Critical Psychology

Critical psychology is an approach that seeks to acknowledge systems of power and their influence over the field of psychology. This course will have three broad modules; we will begin with an overview and exploration of critical psychology and applying a critical lens to psychology. We will then move into theories and praxis of liberation psychology, including its origins and how it has developed in psychology. We will conclude the course by discussing feminist psychology and feminist therapy in order to examine how critical theories and approaches have been integrated into mental health therapy. Some major goals of this course will be to understand critiques of mainstream psychology and to position psychology within an interdisciplinary landscape of critical studies (e.g., Critical Race Theory; Queer Theory).