MENTAL HEALTH, SELF-AWARENESS, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE: WORKING IN DIVERSE COMMUNITIES

Prerequisites & course information

Requisites: None Course Designation: Core GenEd - Civics & Perspectives Ethnic St - Ethnic Studies Breadth - Social Science Level - Elementary L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Fall 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Examine the complex intersections of well-being, mental health, and various social locations (e.g., race, class, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, spirituality, (dis)ability, generation, language, nationality) Audience: Undergraduate 2. Engage in reflective processes to develop awareness of self and other within the context of theory, research, and best practices for and within communities (broadly defined) and in relation to various social locations Audience: Undergraduate 3. Examine the ways in which systems of the personal, psychological, social, cultural, contextual, and institutional influence well-being and mental health across communities Audience: Undergraduate 4. Examine western concepts of mental health through the lens of other cultures and cultural nosologies and develop a critical cultural understanding of western concepts Audience: Undergraduate 5. Examine culturally-specific expressions of distress Audience: Undergraduate 6. Engage in reflective exercises to understand how student’s social locations may influence their work across different communities given their own sociocultural positionality Audience: Undergraduate 7. Examine U.S. mental health equity and disparities across communities and contexts Audience: Undergraduate 8. Examine ethical considerations in mental health practices across communities Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Examine the complex intersections of well-being, mental health, and various social locations (e.g., race, class, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, spirituality, (dis)ability, generation, language, nationality) Audience: Undergraduate 2. Engage in reflective processes to develop awareness of self and other within the context of theory, research, and best practices for and within communities (broadly defined) and in relation to various social locations Audience: Undergraduate 3. Examine the ways in which systems of the personal, psychological, social, cultural, contextual, and institutional influence well-being and mental health across communities Audience: Undergraduate 4. Examine western concepts of mental health through the lens of other cultures and cultural nosologies and develop a critical cultural understanding of western concepts Audience: Undergraduate 5. Examine culturally-specific expressions of distress Audience: Undergraduate 6. Engage in reflective exercises to understand how student’s social locations may influence their work across different communities given their own sociocultural positionality Audience: Undergraduate 7. Examine U.S. mental health equity and disparities across communities and contexts Audience: Undergraduate 8. Examine ethical considerations in mental health practices across communities Audience: Undergraduate