Developmental Psychology class. Photo by Kay Bell ’26
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.
Belonging in the Psychology Program
Equity 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 equity and justice are vital foundations 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.
Belonging in the Psychology Program
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 equity and justice are vital foundations 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 our 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 reviewing our syllabi to increase readings from researchers of all backgrounds.
We work to create inclusive environments in our courses.
Program News
Five Bard College Students Win Gilman International Scholarships to Study Abroad
Five Bard College students, Ezra Calderon ’25, Adelaide Driver ’26, Dashely Julia ’26, Nyla Lawrence ’26, and Brenda Lopez ’26, have been awarded highly competitive Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships by the US Department of State. Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000, or up to $8,000 if also a recipient of the Gilman Critical Need Language Award.
Five Bard College Students Win Gilman International Scholarships to Study Abroad
Five Bard College students have been awarded highly competitive Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships by the US Department of State. Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000, or up to $8,000 if also a recipient of the Gilman Critical Need Language Award, to apply toward their study abroad or internship program costs. This cohort of Gilman scholars, who will study or intern in over 90 countries, represents more than 500 US colleges and universities.
Bard College Mathematics and Italian Studies double major Ezra Calderon ’25, from Harlem, New York, has been awarded a Gilman Scholarship to study at the University of Trento in Italy via exchange, for the spring semester 2025. “This scholarship provides an exciting opportunity to improve my language skills and conduct research while abroad for my Senior Project in Italian Studies,” says Calderon.
Bard College Studio Art major Adelaide Driver ’26, from Taos, New Mexico, has been awarded a $4000 Gilman Scholarship to study at Kyoto Seika University in Japan, for the spring semester 2025. “Receiving this scholarship means the world to me. I have always wanted to study abroad, but money was a concern. This scholarship provides the opportunity to study what I love in an incredible place. I am so grateful,” says Driver. She serves as a peer counselor at Bard and will be studying illustration at Kyoto Seika.
Bard College junior Dashely Julia ’26, who is jointly majoring in Architecture and Art History with a concentration in Latin American and Iberian studies, has been awarded a $3000 Gilman Scholarship to study at Bard College Berlin in Germany, for the spring semester 2025. “Winning the Gilman Scholarship holds profound significance for me. It represents the opportunity to engage with diverse cultures and gain new perspectives that will enrich my understanding of art history and architecture. As someone deeply passionate about exploring how cultural and historical contexts shape artistic and architectural practices, studying abroad is more than an academic pursuit—it is a lifelong dream come true,” says Julia, who is a Posse Puerto Rico Scholar and lead peer mentor for the Office of Equity and Inclusion at Bard.
Bard College Computer Science major Nyla Lawrence ’26, from Atlanta, Georgia, has been awarded a $5,000 Gilman scholarship to study at National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan via exchange, for the spring semester 2025. “My grandmother told me this quote from Derek Bok: ‘If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.’ There is always something to be ignorant about but, I am happy the Gilman Scholarship provides others and myself the ability to learn more about the world while also studying. Studying abroad not only allows for broader education opportunities, but also life lessons and responsibility before exiting college, which I am really excited for,” says Lawrence, who will be learning Mandarin, her third language after English and German, to better communicate and traverse the land. Lawrence is currently one of three captains of the Bard women’s volleyball team and the Katherine Lynne Mester Memorial Scholar in Humanities for the 2024–2025 academic year at Bard.
Bard College Psychology major Brenda Lopez ’26, from Bronx, New York, has been awarded a $3,000 Gilman scholarship to study at Kyung Hee University in Seoul via exchange, for the spring semester 2025. “I couldn’t be more grateful, and I can’t wait to see how this scholarship helps me when spending my time in Korea,” says Lopez. At Bard, Lopez is part of the Trustee Leader Scholar Project Nicaragua Education Initiative and a clubhead for the K-DIARY club on campus.
The Department of State awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to approximately 1,600 American undergraduate students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, in this fall 2024 cycle. All scholarship recipients are US undergraduate students with established high financial need as federal Pell Grant recipients. On average, 65 percent of Gilman recipients are from rural areas and small towns across the United States, and half are first-generation college or university students.
Since the program’s inception in 2001, more than 44,000 Gilman scholars have studied or interned in more than 170 countries around the globe. Supported by the US Congress, the Gilman Scholarship is an initiative of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is aided in its implementation by the Institute of International Education. To learn more about the Gilman Scholarship and its recipients, including this newest cohort, visit gilmanscholarship.org.
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.