Faculty Profile
Rui Zhang
(he/him/his)Assistant Professor of Psychology (2015)
Contact Information
Kaufman Hall Room 166
Bio
Professor Zhang's research examines the dynamic of psychological responses to cultural change in varying contexts. One such context involves societies that undergo rapid changes driven by the accelerated globalization processes. In another context of change that results from migration, he studies the psychological processes and consequences of biculturalism or acquiring two cultural identities.
Education
- B.A., Shanghai International Studies University, 2004
- M.A., 2007
- Ph.D., University of Alberta, 2013
2021-2022 Academic Year
Fall 2021
PSYC 150 Culture and Psychology
The vast amount of what we know in psychology is based on observations from a thin sliver of the humanity pie, an unreliable foundation for generalizing knowledge across time and place. This course starts with the position that a psychological science of Homo sapiens requires examining the various cultural and historical contexts that shape human behavior. Throughout this survey course, we will consider human universals and cultural diversity across a wide array of content areas including self, cognition, motivation, emotion, interpersonal and social behaviors, and health, with emphasis on the implications of such a cultural perspective for understanding what unites and divides us in the contemporary world.
