Jane Austen Summer Program at Seton Hill University Connects “Pride and Prejudice” with the Pursuit of Happiness
Registration is open for the event which will be hosted on campus June 11-14
Fans of the English novelist Jane Austen as well as those who teach her works are invited to the Jane Austen Summer Program (JASP), which will be held at Seton Hill University in historic Greensburg, Pa. from June 11-14, 2026.
The 2026 Jane Austen Summer Program, titled “Pride, Prejudice, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence through a four-day public humanities program exploring the Enlightenment roots of American democracy and the transatlantic exchange of political ideas.
Anchored by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and the Declaration of Independence, the program will investigate how literature and political philosophy elaborate themes of liberty, comity, happiness, and civic responsibility. Participants will engage with the Declaration and Pride and Prejudice in tandem through lectures, workshops, performances, and public events.
The program will also offer a site visit to Fort Ligonier—key to the Seven Years’ War and relevant to the military careers of Austen’s brothers—and conclude with a Regency Ball. These activities will celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States of America and deepen public understanding of democratic ideals in contemporary civic life.
JASP, which has been held at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill since 2013, is moving to Seton Hill University, which will serve as the program’s host site for the foreseeable future.
Sarah Marsh, Associate Professor of English at Seton Hill, said the timing of the move to Seton Hill was made because of Pennsylvania’s close ties to the American founding.
“We are anticipating between 100 and 125 attendees at JASP this year to explore Austen’s life and work through lectures, workshops, small group discussions and other activities, including daily dance lessons and a Regency Ball,” Marsh said. “The summer program is an opportunity to both celebrate the 250th birthday of the Declaration of Independence and explore topics that connect Austen's beloved novel Pride and Prejudice to the revolutionary context in which it was written.”
Speakers will include Juliette Wells, professor of Literary Studies at Goucher College and a groundbreaking researcher on Jane Austen; Anne Fertig, Ph.D., a content producer at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and a literary scholar, historian and expert on Jane Austen who hosts the podcast “Finding Jane Austen;” Maria Frawley, professor of English at George Washington University whose research interests are in 19th century British literature who recently published a book, social history and print culture who wrote the book Jane Austen in 50 Words that was published in October; and Michael Kramp, professor of English at Lehigh University, who has written extensively on the works of Jane Austen, hosts the podcast “Jane Austen and the Future of the Humanities,” and is producing a documentary film on the importance of her works.
In addition, Dance Master Jeremy Gersham (a.k.a. Mr. Charles Steplively), will be instructing dance practices throughout the program to prepare for the Regency Ball. Mr. Steplively is the incumbent Dancemaster for the Regency Society of Virginia.
Registration is open for the 2026 JASP and there is an early bird rate of $385 available through March 1 when the cost will increase to $425. A limited number of discount registrations of $285 are available to K-12 teachers.
Learn more and register at janeaustensummer.org.
Fans of the English novelist Jane Austen as well as those who teach her works are invited to the Jane Austen Summer Program (JASP), which will be held at Seton Hill University in historic Greensburg, Pa. from June 11-14, 2026.
The 2026 Jane Austen Summer Program, titled “Pride, Prejudice, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence through a four-day public humanities program exploring the Enlightenment roots of American democracy and the transatlantic exchange of political ideas.
Anchored by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and the Declaration of Independence, the program will investigate how literature and political philosophy elaborate themes of liberty, comity, happiness, and civic responsibility. Participants will engage with the Declaration and Pride and Prejudice in tandem through lectures, workshops, performances, and public events.
The program will also offer a site visit to Fort Ligonier—key to the Seven Years’ War and relevant to the military careers of Austen’s brothers—and conclude with a Regency Ball. These activities will celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States of America and deepen public understanding of democratic ideals in contemporary civic life.
JASP, which has been held at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill since 2013, is moving to Seton Hill University, which will serve as the program’s host site for the foreseeable future.
Sarah Marsh, Associate Professor of English at Seton Hill, said the timing of the move to Seton Hill was made because of Pennsylvania’s close ties to the American founding.
“We are anticipating between 100 and 125 attendees at JASP this year to explore Austen’s life and work through lectures, workshops, small group discussions and other activities, including daily dance lessons and a Regency Ball,” Marsh said. “The summer program is an opportunity to both celebrate the 250th birthday of the Declaration of Independence and explore topics that connect Austen's beloved novel Pride and Prejudice to the revolutionary context in which it was written.”
Speakers will include Juliette Wells, professor of Literary Studies at Goucher College and a groundbreaking researcher on Jane Austen; Anne Fertig, Ph.D., a content producer at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and a literary scholar, historian and expert on Jane Austen who hosts the podcast “Finding Jane Austen;” Maria Frawley, professor of English at George Washington University whose research interests are in 19th century British literature who recently published a book, social history and print culture who wrote the book Jane Austen in 50 Words that was published in October; and Michael Kramp, professor of English at Lehigh University, who has written extensively on the works of Jane Austen, hosts the podcast “Jane Austen and the Future of the Humanities,” and is producing a documentary film on the importance of her works.
In addition, Dance Master Jeremy Gersham (a.k.a. Mr. Charles Steplively), will be instructing dance practices throughout the program to prepare for the Regency Ball. Mr. Steplively is the incumbent Dancemaster for the Regency Society of Virginia.
Registration is open for the 2026 JASP and there is an early bird rate of $385 available through March 1 when the cost will increase to $425. A limited number of discount registrations of $285 are available to K-12 teachers.
Learn more and register at janeaustensummer.org.