2009-2010 Course Catalog

Intercultural Youth and Family Development

Lynne Sanford Koester (Professor of Psychology), Director

This master's degree program is designed for students who wish to engage in culturally-relevant volunteer work or paid employment in the realm of child and family assistance. It is affiliated with the United States Peace Corps as a partner school for their master's international program. Requirements include one year of full-time instruction at UM, a significant period of time engaging in internship work in an applied intercultural setting, and a final professional paper or thesis. Internships will typically be 1-2 years and will involve work in a culture other than one's own. Students participating in this program are expected to gain the following background and competencies:

• important interculturally-informed helping skills for working with youth, women, families and communities in culture other than their own
• a solid background in issues, concerns, and critiques regarding assistance and interventions across culture, both historically and currently
• opportunity to pursue and participate in a significant field experience, working with an established helping agency in another culture or country.

Courses

U=for undergraduate credit only, UG=for undergraduate or graduate credit, G=for graduate credit. R after the credit indicates the course may be repeated for credit to the maximum indicated after the R. Credits beyond this maximum do not count toward a degree.

Intercultural Youth and Family Development (IYFD)

G 501 Intercultural Aspects of Human Development I 3 cr. Offered autumn. Explorations of child rearing practices, parenting beliefs, and cultural variations in infancy and early child development.

G 502 Intercultural Aspects of Human Development II 3 cr. Offered spring. Explorations of cultural variations in later childhood, adolescence and adulthood, with particular focus on issues such as multicultural adoption, identity, and the role of poverty.

G 510 Applied Intercultural Skills Development 2 cr. Offered autumn. Focus on applied skills in two areas: crosscultural negotiation and conflict management; program development and grant writing.

G 520 Critical Thinking 3 cr.  Exploration of psychological, political, spiritual, ethical, and practical dimensions of offering assistance cross-culturally.  This course includes discussion of ethical and personal issues related to intercultural work, gender and development, trauma, program evaluation, etc.

G 595 Special Topics 2-6 cr. (R-6) Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

G 596 Independent Study 1-6 cr. (R-6) Offered every term. Directed readings and other individualized study topics guided by faculty.

G 598 Internship 1-6 cr. (R-6) Offered every term. Introduction to service learning in applied settings, usually local.

G 599 Professional Project 1-2 cr. (R-2) Offered every term. Final Master's project related to internship; may be presented as a grant proposal, policy analysis, or portfolio.

G 698 Intercultural Internship 1-4 cr. (R-4) Offered every term. Supervised intercultural experience through Peace Corps, VISTA, or other organization approved by program faculty.

G 699 Thesis 1-2 cr. (R-2) Offered every term. Final master's thesis based on research related to internship placement.

Faculty

• Lynne Sanford Koester, Ph.D., The University of Wisconsin, 1976
• Otto Koester, M.A., The University of Wisconsin, 1974
• Nancy Seldin, Ed.D., The University of Montana, 1992, MPH, 1973
• Rita Sommers-Flanagan, Ph.D., The University of Montana, 1989.