Culture and Psychology in London 2022

Hello again! I'm wrapping up our blog on the last day in London and of our course. Hard to believe that today is the last day of our trip! It's been a whirlwind--feels like we've been here forever, and also like we just arrived yesterday. Throughout our time here we've experienced so much--the British Museum, Bethlem Museum of the Mind, Black Cultural Archives, Tower of London, a Hindu Temple (BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir), Chinatown, the Freud Museum, and a day trip to Oxford, to name a few activities. We've also spent time discussing psychology, and how it relates to the different aspects of cultures, neighborhoods, and and people from all walks of life. Today we began with a our last classroom session.  We wrapped up a few details about traveling home tomorrow, and then did some written reflections on our experiences.  Then we had a discussion about what experiences, activities, and discussions were most useful to the students' learning.  We also discussed ...

My name is Rayven Smart, I am a third year doctoral student in the Educational Psychology department at the University of Kansas. I chose to join the Culture and Psychology in London study abroad group to enhance my knowledge in the how culture and psychology mesh. London is made up of many cultures and it has been a great pleasure to not only learn about the different cultures but also have hands on experience with the people of the different communities. Our journey for today lead us to the Freud Museum, which is no ordinary museum. This monumental site was Freud’s house later transformed into a museum for people like you and I to come and gain insight on how he and his family lived. The family moved from Austria to London in 1938 to flee the Nazis. The family attempted to replicate the home they left behind in their new London home. A few of Freud's ideas are still used today--he normalized the idea that mental illness is treatable, and popularized the idea of talk therapy. ...

Hi! My name is Alyssa Karasek and I am entering my senior year as a psychology major at the University of Kansas. Prior to this trip, I had never traveled outside of the United States. This study abroad program presented the perfect opportunity to experience life in the United Kingdom. Besides the chance to spend two weeks in London, I chose to participate in this course so I could widen my perspective on cultures outside of my own. Today, we had the opportunity to take a day trip to the town of Oxford. This trip was filled with an hour-long bus ride to and from Oxford, a walking tour of the town, and the chance to explore shops located within Oxford. Our walking tour began at Balliol College, a smaller college within the University of Oxford. I was very interested in learning about the history of women at Oxford. Oxford University was founded as a male-only institution and did not admit women until the year 1878. From the years 1878 to 1920, women were permitted to take courses at Oxf...

Hi, my name is Sophie Strombom. I am heading into my junior year at KU as a Psychology Major. I have traveled abroad quite a few times, but never to the United Kingdom. I wanted to come on this trip to build a better understanding of culture, especially in a country that many assume is so similar to the U.S. Today we visited the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden. This was the first traditional Hindu temple erected in Europe, opened in 1995. The sheer size and detail involved in creating this temple was fascinating. It is made of 5,000 tons of Bulgarian limestone as well as marble from Italy and India, all of which was hand carved and put together in a mere 2 ½ years. Upon entrance, we were in the Grand Haveli Foyer which consisted of intricately carved flowers, structures, etc.. throughout its wood interior. We then walked in the Haveli Prayer Hall, which can hold more than 2,500 people at one time. This prayer hall was really helpful to visualize just how large the congregation...

Hello! I am Lorelai Buford. I will be a junior at the University of Kansas as a psychology major and art minor. The main reason I am interested in studies abroad, and more particularly Culture and Psychology in London, is the ability to learn about psychology in a new light, as well as have the ability to learn about a new country and accept what England offers. First, we had class in the morning. We learned about Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development: Forming, Storming, Performing, and Adjourning. We related this to the current dynamics our group is going through, that being having mild conflicts amongst each other; this is due to us trying to figure each other out. As we learned, this is the storming stage. Next, we added to our understanding of cultural psychology and proceeded to have multiple discussions pertaining to the ideas we had gone over.  Specifically, we discussed what the term "cultural psychology" means, WEIRD samples (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, ...

 Hi! My name is Jesse Quickel. I am going to be a fifth-year senior and I am a psychology major with two additional minors in art and English. I wanted to come on this trip to broaden my worldview culturally and psychologically. This is my first time out of the country, and I am excited to meet new faces and see how this trip will change my lens through which I see the world! Today we had a very exciting excursion planned. We visited the Tower of London located along the famous Tower Bridge and River Thames. We took the tube from our hotel which placed us right outside the Tower’s gates. From there we participated in a "Beefeater" Tour where we learned some history about the Tower. The Beefeater name comes from Henry VII's personal guards who were nicknamed so because they were allowed to eat infinite amounts of beef from the table of the King. Started in 1066, the Tower of London was built over a twenty-year period by William the Conqueror to be his fortress against rebe...

 Hi there! My name is Quinn Smith. I am a psychology major and I am going to be a senior in the fall (I still cannot believe that). I have been to London before but we did not stay for very long so I wanted to come on this trip to be able to see more of the city as well as evaluate it on a psychological level. London is so diverse and cultures are able to be authentic and I wanted to see this first hand.  Today we visited the Black Cultural Archives and the market in Brixton. Brixton is a historically Afro-Caribbean neighborhood. When arriving to Brixton we first went to the Black Cultural Archives. This was a museum that highlighted two major things. One room highlighted black history in London and England. Something that stood out to me when reading the history was that they have had similar problems and incidents that we have had in the United States. The event that specifically stood out to me was that there was a shooting of an unarmed black man. This shows that it is not...

  Hello!  My name is Lauren Helsel and I am entering my senior year at the University of Kansas, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Applied Behavioral Science. I am also on the Pre-Medicine track. Before traveling to London, I had never been to Europe. This trip was a perfect way for me to experience life in the United Kingdom and to finish my psychology major. I decided to take this course to experience British culture, and see how it differs from here in the US. Since I did end up getting Covid-19 on the second half of the trip, my blog post was somewhat delayed. On May 19th, we started the day by taking a train to Beckenham, where the Bethlem Museum of the Mind is located. We walked a couple of miles to get to the Museum, and it had beautiful scenery that was different from being in the city.  We finally arrived at the Bethlem Museum of the Mind, which was very fascinating. All the buildings on the campus were about mental health, and there was a hospital right nex...

Hello, I am Madeline Hazlewood. I am going into my junior year at the University of Kansas and I am a psychology major. Rock Chalk! I have never been to Europe before and I am excited to study across the pond for these two weeks! Today we had class time first. In class, we discussed aspects of culture that have shaped us. In addition, we completed an "I Am..." activity. This activity included identifying social, material, and spiritual aspects of ourselves. Overall, this should serve as a guide as we begin to immerse ourselves in the culture of London and identify its psychological aspects.  After, we headed to the British Museum. The British Museum is located in Bloomsbury and is dedicated to history, art, and culture. It houses various exhibits separated by continent and country they are from. Notably, I visited the mummy exhibit as well as the imperialism exhibit. The interesting thing about museum is the fact that most of the items on exhibit were stolen from colonized pe...

Welcome to the chronicles of the experiences of the inaugural faculty-led study abroad course in Psychology, Culture and Psychology in London, England! I'm Marsha McCartney, Faculty Director of this program, and am a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at the University of Kansas.  Over the next 15 days, I'll be leading 8 KU students through activities, events, discussions, and reflections about how culture shapes our perceptions of psychology. Goals for the course are to be able to observe, understand, and connect with the variety of different micro-cultures within London, and to shape an appreciation for this diversity. We also want to have some fun exploring all that London has to offer! We have an assortment of different types of adventures planned over the next two weeks. A few highlights: We'll be visiting the Black Cultural Archives and Europe's first traditional Hindu stone temple. We'll also be touring the Bethlem Museum of the Mind, which has di...