Analysis of Community Psychology Syllabus in Psychologist Training Programs

Abstract

Psychologists apply principles of community psychology in their practice, and it is important for trainee psychologists to learn about this field. However, it is unclear what contents are covered in such courses, and there is a demand on its investigation. This study aims to analyze syllabi from universities and graduate schools offering training courses for psychologists in order to understand the current state of education in community psychology. We conducted a survey to understand and analyze the curricula in this field. It was found that 15 out of the 50 undergraduate universities offered courses entitled ‘Community Psychology’, and at postgraduate level, 5 out of the 50 schools offered such courses. The content of community psychology courses was categorized into topics such as ‘history of community psychology’, ‘basic concepts’ and ‘intervention strategies and methods’. The core content of community psychology was not always taught, and there were variations in the content. It is important to discuss the necessary content to be taught in the future.