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The Ph.D. Developmental Subprogram is situated at the Graduate Center CUNY in midtown Manhattan, reflecting the vibrancy of these two uniquely dynamic and diverse urban contexts – the New York megapolis and its leading public University. The program has its own rich intellectual history shaped by a deep appreciation of and attention to the theoretical foundations of research in developmental psychology. Associated with broadly conceived socio-cultural and developmental tradition (Piaget, Dewey, Werner, and Vygotsky), our research places the notion of development at the intersection of culture, context, and history. We draw on a variety of today’s cutting-edge perspectives including collaborative and distributed cognition approach, cultural-historical activity theory, dynamic systems theory, actor-network theory and participatory learning paradigm. As such, our research foundations are aligned with what is gradually emerging as the key direction in developmental sciences across a number of disciplines – a focus on the continuously unfolding, culturally and historically situated developmental dynamics of embodied human beings acting in actual environments imbued with meanings, social stratifications, and values. Central to our approach is the link between research and a commitment to social change through public policy at the intersection of theory and practice. Much of our research is conducted in urban contexts such as schools and day care centers, community organizations, and after school programs. Faculty and students extend the boundaries of traditional psychology by addressing issues such as the effects of urban poverty, minority status, war, the child welfare system, social interaction, children’s rights, work-place environments, urban planning, new technologies in development and learning, among others.
Curriculum and Learning Goals
The program provides students with the deep grounding in theoretical perspectives and diverse methodologies needed for advanced scholarly work – often combining practice-based multiple methods (qualitative, quantitative, ecological, participatory, critical discourse, etc.). Our curriculum is organized to promote understanding of the synergies between theoretical ideas and applications of particular methodologies; ability to situate theoretical ideas, concepts, and research methodologies within broader developmental paradigms and cultural-historical contexts; ability to recognize how contextual, cultural, political and ethical factors are involved in the production of psychological knowledge and practice; understanding of the implications of psychological knowledge for institutional practices and policies such as schooling, family, and social service agencies. In addition, students obtain extensive research training and teaching experiences in the larger psychology department. Students are encouraged to work on original research topics of interest to them and in collaboration with the faculty.