PLUTARCH CAMP
Applications for Plutach Camp are open and will close when all 30 seats are full.
Come read Plutarch. In Greek.
Greek Camp is back. Greek Summer is here. The Ancient Language Institute is moving from the internet to the physical world again this summer. Come join us in June 2026, for a 10-day Ancient Greek immersion camp, led by some of the best Ancient Greek teachers from around the world.
We will be reading, speaking, laughing, chanting, and writing in Greek on the beautiful Winston-Salem campus of Wake Forest University from June 14 – 23.
Plutarch Camp is designed for early intermediate – advanced Greek students who want to improve their Greek proficiency and read Plutarch, the greatest biographer of the ancient world
No matter what form of Ancient Greek you are primarily interested in, the immersive learning experience of Plutarch Camp will aid you in your path towards proficiency. Plutarch Camp presents a life-changing opportunity to study Greek immersively, which the Ancient Language Institute does with hundreds of students online every year.
We’ll be reading and speaking – a ton – in Ancient Greek! Make your summer Greek.
The ideal Plutarch Camp participant already has some experience with Ancient Greek, whether Homeric, Attic, or Koine, so that he or she is at least familiar with the fundamental grammatical concepts and essential vocabulary of Ancient Greek.
What You Need to Know
Applications for Plutarch Camp are open. The application window will close June 8th or until all 30 spots are filled.
- Cost: $1,560 (triple-room) | $1,710 (double-room) | $1,860 (single room)
- Covers tuition for Plutarch Camp, lodging for nine nights, and three meals/day while you’re here
- Location: Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
- Dates: June 14th – 23rd, 2026
- Check-in: Beginning June 14th (4pm)
- Check-out: Must be completed June 23rd (12pm)
- Requirements (what we’re looking for in applicants):
- Early intermediate – advanced student of Greek
- Minimum age of 18
- Positive, enthusiastic attitude excited for an immersive, spoken Greek experience
Teachers
Stephen Hill is an assistant professor at Wyoming Catholic College, where he teaches Latin Latine and great books in English translation. He was trained at the University of Virginia (Ph.D., Classics), the University of Kentucky (M.A., Classics), and the University of Illinois (M.A., Teaching English as a Second Language). He writes about imperial Greek literature and ancient language pedagogy and has taught ancient Greek through immersive methods since 2012.
Joanna Thornhill, our Ancient Greek & Latin Fellow, was born and raised in sunny Los Angeles, California. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has a great passion for ancient languages and makes it a priority to understand the speech and mind of the ancients as well as possible. She has taught a variety of students Greek and Latin both in individual and group settings. Apart from studying languages, she spends much of her time reading philosophical texts and discussing them with her friends.
John James is a PhD student in Classics at SUNY, Buffalo. He received his BA in Classical Studies from Hillsdale College and his MA in Ancient Philology from the Polis Institute in Jerusalem. At Polis he also taught immersive Ancient Greek courses ranging from absolute beginner to advanced reading and composition courses based on the ancient progymnasmata. His MA thesis “The Greek and Hebrew Background of σπλάγχνα in the New Testament” explored the Greek bodily and emotional metaphors connected to the Greek word σπλάγχνα from Homer to early Christianity. John’s current research focuses on Ancient Greek grammarians and rhetoricians, poetics, scholia, and ancient music especially as they relate to prosody and recitation. When he is not conversing with friends (ancient or contemporary) in Ancient Greek, John likes to take long hikes, watch birds, and play the cello.
Timeline and Application Process
Apply (Feb. 1 – June 8): Use the application form (below) to apply to join us. We will require a refundable $100 deposit at the time of application. If you are accepted, this deposit will be applied to your tuition balance. If you are not accepted, the deposit will be fully refunded to you.
Video Interview (Feb. 1 – June 1): If we move you on to the next stage of the application process, we will schedule a video interview with you, so we can learn more about you and your Greek interest and experience, and so you can ask some questions about Plutarch Camp.
Acceptance (Feb. 1 – June 5): Shortly after the video interview, we will let you know via email whether you’ve been accepted. If you are accepted, we will also send you an invoice for 50% of the cost (minus the $100 already paid). To secure your spot at Plutarch Camp, you will need to pay that invoice. Once you do, your spot is secure.
Balance due (June 7): Your entire balance is due June 7. Additionally, if at any point you need to withdraw from Plutarch Camp, you may do that for a full refund before June 7. Beginning June 7, we will no longer be able to issue refunds.
Travel notification due (June 10): We will send out an “orientation” email in early June to provide some more helpful logistical info, which will include a questionnaire about your travel arrangements, so that we can make sure we know when you’re due to arrive in Winston-Salem. Please fill this out and return it to us by June 10.
Arrival (June 14): You are welcome to check into your room at Wake Forest University on June 14th beginning at 4:00pm. We will be there to welcome you on campus at that time. Dinner will be served at 5:00pm that day, so please arrive before then.
Plutarch Camp (June 14 – 23): Greek! Plutarch!
Departure (June 23): The last session of Plutarch Camp will be at 9:00am-10:30am on June 23rd. You are welcome to depart immediately after that. You will need to check out of your room by 12:00pm that day – you don’t have to go home then, but you can’t stay here
FAQs
Plutarch Camp is meant to help early intermediate – advanced students improve their Greek. If you’ve never studied Greek before, we welcome you to sign-up for Greek 101 at the Ancient Language Institute and begin your studies so that you can join us next year! If you are a beginner but dead-set on coming this year, apply for a one-on-one tutorial with us to complete accelerated study over the course of the spring.
Not at all! We’re assuming students will come with all sorts of different backgrounds in Greek. If you can read some Ancient Greek, but never used the language in a spoken capacity, that’s fine! Students in this situation often make rapid progress once they’re exposed to an immersive approach to learning the language.
We are very ecumenical when it comes to pronunciation. Our teachers use a variety of different pronunciations, and we don’t require students to pick a particular one. Some of our teachers use a modified Erasmian, some use Lucian, and many use Attic reconstructions. If there is a pronunciation you are particularly interested in practicing, our teachers will be happy to help you do so. For the most part, we just want to make sure all of our students and teachers can understand each other when they’re speaking in Greek.
That’s up to your college. We aren’t accredited and do not offer degrees. However, many undergraduate and graduate institutions have honored our classes for course credit, even for our Greek Camps. If this is something you’re interested in, we suggest reaching out to a professor or administrator at your home institution to see if they would be receptive. If they are, let us know and we’d be happy to help and provide anything you need to arrange for this.
Nope – if you’ve studied Greek elsewhere, we’d love to have you.
Of course!
We will be staying in a very comfortable, up-to-date residence hall on the beautiful Wake Forest University campus. You have the option of sharing a room with two other participants, one other participant, or having your own room. It costs an extra $150 to have a double room, and an extra $300 to have a single room, compared to the base rate of $1,560. Three meals per day will also be covered, which will be served in a very nice dining facility on campus. Everything you need will be within walking distance.
That’s really hard to say. Everybody comes in at a different level, with different experiences, and with different aptitudes. We can’t guarantee a particular outcome for you, but we can guarantee that over the course of the 10 days we’re together, that we’ll do everything we can to help you grow in your Greek proficiency.
The minimum age for participants is 18 years old. This is due to our agreement with our host, Wake Forest University.