Humanities

Exploring the arts of power and persuasion in the Renaissance (topic varies each year - refer to website)

The Carleton Liberal Arts Experience (CLAE) supports 52 high school students who have just completed their sophomore year to come to Carleton for a free one-week academic program in the summer.

CLAE Scholars experience the benefits of a liberal arts college education through classes in science, art, social studies, and technology. Students who have an interest in African American culture, especially students from the African diaspora, are encouraged to apply. Throughout the week, CLAE Scholars will focus on African American community and identity through the framework of a liberal arts education.

This program is so much more than a writing course. Although the program is anchored in writing, the curriculum explores art and culture from both contemporary and historical lenses. Students will learn how to express their thoughts and ideas in creative and impactful ways. They will work closely with Carnegie Mellon's accomplished faculty and staff, receiving individualized guidance on their work. This truly is an experience like none other. 

The right students for this program are ones that enjoy writing, but are looking to go further. They are looking to explore the impact the written word can have on a culture or community. They see writing as more than just writing. It's an expression of their ideas, thoughts, or beliefs.   

Civil War Era Studies Camp provides rising high school Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors an immersive experience into Civil War history. 

The Reynolds Young Writers Workshop at Denison is an energizing 8-day program for motivated high school students (rising juniors and seniors) who love to write.  For nearly 30 years, the Reynolds Workshop has brought together young writers who are passionate about writing and eager to connect to a close-knit community of writing friends.  The workshop is held each June on the beautiful campus of Denison University, a leading liberal arts college, in the village of Granville, Ohio.  

Pre-Collegiate Summer Program in Early American History. For high school 10-12. This fast-paced, in-depth and immersive course will offer a variety of approaches to studying the past, but the chief feature will be classes conducted "on site" at the abundant historic places in the Chesapeake region.

Fir Acres Writing Workshop is open to rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders who are eager to practice writing in its many varieties.

For two weeks, students join approximately sixty peers, accomplished faculty, resident advisors, and distinguished guest writers. What binds our community is the quest to find our voices as writers, to experiment as often as possible, and to practice and promote the habits of reading, writing, and daily artistic observation.

Great Books Summer Programs offer a vibrant learning community both on-campus in the summer and online year-round. We are thrilled to offer a host of exciting choices for students entering grades 6-8, 9-12, and for graduating seniors. Sessions for Summer 2025 will be available in one-week or multiple-week options from about mid June through mid August.

Find the location and time that is best for you. Mix and match to create your perfect Great Books Summer Program!

In association with the MFA Program for Poets and Writers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, our summer programs have been changing the lives of young writers for sixteen years. We provide a pre-college experience for teens who love writing poems and stories, want to meet like-minded peers, and yearn for mentorship from professional writers and teachers

Young Writers is an intensive two-week workshop for intellectually curious, motivated high-school students who value writing. Our goal is to help students develop their creative and critical abilities with language—to become better, more productive writers and more insightful thinkers. For more than nineteen years, Young Writers has provided a lively, supportive environment where students can stretch their talents, discover new strengths, and challenge themselves in the company of peers who share their interests. 

At Stanford University. Our program blends journalism basics with 21st century digital literacy and multimedia training. We’ll help you become a better storyteller, team member and leader; inspire you to launch or improve a journalism program at your school; and offer you a chance to experience one of the most beautiful university campuses in the world. 

Reason & Rationality empowers high school students to think rigorously about complex questions, distinguish factual belief from ideology, and engage in convivial, intellectual exchange. Students boost their critical thinking ability by crafting effective arguments as they discuss and debate the 20 biggest ideas in philosophy, politics, and economics. The two-week summer immersive program is led by instructors from Princeton, Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and other top universities. There are 2 sessions to attend and you can attend one or both.

Every summer for more than two decades, talented high school students (rising juniors and seniors) have been welcomed to Denison University in Granville, Ohio, for the acclaimed Reynolds Young Writers Workshop. It’s an eight-day residential program that incorporates small creative writing workshops, group sessions with Denison creative writing faculty and notable visiting writers, and much more. 

Only 48 students get the chance to come to “The Hill” to participate each June. That means students experience small, intimate writing workshops and one-on-one interactions with people who have made writing their career. It’s a great way to connect with a close-knit community of writing teachers, mentors, and peers from around the country and the world.

This summer writing program for teens offers a lively campus atmosphere and a curriculum designed to develop and support students’ imaginative writing across literary genres. This intensive institute features guest presenters, authors, and grade-level writing groups during the first week. Students examine literature, creative nonfiction, film, and media sources as mentor texts for writing original compositions in seminars given by credentialed, experienced writing teachers. During the second week, students attend morning and afternoon sessions on genres they want to pursue, including science fiction, nonfiction, essays, and fiction.

Our summer program for high school students (ages 15 to 18) is modeled after St. John’s discussion-based, interdisciplinary method of teaching the great books. A hands-on introduction to college life, our program helps students hone their reading, critical thinking, and discussion skills. 

The Stanford Summer Humanities Institute is a three-week residential program where rising high school juniors and seniors explore the big questions at the heart of the humanities in seminars led by distinguished Stanford professors. 

The Telluride Association has chosen to discontinue TASP, and to instead expand TASS into two course areas (Critical Black Studies and Anti-Oppressive Studies) that are open to both sophomores and juniors. 

Students may apply to one of the two course areas: TASS-CBS (Critical Black Studies) or TASS-AOS (Anti-Oppressive Studies). Our professors ask students to read carefully, to consider controversial ideas from many perspectives, and to express their ideas in writing and in class. We seek applicants from around the country and from all backgrounds. We particularly prioritize the selection of Black students for the Critical Black Studies program, and the selection of Black, Indigenous, and other students of color, as well as students who have experienced economic hardship, for the Anti-Oppressive Studies program. We offer all students a full scholarship, with no charge for tuition, books, or room and board. Although students are responsible for arranging travel to and from their program, travel subsidies are available. 

The Cornerstone Summer Institute provides rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors with the opportunity to engage in historical investigation, archaeological excavation, and community engagement in order to learn and develop thinking skills that will prepare them for success in college and beyond. 

The Wheaton College Summer Institute (WCSI) is a premier pre-college program where you'll join outstanding high school students like you for academic study, artistic expression, and spiritual development with world-class Christian faculty -- all on the beautiful campus of Wheaton College. You'll even earn college credit. And you'll have a ton of fun. 

In Frontiers, experience college life firsthand in a 2 week residential program. Work alongside your peers to explore the outer limits of knowledge in STEM and the humanities in hands-on classes and labs.

Young Writers' Workshop provides an in-depth introduction to all four genres of creative writing: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and writing for stage and screen. Modeled on Gettysburg College’s highly successful gateway course, Introduction to Creative Writing, and taught by the college's own senior faculty in creative writing, Young Writers Workshop offers a constantly engaging, hands-on experience in how to write and how to talk about writing.