Open Educational Resources
Document Type
Assignment
Publication Date
Fall 11-20-2025
Abstract
This Open Educational Resource (OER) is designed for an undergraduate Introduction to General Psychology course at Queens College, CUNY. Titled “Queens Mindscapes: A Digital Field Research Project,” this assignment is part of a module that engages students in real-world psychological research grounded in the diverse communities of Queens, New York. Drawing from the Noba module from the course textbook, “Conducting Psychology Research in the Real World”, this resource emphasizes experiential learning through ethical, place-based inquiry.
Students will select a Queens neighborhood undergoing social, economic, or cultural change and use real-world research methods such as diary entries, experience sampling, or oral history interviews to examine how these changes impact the well-being of community members. They engage with historical materials from the Queens College Archives, Queens Memory Project, and local news sources to provide context for their research. The assignment culminates in the creation of a digital storytelling product (e.g., podcast, video, interactive map), using free tools like Canva, Anchor.fm, or Adobe Express.
The goals of this resource are to help students:
- Practice ethical real-world data collection strategies (e.g., interviews, diary studies, behavioral observations).
- Develop culturally responsive, ethical research designs skills using archival & community sources.
- Design and deliver a multimedia assignment that connects local narratives to major psychological theories of wellbeing.
- Engage directly with the Queens College Archives and Queens community oral histories to link historical and contemporary psychological themes.
- Reflect on the mental health and social narratives embedded in local communities.
By using Queens as a living research lab, students deepen their understanding of how environment, identity, and mental health intersect. This activity supports civic engagement, research skills, and critical thinking within a culturally diverse urban context.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
CUNY OER Funding
CUNY OER Initiative
