Academic Program

Hampshire College describes itself as "experimenting" rather than "experimental" in order to emphasize the continually changing nature of its curriculum. However, from its inception the curriculum has generally had certain non-traditional features:


 * An emphasis on project work as well as, or instead of, courses.
 * Detailed written evaluations (as well as portfolio evaluations) for completed courses and projects, rather than letter or number grades.
 * A curriculum centered on student interests, with students taking an active role in designing their own concentrations and projects.
 * An emphasis on independent motivation and student organization, both within and without the college's formal curriculum.

The curriculum is divided into three "Divisions" rather than four years, and students complete these Divisions in varying amounts of time. The administration has recently made efforts to encourage students to stick more closely to the traditional 4 year model by requiring three semesters be spent in Division I, three semesters be spent in Division II, and that Division III be completed in a year. There is at present a student enrolled at Hampshire who has been Division III for four semesters, and is returning for a fifth, which shall make him a 7th Year student.

Divisions

 * Division I, the distribution stage, requires students to complete one course in each of the five Schools of Thought and three other courses, either on or off campus. (Until fall 2002, Division I required student-directed independent projects; the new system, designed with the goal of quicker and smoother student progress, has caused a great deal of controversy on campus.)
 * Division II requires students to complete academic work in their selected area(s) of study (which may or may not be traditional academic fields.) Most students combine related subject matter to form an interdisciplinary concentration such as "The chemistry of oil painting." Still, some choose to concentrate in multiple areas without drawing such connections, instead simply concentrating in "Both Chemistry and Oil Painting." Some students complete an in depth concentration in one field only. Each student is responsible for designing their own Division II in cooperation with a committee of at least two faculty members (who must give their approval). Many students choose a faculty committee whose members represent their own interdisciplinary interests. The Division II requirements also include a community service project and a Multiple Cultural Perspectives requirement.
 * Division III, the advanced project, requires students to complete an in-depth project in their field of choice (which is generally related to the Division II field). Division III usually lasts one year and is completed while taking few or no courses, but two advanced learning activities, which might be courses, internships or specific independent studies, and may or may not be related to the Division III, are required. A Division III topic can be a long written academic paper (in which case it is best considered as something between a traditional college's "bachelor's" or "honors" thesis and a Master's or other graduate thesis), but it can also be a collection of creative work (writing, painting, photography, and film are popular choices) or a hands-on engineering, invention, or social organizing project.

Schools
The Hampshire College faculty are organized not in traditional departments but in broadly defined Schools - though these Schools function much as Departments do at a traditional liberal arts college. The Schools' names and definitions have varied over the College's history, but there have always been between three and five of them. As of 2005, the Schools are:


 * Cognitive Science (CS): includes linguistics, most psychology, some philosophy, neuroscience, and computer science.
 * Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (HACU): includes film, some studio arts, literature, media studies, and most philosophy.
 * Social Science (SS): includes most sociology and anthropology, economics, history, politics, and some psychology.
 * Natural Science (NS): includes most traditional sciences, mathematics, and biological anthropology.
 * Interdisciplinary Arts (IA): includes performing arts, some studio arts, and creative writing.

History and Future of the Hampshire Academic Program
Hampshire's academic program has evolved and changed considerably over the years. Hopefully, as time goes on this section will grow to include descriptions of all the different manners in which the academic program worked as the years passed. For the latest historical developments, I recommed you look at the following:


 * Educational Policy Committee - As the committee charged with discussing and proposing new educational policies, this is the place to see their latest proposals and their past discussions.
 * Making of the College 2.0 Task Force - This task force met in the Spring of 2007 to discuss President Ralph Hexter's Making of the College 2.0.