Psychology Study Abroad
PSYC 3770: A 3 credit course that counts toward electives in a Psychology major or as upper division credits for any major.
This course investigates health issues from a cultural perspective and how they are situated in Caribbean culture in Dominica. Students will be engaging in health-related activities and connecting these activities to readings completed before and during the study abroad program. A multidisciplinary approach using theories and research from fields such as Global Health, Medicine, Psychology, Medical Anthropology, and Medical Sociology are used to consider how culture impacts health behaviors.
Some major questions we address will be:
What is health? What is global health?
What are major health issues in Dominica?
How is culture defined? How does culture impact our concepts of health?
How is health conceptualized in Dominica and what are common health practices?
How does psychology and other social sciences inform global health issues, especially
in Dominica?
Dr. McLaughlin partnered with Therapy Abroad to help create an amazing set of learning experiences for you!
More Information:
This course is open to any major. As an upper division course it is best suited for students after their Sophomore year, but I'm willing to consider students after their Freshman year, if they have a course load that has prepared them.
There is not a specific course as a prerequisite. Students who have completed a course that covers any of the following are best suited for this class:
- Intro course in: Psychology, Public Health, Kinesiology, or Sociology
- any health-focused course
If you have not completed any course like those above, reach out to Dr. McLaughlin (hmclaughin1@csub.edu) to talk about your interest in the class.
The cost for this course will cover:
- airfare
- accommodations
- meals while in Dominica
- transportation to LAX
- transportation while in Dominica
Additional expenses will be for anything extra you want, such as souvenirs.
*Costs are estimated as we work to continue to secure funding that will lower student expenses. I will update the cost as we secure this funding.
Email: hmclaughlin1@csub.edu
Dr. Heidi McLaughlin will be leading this summer course. She participated in study abroad twice as an undergrad to St. Petersburg, Russia and did graduate research in Uganda and Tanzania. She primarily teaches Developmental courses at CSUB, but has extensive experience teaching Cultural Psychology courses outside of CSUB. Her research primarily focuses on how children around the world, in varying contexts, come to understand health-related concepts (especially germs) and contamination. She has been a part of other research that investigates the impact culture has on developmental processes.
Feel free to email her for any questions about this course.
Travel to Dominica is safe and the US travel advisory. has it listed at the lowest advisory levels.
Students will need an updated passport.. Dr. McLaughlin will step you through the process of getting the necessary Visa for the visit.
We will travel together as a class to the island and we will book your flight for you.
The link below will take you to the interest form. This will notify Dr. McLaughlin that you are interested in enrolling in Summer 2025 course. I'll be reaching out to those who complete the form to get them started on the enrolling process and securing passport/visas.
Sources of Additional Funding
Study Abroad Course Instructor
Phone: 661-654-2375Email: hmclaughlin1@csub.eduOffice: DDH D123Heidi McLaughlin's WebsitePhotos (click on Thumbnail to Enlarge):
