How the Program Works

The program is based around ten-day residencies held in January and July at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Students must attend five residencies to complete the program. During each residency participants take two three-credit courses, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Books and materials are sent out in advance of each residency. Included in the ten days are a reasonable amount of reading, writing, and other participatory exercises. A paper is assigned at the end of each course to be completed after returning home.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst, the major campus of the state university, is located in the western part of the state, midway between Boston, MA and Albany, NY - a two-hour drive from each. It is also one hour north of Hartford, CT, and forty-five minutes from Bradley Airport, which serves Hartford and Springfield, MA. Participants are housed in a hotel on the campus, which is a unionized facility. The remainder of the campus is organized, with professional, faculty, clerical, service and maintenance, and graduate assistant units all covered by collective bargaining agreements.

Below is a list of dates for upcoming sessions. Students should plan to arrive Sunday afternoon, with classes beginning Monday morning and running ten days consecutively through Wednesday.

Winter 2012:  January 8-18

Summer 2012:  July 15-25

Winter 2013:  January 6-16

Summer 2013:  July 14-24

Winter 2014:  January 5-15

Summer 2014:  July 13-23

Winter 2015:  January 4-14

Summer 2015:  July 12-22

Winter 2016:  January 3-13

Summer 2016:  July 10-20