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Program Information

The Stanford Humanities Circle is suspended for the 2020-2021 academic year. We encourage you to explore our other academic enrichment programs.

At the Stanford Humanities Center, a young student presents from a podium.

Stanford Humanities Circle

Stanford Humanities Circle offers quarter-long classes for local pre-college students who are passionate about literature, art, philosophy, or writing. Through seminars and discussions, students explore new ideas, think about centuries-old questions, and engage in interdisciplinary study of cultures and world history.

Explore the Heart of the Human Experience

Studying the humanities involves thinking about philosophy, literature, religion, art, music, history, and language. Stanford Humanities Circle students participate in weekly sessions with instructors and peers and dive into big questions about morality, global connections, and the impact on contemporary society.
Middle and High School Engagement
Stanford Humanities Circle sessions are for students currently in Grades 6–8 and Grades 9–12.
Discussion-Based Learning
Each dynamic session incorporates lectures, discussions, and other interactive activities.
Academic Outreach
Stanford Humanities Circle helps connect researchers, writers, and thinkers in the Bay Area with the local community.
Expert Instructors
Participants learn directly from local experienced lecturers, researchers, postdoctoral scholars and pre-collegiate educators.

Program Information

Every quarter, Stanford Humanities Circle focuses on a theme in the humanities, and dives into deep inquiry in discussion-based, seminar-style sessions. Previous quarters focused on ethics, the art of the essay, poetry, and the arts. Explore your passions for writing, speaking, and thinking critically through the Stanford Humanities Circle. Financial Aid is available.
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Stanford Humanities Circle (Grades 6–8)

Go far beyond a middle school curriculum by diving into texts and big ideas that drive the humanities. Pose questions and discuss ideas that excite you with instructors and peers. What is the nature of art? What is evil?
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Stanford Humanities Circle (Grades 9–12)

Learn from expert instructors who may guide you on a journey deep into overlapping disciplines, exploring the essence of specific fields while thinking in interdisciplinary ways about the past and the present.
Explore Past Topics

Highlights

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An instructor leads a class of high school students.

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I discovered how vast the universe of philosophical questions really is!

Stanford Humanities Circle Participant

Philosophy Seminar