Naropa University Programs

Naropa University stands out among schools of higher education, and if you're curious about what it offers, the range of academic programs is worth a closer look. Its core curriculum asks every student to get through Writing Seminar I and Writing Seminar II, plus a component called Community-based Learning and Action.

Beyond those requirements, students can choose from a handful of seminars to round out the foundation. One option is "First Year Seminar: Self and Community in a Complex World." Another pairing covers "Contemplative Learning Seminar: Naropa's Roots and Branches" together with a "Diversity Seminar."

There's also a creative requirement of three credits in what the school calls Artistic Process. The menu here runs long. You could take 2-D Design, Contemplative Comics, Introduction to Photography, Drawing, or Figure Drawing. Sculpture, Painting: Realism, and Mixed Media are on the list too, along with Advanced Studio Practice and a course titled Warrior Artist.

Performance and movement get their own share of the offerings: Improvisation, Composition, Acting Studio I, Dance Studio I, and Dance of Africa. Students can study voice through Articulating Sound: Voice & Speech, join an Acting Ensemble or Dance Ensemble, or work on Verse Interpretation and Prose Interpretation.

The spiritual and musical side shows up as well, with courses like Spirituality and Creative Expression, Indian Devotional and Raga Singing, Ikebana (Kado), and Creative Reading and Writing. That's a wide spread of choices, and what's listed here barely scratches the surface of everything available to students at Naropa.