Multicultural Psychology: Self, Society, and Social Change

Jennifer Teramoto Pedrotti · Denise A. Isom

Jul 2020 · SAGE Publications

About this ebook

Combining theory and history with an active approach rooted in self-reflection, Multicultural Psychology applies a framework of self-awareness and social justice to foundational and current topics across Multicultural Psychology studies today. Multicultural Psychology focuses on identity and its social context to help students view culture not just as a minority issue, but a way of understanding all human experiences. Multicultural Psychology will help students apply concepts to their own lives at point of learning, to assess their own awareness and progress, and to consider their own role and ability to engage in social change. With this balanced approach, Multicultural Psychology helps students entering the course with varied levels of cultural and diversity awareness to understand their individual and social cultural contexts, to gain awareness of their interactions with others, and to understand the intersections that occur with other cultures across their lives and careers.

About the author

Jennifer Teramoto Pedrotti, PhD, is associate dean for diversity and curriculum in the College of Liberal Arts and professor in the Department of Psychology and Child Development at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where she has been teaching positive psychology with a multicultural focus for over 10 years. She is also serving in an interim role as the associate vice president for Academic Initiatives for the Office of University Diversity and Inclusion, also at Cal Poly. She is the lead editor on a volume entitled Perspectives on the Intersection of Multiculturalism and Positive Psychology (with Lisa M. Edwards) and often speaks on the topic of including cultural context in positive psychological discussions, including as a keynote speaker at the Asian Pacific Conference on Applied Positive Psychology in Hong Kong, and in presentations at conferences, including those of the American Psychological Association, and the International Positive Psychology Association. Additionally, Dr. Teramoto Pedrotti is the lead author on a second textbook for undergraduate students, Multicultural Psychology: Self, Society, and Social Change (with Denise A. Isom). She has contributed to many different volumes throughout her career such as The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology, Positive Psychological Interventions, Activities for Teaching Positive Psychology, and the Handbook of Multicultural Counseling. In addition, her work has appeared in multiple journals, including the Journal of Counseling Psychology, Journal of Positive Psychology, and Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. Recently, she was part of the prestigious Emerging Leaders Program 2022 Cohort via the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. In her current role, she encourages students, staff, and faculty daily to use their strengths to make change toward a more equitable and inclusive campus.

Dr. Denise Isom received her doctorate in Socio-Cultural Anthropology of Education from Loyola University, Chicago and is currently serving as Department Chair and Professor in Ethnic Studies. Her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Multicultural Education along with a B.S. in Engineering and B.A. in African American Studies were all completed at the University of California at Davis. Dr. Isom’s areas of expertise includes, racialized gender identity, ethnic studies, whiteness, and sociology/anthropology of education. As a professor of Ethnic Studies she teaches courses that include, Race, Culture, and Politics in the U.S., The Social Construction of Whiteness, Gender and Sexualities in the African American Community, Research methods courses, and recently co-developed courses entitled, Beyoncé: Race, Feminism, and Politics, as well as, “Humor, Comedy, and the Politics of Identity.” Her current research agenda includes racialized gender identity and the racialized nature of congregational life. Her work has been presented at numerous national and international conferences, published in journals such as The Urban Review and The Journal of Race, Equality and Teaching, and in chapters on boy culture, teaching race, and African American Female Psychology and identity.