Students study astronomy at Bennington for a wide variety of reasons: some are planning careers as professional astronomers, some view it as an important supporting area for another primary area of study, and still others study it as part of the broad, liberal arts education that all Bennington students pursue. As such, students with plans in astronomy can follow many different paths.
Astronomy students interested in research work in astronomy study a wide variety of topics, from planetary atmospheres to stellar structure and evolution to galactic evolution and cosmology. Integral to most plans in astronomy is studying physics. Students often take a wide variety of physics classes to support their astronomical education. Further supporting this work is coursework in mathematics and computer science.
At Bennington, you design your own course of study and work, taking full advantage of the College’s resources both inside and outside the classroom. This process goes beyond the bounds of a traditional major. You identify one or more areas of interest that spark your intellectual curiosity and provide a foundation for your academic work and fieldwork, and you pursue that work with ongoing guidance from your faculty. This is your Plan.
Architecture at Bennington is the investigation of the potentials of spatial and formal exploration in the built world. In all of our work is the spirit of asking questions and critical thinking. We approach our work as a studio, including research, observation, analysis, and the testing of ideas through drawings and models. The work we do allows students to explore ways in which meaning is expressed in form, space, and movement. Beginning work focuses on the formation of architectural concepts through spatial investigations. This gradually builds into more complex architectural programs organized around particular problems. We work with a broad range of media: pencil and pen, basswood and cardboard, digital modeling and laser cutting.
At Bennington, you design your own course of study and work, taking full advantage of the College’s resources both inside and outside the classroom. This process goes beyond the bounds of a traditional major. You identify one or more areas of interest that spark your intellectual curiosity and provide a foundation for your academic work and fieldwork, and you pursue that work with ongoing guidance from your faculty. This is your Plan.
Bennington biology students engage in all types of biological questions, taking advantage of well-equipped labs, a diverse natural landscape, and a broad range of faculty expertise. Bennington’s Field Work Term provides a special opportunity to work with research teams and applied biologists around the world at major research hospitals and universities, with national park scientists and managers, and at world-class field-stations.
At Bennington, you design your own course of study and work, taking full advantage of the College’s resources both inside and outside the classroom. This process goes beyond the bounds of a traditional major. You identify one or more areas of interest that spark your intellectual curiosity and provide a foundation for your academic work and fieldwork, and you pursue that work with ongoing guidance from your faculty. This is your Plan.
Students with an interest in computer science can start studying at their level of experience, interest and comfort—studying game design, introductory programming or other timely or timeless topics related to computer science. While the topics of these courses differ, they share goals that help students develop the technical skills and understanding needed advance in and beyond computer science. Advanced courses allow students to shape their studies around particular interests. Recent courses have focused on topics such as distributed systems, object-oriented programming, algorithm analysis, database management, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and making mobile apps.
At Bennington, you design your own course of study and work, taking full advantage of the College’s resources both inside and outside the classroom. This process goes beyond the bounds of a traditional major. You identify one or more areas of interest that spark your intellectual curiosity and provide a foundation for your academic work and fieldwork, and you pursue that work with ongoing guidance from your faculty. This is your Plan.
Chemistry at Bennington is built on four courses that integrate, rather than separate, general chemistry and organic chemistry to help you learn of the key aspects of both subjects. The structure of these classes allows for the inclusion of special topics that fall outside of the realms of either general or organic chemistry, but which can teach students current research and discoveries in other branches of chemistry. All courses include readings from the primary literature, writing components (especially in response to articles and concerning lab work), and discussion-based class sessions. The curricula are designed to be useful for science students pursuing a variety of goals: advanced chemistry, biology, other physical sciences, and pre-medical plans.
At Bennington, you design your own course of study and work, taking full advantage of the College’s resources both inside and outside the classroom. This process goes beyond the bounds of a traditional major. You identify one or more areas of interest that spark your intellectual curiosity and provide a foundation for your academic work and fieldwork, and you pursue that work with ongoing guidance from your faculty. This is your Plan.
At Bennington, we believe that good writers are good readers. In small classes centered on discussion, students are invited by a faculty of novelists, memoirists, poets, literary journalists, and translators to share a writer’s perspective on contemporary and classic works of literature. Students discover that the act of writing is a conversation with other writers, past and present; that analysis is artful and imaginative; that creative writing is rigorous and thoughtful. We aim to develop students’ skills in critical thinking, analytical reading, scholarly writing, literary translation, and creative writing by allowing them to study many types of literary works and styles from antiquity to the present.
At Bennington, you design your own course of study and work, taking full advantage of the College’s resources both inside and outside the classroom. This process goes beyond the bounds of a traditional major. You identify one or more areas of interest that spark your intellectual curiosity and provide a foundation for your academic work and fieldwork, and you pursue that work with ongoing guidance from your faculty. This is your Plan.
Rather than practicing drills and exercises focused on mastering mechanics over negotiating meaning, Bennington students immerse themselves in content-based language and culture courses where they analyze, discuss, and synthesize concepts of deep cultural relevance in China and the broader Chinese-speaking community. Students engage with authentic materials in a variety of media, from prose, poetry, and song to visual arts and cinema. Students practice both active and passive skills as they engage in meaningful verbal and written communication with their faculty and each other on topics ranging from traditional cultural roots, such as Confucianism and Taoism, to today’s social and cultural issues, such as the cultural revolution, the post-Mao opening, and contemporary poetry, art, music, and cinema.
At Bennington, you design your own course of study and work, taking full advantage of the College’s resources both inside and outside the classroom. This process goes beyond the bounds of a traditional major. You identify one or more areas of interest that spark your intellectual curiosity and provide a foundation for your academic work and fieldwork, and you pursue that work with ongoing guidance from your faculty. This is your Plan.
In Advancement of Public Action, you will learn about important global problems and how to make a difference. You study topics like international conflicts, leadership, the environment, improving prisons, creating a sustainable economy, and empowering citizens. You will not only gain knowledge, but also develop skills needed to take action. You will learn how to identify people who are affected by these issues, and how to work together with them. You will also learn problem-solving techniques, mediation skills, and how policies are made by government officials. All of these things help you make a real impact and bring positive change to the world.
At Bennington, you design your own course of study and work, taking full advantage of the College’s resources both inside and outside the classroom. This process goes beyond the bounds of a traditional major. You identify one or more areas of interest that spark your intellectual curiosity and provide a foundation for your academic work and fieldwork, and you pursue that work with ongoing guidance from your faculty. This is your Plan.
From the first year, students begin making dances immediately. Over the next four years, they make and perform new work, whether their own or in collaboration with others. At the weekly Dance Workshop, students of all levels, from first-year to graduate, gather with the full faculty to show and respond to dances that students are working on. Students are encouraged to participate in all aspects of production and have on-going support to experiment in a variety of spaces (available around the clock), from the remarkable formal theater and small studios to alternative site-specific locations.
At Bennington, you design your own course of study and work, taking full advantage of the College’s resources both inside and outside the classroom. This process goes beyond the bounds of a traditional major. You identify one or more areas of interest that spark your intellectual curiosity and provide a foundation for your academic work and fieldwork, and you pursue that work with ongoing guidance from your faculty. This is your Plan.
Psychology is more than the study of the mind and its effect on behavior; it also requires a nuanced understanding of the scope and limits of theories and other generalizations of human behavior. At Bennington, some psychology courses focus on understanding the generalizations made by others, while other courses focus on the process of research, where students make their own generalizations about human behavior. In both cases, students learn to read, understand, and critically evaluate published work in psychology. They develop the skills to write a convincing, non-prejudicial argument. And they learn how to apply ethical standards to research and theory in psychology.
At Bennington, you design your own course of study and work, taking full advantage of the College’s resources both inside and outside the classroom. This process goes beyond the bounds of a traditional major. You identify one or more areas of interest that spark your intellectual curiosity and provide a foundation for your academic work and fieldwork, and you pursue that work with ongoing guidance from your faculty. This is your Plan.