Greek (GREE)

This course is designed for students with little or no previous background in Greek. It introduces students to all requisite language skills (reading, writing and oral communication) while integrating various aspects of the Greek history and culture in fun and interactive ways. The course emphasizes instruction in phonology,the fundamentals of grammar and syntax along with the development of basic vocabulary for oral communication. Student participation and audio-visual materials are a regular part of the classroom experience.

This course is designed for students who have taken GREE-011 or who have some rudimentary Greek language skills. It extends student language skills and increases student familiarity with Greek history and culture. The course continues the emphasis on instruction in phonology, the fundamentals of grammar and the development of basic vocabulary. Student participation in interactive exercises built around diverse audio-visual materials is expected.

Greek society and popular culture is a 1-credit course taught asynchronously in English. Students are introduced to Greek arts and culture through selected readings, videos, cultural events, television and films, and short individual research projects. Topics covered include family life, current social issues, Greek cuisine, arts and entertainment (including music and sports), social norms and enduring customs and traditions, allowing for differentiation between urban Greeks, island Greeks, and the Greek farming community. Distinctions between native Greek, diaspora Greek, and international perspectives on Greek life and culture are explored.

This course will explore the cultural history of Greece and the broader Mediterranean basin (and beyond) from antiquity to today. The course will provide an in-depth study of the material, visual, and textual cultural production of the region across nearly three millennia in the context of socio-political and intellectual history (from Classical antiquity to Byzantium and to the establishment of the modern Greek state). Questions of cultural formation, change and continuity, identity and nation-building will be central considerations of the course.

This course is taught in English and it explores contemporary Greek society through pop culture, examining how media such as music, film, television, and internet culture reflect and shape Greek identity and values. Each week will focus on a different aspect of Greek society viewed through the lens of pop culture, discussing its social, political, and economic implications. Through varied pop culture media, students will gain insight into youth culture, immigration, gender, family, and Greece's place in the global landscape.

This course is designed to prepare students to exchange information, describe ordinary situations and daily events, and express feelings and thoughts in Modern Greek with ease, both orally and in writing. The course focuses on expanding vocabulary and building good grammar skills. A deeper appreciation of Greek history and culture is instilled through classroom discussion, conversation, selected readings and a variety of audio-visual materials and contemporary Greek literature is introduced. Student presentations are a normal part of the classroom experience.

This sequence course further equips students to exchange information in conversational Modern Greek. The course expands vocabulary by introducing students to more idioms and colloquialisms and builds a deeper appreciation of Greek grammar and syntax. Greek customs and traditions are explored through class conversation and audio-visual materials. Students are introduced to more Greek literature and a wider range of Greek language materials and media. Students continue honing Greek language skills with structured classroom debating games.

This course introduces Second Level Modern Greek language students to contemporary Greek culture through a diverse range of pop culture media. Using selected artifacts such as songs, films, sitcom episodes, TV commercials and comics, students will develop their language skills while gaining an understanding of modern Greek society. The course blends linguistic instruction with cultural analysis, encouraging students to engage with authentic materials that are part of daily life in Greece.

This is a 1-credit course taught asynchronously in English and self-paced. Students are introduced to the Modern Greek literary tradition of the 20th century through selected readings of prose and poetry, as well as a few films, which represent the most influential works of contemporary literary writers, including that of two Nobel Laureates.

Taught in English Located in the "third space" between East and West, Greece is an ideal starting point for exploring cross-cultural interactions with Europe, the eastern Mediterranean, and beyond. The landscapes of Modem Greek literature, themselves poised on the tension between sea and land, are fertile soils for the themes of travel, exile, marginality, and homecoming. The course will revolve around two themes that are recurrent in Modem Greek literature as a result of its cultural and geographical particularity. The first is a reflection on the survival of antiquity through its remnants above and below ground. The second is a record of the overlapping and shifting geographies of empire, nation-state, and diaspora. Readings will include a variety of genres from folk song and poetry to the historical novel and contemporary fiction. Through them, we will also investigate the significance of the "spatial turn" in the humanities, or the growing attention to the geographical imagination and its shaping of cultural forms. No knowledge of Greek is required. All materials will be available in English

This advanced offering aims to provide students with conversational fluency in Modern Greek. Emphasis is put on expanding the vocabulary to enable comprehension and conversation on a wider range of social and political topics. Class instruction is supplemented by weekly grammar reviews and conversation sessions. Greek history and culture are demonstrated through the arts, music, dance, films, and special events that are then discussed in the classroom or explored through student presentations.

This final sequence course is intended to round out student Modern Greek conversational skills. Advanced grammar lessons are offered but grammar issues are also identified for each student and worked on individually as well. Students have the opportunity to expand vocabulary in areas of personal or specialized interest relevant to their broader educational goals. The classroom learning experience continues to include Greek culture, history and literature introduced through the use of diverse audio-visual media, including excerpts from Greek radio and television.

Over the course of more than 1100 years (c. 330-1453), Byzantium, the Eastern Roman Empire, demonstrated remarkable endurance in surviving natural disasters,pandemics, ‘the worst year to be alive’ (536), the Little Ice Age, and a host of powerful enemies—Persians, Huns, Arabs, Normans, Crusaders, and Ottomans. Byzantium’s successive crises and resurgences provide a powerful case study of the adaptive capacity of empires and highlight the social, political, and ideological resources that allowed it to outlive the Roman Empire in the West by nearly a thousand years. Drawing on the growing literature theorizing the adaptive capacity of states, this courseexplores the factors behind the exceptional resilience and adaptability of Byzantium that allowed it to navigate these challenges successfully. Beginning with Constantine the Great’s efforts to reconstitute the empire in the 4th century, all the way to the Ottoman conquest of the city in the 15th c., the course will examine the state’s fundamental institutions—its government, economy, military, and religion. Traversing Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, we consider the role of fortifications, monetary supply, theological innovations, court protocol, and depth of administration to understand how the empire used hard and soft power—military campaigns, religious missions, and deft diplomacy—to respond and adapt to the external challenges. An object-handling session at the nearby Dumbarton Oaks Museum—housing one of the finest Byzantine collections in the world—will offer a unique opportunity to examine firsthand the artifacts still bearing witness to Byzantium’s soft power.

This course is for Third Level Modern Greek language students and it uses their advanced language skills to expand their understanding of contemporary Greek culture through a diverse range of pop culture media. Using selected, artifacts such as songs, films, sitcom episodes, TV commercials and comics, students will further develop their language skills while gaining a deeper appreciation and understanding of modern Greek society. The course blends advanced linguistic instruction with cultural analysis, encouraging students to engage with authentic materials that are part of daily life in Greece.

This is an interdisciplinary course where literary, historical, philosophical, political, and artistic perceptions of Greece from around the world will be examined to better understand the modern Greek identity from the nineteenth century to the present. The goal for this course is to use the modern Greek experience as a case study to give students an opportunity to develop the skills to critically examine diverse views respectfully while reexamining and reflecting on their own views. Readings will include a variety of genres from poetry and diplomatic memoirs to the historical novel and travel logs and will draw on the reflections of well-known figures from around the world, including Nobel laureates.

Independent Tutorial (contact Prof. Lamb to arrange)