Do you relish the idea of in-depth study with dynamic and enlightening faculty? Have you ever wanted to take advantage of the many resources on Yale`s campus that you haven`t had time to explore? This summer, you’re invited to an immersive and all-inclusive on-campus experience designed to give you insider access to the University’s unique treasures with dedicated professors as your partners in exploration.

Yale Alumni Academy’s immersive summer seminars feature themes in the humanities for a small group of passionate learners. The select group of alumni who join these courses will be treated to an intensely engaging, participatory, social, and scholarly adventure as Yale students. You’ll dive into a residential experience together, enjoying exclusive meals and events with faculty, exploring the University’s private collections and indulging in the libraries, the museums and the campus’ newest facilities. There are no papers, assignments or tests; just a passion for learning adventures. Accommodations, meals, and course materials are all included in the one registration price.

This course, co-sponsored by Yale’s Humanities Program, and led by Director of Undergraduate Studies and Lecturer, Paul Grimstad, focuses on comparative readings of the philosopher and founder of modern psychology, William James, and his novelist-critic brother Henry, who ushered literary realism into its modernist phase. Comparison throughout between their styles of thought and prose, with focus on the representation of human psychology in fiction, how literary aesthetics intersects with the philosophy of mind, how the brothers differently imagine the relation of language to experience, and the “international theme” which runs through all of Henry’s fiction (i.e., the drama of “new world” Americans navigating the social complexities of “old world” Europe). Reading includes a selection of Henry’s major novels and short stories, selections from William’s Principles of Psychology, Varieties of Religious Experience and Pragmatism,, Henry’s literary critical writing on Hawthorne, Emerson and Flaubert, and two or three of the remarkable Prefaces he added to the New York edition of his fiction, and the brothers` lifelong correspondence. Meditation throughout on the relation of philosophy and literature.

What Alumni Are Saying About Summer Immersion at the Academy
“I find the experience to be an embarrassment of riches, absorbing the wisdom of faculty members, guest speakers and great support by Yale Alumni Academy. Well done! It doesn’t get any better.”

“Yale Alumni Academy courses represent the best of a Yale education. The courses are chosen for their popularity and relevance, the professors are chosen for their teaching, research, and writing skills and the students are curious and motivated.”

“I didn`t quite know what to expect before the class, but I didn`t expect it to be this refreshing and stimulating. The presentation and discussion are so engrossing that hours fly by without my realizing it. After each one, I eagerly looked into the books mentioned at class, and dove into the reading for the next session. It is such a privilege to have the opportunity for continued learning at Yale.”


Course Format
The immersion experience begins as soon as you register and receive your books. By June, you will be ready for one week of intensive study with a collegial group of dedicated learners, a passionate faculty leader and special guest presenters.

The main course sessions will include daily small-group seminars held on campus and led by faculty and guest speakers. Alumni participants will come together for a scholarly endeavor that hearkens to the days of being a student again. Group discussions provide ample opportunity to engage with experts and peers, informed by comprehensive readings and complementary materials from Yale collections: galleries, libraries and museums. Special guest speakers add context to the themes of the syllabus, and evening salons create space to share new ideas and understandings from the lectures and readings. This program has been specially designed for Yale Alumni Academy by Professor Grimstad and The Humanities Program at Yale. We invite you to enjoy the privilege of an intimate and bespoke classroom experience with an excellent study leader.