Global Arc

An aspect or period of modern Greek civilization since the War of Independence (1821) as it is illuminated by literary, historical, and other relevant sources. Emphasis will be given to the cross-cultural context of the topic, including the relation of modern Greece to Western, Eastern, or Balkan cultures, or the Hellenic diaspora in America and elsewhere.

An aspect of the civilization of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, from 312 to 1453, as illuminated by literary, historical, and other relevant sources. Emphasis will be given to the cross-cultural context of the topic, including relations of the Byzantine Empire with Sassanid Persia, the Arabs, the Slavs, and Western Europe. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

The diachronic development of a theme, genre, or institution, with emphasis on the continuities and discontinuities between successive periods of Hellenic culture--ancient, Byzantine, and modern. The approach will be interdisciplinary and cross-cultural.

This is an introduction to Modern Greek poetry in a broad context, with an emphasis on its relation to Anglophone poetry. How is the experience of modernity registered in poetic texts? What traditions do poets draw on, which contemporary experiences do they reflect or critique, and what futures do they envision? How are Greek poets exploring their relation to the ancient Greek past, and also responding to trends and experiments in global modernism as well as to current events? On the flipside, what kind of relationship, if any, to the Greece of the past and of the present do non-Greek poets construct?

This course is for students who have a solid knowledge of ancient or medieval Greek and want to study Modern Greek as a foreign language and the evolution of the Greek language, from ancient to modern. Students will learn to respond to basic communicative situations, when traveling to Greece for study or research. The course will stress language acquisition proficiency and literacy, and will also lead students to re-approach their knowledge of Greek (including changes in grammatical and syntactical use). Focus on contemporary Greek culture, as well as a wide range of readings, from Homer to the present.

This course explores Greek modernism in literature, art, and architecture in its relation with global modernism. The course is structured around two historical moments: the 1930s and the 1960s. The formidable power of the "generation of the 1930s" and the modernist experiments of the 1960s are seen in their historical context, Greek, European, and global: what preceded these explosions of modernist aesthetics in Greece? How did they relate with global developments of the time? What has been excluded from the narrative of the "generation of the 1930s" or the 1960s, who were the misfits and how did they fertilize Greek culture?

Three historical themes shaped Byzantine Europe: the inheritance of Byzantine political ideology with its complex relations between state and church; the encounter with Western Europe; and the concept of political reform. Dreams of Byzantium, theocracies, and utopias of political modernity crossed a space of shared culture and created a sense of community despite political boundaries until the national idea built up frontiers of territorial identities. The fate of these ideas and their political fertility invites us to reflect on the concept of ideology and its instrumentality in the construction of the State.

An intensive interdisciplinary study of the evolution of a city, such as Athens, Constantinople, Thessaloniki, Alexandria, or Antioch, where Greek civilization flourished through successive periods, from antiquity to the present. A study of the form and the image of the city as seen in its monuments and urban fabric, as well as in the works of artists, writers, and travelers. Prerequisite: instructor's permission. Two 90-minute classes.

An introduction to Twi language and culture of the Akan-Twi-speaking people of West Africa. The course is taught in Twi and focuses on acquiring novice-level skills to perform basic communication functions in the culture of Akan-Twi speakers of West Africa. Students will be introduced to basic grammar, communicative skills and cultural activities that will be reinforced through role plays, conversations, dialogues and songs. By the end of the course, students will have acquired basic grammar competence to perform in everyday situations with an understanding and appreciation of the culture of the Akan people in Ghana, West Africa.

This course is a continuation of Twi 101 and continues to focus on the communicative approach to studying the language. It includes specific socio-cultural settings and events. Speaking, reading, writing and listening continue to form an integral part of the course and students will build on their grammatical skills. By the end of the course, learners are expected to reach proficiency level ranging between Novice High and Intermediate Low.