2011-2012 Course Catalog

Intercultural Youth and Family Development

Lynne Sanford Koester (Professor of Psychology), Director

Housed in the Department of Counselor Education, this interdisciplinary 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