Great Books Summer at Amherst and Stanford College Campus

1-866-480-READ (7323)


tape
Home / Programs / Elective Curriculum

Elective Curriculum

Electives

Exploring Areas of Interest

Beyond our core curriculum, students at the Great Books Summer Program get the opportunity to explore personal areas of interest in our electives classes. Working in small groups with highly-talented teachers, each week everyone gets to choose a literature and an art elective to expand their horizons and to share their creativity through self expression.

In our literature electives, students explore one of four different topics that change every week. From the sonnets of Shakespeare to Greek mythology, to the modern short story, each class focuses on a particular author, genre, time period, or style of writing. They delve deep into their chosen topic to read and analyze a number of different works.

At the end of each week, each class gets the opportunity to try writing in the style of the authors they've been reading. Whether writing poetry, essays, or personal narratives, our students have produced works of beauty that have been truly inspiring.

In our arts electives, the visual and performing arts provide an outlet for all that's being explored and discussed the rest of the week. In theater, students begin with voice and movement training before creating their own production. Music gives aspiring vocalists, performers, and composers the chance to come together in an ensemble performance. In art, students may explore different media, anywhere from sketching or painting to sculpture or photography. And for those who can't get enough of the written word, our creative writing elective gives a chance to write additional short works of fiction, whether it be a poem, a play, or a short story.

Our arts electives culminate each week as students collaborate and contribute to a final evening of performances. All of our students get to share what they've been working on throughout the week with the whole student body. It's the highlight of the Summer Program!

Click here to view pictures from some of our elective classes!


"I am deeply impressed by many aspects of this program, including the warmth and professionalism of the staff, the rigor and creativity of the curriculum, and the physical beauty of its setting. But what impresses me most, are the students themselves."

Dr. Debby Applegate, Pulitzer Prize-winning author

"Every summer, all I have to do is mosey on down from my hilltop home overlooking Amherst College, and walk into an ongoing conversation about the Big Stuff. It always feels like an intellectual transfusion."

Dr. Joseph J. Ellis, Pulitzer Prize-winning author

"I will mark Amherst as my most memorable event of the year, simply because of the smartest and most generous kids I was surrounded with. I wish they could be my students forever..." "

Da Chen, award-winning, best-selling author

"What a terrific curriculum and an enthusiastic group of young people. Made me want to drop everything and sign up."

Barry Eisler, best-selling author

"The students were such an engaged and smart and interesting group. I really enjoyed talking to them but mostly just appreciated being asked such a varied array of questions. It was a lot of fun."

Jacob Lewis, former managing editor of The New Yorker magazine and co-founder of Figment.com

"The Great Books program is a midsummer night's dream- I adored the kids and it all felt so alive and was so much fun! The faculty was warm and embracing. So important to keep literature alive and connect with kids who want to read books! "

Laura Shaine Cunningham Memoirist, novelist, playwright and journalist

"I enjoyed talking to and listening to the your kids. They are an impressive bunch. "

Dr. Richard Reeves Award-winning author, journalist and documentary filmmaker

"I loved my experience with the Great Books Summer Program. The students were brilliant and involved even beyond my expectations, really the ideal young audience for a writer. "

Peter Straub, Award-winning author

"I give a lot of talks to a lot of groups all over the country and world, but I've never had a more engaged, interested and interesting audience than the students at the Great Books Summer Program. They were clearly primed to learn and think. I hope I gave them some useful ideas about writing and the writing life; I know they inspired me. "

Kurt Andersen, Award-winning author, editor and co-creator of Studio 360 radio show

STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH
GREAT BOOKS
INFORMATION,
SPECIAL EVENTS AND OFFERS:

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:





REQUEST A BROCHURE TODAY: