Spring 2025 Courses
Elementary Modern Greek II
Instructor: Maria Kaliambou
MGRK 120
Monday-Friday 9:25-10:15
An introduction to modern Greek, with emphasis on oral expression. Use of communicative activities, graded texts, written assignments, grammar drills, audiovisual material, and contemporary documents. In-depth cultural study.
Intermediate Modern Greek II
Instructor: Maria Kaliambou
MGRK 140
Monday-Friday 10:30-11:20
Further development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in modern Greek. Presentation of short research projects related to modern Greece.
The Greek Diaspora in the United States
Instructor: Maria Kaliambou
AMST 307 | MGRK 306 | ER&M 298 | HIST 117 | LITR 375
Monday 1:30-3:20
The seminar explores the history and culture of the Greek diasporic community in the United States from the end of the 19th century to the present. The Greek American experience is embedded in the larger discussion of ethnic histories that construct modern America. The seminar examines important facets of immigration history, such as community formation, institutions and associations, professional occupations, and civic engagement. It pays attention to the everyday lives of the Greek Americans as demonstrated in religious, educational, and family cultural practices. It concludes by exploring the artistic expressions of Greek immigrants as manifested in literature, music, and film production. The instructor provides a variety of primary sources (archival records, business catalogs, community albums, personal narratives, letters, audiovisual material, etc.). All primary and secondary sources are in English; however, students are encouraged to read available material in the original language.
The Olympic Games, Ancient & Modern
Instructor: George Syrimis
CLCV 319 | MGRK 300 | HIST 242J | WGSS 293
Wednesday 9:25-11:15
Introduction to the history of the Olympic Games from antiquity to the present. The mythology of athletic events in ancient Greece and the ritual, political, and social ramifications of the actual competitions. The revival of the modern Olympic movement in 1896, the political investment of the Greek state at the time, and specific games as they illustrate the convergence of athletic cultures and sociopolitical transformations in the twentieth century.
Family in Greek Literature & Film
Instructor: George Syrimis
FILM 243 | MGRK 218 | WGSS 245
Thursday 1:30-3:20
The structure and multiple appropriations of the family unit, with a focus on the Greek tradition. The influence of aesthetic forms, including folk literature, short stories, novels, and film, and of political ideologies such as nationalism, Marxism, and totalitarianism. Issues related to gender, sibling rivalry, dowries and other economic factors, political allegories, feminism, and sexual and social violence both within and beyond the family.