Faculty director Ken Abrams discusses the unique opportunities offered by the Cross-Cultural Psychology in Prague program, which will run next in Fall of 2026.
What was the inspiration behind this program? Why study Cross-Cultural Psychology in Prague?
The original inspiration was that I had lived for two years in the Czech Republic between
undergraduate and graduate school. I know the area, have a number of professional
connections, and speak Czech. It turns out fortuitously for me and for the program that the
Czechs have a unique approach within the West to assessing and treating psychopathology.
What does a typical day look like on the program?
Students take classes, one taught by me on cross-cultural psychopathology, and on other days
one taught by local Czech faculty on 20th-century Central European history. Students also
choose an elective—Elementary Czech Language or Czech Art and Architecture. We do a lot of
things outside of the classroom as well. We visit a number of psychiatric institutions within
Prague, and we learn about the Czechs’ different approach to mental illness. For example, we
visit a clinic for eating disorders and learn about how the transition from communism to
democracy and capitalism after 1989 led to an influx of Western media and higher rates of
eating disorders. We visit a clinic for individuals who have been convicted of sex offenses and
who have sexual paraphilias, and learn about the very different, more rehabilitative approach
that Czechs have toward that population.
We also do non-academic activities outside of the classroom. We attend a number of athletic
events, we often travel outside of Prague on weekends, and within Prague we visit the ballet
and opera. We spend four days in Slovakia, including a couple days hiking in the High Tatras,
and five days in Poland.
How is student housing organized?
Students live in apartment complexes that typically host about four students. Plus, we try to
place a Czech university student with them. So, they’re often five-person apartments including
the Czech student. That student is often the gateway to meeting other Czech university students and sometimes that person’s family. I would say students have been quite satisfied with the size and location of the apartments. From their apartments, students take a tram for about 10 minutes to get to the center of Prague where they have classes, so they receive a public transportation pass for the term.
What makes this program unique? What do you want students to know about Prague?
Prague is one of the few major cities in Central Europe that wasn’t massively bombed during
WWII, and so architecturally it retains much of its historic past. It has architecture that spans the past thousand years. It’s a great place for art and architectural studies because the city has everything from Romanesque buildings, to Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Art Nouveau buildings. On the whole, it’s stunningly beautiful.
A unique part of the program is the ability to visit psychiatric institutions and meet with various clinicians and patient populations. It would be quite difficult in the United States to bring students to such institutions.
What are you most looking forward to?
I’ve done this program a number of times, and I’m always excited to go back. On an academic
level, I’m inspired by students challenging their pre-existing assumptions regarding mental
illness and its assessment and treatment. Sometimes students agree with these alternative
perspectives, and sometimes they don’t. But much can be gained by wrestling with one’s pre-
existing assumptions or beliefs they initially thought to be universally true. Outside of the classroom, I’m a huge Sparta Praha sports fan. I always aim to turn my students into both Sparta soccer and ice hockey fans, and they often are by the end of the program.
Why should students consider going on an Off-Campus Studies program?
Many pieces of OCS programs could not be done inside a classroom at Carleton, such as the
art and architecture city walks. Half of the art and architecture class takes place in a classroom,
and half take place on walking tours with the Czech. Also, students really bond with others on OCS programs. When you study abroad—when you travel with peers, take overnight trains with them, wrestle with difficult questions, you develop a deeper connection, one that often lasts well beyond your Carleton years.
This Prague program is particularly valuable for students interested in a career in psychology or another mental health field. Having studied cross-cultural psychopathology, and having done so in Prague, is something that can set one apart when applying to competitive graduate programs.
