The Psychologically Literate Citizen: Foundations and Global Perspectives

The concepts of psychological literacy and the psychologically literate citizen promise to invigorate a new global approach to psychology education. They pose a basic question: What attributes and capabilities should undergraduate psychology majors acquire? Many psychological organizations have defined psychological literacy by guidelines and lists of student learning outcomes, but although psychology educators across the globe have been working towards helping students to acquire these attributes over the past 50 years, educators have only recently explicitly delineated attributes and learning outcomes, and sought to develop appropriate learning, teaching, and assessment strategies, including whole program approaches.

The contributors to this volume argue that psychological literacy is the most important outcome of an undergraduate psychology education and that psychologically literate citizens use their knowledge of psychology to problem-solve in ethical and socially responsible ways that directly benefit their communities. In this book, a rich variety of international perspectives contribute to the development of the two key concepts of psychological literacy and the psychologically literate citizen. Authors provide practical guidance for classroom psychology educators, as well as curriculum developers and reviewers. Ultimately, they make the case for a paradigm shift in psychology education.

Jacquelyn Cranney is currently Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of New South Wales. She is also an Australian Learning and Teaching Council National Teaching Fellow. She obtained her BA and MA at the University of Queensland, and her PhD at Bryn Mawr College. She has received many awards for teaching, including the Australian Psychological Society Distinguished Contribution to Education Award and a Carrick Citation Award.

Dana S. Dunn is currently Professor of Psychology and Director of the Learning in Common Curriculum at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He earned his BA in psychology from Carnegie Mellon University and his PhD in experimental social psychology from the University of Virginia. The author or editor of 13 books and over 100 articles, chapters, and book reviews, Dunn writes about the teaching of psychology, rehabilitation psychology, social psychology, and liberal education. He served as President of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology in 2010. Dana Dunn is winner of the 2013 Charles L. Brewer Award for Distinguished Teaching of Psychology from the American Psychological Foundation (of the APA).