Benjamin Smith

Professor Benjamin Smith is a faculty member at Sonoma State University, serving as both HD Program Coordinator and HD Internship Coordinator. His academic work bridges linguistic anthropology, cultural approaches to human development, and medical discourse, with regional expertise in the Andes and the United States.

• Education: PhD (University of Chicago, 2011), BA (Wake Forest University, 1999)

Research interests include:

• How language learning shapes children's cultural identity through processes of language socialization
• Sociopolitical inequalities in developmental trajectories
• History of mental health treatment in the U.S.
• Therapeutic discourse and biomedical language
• Developmental disability studies (in collaboration with Dr. Boutin at the Sonoma Developmental Center)

He is currently co-editing a new edition of the Oxford Handbook of Language Socialization with Dr. Elise Berman. His methodological focus on qualitative research underpins his teaching in the Human Development core curriculum.

Office hours:

• Wed: 3:30 pm-4:30 pm (Zoom only)
• Thu: 12:00 pm-1:00 pm (in-person or Zoom)

Appointment calendar available via his website.