Promoting Positive Intergroup Relations in Youth

Course goals

1. Gaining insight into the theories and empirical research relevant to intergroup relations in youth;
2. being able to discuss and critically reflect on how developmental and contextual factors (i.e., family & education) shape intergroup relations in youth;
3. understanding the possibilities and challenges of developing interventions aimed at promoting positive intergroup relations;
4. being able to develop a theoretically grounded intervention proposal.

Although all goals will be tested through all assessments, goals 1 and 2 will be emphasized in the exam, while goals 3 and 4 will be emphasized in the intervention presentation and proposal report.

Content

In many countries, children and adolescents are growing up in increasingly ethnically and culturally diverse societies. This diversity has wide-ranging consequences for the everyday lives of children and youth from ethnic-racial majority and minority groups. This course will cover the developmental and contextual factors relevant to intergroup relations during childhood and adolescence, drawing on insights from developmental, educational, and social psychology. The focus will be on the role of two developmental and social domains highly relevant to youths’ lives: family and school. Additionally, we will describe the possibilities and difficulties in developing interventions to promote positive intergroup relations in youth.