Living in Social and Political Crisis

This course explores how people live and cope with diverse social and political crises, such as war, climate change, terrorism, financial crises, holocaust, and dictatorship, as some of the psychological causes and potential psychological solutions. Various perspectives including a range of psychodynamic theories, evolutionary psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, the psychology of trauma and studies of ethnic and social conflict and resolution will be looked at, and applied to a series of ‘case studies’.

The course studies the relationship between art and mind including:
1. Identify and describe specific social and political crises (terrorism, family violence, ethnic conflict) and know at least some of these issues in greater depth.
2. Understand the effects that these crises can have on individuals and groups, including being able to describe the key symptoms of DSM-IV listed mental illness that can result.
3. Define and explain critical steps in intervention techniques in dealing with traumatized and traumatizing individuals, groups, and communities.
4. Gain insight into various psychological factors which can lead to such social and political crises, including various understanding of human aggression, hatred and destructiveness.