Greek (Modern) Language and Culture (Major)

专业介绍

A major in Classical Studies equips its students with the knowledge, skills, intellectual agility, and different points of view to pursue a variety of careers, whether the student’s next step is entry into the workforce or further education in professional or graduate school. Faculty advisors work with students to develop a program of study within their major and to articulate the connections between their education and career goals and aspirations.

Learning Goals for All Majors

Every major in Classical Studies asks students to:

• explore the many facets of the ancient world—its history, societal and cultural practices, and intellectual endeavors (e.g., law, religion, political theory and practice, art and material objects, language and literature, philosophy, science)
• recognize and interpret the complexities of the ancient world, including such problematic aspects as slavery, gender inequality, and various types of bias
• understand different critical perspectives
• ask questions and engage in critical thinking, especially analysis and synthesis of information, ideas, and situations to solve complex problems
• work with a variety of primary sources, both textual (in the original language or translation) and material (aided by the resources of the Kelsey Museum and the papyrology collection)
• make inferences from the fragmentary and incomplete record of the past
• communicate complex ideas and persuasive arguments in writing and oral presentations
• conduct research using primary and secondary sources, including both traditional and digital media

The Classical Studies Department encourages its students to participate in the wide array of events and activities in which faculty and graduate students are involved, including UROP projects, student clubs, lectures, brown bag presentations, and reading groups. Students are also encouraged to study abroad.

Because many Classical Studies courses are small, majors have opportunities to work closely with their professors and professors get to know their students well.

Greek (Modern) Language and Culture

In addition to the learning goals stated above, the Modern Greek major asks students to:

• attain advanced fluency in Modern Greek in the four skills of speaking, writing, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension
• study the language, literature, and culture of Greek-speaking people in the modern period at the crossroads of the Eastern Mediterranean and in diaspora communities
• explore the diverse fields of history, political science, anthropology, and classical civilization in their intersection with Modern Greek Studies
• examine transformations of Hellenic ideas, forms, and physical space in modern times

The program also encourages students to pursue an internship in Greece, Cyprus, and relevant offices in Washington DC and other cities in the US to pair their skills in Greek and English with real-life experience outside the classroom. In collaboration with the University of Michigan community, we facilitate access to internships, funding, employers and partnerships offering diverse, challenging opportunities.

The field of Modern Greek consists of the study of global Hellenism over the last five centuries, including its intersection with the classical tradition in other cultures. Students pursuing the major in Modern Greek Studies study modern Hellenism, with a special emphasis on Greece and the Greek communities of the U.S. They also familiarize themselves with Hellenism’s ancient and medieval origins. The major requires detailed learning of the language and firm grounding in the knowledge of culture but also offers familiarity with broader issues of our times such as identity, tradition, transnationalism, globalism, and orientalism. Thus the major provides a broad-based liberal arts education and contributes to the development of critical thinking and related skills, both linguistic and interpretive. The major builds on the great strengths of the Department of Classical Studies and the Program in Comparative Literature, as well as on traditional West European, Balkan, and Mediterranean strengths across the College.

Modern Greek courses cover language, literature, and culture, offering a systematic introduction to the Greek world of the last ten centuries, and especially to its contemporary social reality and intellectual achievement. As part of a liberal arts education, they promote the contextual study, both local and global, of contemporary Greek culture, placing particular emphasis on literary studies, critical theory, cultural politics, ethnicity, and diaspora (especially Greek-American). The Modern Greek Studies program offers both a major and a minor.