Community psychology is concerned with the ways society impacts upon individual and community functioning and how psychological, mental health, and crime problems, for example, are often created and maintained by poverty, social injustice, marginalization, and other forms of oppression. Issues of diversity, multiculturalism and racism, of primary prevention and of mobilizing and empowering communities to bring about social change are discussed in a Canadian context. Group projects and various guest speakers will provide relevant experience in community psychology.

Prerequisites: PSYC 250 or 251

• Garbarino, J. (2001). The positive psychology of personal transformation: Leveraging resilience for life change. New York: Springer
• Shinn, M., & Thaden, E. (Eds.). (2010). Current directions in community psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
• Fadiman, A. (1997). The spirit catches you and you fall down. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux