Interview: Student Reflection on the UNSDG Renewable Assignments for "Across Borders, Across Cultures: A Quest for Health and Well-being"

Year

2025

Semester

Fall

Today's Date

12-1-2025

Description

This interview was recorded as part of the UN SDG Open Pedagogy Fellowship to explore student perspectives on the renewable assignment utilized in the Fall 2025 upper-level elective course Cross-Cultural Psychology for the Across Borders, Across Cultures: A Quest for Health and Well-Being assignment.

  • The interview focused on discussing a multidisciplinary assignment exploring global health and well-being through cultural perspectives, with Nicolas Oviedo sharing his experience as a psychology major who studied traditional cultural health and wellness practices like forest bathing, meditation, and yoga.
  • Nicolas presented his cultural reflection on Japanese approaches to well-being, highlighting environmental, social, and cultural factors that contribute to mental health and balance.
  • The interview discussion concluded with Nicolas proposing a student wellness initiative at UCF incorporating nature-based activities and meditation, while emphasizing the importance of these practices in reducing stress and promoting well-being among students.

Course

SOP 3723

Professor

Grace White

Keywords

cross-cultural psychology, exercise science, mental health and well-being

Notes

The assignments discussed in the interview were created during the 2025 session of the UN SDG Open Pedagogy Fellowship in collaboration with Michelle Jung at Mesa Community College (Arizona).

"The Across Borders, Across Cultures: A Quest for Health and Well-being" portfolio assignment explored in this interview is a compilation of the three-part renewable SDG assignments which included:

  • Part 1: Cultural Artifacts & Health: A Cross-Cultural Exploration

  • Part 2: Health Across Borders: A Cross-Cultural Reflection

  • Part 3: Cross-Cultural Health Portfolio & Community Proposal

These assignments are available as part of the UN SDG Open Pedagogy Fellowship and are free to use, adopt or amend under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. Portions of the original UN SDG assignments discussed here were adjusted to meet the needs of the online course structure and number of students enrolled in the course for the Fall 2025 semester of Cross-Cultural Psychology at the University of Central Florida.

Accessibility Status

Closed captioning is available for the video.

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS