Master of Liberal Arts Residential Seminar

Master of Liberal Arts students have the option to participate in the University of Chicago Residential Seminar, which takes place twice yearly in the Spring and Summer Quarters.

During these experiences, you’ll complete an accelerated course on campus and earn credit toward your degree.

You’ll spend a week immersed in studying a fascinating topic and working face-to-face with many of the peers you’ve met in the virtual classroom. The seminars are also open to students in other programs, giving you a chance to meet and interact with members of the wider UChicago community.

The residential experience is optional. If you prefer, you can complete all requirements for the MLA online.

Spring 2026: High Classical Athens

This seminar will provide an immersive experience that extends beyond the confines of traditional classroom learning. In this weeklong experience, you will examine how historical texts, tragic dramas, and marble sculpture and buildings attest to the rule of the people, by the people, and for the people.

The first two books of Thucydides cover the time during which Sophocles won prizes at the Greater Dionysia with Antigone and Oedipus Rex. These texts are set against the background of the visual statement made during just this time period by the Parthenon and the sculptural program undertaken in its metopes and frieze, as well as the central image of the goddess, Athena.

This Residential Seminar will take place from Sunday, May 10, through Friday, May 15, and will be taught by Kendall Sharp, Graham School Instructor. 

Experience UChicago in Person

When you attend a residential seminar, you’ll enjoy the historic buildings, intellectual atmosphere, and cultural richness of UChicago’s beautiful campus firsthand. You’ll have ample opportunities to network, beginning when you meet with your peers for an opening reception dinner, as well as explore the diverse and historic Hyde Park neighborhood. Most importantly, you’ll have illuminating conversations and discover valuable insights in an immersive one-week course.

Students wishing to stay in Hyde Park are encouraged to consider The Study at the University of Chicago, which is located on campus, or The Sophy Hyde Park, which is adjacent to campus on 53rd street.

Each day, residential seminar students attend both morning and afternoon class sessions. These classes follow the same Socratic seminar format as your online courses, emphasizing open, respectful dialogue in response to assigned texts. A member of our distinguished faculty will guide a group of students with widely varied professional and educational backgrounds as they engage with one another’s viewpoints and think their way through complex issues.

When you’re not in class, available activities include:

• Lunch and learns with guest speakers who are respected experts in a range of fields.
• Guided campus tours to enjoy our beautiful architecture and botanic garden.
• Dinner groups to socialize, network, and build community with fellow classmates.