About the Course
Beyond WEIRD samples — trauma as culture expresses it.
Traumatic experiences vary in part due to the different adversities and experiences people from diverse cultures throughout the world face. And even though most of our understanding of psychological trauma is built on samples from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) countries, many researchers generalize these findings to non-WEIRD populations.
This course looks at psychological trauma and post-traumatic stress through a multicultural lens, beyond the Western perspective. Can a global model of trauma fit all cultures? If not, how should we properly assess trauma using culturally valid methods? What is the impact of cultural experience on perceiving an event as traumatic? The course applies this foundation to a deeper understanding of cross-cultural trauma in veterans, refugees, and women who have experienced gender-based violence.
Main Assignment
Scholarship students can press play on.
Cross-Cultural Podcast Episodes
Students produce cross-cultural podcast episodes on trauma processing and psychopathology across cultures.
Where & When
College seminar, graduate seminar, and a semester at NYU.
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Harvard College
PSY 1812
Spring 2022 · Spring 2023 · Spring 2024.
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Harvard Extension School
PSYC E-1015 (graduate seminar)
Fall 2025 · Fall 2026.
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New York University
“Cross-Cultural Studies on Traumatic Experiences” — PSYCH-GA 2040.005 (graduate seminar)
Fall 2023 · Thursdays 4:55–6:55pm, John A. Paulson Center. At NYU the course ran as a graduate seminar under its own name, adding training in the Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) for clinical interviewing with cultural competency.
What Students Say
From end-of-term evaluations.
“He is one of the rare professors at Harvard who genuinely cares about his students on a personal level.”
Intercultural Perspectives on Trauma · Harvard College
“The online experience was excellent, and truly felt like being in an actual classroom. The interactions with teaching staff and classmates were smooth, supportive, and engaging.”
Intercultural Perspectives on Trauma · Harvard Extension School Online