English Studies Summer Camp
for High School Students
June 15-21, 2025
Check out our 2025 Camp Brochure! (Application Deadline: May 1, 2025)
Eastern Illinois University will once again run its English Studies Camp in June 2025. We look forward to welcoming high school Â鶹´«Ã½ to who share our love of reading and writing. This one-week camp allows Â鶹´«Ã½ to hone their English skills while providing them with a chance to sample life on a college campus and meet peers with similar interests. Offering courses that reflect Â鶹´«Ã½’ interests, our engaged faculty and tranquil setting provide that perfect opportunity for Â鶹´«Ã½ to have an academically charged summer getaway where they can grow as readers, writers, debaters, and English scholars! For information on the 2025 in-person camp format, read on below.
Program Overview
The EIU English Studies Summer Camp is a unique program that allows Â鶹´«Ã½ to customize their program of study, selecting two sessions from a range of offerings in creative writing, literature, professional/academic writing, media studies, and more. Students grow academically and socially as they prepare for college and are mentored by expert faculty who share their passion for reading and writing. Students receive individual attention through small class sizes and gain skills in analyzing and crafting texts and expressing their ideas both verbally and through writing.
The camp offers two levels of discounted tuition:
- a residency rate which includes tuition, housing, recreation, and three meals per day, and
- a commuter rate which includes tuition, some recreational activities, and daily lunches.
Scholarships for full or partial funding are available.
What will you typically experience at the in-person English Studies Summer Camp?
"The camp was probably one of the best experiences of my life." - Former Camper
- Check out highlights from the 2015 inaugural summer camp.
- View sample student projects from past camps: Ghosthunting , Queering Fairytales Zine, Marvel vs. DC .
- See student work in a variety of genres (poetry, fiction, non-fiction, satire, virtual tours) featured at the 2020 Virtual English Studies Showcase.
2025 Course Offerings
Students will enroll in a morning and afternoon course from various course (such as those seen below).
In this session, we will be looking at the ways that Jane Austen’s manuscripts, particularly Emma, are adapted for modern audiences. For example, some stay fairly close to the original source material, like the 2020 version of Emma. Others are changed for more modern audiences, like Clueless. How are they changed? And what have writers deemed important enough to stay the same to stay true to the original essence of Austen’s storytelling? For the final project, you will have the chance to make your own adaptation and keep the aspects you consider most important.
In this course, Â鶹´«Ã½ will dive into the fascinating world of folklore, focusing on the cryptids and urban legends that shape American culture—especially those rooted in Illinois. Through discussions, research, and creative writing, Â鶹´«Ã½ will explore how legends are born, why they endure, and what they reveal about society. They'll learn about iconic cryptids like Bigfoot and the Mothman, with a special focus on local Illinois myths like H.H. Holmes. The final project is where Â鶹´«Ã½ will get to design their own cryptid or urban legend with a detailed backstory and visual representation.
It seems as though many folks today are focusing more and more on their Mental Health. But, our society’s understanding of Mental Health hasn’t always been what it is now. In this session, we’ll explore a variety of texts that reflect how society has viewed Mental Health in the past and how that has changed into what we see today. From historical short stories and real-life medical pamphlets to today’s popular music and television, we’ll take a well-rounded approach in understanding how media can mirror social belief.
The term ekphrasis is one of those fancy literary terms usually tossed out for an exercise or two in a poetry workshop or craft talk. But ekphrasis — which is descriptive, creative writing detailing or inspired by a piece of visual art — is actually a deeply useful and satisfying writing tool. Ekphrasis can be an author’s go-to solution for anything resembling writer’s block and it is also an incredible way to practice artistic collaboration. Ekphrasis also invites the writer to consider hybrid writing forms, and to consider how their writing might be enhanced or unlocked through the engagement of another modality. In this session, we’ll discuss a bit about the history of ekphrasis but primarily focus on creating ekphrastic works ourselves, using art, music, film, and beyond to inspire and enhance our creative writing practice.
In this section we will look at different reviews and campers will design their own standards for film literature reviews. Campers will get to watch different shows, films, and other forms of media. After watching these different forms of media campers will establish their own evaluation criteria, give them ratings, and eventually write an in-depth review of a film or media text of their choice for the showcase. During the class meetings we will talk about what we value most in texts and we’ll work toward mastering the structure and the conventions the review genre.
In this course Â鶹´«Ã½ will learn the history of Spoken Word poetry, its relevance in our contemporary times, how this poetry form has evolved over the years, and what present day poets are doing to keep the genre ever changing and appealing to modern audiences. Students will craft their own Spoken Word pieces and also edit and critique each other's work through workshops learning to support one another by providing constructive criticism.
Love letters and breakup letters capture the raw emotions of romance, from passionate beginnings to painful endings. In exploring the art of writing these intimate expressions, we uncover the ways words can immortalize both the joy of connection and the sorrow of loss not only through human interaction, but also the things we have lost due to growing up. This class will teach you how romance has changed throughout the years to help you write creative love letters and break up letters that will help ignite a ferocious spark inside you.
Over the course of five days, Â鶹´«Ã½ will update the literary world by merging new-age technology and popular culture with historic literary works. First, Â鶹´«Ã½ will select a short story or poem from the 1700s-1900s to read, study, and research. Options will be provided by the teacher, or Â鶹´«Ã½ can select their own in class. Next, Â鶹´«Ã½ will practice close reading and isolate the terms or references they do not immediately understand. After using search terms to find sources on Google and in databases, Â鶹´«Ã½ will begin building an online edition of the short story or poem in Google Docs. They will create footnotes and embed relevant music, film, or image files to bring the past vividly alive for the modern reader.
Activities
Camp participants will enjoy a range of fun recreational activities starting with the Welcome Pizza Party (an informal meet-and-greet for Â鶹´«Ã½ and faculty) and ending with the Student Showcase (a public reception where Â鶹´«Ã½ share their work with their families and the community). When not in class, Â鶹´«Ã½ will participate in indoor and outdoor games, movies, picnics, karaoke jam sessions, slam poetry readings at the local coffee shop, and more. EIU admissions and campus tours will be available by appointment on the last day. Living, dining, learning, and socializing together, Â鶹´«Ã½ will have the opportunity to form lifelong friendships.
How to Apply
Students who will be in the 10th, 11th, 12th grade in the academic year following the camp, or those who have just graduated in the spring prior to the camp, can apply for admission by completing the following process:
- Complete the online application
- Along with this application, submit a one-page essay explaining your interest in the program (required for scholarship applicants only)
- Upon acceptance, submit payment to reserve your spot in the camp (see above for Virtual Camp Payment Link).
All applications and supporting materials must be submitted online by: May 1.
Students will be notified of acceptance by email. (Note: all communication will be electronically sent to the email address listed on the camp application.) Additional information, including a detailed program schedule and driving directions to campus, will be sent to all Â鶹´«Ã½ prior to camp. Confirmation of camp attendance, required paperwork, and payment will be due by May 24. All payments must be paid through the .
Scholarships
We are pleased to offer a variety of full and partial scholarships designed to recognize high achieving Â鶹´«Ã½ and allow Â鶹´«Ã½ demonstrating financial need to attend this camp. Notification of scholarships will be included with the notification of acceptance into the camp.
To apply for a scholarship, complete the online scholarship application.
Registration Rates
Residential Rate: $425 – includes tuition, supervision, program materials, housing, and meals. Students stay in university residence halls and receive cafeteria-style meals served in the campus dining halls. Students will check in at registration on Sunday late afternoon prior to the opening celebration and will check-out on Saturday early afternoon following the closing reception. Students and families will have the option to attend pre-arranged campus appointments (e.g. admissions, campus tours) in the late afternoon.
Commuter Rate for Local Students: $225 – includes tuition, program materials, and daily lunches. Commuting Â鶹´«Ã½ will check in at registration on Sunday late afternoon prior to the opening celebration and thereafter must arrive on campus by 9 a.m. for classes Monday-Friday and depart campus by 5 p.m. Students will also attend the closing reception on Saturday morning and have the option to attend pre-arranged campus appointments in the afternoon (e.g. admissions, campus tours).
Extended Stay/Supervision for Campers Arriving by Train: $50 - we are happy to provide additional supervision, meals, and entertainment for campers needing early arrival and late departure due to travel via Amtrak. Campers requesting this should book the train arriving at Mattoon at 11am on Sunday prior to the start of camp and departing at 6pm on Saturday after the end of camp. Camp counselors will provide transportation for these campers as well as meals and activities. This additional fee covers the costs for the extended camp attendance.
Student Cancellations: Refunds will be made for cancellations received by May 31. 50% refunds will be issued for cancellations received from June 1-June 7. Sorry, no refunds will be issued after June 7.
All payments must be made
Information for Accepted Campers
An acceptance email from camp director Dr. Melissa Ames will be sent to all accepted campers electronically by May 10 along with importantant paperwork that must be completed by May 24 and submitted online. In case you lose these forms, there are links to all four of them below. (Note that print/scanned or electronic/typed signatures will be accepted on these forms.) If you do not receive an email concerning acceptance by May 10, please contact Dr. Ames to inquire about the status of the application. Between now and the start of camp, we encourage you to RSVP for the showcase brunch and campus tour and/or admission appointments. Links to the RSVP forms are below. You can also learn more about the camp faculty and counselors from the faculty and counselor biographies.
Paperwork must be submitted by May 24 through this link.
RSVPs must be submitted by June 7
- RSVP for Campus Tour or appointments on Friday or Saturday Morning
- RSVP for Showcase Brunch on Saturday Morning (the last day of camp)
About EIU/Charleston
Eastern Illinois University is located in the in Central Illinois. Charleston’s historic setting, country charm, and tranquil scenery, coupled with the trademarks of a typical college town, make it a perfect backdrop to enjoy a week studying one of your favorite subjects and meeting Â鶹´«Ã½ who share your interests.
The campus is conveniently located between three metropolitan areas: 2 hours from St. Louis, 2 hours from Indianapolis, and 3 hours from Chicago. With a train station one town over and airports just an hour or two away, transportation to and from campus is easy.
- EIU Camp and Conference Services
- Map of the EIU Campus
- and Tourism Information
For Further General Information, please contact: EIU English Department, 600 Lincoln Avenue, Charleston, IL 61920. Phone: 217-581-2428. Fax: 217-581-7209. Email: mames@eiu.edu.
For Specific Information about the Program Schedule or Sessions, please contact: Dr. Melissa Ames, Program Director via email at mames@eiu.edu.
English Studies Camp Program Director
Dr. Melissa Ames
EIU Professor of English
217-581-2428
mames@eiu.edu
![Eastern Illinois University](/_eiu15/images/universal/footer_logo.png"){kind=logo}