PSYC 330 – Engaging Antiracist Psychological Science: From History and Theory to Practice

Responding to calls for antiracist psychological science, this seminar explores what it means to design and conduct that science. What does it mean to conduct “antiracist” studies that “decenter whiteness”? The exploration of scientific practices is grounded in gaining a fuller understanding of psychology’s history, epistemology, research practices, and influence on social policy. Upon surveying past practices that fostered and sustained racist beliefs, we examine race theories and explore key concepts including reflexivity, positionality, diversity, elite capture, race theory, indigenous psychologies, and social justice. These historical, philosophical, and theoretical analyses are engaged to locate research methods and professional practices that move toward realizing antiracist science. The course incorporates lab activities, 6 papers, and a final project that engages a key concept or practice of antiracist psychology.