Spring 2010 Courses

GREEK JOURNEYS - MYTHIC AND MODERN

Greece has long been a destination of real and imagined voyaging. This travel writing course will focus on narratives, images, and films involving journeys to or within Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. How do influential works from Homer’s Odyssey to recent Hollywood movies shape travelers’ expectations, and how do the realities students encounter in Greece compare to those expectations?



We will focus on stories and images that have inspired travel to Greece: ancient myths and artifacts, Renaissance and Neoclassical paintings, Romantic poetry, and works by contemporary writers, photographers, and cinematographers. Reflecting on these materials and their personal experiences abroad, students will keep travel journals in which they reassess such popular representations and document their own evolving visions of Greece.



THEATER AND THE ARTS OF HEALING IN ANCIENT GREECE

In ancient Greece, the uplifting energies of poetry, song, and drama were believed to have medicinal effects. This course will examine the cult of Asclepius—son of Apollo, the god of poetry—and the myths surrounding this hero/god who could raise people from the dead. His healing cult was centered at Epidaurus, the site of antiquity’s best-preserved theater. We will also consider the cults of Artemis, the virgin goddess of fertility and childbirth, and her brother Apollo, whose invisible arrows could deliver plague or cure. The core of the course will be the shared reading of five great dramas that directly engage the themes of disease and wellness, and group excursions to ancient theaters and healing centers. Students will have the opportunity to participate in an on-site production of a play.

Spring 2010 in Athens

The Spring 2010 term abroad in Athens will be March 23 - June 19, 2010.

COURSES

Modern Greek Language (45 contact hours - mandatory)
Beginner or Intermediate
Transition into life in Athens and gain better access to Greek culture through practical language and conversation skill development offered at Beginner and Intermediate levels. Advanced-level Greek can be arranged through the Athens Centre’s comprehensive Greek language program for students with previous Greek language study, contact AHA for additional information.

Monuments of Greece (45 contact hours - mandatory)
Take full advantage of the rich archaeological heritage of Greece through guided study excursions and on-site lectures. Explore the history and culture of Greece from the Minoan civilizations of Crete and Santorini to the Hellenistic period and the conquests of Alexander the Great.

Intercultural Communications and the Greek Cultural Mosaic
(15 contact hours - mandatory)
Examine both the academic and experiential nature of crosscultural communications. Analyze and process your personal intercultural experience in Greece.

Modern Greek History and The Balkans (45 contact hours)
Examine modern Greece from the beginning of the War of Independence through the creation of the new state and the present day. Analyze the position of Greece in the Balkan peninsula in relation to neighboring states through the ties of religion and a common Ottoman history.

Creating Impressions of Greece (45 contact hours)
Develop a strong and disciplined sense of observation by keeping a sketchbook/journal as a record of observations and impressions of Greece throughout the semester. Become familiar with contemporary Greek art through visits to galleries and museums.

Greek Journeys, Mythic and Modern (45 contact hours)
Experience Greece as a destination of real and imagined voyaging. Explore narratives, images, and films about journeys from ancient myths to contemporary cinema. Write your own travel journal and document your personal visions of Greece.

Theater and the Arts of Healing in Ancient Greece
(45 contact hours)
Discover the cults of the physician-god Asclepius, his father Apollo, the god of poetry whose invisible arrows could deliver plague or cure, and Artemis, the goddess of fertility and childbirth. Visit several ancient theaters and healing centers and participate in an on-site production of a play.