Creative Curriculum

A transition that provides Hampshire's extraordinary faculty and intrepid students time and resources to develop and experiment with courses and projects that spark discovery and solve problems in the connections among mind, art, science, health, enterprise, and social change in the anthropocene era, and challenge students in every discipline to consider their role in human survival.

The Food, Farm, and Sustainability Institute
The Food, Farm, and Sustainability Institute at Hampshire College is an interdisciplinary academic program focusing on food production and sustainable agriculture, centered at the vibrant Hampshire College Farm.

National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education Grant:
In partnership with Holyoke Community College and the University of Massachusetts, Hampshire has received funding for “Application of Clean Energy Technology to Sustainable Agriculture Practice.” The grant will include support for clean energy infrastructure and course development, and will foster collaboration across the institutions. Proposed projects at Hampshire College include a moveable greenhouse with heat pump technology, as well as a solar array at the Hampshire College Farm that will provide power for new climate-controlled root and vegetable storage facilities, a mobile refrigeration unit, and a tractor that will be converted from diesel to battery power.

Sample Areas of Study

• Agricultural Studies
• Applied Design
• Architecture and Environmental Design
• Biological and Life Sciences
• Business and Entrepreneurship
• Environmental Studies and Sustainability
• Geology
• Globalization/Third World Studies
• Marine Science

 Recent Courses at Hampshire

• Agriculture, Ecology, and Society
• Vernal Pools: Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation
• Chemistry and the Physics of Solar Energy and Energy Storage Technology
• Sustainable Agriculture and Organic Farming
• Hot War: the Impact of Climate Change on International Peace & Security
• Innovations for Change: Problem Solving for the Future
• Sustainable Landscaping Practicum
• Sustainable Water Resources
• The Future of Food
• U.S. Climate Law and Policy
• Vernal Pools: Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation
• Agriculture, Food, and Human Health
• Crafting a Sustainable Design Lens
• Designing the Post-Suburban Community
• Economics and the Environment
• Kitchen Ecology
• The Microbial Farm
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Zero Impact House

Full list of Sustainability Courses from Fall 2012 to Spring 2015»

 Recent Student Projects

• Agricultural Systems Thinking: Re-designing urban farming systems that are radically inclusive of marginalized communities
• Imagine the Earth: Illustrating Environmental Science and Philosophy
• Profit vs. People: A Case Study in the Environmental and Social Impact of Big Oil; Human Health
• Learning for Our Future: Moving Towards a Sustainable Worldview
• Tropical Reforestation
• Wetland Biogeochemistry and Climate Change
• Ecology and Management of Three Caribbean Fisheries
• Enviro-Education at a School in the Woods: an Ethnographic Journey
• Where the River Runs Dry: An Analysis of the Ecological and Socioeconomic Impacts of Large Dams on the Indus Delta
• Path of the Dharma Farmer: Seeking a Sustainable Spirituality
• You Are Where You Eat: Pedagogy for an Eco-Justice, Health-Oriented Sense of Place

Five College Programs and Certificates

• Five College Sustainability Studies Certificate
• Five College Coastal and Marine Sciences Program
• Five College International Relations Certificate
• Peace and World Security Studies (PAWSS)

By one estimate, the amount of new technical information doubles every two years, and 70 percent of today's students will end up in jobs not yet invented. They will struggle to solve problems we do not yet understand, collaborating with people on multiple continents through institutions not yet created.