Exit Enhanced Accessibility Mode Skip to Sub Navigation Consistent Navigation Amherst College Bicentennial Arts & Museums Athletics Library News & Events Visit Give Main Navigation The Amherst Story Amherst Facts & FAQs Diversity & Inclusion Literary Amherst Science at Amherst Amherst Magazine Our Alumni Our President Presidential Search 2021-2022 The Academic Experience Departments & Majors Our Faculty Course Catalog Experiential Learning Global Learning Student-Faculty Research Academic Advising & Support Academic Calendar Admission & Financial Aid Affording Amherst Discovering Amherst Diversity Outreach Programs Meet Our Students Tours & Information Sessions Apply to Amherst Office of Financial Aid Life at Amherst Calendar of Events Career Exploration & Planning Health & Wellbeing Housing & Dining Our Community Campus Safety Student Government Town & Valley Gateways My Amherst Alumni Parents & Families Directories Campus Directory Alumni Directory Main Contacts Offices & Departments Tools & Resources Log In A-Z Index AC Data Change/Manage Passwords Course Catalog Course Scheduler Daily Mammoth Dining Menu Dropbox Gmail Google Apps / G Suite Library Catalog Moodle My Amherst Website Help Workday Zoom Search Search For: Search Native American Heritage Month With a $2.5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Five Colleges, Inc., and its member campuses are transforming how they approach Native American and Indigenous studies, with the goal of enhancing teaching, learning and scholarship in the field. Learn about the Five College Native American and Indigenous Studies Certificate Share Previous Next Amherst College Bicentennial “ It was at Amherst College that I first learned our mysterious humanity can never be entirely explicated by our fascinating physiology or even our elegant genetics, and that the hardest questions about us require only the embrace of our empathetic imaginations as response. ” Rafael Campo ’87, ‘04H, Campo, poet and physician, in a new essay for Amherst magazine’s special Bicentennial issue Share Previous Next At Amherst, Campo opted not to decide between the humanities and the sciences, but to study both. Learn about his majors, English and neuroscience. Close Amherst College Bicentennial “In course after course, we were both urged and trained to take responsibility for our own ideas—and, in doing so, to become thoughtful human beings. The method was, in the most encouraging way possible, to leave you no room to hide.” Rand Richards Cooper ’80 Cooper, a fiction writer and journalist, in a new essay for Amherst magazine’s special Bicentennial issue Share Previous Next Cooper is a frequent contributor to Amherst magazine who interviewed Moderna president Stephen Hoge ’98 earlier this year. Close Breadcrumb Home Section Navigation Sub Navigation Home About This Site Academics Accessibility at Amherst College Admission & Financial Aid Alumni Arts & Museums Campus Services Emergency Giving Library Login Unavailable Mobile Museums News & Events Offices & Departments Parents & Families People Student Life The Amherst Story Tuition, Fees & Other Costs Visiting Website Help Login for Additional Pages Athletics Department (Old) COVID-19 Information Find information about the College’s response to the evolving situation with COVID-19. Learn about the guidelines for coming to campus and more. COVID-19 Website Dashboard Amherst College Bicentennial Since 1821, Amherst has prepared critical and creative thinkers for lives of purpose and discovery. That tradition continues. Today, academic and inclusive excellence readies our students to tackle the complex challenges of the 21st century. Amherst at 200 Facts & Photos A liberal-arts education develops an individual’s potential for understanding possibilities, perceiving consequences, creating novel connections and making life-altering choices. It fosters innovative and critical thinking as well as strong writing and speaking skills. We prepare students for many possible careers, meaningful lives and service to society. Get to Know Amherst Amherst Facts 80% Percentage of Amherst alumni who report that they have attended graduate or professional school 84% Percentage of Amherst courses that have fewer than 30 students See Amherst Amherst Photos The Bicentennial Party: 200 Years in the Making! A concert. A ferris wheel. A slide. A sack race. Lots of food. Horses. More music. Oh, and fireworks! Check out all the photos from the Bicentennial Party. Faculty in the News Above Content Feature - 11/11/2021 - 9:24 AM KIARA M. VIGIL Associate Professor of American Studies Full Profile Full story I want to approach my own history anew by looking for nuance and complexity encoded in the Dakota language. The New Directions award will make that endeavor possible. LAWRENCE R. DOUGLAS James J. Grosfeld Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought Upcoming Classes Legal Institutions and Democratic Practice Progress? Full Profile Full story Our constitutional and legal system is remarkably ill-equipped to deal with an electoral crisis. Should we find ourselves in one, the system is more likely to exacerbate than defuse it. —Lawrence Douglas DARRYL HARPER Associate Professor of Music; Director of the Center for Humanistic Inquiry; Chair of Music Upcoming Classes Looking at the World Through Jazz-Colored Lenses Full Profile Full story I knew that music was going to be part of my life no matter what. So, I thought, let me see what else is going on at the College that I might like.—Darryl Harper. CATHERINE A. SANDERSON Poler Family Professor of Psychology; Chair of Psychology Upcoming Classes Social Psychology Sports Psychology Full Profile Full story Even though we are having these intense emotional discussions, when the kids leave, I feel really happy.—Catherine Sanderson I want to approach my own history anew by looking for nuance and complexity encoded in the Dakota language. The New Directions award will make that endeavor possible. Full Profile Full story Our constitutional and legal system is remarkably ill-equipped to deal with an electoral crisis. Should we find ourselves in one, the system is more likely to exacerbate than defuse it. —Lawrence Douglas Upcoming Classes Legal Institutions and Democratic Practice Progress? Full Profile Full story I knew that music was going to be part of my life no matter what. So, I thought, let me see what else is going on at the College that I might like.—Darryl Harper. Upcoming Classes Looking at the World Through Jazz-Colored Lenses Full Profile Full story Even though we are having these intense emotional discussions, when the kids leave, I feel really happy.—Catherine Sanderson Upcoming Classes Social Psychology Sports Psychology Full Profile Full story Latest Videos Architecture: Making Time Visible What do the buildings at Amherst College tell us about the values and visions of their creators? Follow Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Blair Kamin ’79 as he takes us on a historical and philosophical tour of campus. —Video by Marcus DeMaio Learn more Play Video Play Video (new page) Happy 200th birthday to Amherst College! From ferris wheels to pumpkin fries to amazing live music, including a performance by Grammy Award-winning artist Common, to fireworks, Amherst celebrated in style! Play Video Play Video (new page) The Book & Plow Farm Maida Ives, manager of farm education and operations, provides an overview of the Book & Plow Farm at Amherst College. —Video by Marcus DeMaio and Stephanie Ramirez. [more Amherst videos] Play Video Play Video (new page) A Window Into the Science Center Take a tour of our Science Center, which opened in the fall of 2018 and provides state-of-the-art facilities and flexible spaces to support the sciences at Amherst. —Video by Marcus DeMaio. Play Video Play Video (new page) Campus Tour Join three Amherst students - Alexandre, Clara and Lauren - to explore our beautiful campus and learn more about academic and student life in our extraordinary college community. (Note: This video contains footage and images taken before the pandemic.) [more Amherst videos] Play Video Play Video (new page) Bringing Amherst to You What exactly is the Amherst experience all about? From classes to residence halls to the celebrations surrounding Commencement, experience the creative energy of Amherst College and see what makes this community feel like home. —Video by Maria Stenzel [more Amherst videos] Play Video Play Video (new page) Previous Next A overhead view of Amherst College campus taken from a drone (new page) Two woman gazing up at a ferris wheel (new page) trayfuls of plants lined up in a greenhouse (new page) Sun setting behind the Science Center at Amherst College (new page) Aerial view of the Amherst College campus (new page) A professor leads a class on the Main Quad at Amherst College (new page) Distinctive Courses Our open curriculum lets you choose among interesting classes taught by exceptional faculty. Humanities Arts Social Sciences Science & Math Our Majors Humanities course in American Studies Immigration and White Supremacy Description Examine the notions that, on the one hand, the country was founded on and practices a settler colonialism and racial capitalism that privileges whites, while on the other hand, many immigrants of color are working towards their American Dream. Taught By Solsiree Del Moral Pawan H. Dhingra Course Description Arts course in Film and Media Studies A Media History of Anime Description Trace the history of animation in Japan (popularly known as anime), from the earliest known work in 1907, stenciled directly onto a strip of celluloid, to the media convergence and popularity of the present. Taught By Timothy J. Van Compernolle Course Description Social Sciences course in Political Science Globalization Through the Lens of Border Culture Description Examine globalization through the lens of border culture, a term that refers to the "deterritorialized" experience of people when they move or are displaced from their context or place of origin and live between two cultures. Taught By Lorne Falk Course Description Social Sciences course in Anthropology & Sociology Protest! Description Explore the concept and practice of protest—from Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street to Black Lives Matter and the Women’s March—and how, across the globe, they are questioning the social, political and economic status quo. Taught By Nusrat Chowdhury Hannah Holleman Course Description Humanities course in History Slavery in U.S. History & Culture Description Examine how the institution of slavery has been understood by historians and been depicted in American culture, leading to an understanding of why its impact is still with us and how Americans have chosen to remember it over the years. Taught By Elizabeth Herbin-Triant Course Description Science & Math course in Physics and Astronomy Space, Time, Matter and the Cosmos Description Explore the ideas of quantum theory and relativity that are changing our understanding of the physical world, from the microscopic realm of elementary particles to the large-scale structure of the universe. Taught By David Hanneke Course Description Amherst News & Events All News All Events The Journey is Always Worth It Our Story Keeps Writing Itself Nov 30 Dennis James Sweeney: A Reading and Conversation 7:30 PM Dec 1 Forty Days in Hubei: A Conversation with Chinese Writer Deng Anqing 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Dec 3 "Direct Imaging of Newborn Worlds: How We Do It and Why You Should Care,” Presented by Kate Follette 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Dec 3 Performance Project 8:00 PM All News All Events Latest in Social Media All social media Facebook A quiet campus. Enjoy the break, Mammoths! ?: Haoran Tong '23 https://t.co/CHyfmU7ALa on Twitter @AmherstCollege Nov 24 Reply Retweet Favorite All social media Facebook Nondiscrimination Statement Amherst College does not discriminate in admission, employment, or administration of its programs and activities on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, sex or gender (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender expression and gender identity), age, disability, genetic information, military service, or any other characteristic or class protected under applicable federal, state or local law. Amherst College complies with all state and federal laws that prohibit discrimination, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Title IX, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Equal Pay Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Inquiries should be addressed to the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Amherst College, P.O. 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