Summer Programs

Summer is a great time to visit the mountain. Sports camps bring athletes of all ages while musicians practice beneath the trees. Writers and poets come to meet each other and learn from some of the finest writers in the country as well as literary agents.  More information about the athletic summer camps here.

Admission 101
Contact: Admission • 931.598.1238
Admission 101 is a day-long program designed for high school students to learn more about selective college admissions. Topics discussed include essay writing, what colleges are looking for, touring campuses, interviewing skills, and there is even a mock admissions interview session. The program is offered each year in June and July and usually draws nearly 200 students.

Adult Tennis Camp, I and II: Tiger Tennis Camp & Camp of Champions
Contact: John Shackelford • 931.598.1485
The Adult Tennis Camp provides personal instruction for nearly 125 participants each summer. Activities include both instruction and drilling in small groups, and match play competition against other teams. Players of all levels receive four hours of daily instruction. Sessions are held from mid to late June. TIGER TENNIS CAMP is a teaching camp for players of all levels emphasizing stroke production, patterns of play, and player development. CAMP OF CHAMPIONS offers a competitive camp for tournament level players. Emphasis is on strategy, point building, and preparation for collegiate play.

All-Sports Camp
Contact: Jeff Heitzenrater • 931.598.1285
Children entering grades 1-6 will enjoy a full day of basketball, soccer, kickball, floor hockey, battleball, and swimming. The camp held during the end of June and/or the beginning of July. Brochures are available at the Fowler Center.

Bangladesh Summer Program 2011
Contact Professor Yasmeen Mohiuddin •  931.598.1462
The Bangladesh Summer Program 2011 is a truly unique program, without any parallel at any university in the U.S. or abroad. It provides an opportunity for students to have a life changing experience by witnessing first-hand the silent revolution in Bangladesh that has enabled millions to get out of the vicious circle of poverty. The most distinguishing features of the trip are visits to the villages and homes of borrowers of the world-renowned and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winning Grameen Bank of Bangladesh; extended meeting with the Nobel Laureate Dr. Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank (if he is in Bangladesh); visits to programs of leading microfinance institutions of the world such as BRAC in Bangladesh; and field visits to UN projects focusing on economic and social development in distant parts of Bangladesh. This six-hour study abroad program in Bangladesh (and Thailand or India) consists of one and a half courses, one in economics to be taught by Prof. Yasmeen Mohiuddin and a half course in anthropology.
The proposed program would be about four and a half weeks in duration. The program would involve about 12-13 days of intensive study in Sewanee, about 10 days in Bangladesh, five days in Thailand or India, and four to five days of travel.

Bridge Program in Math and Science
Contact: Tina Nader at 931.598.1997
The Bridge Program in Math and Science is a three-week residential program for rising high school seniors who are interested in math- or science-oriented college majors and careers and who could potentially bring diversity to the Sewanee campus as college students. In science, the students learn basic concepts and research techniques and then design and carry out research projects. In mathematics, they study calculus. At the end of the program, which is held from late June to the middle of July, the students present the results of their research to parents and guests. About 20 students participate each summer.

China and Thailand Summer Program
Contact Professor Yasmeen Mohiuddin •  931.598.1462
The China and Thailand Summer Program 2011 (held May–June 2011) provides a unique opportunity for students to experience first hand the economic transition and reform that are taking place in China. This six-hour study abroad program consists of one and a half academic courses, one in economics to be taught by Professor Yasmeen Mohiuddin, and a half course in anthropology. The program would particularly serve sophomores and juniors, but all students are welcome. No background in the Chinese language is required to participate in this program. The proposed program would be about four and a half weeks in duration. The program would involve about 12-13 days of intensive study in Sewanee, about 10 days each in China, five days in Thailand, and four to five days of travel.

European Studies
Contact: Mishoe Brennecke • 931.598.1982
European Studies is a complete semester of study abroad. Beginning in July, students live and study for a period in an historic Oxford college and travel extensively with academic instruction in Britain and Continental Europe.

German Summer in Sewanee
Contact: Reinhard Zachau
Sommer in Sewanee, a two-week German language and culture seminar, is an exciting opportunity for high school teachers, graduate students and teaching assistants, undergraduate college, and upper level high school students. This full immersion program is designed to enhance participants' knowledge of German language and German speaking cultures through small group instruction, lecture, film, and discussion.

SEI Field Study in Belize
Biology 251 (ENST 251)
May 31–June 10, 2011
An interdisciplinary field immersion into two of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on earth: coral reefs and tropical rainforests. In this two week course, students spend equal time at two remote field stations in Belize: one on a island in the Belizean Barrier Reef and one in a rainforest location in the interior of the country. In transit from one location to the other, students spend an afternoon touring Mayan ruins and examining the Mayan legacy from an environmental perspective. Every day at each site is packed from early morning to well into the night with activities that allow students to intensely explore these unique environments. They hike, climb, snorkel, explore caves and sometimes just sit still to observe and absorb the magic of the tropics. They meet the indigenous people who live at these remote places and learn how they use the natural environment as part of their daily lives and they witness first-hand the legacy of human impacts on these complex systems. This class has a prerequisite of Biology 151 (ENST 151) — Rainforests and Coral Reefs offered in the Spring 2011 semester.

SEI Field School in Archaeology
Anthropology 357
May 31–July 9, 2011
Conducted on the University Domain or other pre-eminent sites in Tennessee, The Sewanee Field School in Archaeology provides, in an intensive six week experience. Students will conduct field and laboratory research on significant prehistoric and historic archaeological resources. The course does not fulfill a laboratory science requirement. No prerequisite.

SEI Reading the Landscape
Environmental Studies 220
June 5–25, 2011
A study of how patterns in the current biological and physical landscape of the Cumberland Plateau can be explained by historical human land use and natural disturbances. Landscape change is examined through field investigation of specific places on the Domain conducted in combination with the analysis of aerial imagery and other geospatial data resources. Students piece together stories of ecological change on the Domain using GPS and GIS technologies in conjunction with extensive visits to interesting field sites. No prerequisite.

Sewanee Environmental Institute Pre-College Field Studies Experience
SEI’s Pre-College Field Studies Experience provides an interdisciplinary introduction to environmental studies and is Students will have the opportunity to explore Sewanee's ecologically diverse 13,000-acre campus under the guidance of faculty members who are passionate about environmental education.

Sewanee in Russia
Contact: Elizabeth Skomp • 931.598.1254
Sewanee Summer in Russia, a program of five and a half weeks offered in odd-numbered years and based in St. Petersburg during the White Nights, includes Russian language instruction and accommodation at St. Petersburg State University; a rich program of cultural excursions to museums, palaces, and other historical sites; attendance at concerts, ballet, and theater events; and trips to Moscow and Novgorod. Students earn credit for two full courses (RUSN 151: Russian Language Abroad and RUSN 309: Study Abroad: Russian Culture).

Sewanee Soccer Day Camp for Girls
Contact: Jane Hawkins • 931.598.1284
Sewanee Day Camps are designed to meet the needs of the young soccer player. Because emphasis is based on individual instruction, campers are grouped according to age, ability, maturity, and competitive spirit. Ball control is a large part of this curriculum. Your son or daughter will learn three NEW dribbling moves each day! All basic skills are taught in a clinical setting with the college players doing the demonstrating. Exposure to a higher level players (college players) is very important to the clinics.

Sewanee Summer Music Festival (SSMF)
Contact: Katie Lehman • 931.598.1225
The Sewanee Summer Music Festival (SSMF) is an internationally acclaimed summer festival, which combines a four-week program for advanced music students and a professional concert series. Each summer, more than 200 aspiring young musicians from all over the United States and abroad join more than 40 teachers, performers, and internationally recognized guest artists to create a musical community in Sewanee.

Sewanee Summer Seminar I and II
Contact: Dan Backlund • 931.598.1175
The Sewanee Summer Seminar, which began in 1976, is a week-long return-to-academics for University alumni and friends. Five lecturers from the College and School of Theology faculty give a major presentation in one of the early morning sessions and give a shorter presentation on another topic in the second half of another morning session. Topics range broadly, according to the interests of the lecturers. Afternoons are used for outings and other informal events. The sessions are held during June and July each year.

Sewanee Writers’ Conference
Contact: Caki Wilkerson • 931.598.1141
From July 26 through August 7, 2011, the University of the South will host the twenty-second session of the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. Supported by the Walter E. Dakin Memorial Fund established through the estate of the late Tennessee Williams, the Conference will gather a distinguished faculty to provide instruction and criticism through workshops and craft lectures in fiction, poetry, and playwriting.

Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference
Contact: Elizabeth Grammer • 931.598.1541
Founded in 1994, the conference meets for two weeks each July, offering to high school students from all over the U.S. some of the resources brought to campus by the adult Sewanee Writers' Conference. In small workshops devoted to poetry, fiction or creative nonfiction, serious young writers are able to polish their craft with the help of instructors who are themselves writers of significant accomplishment, and to form friendships with like-minded peers. There are also lectures by members of Sewanee’s English Department and special appearances by such major writers as Horton Foote, Ernest Gaines, Jill McCorkle, Alice McDermott, Andrew Hudgins, and many others.

Summer in Spain
Contact: Tom Spaccarelli • 931.598.1224 or Steve Raulston • 931.598.1526
This program begins with 10 days in Sewanee, followed by two weeks in Madrid and the surrounding area, and culminating in three and one-half weeks traversing the north of Spain along the medieval pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. The program offers credit for two full courses (Spanish 314: Introduction to Medieval Spain and the Road to Santiago; Art History 214: Spanish Art, Western Art, and the Road to Santiago) plus one hard-earned PE credit for the 250-mile hike. It takes place from June 8 to July 26, 2011.

Summer School
Contact: John Reishman • 931.598.1330
The College’s six-week summer session serves students who wish to broaden or enrich their academic program, gain additional credits, or speed acquisition of their degree. Incoming freshmen may wish to take summer classes to adjust to college challenges in a more relaxed atmosphere. Regular college faculty members provide the instruction. Course content and academic standards are the same as during the regular academic year. Both introductory and advanced courses are offered. It is held from mid June to late July and about 80 students attend.

The Lilly Summer Discernment Institute
Contact: Robin Hille Michaels • 931.598.1869
The Lilly Summer Discernment Institute (LSDI), as a program, was established in 2002 by a grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. to the University of the South. Thanks almost entirely to estate gifts from William Spencer, C’41, and Barlow Henderson, the LSDI now has established endowments that will enable the program to continue indefinitely. The purpose of the program is to develop a new generation of religious and service-oriented leaders through substantive experiences in summer internships. In particular, the program was developed to help attract students to the ordained ministry and to vocations that embrace service as a way of life. To that end, the LSDI consists of five days of classes, orientation, speakers, discussion groups, and group activities at the University of the South, followed by six weeks of internships, and culminates in a five-day session back at Sewanee for formal presentations by participants on their experiences, reflection, and discussions of significant learning. Twelve internship opportunities through the LSDI are broken down into two tracks as follows:
Track 1 - Parish-Based Internships: These internships involve students participating in the religious life of the parish community in addition to engaging in parish-sponsored outreach. Students can either find their own placements or contact LSDI coordinator for assistance in finding a placement.
Track 2 - Independent Internships: These internships provide an opportunity for students to explore service as a way of life.

The School of Theology Advanced Degrees Program
Contact: Sandra Brock • 931.598.1478 or 1.800.722.1974
The School of Theology's summer graduate program, now in its 35th year, offers the Doctor of Ministry degree and Master of Sacred Theology degree. Held during two sessions in June and July, this program brings students together in the relaxed summer atmosphere to study and exchange thoughts and ideas with others. Among the strengths of the Advanced Degrees Program is that it is one of the few to meet in the summer when clergy are not as busy as usual, and provides them an opportunity to focus more intensely on their studies.

The Sewanee School of Letters
Contact: Meg Binnicker • 931.598.1636
The Sewanee School of Letters is a graduate program in British and American Literature and Creative Writing. Students attend for four or five summer terms, six weeks long, and emerge with either an M.A. or an M.F. A. Degree. Classes are taught by Sewanee faculty and distinguished visitors from such campuses as Northwestern, Vanderbilt, and CUNY.