Religion

Religion has played a major role, positively and negatively, in the formation of human culture around the globe.

The study of religion at Hampshire is interdisciplinary and interdenominational, allowing exploration of the ways religion has shaped our history, political life, social and cultural institutions, literature, arts, sciences, and even the languages we speak.

Students may focus on a specific religion or on co-evolution of multiple religions in a particular area of the world, may integrate spiritual perspectives into a study of healing, gender, or environmental sustainability, or may critically analyze a sacred text. Respectful of the complexity of their subjects, all bring to their work an awareness of the wider-world implications.

• Exploring the Divine Feminine
• American Religious Experience: Literary and Historical Perspectives
• The American Transcendentalists
• Asian Religious Texts and Traditions
• Augustine
• Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity in the U.S.
• Buddhist Traditions
• Culture, Religion, and Environmentalism
• Daoism, Shamanism, and Shinto: Indigenous Religions of East Asia.
• Decoding Zen Buddhism
• The English Bible
• Exploring the Divine Feminine
• High Spirits: Reading and Writing about Spiritual Experience
• Intro to the Buddhist Meditation Tradition
• Intro to Tibetan Religion: The Four Schools of Tibetan Buddhism
• Mystics and Texts
• Myth and Myth Theory
• Myth, Belief, and Reality in World Literature
• Nuns, Saints, and Mystics in Medieval and Early Modern Europe
• Religion in Modern India
• Religious Experience and Literary Form
• The Rise of Secular Jewish Culture
• Topics in Comparative Religion
• Sacred to the Secular: The Performing Arts of Asia
• Science in the Islamic World
• Text, Canon, Tradition: Scriptures and Their Emergence in World Religions
• Theories of Religion
• Yoga Traditions: Philosophy, Practice and Narrative
• Ancient Israel (AC)
• Buddhist Philosophy (SC)
• Intro to the Qu'ran (MHC)
• Intro to Philosophy of Religion (MHC)
• Mary Images and Cults (SC)
• The Meaning of Life (SC)
• Religious Movements in America (MHC)
• Sacred Sound (AC)

Requirements

• Common Application
• An academic paper in English
• Supplemental essay responses
• Current transcripts
• School report, including guidance counselor recommendation
• At least one letter of recommendation from a teacher
• Certification of Finances form
• TOEFL or IELTS score (Minimum TOEFL score of 91 or a minimum IELTS score of 6.5. Predicted grades for IB English A1 or A2, or for A-level English, will also be considered.
• Additional letters of recommendation, up to three

Scholarships

• MacArthur Foundation Grant Making Programs
• American Association of University Women
• Fulbright International Scholarship Program for non-US students