PSY2106 – Global Mental Health in Displacement Contexts: Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Practice

This course examines mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in displacement contexts through interdisciplinary perspectives spanning psychology, medicine, public health, and social sciences. Students engage with theoretical frameworks in global mental health, cultural and transcultural psychiatry, humanitarian response, and social determinants of health while collaborating with refugee learners enrolled in the Certificate of Open Studies in MHPSS program in Jordan.

The course is structured around collaborative action research. After learning about the MHPSS framework for refugee support, students investigate four domains of mental health determinants in displacement: cultural and spiritual resources for resilience, social and structural determinants, the experience of prolonged uncertainty, and environmental stressors.

Students discuss these questions directly with refugee learners who are conducting community-based participatory research on the same topics as part of their coursework. Collaborative projects integrate Norwegian students' theoretical analysis with refugee learners' lived experience and community knowledge, producing joint outputs (research reports, policy briefs, or presentations) that combine both perspectives.

Knowledge

In this course you will learn about:

• Major theoretical frameworks in global mental health, including cultural psychiatry, social determinants of health, and humanitarian MHPSS approaches
• How environmental, social, cultural, and structural factors interact to shape mental health in displacement contexts
• Limitations and cultural biases in Western psychology frameworks when applied to non-Western or displacement contexts
• Participatory action research methods and their application in community-based mental health research

Skills

This course gives you experience with:

• Critically analyzing mental health interventions for cultural appropriateness and contextual fit
• Conducting collaborative research with partners from different cultural backgrounds and lived experiences
• Integrating theoretical frameworks with community knowledge and lived experience in analysis
• Communicating effectively across cultural and linguistic differences
• Applying interdisciplinary perspectives to complex mental health challenges

Competence

This course helps you to develop competencies to:

• Demonstrate cultural humility and reflexivity about your own cultural assumptions regarding mental health
• Collaborate effectively with students from other disciplines (medicine, social sciences, public health)
• Engage ethically in cross-cultural research partnerships that center equity and mutual learning
• Critically evaluate MHPSS programs and policies for their attention to social determinants and structural factors
• Recognize and value diverse forms of knowledge (academic, experiential, community-based) in understanding mental health

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

The teaching consists of workshops, plenary seminars and group guidance. Attendance is mandatory. You must be present for at least 70% of the teaching to take the exam. The teaching focuses on professional knowledge, training in project tools, and guidance around specific projects.

In addition to the scheduled teaching, active participation in group work is expected throughout the semester.

In addition to attendance, it is also mandatory to submit various process texts (including project plans and reflection notes) during the semester. Information about these submissions is available in Canvas.