Hobart and William Smith Colleges

MARY GERHART

Professor of Religious Studies
1972-2005

Mary Gerhart came to Hobart and William Smith in 1972 as a professor in the Religious Studes Department. While at HWS, Gerhart's courses cross-listed with women's studies and other interdisciplinary areas such as the minor, the Sacred in Cross-cultural Perspective. Gerhart taught courses such as "The Religious Imagination," "The Question of God/Goddess: Metaphoric and Philosophical Origins" and "Conflict of Interpretations." As a scholar, Gerhart and her colleague, the late Professor Emeritus in Physics Allan M. Russell received a Science and Religion Course Prize Award from the John Templeton Foundation in 1999. Professor Emerita Gerhart also published numerous books, including "Metaphoric Process: The Creation of Scientific and Religious Understanding" and "New Maps for Old: Explorations in Science and Religion."After her retirement, Gerhart continued to work with the late Professor Russell, including bi-disciplinary writing and lecturing in science and religion. She is currently writing on three thinkers: Hypatia of Alexandria, Hildegard of Bingen and Simone Weil.