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Academic Program
in Greece
Click on these links to
go to:
Description And Objectives. 1
Dates. 1
Accommodations
And Travel. 2
Costs
2
Financial
Aid. 2
Application
Materials And Deadlines. 2
Academic
Content And Courses. 3
Testimonies
From Past Seasons. 6
Program
Director. 6
Greece and
Greek culture have exercised a tremendous influence on European and North
American civilization. Now the UM-St. Louis provides to students an exciting
opportunity to study this extraordinary culture in the country in which it
was created.
The Academic
Program in Greece is a wonderful educational and cultural experience,
offering to students the opportunity to study in Greece through a
semester-long curriculum combining regular classes, field trips, and special
studies. The Program is open for credit to students from any university,
provided they have a minimum GPA of 2.5. Students can register for 12-15
credit hours of courses on various aspects of Greek Civilization (history,
archaeology, ancient and modern language, culture, anthropology, art, etc.).
This Program is administered through the Center for International Studies of
the University of Missouri-St. Louis and sponsored by The Missouri Consortium for International
Studies and Education (abbr. MOCON). Participating member
universities are: the University
of Missouri-St-Louis; University of Missouri-Kansas City, Missouri Central State University, Missouri Southern
State University, Southeast Missouri State
University, Missouri University for
Science & Technology, and Truman
State University
The purpose of the Program is to offer to students a vibrant and open
learning experience and at the same time to allow them to complete the credit
requirements for their degrees. At a cost of only $8,600
per student, this Program is a rare opportunity for students to live and
study in Greece, combining affordability with high academic standards. This
cost includes accommodation for the duration of the program, all travel
within Greece, and tuition fees for 12 credits (see below for a detailed
list of what is included). Please
note that, on top of these fees, there is a surcharge of $250 for students
from a MOCON campus that is not a full partner and $500 surcharge for a
student from a non-MOCON campus.
The 2010
Program dates are February 4 - May 1, 2010.
Students will be based in Athens and participate in the program-sponsored
field trips around Greece.
For the
duration of the Program, students will be accommodated in comfortable, fully
furnished apartments in Athens or at the best possible venue if a trip
requires an overnight stay. Accommodations as well as all travel sponsored by
the Program are included in the fees (see below).
Cost of the Program: $8,600 (subject to change if there is are
serious fluctuations in the currency exchange rate between the USD and the
Euro). Please note that small
additional fees may apply to UMSL students – please contact the Study
Abroad office at (314) 516-6983 to determine final costs.
Items included in these fees:
- Acccommodation during
the dates of the Program (February 4-May 1, 2010)
- All Program-sponsored field trips to archaeological
sites and museums
- Entrance fees to sites and museums
- Orientation activities
- Use of the Program's facilities, including computer
lab (with free-of-charge internet access), student lounge, and library
- Individual cellular telephones for each student (they
must be returned at the end of the program. Telephone charges will be
paid by the students)
- Extra-curricular activities (lectures, dinners,
parties, excursions, theater shows, dancing lessons, etc.)
- Heatlh insurance
Items not included in these fees
- Airfare (group rate
possible)
- Meals and spending money for personal incidentals
($100-$200 per week-- n.b.: the apartments have fully equipped kitchens)
- International Student Identity Card
- Residence visa if students wish to spend more time in
Greece after the Program.
Please contact Jenny Bazzetta at (314) 516-6983 if you need help
with a visa.
UM-St. Louis students are eligible for financial aid. Please contact us.
In order to apply, students must submit:
- a completed
application form (click here
to go to the form)
- official transcript
- one reference letter from a professor
- two passport-size photographs
- a deposit of $500 by October 15, 2009, to secure a
spot in the program (after that date please contact us to find out if there are spots available). If the student is not accepted into the program,
the deposit will be refunded, otherwise it is non-refundable.
Deadline for receipt of
application materials: October 15, 2009 or until
the Program is full.
Deadline for payment of the balance of fees: January 11, 2010.
Optional: it would help if you could notify
us of your intent to register at any time before the deadline of October
1.
The Program has two components:
- In-Class Teaching
Regular classes in the Program's facilities in Athens during the dates
specified.
- On-Site and In-Museum Lectures
Visits to the main sites and museums in Greece, with on-site and
in-museum lectures; these will be held concurrently with the regular
classes. The following fieldtrips are planned:
- Acropolis
- Ancient Agora
- Temple of Olympian Zeus
- Sounion
- Eleusis
- Amphiareion
- Marathon
- Island of Aegina
- Island of Hydra
- Eretria
- Khalkis
- Delphi and Mt. Parnassus
- Ancient Olympia
- Mycenae, Nafplion and the Argolid
- Pylos and Messenia
Students
can register for the following combinations of the courses listed below, for
a total of 12 to 15 credits. Evaluation of student performance will be based
on written examinations at the end of the course. In order to receive credit,
students are required to attend all classes and field trips. Instruction
language will be English; course level will depend on the level of students.
I.
CORE CURRICULUM.
Students must take both of these courses, provided that they have not
taken these or similar course before (in which case, please contact us)
o Anthro 1060: The Life and Culture of Modern Greece (3).
Modern Greece retains much of its ancient heritage. From food to dance,
Greece society is a surprising combination of ancient, medieval and modern
cultural aspects. This course is designed to immerse students into the Greece
of today and is run primarily as a hands-on course. Through field trips and
workshops, students will learn about daily Greek life and customs, largely as
participants. The course content includes trips to ethnographic museums,
classes in Greek dance, cooking lessons, ancient and modern theatre and
music, with insights into village life and religion. The course concludes
with the investigation of how western culture has affected this traditional
society.
o Anthro 2117: The Culture and Civilization of Ancient
Greece (3).
This course examines the culture and civilization of Greece from prehistory
to the Byzantine Empire (ca. 100,000 BC-AD 400). Its goal is to provide an
overview of the most important aspects of early Western civilization. It
covers ancient Greek society, economy, geography, politics, and warfare.
Also, it examines the Greek roots of Western humanism through a cultural
analysis of the literature, philosophy, and art of the Greeks. Special
attention is given to the Golden Age of Greece (5th - 4th centuries BC) and
to the impact of Greek culture on Western civilization.
II.
EXPANDED CURRICULUM. Students must
select two of the following courses (three if you opt for 15 credits); please
note that courses will be offered only if they have a minimum of seven
students enrolled.
o Art Hs 2212: Greek Art and Archaeology (3).
This course studies the art, architecture, and archaeology of the Greeks from
the Stone Age to the Roman occupation. The core of the course is the
architectural monuments, art works, and material record of Greek society,
including temples, funeral monuments, and secular buildings, vase painting,
sculpture, metalwork, frescoes, and other objects. Emphasis will be given on
the socio-political and cultural context of Greek art. The course consists of
regular classes and on-site lectures at the archaeological sites and museums
mentioned above.
o Art Hs 3290: Advanced Topics in Archaeology: Aegean Art
and Archaeology (3).
This course covers the art and archaeology of Greece and Asia Minor during
the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. Special emphasis is given on the emergence
of states during the Minoan and Mycenaean periods, and the role that these
two cultures played in the creation of Greek myths.
o Art Hs 3390: Special Study: Greek Art and Archaeology from
the Dark Age to the Roman occupation (3).
This course examines the art and archaeology of Greece from the end of the Bronze
Age until the last centuries of antiquity. Specific topics that will be
covered include the origins and early development of Greek architecture and
sculpture during the Dark Age, Orientalizing, and Archaic periods, the art of
the Classical Golden Age, and the changes in art experienced by the expanding
world of the Hellenistic period.
o Anthro 3225 : Greek Myths (3).
This course examines the myths, rituals, and religious beliefs of the ancient
Greeks. It aims at providing an in-depth knowledge of the Greeks'
understanding of life, death, and the supernatural by examining the relevant
archaeological, literary, and artistic evidence. Specifically, the course
analyzes Greek mythology, religion, and society through the fascinating
archaeological discoveries at major Greek sites (Acropolis, Olympia, Mycenae,
Delphi, Pylos, Knossos, and Troy) and the relevant evidence from Greek
poetry, tragedy, and the visual arts.
o Anthro 3286: Society, Arts, and Popular Culture: Humans,
Animals and Monsters in Greek and neighboring cultures (3).
The mythology of dragons, giants and sea-monsters appears in a whole new
light when examined through animal/human relations. From the early fossil
hunters of the prehistoric periods of human existence to modern day
shepherds, this course examines the fascinating relationship between humans
and other species, past and present. In addition to Greece, material from
Africa, Asia, Europe and the New World will also be studied, as well as
iconographic evidence from cultures around the world. Archaeological and
palaeontological remains of animal bones will be examined in cultural
context, and ancient ideologies regarding animals compared. The spiritual and
secular uses of animals will be discussed, as well as the role of animals in
human survival.
o Hist 1032: Topics In European Civilization: 1715 to the
Present: Greece and the Balkans (3).
This course will cover modern Greek history from the Ottoman occupation to
today. It will focus on the political, social, and economic processes that
led to the unification and westernization of Greece against the backdrop of
such major events as the War of Independence (1821), the Balkan wars, the
First and Second World Wars, the Asia Minor catastrophe (1922), the Civil
War, the military dictatorship of 1967, and the country's entry into the
European Union.
o Art Hs 2214: Early Christian and Byzantine art and culture
(3)
This course surveys the art and architecture of the Byzantine Empire, from
its Roman origins to the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453. It
will focus on the art, architecture, and culture of Christianity, examining
at the same time the pagan and Jewish influences on early Byzantine art.
Major themes covered by the course are the relationship between imperial
propaganda and visual arts, the connection between Christian rituals and
icons & mosaics, as well as the major monuments in the Eastern
Mediterranean (Ravenna, Hagia Sophia, Rome catacombs, etc.). The course will
consist of regular classes, as well as on-site lectures in Byzantine
monuments of Greece.
o Gk Mod 1001(001) Modern Greek I (5)
Emphasis is placed upon the understanding, speaking, reading, and writing of
Modern Greek and upon the acquisition of the fundamentals of grammar and
syntax.
o Gk Mod 1002(002) Modern Greek II (5)
Working knowledge of modern Greek required. Emphasis is placed upon the
understanding, speaking, reading, and writing of Modern Greek and upon the
acquisition of the fundamentals of grammar and syntax.
o Gk Mod 2101(101) Intermediate Modern Greek Language and
Culture (3)
Good knowledge of modern Greek required. Students will advance their
understanding of Modern Greek culture through discussions, readings, and
written work. Language skills will be further developed through meaningful
communicative interaction.
o Grk Anc 1001 Ancient Greek I (5)
Study of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, accompanied by readings of simple
prose selections.
o Grk Anc 1002 Ancient Greek II (5)
Prerequisite: GRK ANC 1001 or equivalent. The study of vocabulary, grammar,
and syntax is continued from Greek 1. Readings and discussion from selected
classical authors.
o Grk Anc 2101
Intermediate Ancient Greek Language and Culture (3)
Prerequisite: GRK ANC 1002 or equivalent. Students will advance their
understanding of ancient Greek culture through discussions, readings, and
written work.
o Pol Sci 1500: Introduction to Comparative Politics: Greece
and the European Union (3).
This course introduces students to the political system of Greece within the
context of the European Union. It examines similarities and differences in
the basic political ideologies, structures, economies, social institutions
and governmental processes of the European countries. It also provides
frameworks for understanding the relevant cultures, that are the basis for
formal economic and political institutions. In addition, the course examines
the role of inter-state institutions in shaping national policies, in such
areas as economic and monetary union, cultural integration, and foreign
policy. Central to the course is the relations between the European Union and
the United States. (This course fulfills the cultural diversity requirement)
o Pol Sci 1600 Contemporary Political Ideologies: Greece,
the Balkans, and the Near East (3).
The course examines the processes of nation building and construction of
ethnic identity in the Balkans and the Near East, with special emphasis on
Greece. The purpose of the course is to provide students with a knowledge of
the current political situation in the Eastern Mediterranean from a
historical and political perspective. It analyzes such issues as the
influence of globalization on near-eastern states, terrorism and democracy,
religious fundamentalism, and regional conflicts.
o WGS 2150: Sex and Gender in Modern Greek Culture (3).
This course considers womanhood, manhood, third genders, and sexuality in
Modern Greek culture. The focus of the course is on the diverse cultural
logics that separate females, males, and sometimes third genders into
different groups in Greek and Eastern Mediterranean Society. The course
examines such aspects of sexuality and gender as ritual and symbolism,
family, marriage and kinship, economy, politics, and public life. (This
course fulfills the cultural diversity requirement)
o Anthro 4350: Special Study (3)
Special study through readings, reports, or field research. Students will
specialize in a topic of their choice, with the approval of the Director of
the Program. This study will be conducted under the direct supervision of the
Director or another specialist, depending on the topic, from a local research
facility, government agency, school, or other institution. This is meant to
allow students to specialize in a topic or subject not covered by the courses
offered o:p>
It was really
fun. It is all done now and I am so sad. Those were the best three months of
my entire life. We are all going to stay in touch and I know we will all be
friends forever. It was truly the experience of a lifetime and nothing could
ever match up to it.
Alexis Dedo, University of
Missouri-St. Louis
My experience with this program was absolutely amazing. I learned so much about art,
archaeology, Athens, and myself during our three month stay. Even time spent in the classroom was
incredibly interesting thanks to great professors and the application to
ruins and artifacts we saw on a daily basis. I know it sounds cliché but
this truly is the experience of a lifetime. I made spectacular friends, had unreal
adventures, and saw some of the most beautiful places in the world. I would strongly recommend this
program to anyone who wants their college experience to surpass typical
expectations and go beyond classroom walls.
Lauren Walker, Arkansas State
University
Click
here for a slide show from previous seasons (6 mins.)
Dr. Michael B.
Cosmopoulos, Hellenic-Government-Karakas Foundation Professor of Greek
Studies and Professor of Archaeology, University of Missouri-St. Louis.
For further information please contact
us or look us up at Facebook (“UMSL Semester in Greece”)
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