Psychological Literacy: An Italian Perspective

In this chapter, we will discuss some issues related to the design of undergraduate curricula in psychology. Specifi cally, we will argue that bachelor programs in psychology would benefi t from (a) adopting a competence-based approach; (b) favoring active learning; (c) creating occasions for experiencing real-world situations; and (d) stimulating mobility and cultural sensitivity. We see these activities as consistent with, and instrumental to, the process of becoming psychologically literate citizens as they are oriented to value scientifi c reasoning and to stimulate creative, psychologically based, and context-sensitive approaches to situations. Aft er a brief introduction, we will present some issues related to the notion of the psychologically literate citizen. We will then outline our view on the design of bachelor programs in psychology, and end with some fi nal considerations