Amherst Voices: Tess Taylor ’00

“ As we continued, each close reading of each long, baggy sentence felt oddly intimate, as if we were down in the grooves of each writer’s fingerprints. ”

Tess Taylor
Poet Tess Taylor ’00 on her favorite Amherst class.
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Amherst College

COVID-19 Information

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Find information about the College’s response to the evolving situation with COVID-19. Learn about the guidelines for coming to campus and more.

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.

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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

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Faculty in the News

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.

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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
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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.

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Even though we are having these intense emotional discussions, when the kids leave, I feel really happy.—Catherine Sanderson

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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

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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!

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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.

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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.)

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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

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A overhead view of Amherst College campus taken from a drone (new page)
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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
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Amherst News & Events

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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. Box 5000, Amherst, MA 01002-5000.