A week at Princeton University studying the Moral Life and the Classical Tradition.

Moral Life and the Classical Tradition at Princeton



Classical Educators know that a solid foundation is essential for life. 

To find this foundation, we invite high school juniors and senior to a week at Princeton University studying the Moral Life and the Classical Tradition.

A thorough exploration of classical thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle provides a foundation for grappling with some of the most important aspects of contemporary Christian moral thought on the value of human life from conception to natural death, marriage, and the relationship between faith and science.

The seminars are single sex, with the seminar for women, June 18-24, lead byAna Samuel, a mother of six with a PhD from Notre Dame, and Janice Chik,professor at Ave Maria University with a PhD from the University of St Andrews. The seminar for young men, June 25- July 1, is run by Micah Watson, of Calvin College, and John Rose, a recent PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary and teacher at the Wilberforce Academy, a classical Christian school.

Seminars include ample time for intellectual enrichment, activities such as sports, museum trips, and opportunities for reflection while enjoying the dorms and beautiful campus of Princeton.

Since its inception a decade ago, the seminar has attracted students from across the country who have gone to become leaders in their communities, churches, and schools. One alumnus, Carter Skeel, attended the seminar in 2010 before majoring in philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, where he founded an undergraduate journal of philosophy. 

He shares:

“I can say without hyperbole that the Witherspoon Institute’s Moral Life and the Classical Tradition Seminar singlehandedly sparked my abiding interest in philosophy and the classics. As a philosophy major at a secular university, my experience with the high school seminar was an invaluable preparation for what I would face in the college classroom. So invaluable, in fact, that I came back for more! The Moral Life and the Classical Tradition Seminar has also been a tremendous blessing because of its instructor. To this day, I consider him a mentor and a close friend.”

For more information and to apply, click here.