Manuel Figueroa-Unda, PhD

Specialties and Interests | Programs and Research Projects | Courses Taught | Selected Publications | Recent Dissertations Chaired | Professional Activities | Interests and Hobbies

Specialties and Interests

• Acculturation and cognitive/affective processes
• Worldviews, Life Span Development and Cross Cultural Psychology
• Ethnic and Racial Diversity in a Cross Cultural Context

Programs and Research Projects

• Acculturation, Body Image and Self Worth
• Life satisfaction and End of Life Issues
• Worldviews, Psychosocial Development and Adolescence across cultures
• Academic Demands, Acculturative Stress and Worldviews among Foreign Graduate Students
• Standardization and Validation and a Computerized memory Test for Children

Courses Taught

• Social Foundations for Clinical Practice
• Socio-Cultural Foundations of Behavior
• Global Issues in Psychology
• Latino Diversity in America
• Ph.D. Research Practicum

Selected Publications

• 1995 - Violencia y Sociedad en America Latina (forthcoming: "Editorial Hermes": Santiago de Chile) 1999.
• 1995 - "Innovation and Change: Bringing Structural Changes to our Institutions." Course Document. Summer 1995. California School of Professional Psychology.
• 1995 - Globalizacion, Modernizacion y Cambio Educativo. (Secretary of Public Education, Durango, 1996)
• Cultura, Religiosidad y Miedo a la Muerte: el impacto de la cultura en la formacion de percepciones acerca de la muerte en una poblacion de catolicos en la provincia de Valparaiso. (Monograph: forthcoming. Catholic University of Valparaiso, Chile.; Biblioteca de Publicaciones Universitarias de Baja California, Mexicali, Mexico).
• De las Comunidades de Base a las Sociedades Globalizadas. (Durango, Mexico, 1997) Secretaria de Educacion Publica del Estado de Durango.
• 1998 Research Project Development. "Culture, Religiosity and Fear of Death.". Catholic University of Valparaiso, Chile.
• 1998 "The Private University Paradigm: A Model for change in Traditional Perspectives about Higher Education." Paper. University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato, México.
• 1998 "New Research Models under Political and Economic Constraints." Instituto Tamaulipeco de Investigación Educativa. Cd. Victoria, Tamaulipas, México.
• 1998 "The Challenge of an Emerging Global Economy in Latin America Educational Paradigms." Paper (published; proceedings). Third International Conference on Education. Secretary of Education, Durango, México.
• 1999 "Achievement Motivation, Personality, WorldViews and its correlate to Death Anxiety among College Students in Mexico and United States: A binational comparison."
• 1999 "Acculturative Stress in Romanian Families: Conflict and Issues between adolescents and parents in the Romanian community in the Bay area" (in progress) Vassilica Vasilescu.
• 1999 "Family Values and Female Individuation in the Palestinian Community: A study of changing values and conflicts among modern and traditional females in the Palestinian community" (on going).
• 2000 "Humanistic and Existential Perceptions of Mortality and Life Ending Processes" (on going theoretical essay).
• 2000. "Late Onset Pathological Gambling" with Tom Jadlos.
• 2000 "Psychological Correlates to Mid-Life Transitions among Professional Women: Spirituality, Change and Renewal in the life of women.
• 2001. "Body Image, Attachment and Self worth among Hispanic Female Adolescents: with Kate Keim.

Recent Dissertations Chaired

• Ismael Calderon
• Melissa Prosch
• Vassilica Vasilescu
• Carry Randazzo-McGough
• Ryan Boxill
• Laura Andrade
• Shayna Reibman
• Agnes Schenley
• Thomas Jadlos

Professional Activities

• 2001 "The Impact of Globalization in Everyday Behavior: Modernization and Behavioral Change in Developing Countries. The Case of Mexico."
• Inauguration of Research Task Force in Demographics for Baja California Sur. Presentation.
• 2001. "Cultural Psychology as an emerging discipline in the training of practitioners"
• Colloquium on Future Professional Fields in the Service Area. Sacramento State University. Sacramento, California.
• 2000 "Multilingualism and Multiculturalism in Post Colonial Antilles and the Caribbean". Participant. The Caribbean and the Antilles Multicultural Conference. Curacao, Neatherlands Antilles, December 2000.
• 2000. "Alternative Strategies for Multicultural Education in Elementary and Secondary Curriculum" University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
• 2000. "The Reconstruction of Class-Consciousness through Media: The Case for "Sexocomedias". Paper. Western Sociological Association. San Diego, Calif.
• 2000. " The Culture of Excellence and Consciousness in Higher Education" Workshop. Universidad Mundial, La Paz, Baja California Sur. Mexico.
• 2000 President of the Board of Trustees Universidad Mundial. Founding Member of the University. La Paz, Baja California Sur. Mexico
• 1999. "The creation of a socially minded university: an alternative model of private education in Mexico". Presentation. Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Interests and Hobbies

• Running
• Jazz Music (Be Bop and Modern Jazz)
• Music
• Cooking
• Traveling