Psychological Literacy and Undergraduate Psychology Education: An International Provocation

For over 50 years, psychology leaders have called for fundamental changes in how we undertake research, education, and community interaction. This paper provocatively argues the case for "why now, and how." The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that psychology must contribute more to the wellbeing of local and global communities. We propose that a primary mechanism for doing so is by reinventing the undergraduate psychology program. This paper provides a stimulus to initiate international discussion of interconnected graduate capabilities, which we propose to be: Knowledge, Research Methods, Application of Knowledge to Personal, Professional and Community (Local, National, Global) Domains, Values and Ethics, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Cultural Responsiveness. Focusing on core aspects of psychology (Knowledge, Research Methods, Application) and more generic but evidence-informed capabilities is a unique formulation and should well serve graduates, employers, society, and the psychology discipline and profession in the uncertain "post-pandemic" era. We also propose psychological literacy as a promising unifying approach for psychology. Finally, we provide a "road-map" for curriculum renewal at international, national, and institutional levels, involving a consensus-seeking process (an extensive scholarly overview of the proposed capabilities is provided).

The potential impact of COVID-19 on male reproductive health.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to overwhelm health care systems impairing human to human social and economic interactions. Invasion or damage to the male reproductive system is one of the documented outcomes of viral infection. Existing studies have reported that SARS-CoV-2 may contribute to this loss in relation to inflammatory responses and the formation of cytokine storms in COVID-19 patients. Although direct infection of the testes and entry of SARS-CoV-2 into semen as well as subsequent consequences on the male reproductive system need to be studied more systematically, warnings from two organising ASRM and SART for prospective parents when infected with SARS-CoV-2 should be considered. In the context of an increasingly complex pandemic, this review provides preliminary examples of the potential impact of COVID-19 on male reproductive health and guidance for prospective parents currently infected with or recovering from SARS-CoV-2.