The Summer Academy offers participants a rich experience reading and discussing original texts in lively conversations led by St. John's faculty. Through collaborative inquiry, students learn to listen actively and articulate their ideas.
Three consecutive weeks, each designed around an engaging theme, are offered. Students live in college dorms alongside trained Resident Assistants and enjoy off-campus day-trips that enhance the curricula and give time to explore. Held in Annapolis Maryland, the Summer Academy provides an authentic, hands-on introduction to the liberal arts, the great books, and to St. John's unique pedagogy.
High school students aged 15-18 are able to experience the distinctive learning community of St. John's College through an immersive, weeklong course of study. Participants delve into primary texts and engage in stimulating discussions chosen to highlight questions central to the human mind and spirit.
With exciting classroom activities and numerous field trips, the Summer Academy provides many opportunities to build friendships with like-minded peers both in and out of the classroom. Off-campus excursions are fun and provide a great introduction to the rich culture and history of the surrounding area.
During the week, students attend small classes in three subject areas (seminar, lab, language, ethics, and/or logic & rhetoric) that are modeled on the college's Socratic teaching method and taught by our experienced faculty. Participants are encouraged to think for themselves, to express their opinions, to listen to and understand ideas which may differ from their own, and to develop an intellectual confidence in their own abilities.
Daily activities include workshops, study groups, and down-time for studying and hanging out with new friends. Students live in college dormitories alongside Resident Assistants--current or recently graduated St. Johns students--and eat in the campus dining hall.
The work is challenging, rewarding, and intensely personal. Participants find that as they develop their own thoughts and consider the opinions of others, they come to understand themselves. In only a week's time, minds are sharpened and views on education and life are transformed.
Our sister campus in Santa Fe, New Mexico offers three weeks of exceptional Summer Academy programming--see St. John's College Summer Academy, Santa Fe Pre-College to learn more.
For more information, check out our website!
Summer Academy tuition is $1,400 per week. Tuition covers room, meals, books, activity fees, and cool St. John’s swag. An additional fee of $200.00 will be charged for weekend stays.
A $200 deposit is required by May 1 to secure your place in the session(s) you wish to attend. The remaining tuition is due June 1. If you are attending multiple sessions a $200 deposit is needed per session you are signed up for. Online classes will require a deposit of $50/Session.
Summer Academy 2024 dates and themes
ANNAPOLIS
A Week with Socrates | June 23 - 29, 2024 (Annapolis)
Mind and Consciousness | June 30 - July 6, 2024 (Annapolis)
Order and Disorder | July 7 - 13, 2024 (Annapolis)
SANTA FE
Beginnings | July 7 - 13, 2024 (Santa Fe)
Civil Disobedience | July 14 - 20 (Santa Fe)
Love and Friendship | July 21 - 27 (Santa Fe)
Summer Academy ONLINE ($200.00/week)
Dates: Monday, June 24th – Friday, June 28th
All online sessions below will be offered at @2:00pm(EST) @5:00pm(EST)
- Hamlet, William Shakespeare - @2:00pm(EST) and @5:00pm(EST)
- The Odyssey of Homer, Homer - @2:00pm(EST) and @5:00pm(EST)
- Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen - @2:00pm(EST) and @5:00pm(EST)
- Plato’s Symposium, Plato - @2:00pm(EST) and @5:00pm(EST)
*If you are interested in attending a session in Santa Fe, NM please see the St. John's College, Summer Academy, Santa Fe page.