The Social Psychology of Trauma and Healing

This course will orient students to the social psychology of trauma and healing within and beyond the psychological discipline. It aims to familiarize students with major theoretical perspectives on trauma and healing including social constructionism, intergroup relations, identity development, social models of health, cultures of punishment, and systems thinking. The course will also draw from psychological empirical research on trauma and healing across history and culture and emphasize the intersections of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, ability, and immigration in societal responses to violence. More specifically, we will explore how gender and gendered practices have been studied in relation to issues of violence and how they form meanings in the physical and psychological lives of individuals.