The Psychology Program cultivates an environment where teaching and research mutually inform one another by providing opportunities for students to become engaged in research during the academic year and summer; supporting faculty research; encouraging students to gain internships and externships; and hosting speakers from other institutions.
Faculty and students of the Bard Psychology Program.
About the Program
All program courses strive to introduce students to foundational content in psychology’s subfields (see below); take a multilevel approach to answering psychological questions; engage students in integrative, critical thinking about the mechanisms underlying human thought and behavior; educate students in the process of science as it applies to human behavior; and prepare students to excel in their chosen place in an interdependent global society.
The program provides grounding in the areas of abnormal psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, neuroscience, and social psychology. In brief, abnormal psychology is both an applied discipline and a research-oriented science that pertains to the study of psychopathology (psychological disorders, atypical development) and personality.
Areas of Study
Cognitive psychology seeks to understand how the human brain governs action, imagination, decision making, and communication.
Developmental psychology involves the study of change (growth and decline) over the life span, including changes in cognition, social interaction, and brain development.
Neuroscience focuses on understanding the structure and function of the central and peripheral nervous systems as it investigates questions of brain and behavioral development, normal brain function, and disease processes.
Finally, social psychology is the scientific study of people in their social contexts, emphasizing the empirical study of behavior and social thought, preferences, and feelings about oneself, one’s social groups, and others.
Our Mission
The mission of Bard’s Psychology Program is to serve a foundational role in engaging the College and broader community with the science of human behavior. The program serves as a hub for the mind and behavioral sciences through curricular and cocurricular offerings that augment the course of study for all students, especially those in the Divisions of Social Studies and Science, Mathematics, and Computing, as well as through the Mind, Brain, and Behavior Program. The offerings of the Pyschology Program reflect the field’s enormous breadth, covering topics ranging from genes to social systems.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Diversity is a vital foundation for innovation, leadership, and cultural awareness.
The Psychology Program believes that Psychology is a major in which any Bard student can succeed, and we strive to make the Program one in which students in all courses feel like they belong. The Program believes that diversity is a vital foundation for innovation, leadership, and cultural awareness, and we strive to create an inclusive and accessible environment through continual efforts in pedagogy, curriculum, and advising. We aim to foster a welcoming environment that represents opportunities for all students through inclusive representation and promotion of voices historically marginalized because of such factors as race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, nationality, immigration status, age, political affiliation, and physical ability.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Psychology Program believes that Psychology is a major in which any Bard student can succeed, and we strive to make the Program one in which students in all courses feel like they belong. The Program believes that diversity is a vital foundation for innovation, leadership, and cultural awareness, and we strive to create an inclusive and accessible environment through continual efforts in pedagogy, curriculum, and advising. We aim to foster a welcoming environment that represents opportunities for all students through inclusive representation and promotion of voices historically marginalized because of such factors as race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, nationality, immigration status, age, political affiliation, and physical ability.
We recognize that Bard College exists within systemic patterns of cultural and economic oppression that have denied certain groups equal access to education and power. To be a genuinely equitable community, we must welcome and enact change and transformation, and we commit to the continual creation and strengthening of opportunities for equal access both in and outside of the classroom. This commitment necessitates that we create a community that encourages the expression of diverse perspectives, supports learning and work that is free from discrimination and harassment, promotes inclusion and respect, and regularly evaluates progress toward meeting diversity goals.
Supporting a diverse and inclusive environment is everyone’s responsibility. The Program takes seriously our own role in actively contributing to social equality, empowering individuals to share their unique experiences, challenging stereotypes, promoting critical thinking skills, and becoming engaged citizens.
We will continue teaching courses highlighting systemic inequalities, integrating this content into our other courses, and introducing new courses that respond to the impact of racism, stigma, and inequality.
We will incorporate inclusive teaching practices in our courses, and encourage students in all classes to treat one another with dignity and respect.
We commit to auditing our syllabi to increase readings from researchers of all backgrounds.
We work to create inclusive environments in our courses.
Results from Fall 2020 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Climate Survey
Documents can be accessed only when logged into your Bard account:
Bard Research Scholar Sayed Jafar Ahmadi and His Wife, Psychologist Zeinab Musavi, Recognized for Humanitarian Work in Afghanistan
Bard research scholar Sayed Jafar Ahmadi and his wife and fellow psychologist Zeinab Musavi have provided counseling for victims of trauma, bombings, the COVID-19 pandemic, and earthquakes in Afghanistan for two decades, and educated future psychologists along the way. Their work recently earned the American Psychological Association’s 2024 International Humanitarian Award, which recognizes “extraordinary humanitarian service and activism by a psychologist or a team of psychologists, including professional and/or volunteer work conducted primarily in the field with underserved populations.”
Bard Research Scholar Sayed Jafar Ahmadi and His Wife, Psychologist Zeinab Musavi, Recognized for Humanitarian Work in Afghanistan
Bard research scholar Sayed Jafar Ahmadi and his wife and fellow psychologist Zeinab Musavi have provided counseling for victims of trauma, bombings, the COVID-19 pandemic, and earthquakes in Afghanistan for two decades, and educated future psychologists along the way. Their work recently earned the American Psychological Association’s 2024 International Humanitarian Award, which recognizes “extraordinary humanitarian service and activism by a psychologist or a team of psychologists, including professional and/or volunteer work conducted primarily in the field with underserved populations.”
Bard College Research Scholar in Psychology Sayed Jafar Ahmadi has been selected as a recipient of the 2024 American Psychological Association (APA) International Humanitarian Award. Sponsored by APA’s Committee for Global Psychology, this award recognizes extraordinary humanitarian service and activism by a psychologist or a team of psychologists, including professional and/or volunteer work conducted primarily in the field with underserved populations.
Bard Faculty Member Sayed Jafar Ahmadi Receives 2024 APA International Humanitarian Award
Bard College Research Scholar in Psychology Sayed Jafar Ahmadi has been selected as a recipient of the 2024 American Psychological Association (APA) International Humanitarian Award. Sponsored by APA’s Committee for Global Psychology (APA-CGP), this award recognizes extraordinary humanitarian service and activism by a psychologist or a team of psychologists, including professional and/or volunteer work conducted primarily in the field with underserved populations. The formal presentation of this award, which includes an honorarium of $1000, will take place during a virtual awards ceremony later this year. Ahmadi received this award along with his wife Zeinab Musavi, who is also a psychologist and academic scholar.
“I am pleased that we have been able to reflect a portion of the human suffering in my homeland within the world's largest and most important psychology organization. Receiving this award increases my responsibility to continue humanitarian activities and strive for collective empathy, as well as engage in global psychological initiatives to promote greater human peace and tranquility,” said Dr. Ahmadi. “I would like to express my gratitude for the award, extending my thanks to APA-CGP. Additionally, I appreciate TSI-OSUN, Bard College, and IIE for providing the platform for peace, research, and ongoing humanitarian efforts.”
Dr. Sayed Jafar Ahmadihas been a research scholar in psychology at Bard College since spring 2022. With a career spanning about two decades, Dr. Ahmadi is recognized as a pioneer in establishing the first clinical psychology department in Afghanistan, playing a crucial role in developing the counseling psychology program. The impact of his work extends through the Behrawan Research and Psychology Services Organization, significantly contributing to the advancement of psychology and the training of specialized psychologists in Afghanistan. Collaborations with institutions such as Hunter College, Monash University in Australia, and Bedfordshire University in England highlight his professional journey. Dr. Ahmadi has also spearheaded numerous research projects in Afghanistan and is the author of over 40 articles and books, primarily focusing on subjects such as autism, trauma, and peace.
In “The Chimpanzee Wars,” a recent post to Wild Cousins, her Psychology Today UK blog, Associate Professor of Psychology Sarah Dunphy-Lelii engages in a thought experiment about how the state of knowing and of understanding of who knows and who doesn’t know could potentially impact the politics of power transfer within dominance hierarchies of chimpanzees.
Psychologist Sarah Dunphy-Lelii Considers the Politics of Sudden Power Transfer Among Chimpanzees
In “The Chimpanzee Wars,” a recent post to Wild Cousins, her Psychology Today UK blog, Associate Professor of Psychology Sarah Dunphy-Lelii engages in a thought experiment about how the state of knowing and of understanding of who knows and who doesn’t know could potentially impact the politics of power transfer within dominance hierarchies of chimpanzees.
Among more than 200 Ngogo chimpanzees living in Kibale National Park, Uganda, one undisputed alpha named Jackson ruled for years until internal conflicts split the largest known chimpanzee community into two warring factions—Westerners and Centrallers. After Jackson is killed from injuries sustained in a battle, no younger alpha males step up to seize leadership of the Centrallers. A likely explanation, according to researchers, is that they didn’t know Jackson was dead. Only one Centraller, a potential alpha named Peterson, witnessed his death, and none found his body. Theoretically, Peterson could have used this position to his advantage. “Chimpanzees are socially sophisticated. Their dominance hierarchies are not based solely on physical strength. What we might call politics—the accumulation of social capital through strategic alliances over time—play a significant role in the rise to leadership. Under conditions like this one, between the Westerners and the Centrallers, insight into others’ states of knowledge could be decisive,” writes Dunphy-Lelii. She notes, however, that evidence to date suggests chimps, like Peterson, are not using this information the way humans would.