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 School of Archaeology, History 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.