Language, Culture, and Psychology

Core Studies in Clinical Psychology, Cultural Anthropology, and Japanese Studies

In this example, a student who was broadly interested in Japanese studies focused on the way clinical psychology can be combined with the study of language, culture, and religion. She was concerned with real-world clinical and cultural issues, such as how Buddhism and the Japanese work ethic affect individual behavior in the Japanese workplace, and she hoped to become an occupational psychologist for Japanese businesses. She was interested in going to graduate school in clinical psychology. The concentration might be described as an interdisciplinary social science "major" with a CBD "minor." The courses listed below have generic titles or topic areas; they are not specific courses offered by Hampshire or the Five Colleges.

During Division I, the student took several courses that provided a foundation for the concentration, including History of Buddhism; Psychological Theories of Religion; Thinking through Zen Buddhism; and Social Determinants of Health.

The CBD concentration included the following courses or independent studies:

Intellectual breadth

Biological sciences

• Health sciences
• Neurobiology/neurophysiology

Social and cultural sciences

• Anthropology of modern Japan
• Sociology of culture

Cognitive sciences

• Introduction to cognition/education
• Moral and political philosophy

Core studies 

Intensive introductory Japanese
Advanced Japanese
Homosexualities in Japanese literature
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy with children
Developmental psychology
Buddhist philosophy

Integrative studies

CBD course: Emotions and the Brain
CBD course: Culture, Mind, and Brain