of the course. As such, attendance at tutorial classes is considered to be an inherent requirement. All students enrolled in Psychology courses with accompanying tutorial classes must attend tutorial classes. PSYC2012 includes course content that is uniquely provided in tutorial classes (and not provided elsewhere). In some cases, that content forms part of another assessable exercise that will be completed outside of the tutorial itself (e.g., tutorial exercises, essay).

Tutorials are interactive and not a lecture, so please enrol for a time that you are able to attend and be ready to have the capacity to participate in activities and discussions. The tutorial activities in this course will require you to do some personal reflections and consider things from other perspectives. Discussion and collaboration are essential for these activities to be beneficial, so you may be called upon to speak at any time.

Approximately 108 hours of self-study, which will include preparation for lectures (12 x 2-hour lectures content pre-recorded and uploaded to Wattle weekly), presentations, and other assessment tasks.

For any questions related to PSYC2012, please direct them to the course email: psyc2012.enquiries.rsp@anu.edu.au

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Social Constructionism
2	The Social Construction of RealityQ&A Session 1
3	Psychology in Australia: Acknowledging the past and looking to the future	Lab 1: Cultural Responsiveness 1
4	The Health Impact of Discrimination, Exclusion, DisadvantageQ&A Session 2	Lab 2: Cultural Responsiveness 2
5	Indigenous Psychologies	Lab 3: Essay preparation Summary Quiz
6	Decolonising PsychologyQ&A Session 3
7	Cultural Impacts on Abnormality and Etiology	Essay Due
8	Practicing Psychology in Different Cultures
9	Cross Cultural Understanding of Thoughts, Emotions, BehavioursQ&A Session 4	Lab 4: Culture in Learning and Studying
10	Cultural Consideration in Psychological Assessment	Lab 5: Working in diverse teams + Preparation for group presentation
11	Cultural Considerations and Differences in Treatment and/or OutcomesQ&A Session 5
12	Review of all lectures and prepare for the final exam	Lab 6: Students Presentations (during lab) and Reflections due

Tutorial Registration

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Learning Outcomes
Essay (1800 Words)	30 %	18/04/2025	1,3,4,5
Summary Quiz	5 %	*	1,3,4,5
Q & A Participation	5 %	*	1,2,3,4,5
Group Presentation	10 %	*	1,2,3,4,5
Reflection	10 %	*	1,2,3,4,5
End of Semester Exam	40 %	*	1,2,3,4,5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

The University has returned to on campus only delivery for in person courses.

Students are expected to attend lectures and contribute to discussions. In addition to lectures, attendance and participation in laboratories/practical's is crucial to successful completion of your course. The School of Medicine and Psychology considers the laboratory/practical components to be an integral part of each course. Laboratory/practical classes may supplement and consolidate material covered in lectures and/or they may introduce entirely new material pertinent to the objectives of the course.

PSYC2012 includes course content that is uniquely provided in laboratory classes (and not provided elsewhere). In some cases, that content forms part of another assessable exercise that will be completed outside of the laboratory class itself (e.g., laboratory exercises, essay). All students enrolled in Psychology courses with accompanying laboratorial classes must attend laboratorial classes.

Examination(s)

The final examination for this course will be administered in-person during the semester 1 final examination period. Students must be on campus to attend the exam. Information about the scheduling of the examination will be posted by the University at http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/examination-timetable

The final examination is a hurdle requirement. A Pass mark (50% or greater) is required in the final examination before the course can be passed as a whole.

Those failing to achieve this, but who otherwise have an overall grade of 45% or better, will be offered the opportunity to sit, and pass, a further (supplementary) invigilated examination.

Students achieving a passing grade (50% or better) in that supplementary invigilated examination will be eligible to pass the course overall, but their final recorded course mark will be 50%. 

Assessment Task 1

Essay (1800 Words)

An essay task on a key topic of the course will be provided to students. This task will require students to reflect on the intersections of culture and psychology and conduct independent research to answer a research question. It gives the students the opportunity to hone their critical analysis and academic writing skills. You must adhere to the word limit for the assessment. There is no 10% leeway. Anything written beyond the word limit will not be assessed (and thus will not be included in your mark). ** The word limit includes in-text citations, but not the reference list. More information on the report and marking rubric will be provided on course Wattle.

Value:30%

Due Date: April 18th (Week 7)

Return date: approximately 2 weeks after submission.

Assessment Task 2

Summary Quiz

In Week 5 students will complete a summary quiz testing their understanding of the course content from Weeks 1-5. More information about this quiz will be provided on Wattle and in the labs.

Value:5%

Assessment Task 3

Q & A Participation

Each student must generate a question for each Q&A session or vote for a question from other students if they don’t have their own. A minimum of one question per Q&A session is required. More information will be provided on the course Wattle page.

Value:5%

Assessment Task 4

Group Presentation

This task aims to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the course content by specifically focusing on cultural considerations they need to have and how to apply this knowledge in practice. Group presentation will be scheduled in the final Lab, i.e., Lab 6. Students will work in a small group (5-6 students per group) to provide a 15-minute presentation (10-minute presentation, 5 minutes Q&A). More information on the presentation (including the allocation of the groups) and marking rubric will be provided on the course Wattle page.

Value:10%

Due Date: Week 12

Assessment Task 5

Reflection

Upon the completion of their group presentations, students will be asked to submit a group evaluation form and short personal reflection. Students will be required to reflect on their experience working with their group members and relate this experience to what they have learnt throughout the course (e.g., how to apply cultural considerations in their group work). More information on this reflection task will be provided on the course Wattle page and in tutorials.

Value:10%

Due Date: Week 12

Assessment Task 6

End of Semester Exam

The exam will comprise of a maximum of 10 short answer questions based on lectures, tutorial material, and required lecture readings.

Value:40%

The final examination for this course will be administered in-person during the semester 1 final examination period. Students must be on campus to attend the exam. Information about the scheduling of the examination will be posted by the University at http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/examination-timetable

The final examination is a hurdle requirement. A Pass mark (50% or greater) is required in the final examination before the course can be passed as a whole.

Those failing to achieve this, but who otherwise have an overall grade of 45% or better, will be offered the opportunity to sit, and pass, a further (supplementary) invigilated examination.

Students achieving a passing grade (50% or better) in that supplementary invigilated examination will be eligible to pass the course overall, but their final recorded course mark will be 50.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof.
• Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material. Any use of artificial intelligence must be properly referenced. Failure to properly cite use of Generative AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Returning Assignments

Essays/reports that have been submitted on time will be marked and available to download from the Turnitin link on Wattle, approximately three weeks after the due date. The exact return date will be posted on Wattle.

Late assignments (even those with formal extensions) will not be marked within this timeframe; our priority will be to mark the assignments that were handed in on time. We will aim to get the late assignments back before the end of semester. Marking of the late reports will commence once all on-time Laboratory Reports have been marked and returned.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Resubmission of assignments not permitted.

Re-marking Policy

From the time, your assignment is available on Wattle; you have 10 working days in which to request a formal re-mark.

1. If you have any questions about the assessment of a submitted piece of work, or wish to have some of the comments clarified, email your questions to the course functional email account, this is on Wattle.
2. If you think, your assignment deserves a higher mark:  It is your responsibility to outline in writing why, in your opinion, the original mark does not reflect the true worth of the work.  Submit your request by email to the functional email account.
3. If the Course Convener agrees to a remark of your work, and as a result, the mark is altered, and you accept this change, then the procedure ends, and you will not be eligible for any further re-marking of this work.
4. If you remain unhappy with the outcome, you can formally request a re-mark by an independent marker by sending your request to the functional email account for this course. 
5. The mark awarded by the independent marker for your assessment will become your final mark regardless, if it is higher, lower or the same as your original mark.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Accessibility for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students