Humanities Circle

This academic-year program is for local pre-college students who are passionate about the world of ideas, and interested in engaging in a discussion-based learning environment with bright, motivated peers.

Join Our Newest Program

The Stanford Humanities Circle, an academic enrichment program from Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies, offers quarter-long classes for local pre-college students who are interested in exploring the Humanities. Weekly sessions are held at Stanford on Wednesday or Thursday evenings throughout the academic quarter. Students learn directly from experienced lecturers, researchers, and post-doctoral scholars from Stanford and the Bay Area.

Each quarter will be academically themed. For Fall 2017, the Humanities Circle will focus on Creative Writing. 

Homework is either not assigned, or consists of very small assignments, so participation conflicts as little as possible with other school commitments.  A small amount of pre-reading may also be assigned.

Students must apply for each quarter. If the number of applicants exceeds the number of available spaces, students who complete the preliminary application will be admitted via a lottery, and applications will only be open for a limited period of time. If a student is not admitted in a particular quarter, we will not be able to reevaluate our admission decisions. If sufficient enrollment is not met, the course may be subject to cancellation for that quarter.  

Find Out When to Apply

Sign up to be notified by email when the next application becomes available.
Spaces are limited. They will be filled via a lottery system.
Learn more

Dates

The Humanities Circle runs during the Stanford academic year, with 10 sessions on Wednesday or Thursday evenings in each quarter it is offered. We do not offer a summer quarter.

  • Fall 2017 Quarter: September 27, 2017 - December 6, 2017 (classes will not be held during Thanksgiving week)

Location & Times

Classes are held on the Stanford University campus. 

  • Middle School Humanities Circle: Thursdays 6:15pm - 7:30pm
  • High School Humanities Circle: 
    • Poetry course: Thursdays 6:15pm - 8:00pm
    • Creative Non-Fiction course: Wednesdays 6:15pm - 8:00pm

For directions to class buildings, go to Stanford's Searchable Visitor Map. 

Tuition

The fee is $300 per academic quarter, which covers expenses for instructional staff, website maintenance, administrative costs, and use of the Stanford University facilities.
Financial aid is available. 

Apply

The application for the Fall 2017 Humanities Circle will open August 23rd, 2017. If you would like to be notified when the application for each quarter is open, sign up for our announce list using our Inquiry Form.