Welcome to the Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture
The Centre was set up with funding from the Sophia Trust and is located within the University’s Department of Archaeology and Anthropology. It has a wide-ranging remit to investigate the role of cosmological, astrological and astronomical beliefs, models and ideas in human culture, including the theory and practice of myth, magic, divination, religion, spirituality, politics and the arts. The main qualification we teach is the distance-learning, on-line, MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology. There is no need to live in the UK to study this MA.
Much of our work is historical but we are equally concerned with contemporary culture and lived experience. If you are interested in the way we use the sky to create meaning and significance then the Centre may be the best place for you to study. By joining the Sophia Centre you enter a community of like-minded students whose aim is to explore humanity's relationship with the cosmos
‘The scope of the MA is as broad as possible and the syllabus is ground-breaking, unique and innovative. We study the many ways in which human beings have used the sky as a theatrical backdrop to tell stories and create meaning.’
Dr Nicholas Campion, Director of the Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture.
We maintain collaborative links with similar programmes in the subject area, including the program in Cultural Astronomy at the University of Arizona.
Resources and Links
Academic Links
The links on this page are all relevant to the subjects encompassed by the Sophia Centre. If you would like to link to the Sophia Centre site (www.lamp.ac.uk/sophia), we would be very pleased. Please note, though, that we can only exchange reciprocal links with other academic sites. If you notice any broken links, please let us know. Please e mail Dr Nick Campion, n.campion@lamp.ac.uk.
Hermes Trismegistus. Mercurii
Trismegistis liber de potestate et
sapientia dei / Marsilium Ficinum
traductus ad Cosmum Medicem.
"Book of the Power and Glory of God,
Allegedly by the Magus Hermes
Trismegistus,translated by Marsilius
Ficino for Cosimo Medici"
(Venice, 1491). 8.5" x 6" page.
Special Collections, University
of Saskatchewan.
Journals
Culture and Cosmos: a journal for the history of
astrology and cultural astronomy
www.cultureandcosmos.com
Correlation: journal of research in astrology
http://www.astrologicalassociation.com/reference/
publications/correlation/
Archaeoastronomy: the journal of astronomy in culture
http://www.utexas.edu/utpress/journals/jarch.html
Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy News
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~tlaloc/archastro/news.html
Journal for the History of Astronomy
http://www.shpltd.co.uk/jha.html
The Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage
http://www.jcu.edu.au/school/mathphys/astronomy/jah2/index.shtml
Cauda Pavonis: Studies in Hermeticism http://www.caudapavonis.net/
Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism http://www.brill.nl/arie
Esoterica http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/
Journal for the Academic Study of Magic http://www.sasm.co.uk/journal2.html
Journal of Religion, Nature and Culture http://www.religionandnature.com/journal/
Journal of Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/jasanas/
Nova Religio http://www.novareligio.com/
Spring: a Journal of Archetype and Culture
http://www.springjournalandbooks.com/cgi-bin/ecommerce/ac/agora.cgi
Harvest: International Journal for Jungian Studies http://www.jungianstudies.org/harvest.htm
The Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture http://www.religionandnature.com/journal/index.htm
Diskus: The journal of the British Association for the Study of Religions (BASR)
http://www.basr.ac.uk/diskus/index.html
The Journal of Contemporary Religion
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/13537903.asp
Courses
Kepler College, Distance-Learning BA and MA in Astrology and the Liberal Arts
www.kepler.edu
University of Chichester, MA in Transpersonal Art and Practice,
http://www.chiuni.ac.uk/services/courses/Prospectusdetail.cfm?ID=106
University of Amsterdam, History of Hermeticism and Related Currents (BA, Minor Western Esotericism; MA Religious Studies trajectory, ‘Mysticism and Western Esotericism)
http://www.amsterdamhermetica.nl/index.php
California Institute of Integral Studies, MA in Philosophy, Cosmology and Consciousness
http://www.ciis.edu/academics/pcc.html
University of Exeter, MA in Western Esotericism
http://www.huss.ex.ac.uk/postgrad/ma/esotericism.htm
University of Kent, MA in Cosmology and Divination
http://www.kent.ac.uk/secl/thrs/postgrad/MACosDiv/ma-cosdiv.htm
Academic conferences, associations, research groups and resources
The Sophia Project http://www.sophia-project.org.uk/
Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena (INSAP) http://insap.org/insap/
Society for the History of Astronomy http://www.freewebs.com/sochistastro/
Association for the Study of Esotericism http://www.aseweb.org/
European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism http://www.esswe.org/
European Society for Astronomy in Culture (SEAC) http://www.archeoastronomy.org/
The International Society for Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture (ISAAC)
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~tlaloc/archastro/isaac.html
Centre for Archaeoastronomy http://www.wam.umd.edu/~tlaloc/archastro/index.html
Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/19
Society for the Academic Study of Magic http://www.sasm.co.uk/index.html
Research Group into the Critical Study of Astrology http://www.astrology-research.net/rgcsa.htm
Electronic History of Astronomy, the Whipple Museum of the History of Science and the
Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Oxford
http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/starry/
The History of Astronomy Discussion Group listserv@wvnvm.wvnet.edu
Commission 41 (History of Astronomy) of the International Astronomy Union (IAU)
http://www.historyofastronomy.org/
International Association for Jungian Studies http://www.jungianstudies.org/about.htm
University of Arizona, Centre for Consciousness Studies http://www.consciousness.arizona.edu/
Goldsmiths College, Anomalistic Psychology Unit http://www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/apru/what.php
Hope Centre for Millennialism Studies www.millennialism.org.uk
Bill Thayer, ancient astronomy and astrology resources, Chicago University Department of Classics
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Topics/astronomy/home.html
Rob van Gent, history of astronomy, University of Utrecht
http://www.phys.uu.nl/~vgent/
Bibliographies on Australian Aboriginal astronomy
http://www.atnf.csiro.au/research/AboriginalAstronomy/Literature.htm
Centre for Cultural Research, University of Western Sydney
http://www.uws.edu.au/research/researchcentres/ccr
University of Essex, Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies
http://www.essex.ac.uk/Centres/psycho/
