The Psychology of Discrimination

Day: Thursdays

Dates: October 31 – December 5, 2024

Time: 9:30am-11:30am

Location: Carleton University

Price: $150+HST

Parking Info & Room Number will be sent by email 1-2 days prior to the lecture date

**This series is not recorded**

Overview

At this moment any number of global situations are being exacerbated by discrimination amongst different groups of humans. Why do some people do this? In a safe environment we will examine the origins of discrimination and try to understand the underlying psychology of this very human behaviour. We will look at the sociobiology, the cognitive, social, and cross-cultural forces that are adding fuel to this fire. We will end on an optimistic note by attempting to identify some of the things that can be done to mitigate human discriminatory behaviour.

Topics

Week 1: After introducing ourselves we will begin by defining discrimination, prejudice, and bias and speculate on the origins of this behaviour. We will also establish ground rules for respectful dialogue in this course.

Week 2: We will summarize what is known about human thought and thinking processes and then identify some of the cognitive and implicit biases to which we fall prey

Week 3: Through a cross-cultural lens we will discuss some of the differences and similarities we observe within and between cultures.

Week 4: We will introduce a social psychological perspective on discrimination and explore the ways that social cognition and perception influence human behaviour.

Week 5: We will go further into social psychology by exploring attribution, obedience, conformity, and group behaviour and their influence on our attitudes towards others.

Week 6: Finally we will try to identify what we might do to mitigate discrimination. In particular we will focus on the personal steps that each of us might consider taking.

About the Lecturer

After three decades of software design and management, Dr. Bruce Hidekazu Tsuji accepted a tenure-track appointment in Psychology at Carleton University in 2013. There he received Carleton’s Teaching Achievement Award, was voted “Favourite Faculty” by students, and served as the Department’s teaching mentor for other faculty. Bruce retired from Carleton in 2021 with authorship of over 100 conference and journal papers and with the honour of contributing to the learning of over 20,000 students.