Eligibility

Who can participate?

This program is appropriate only for students who are seriously interested in Greece and the Greek language.

  • In general we accept only those applicants who have completed at least 3 semesters or 5 quarters of Classical Greek, though we make rare exceptions.
  • Many participants, though certainly not all, are Classics majors.
  • The trip is extremely rewarding for both undergraduate and graduate students. The intensive reading of at least a couple of hundred pages of Greek serves as a non-threatening baptism-by-fire for undergrads. For grad students it is a way to intensely savor the texts that their previous studies have prepared them to read. For both undergrads and grads it is a rare opportunity to benefit from long, sustained hours of sight reading.
  • Course credit is available at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
  • Most of the participants are students at Ohio University, though anyone is welcome to apply. Participants have differing abilities and preparation in Greek. Some are advanced students bound for careers in Classics. Others still don’t “get” the subjunctive. That’s okay. The previous experience of this program is that the vast quantity of reading that we do allows people of all levels to benefit. So, brilliance in Greek is not a prerequisite for this trip. Determination to work hard and learn, however, are prerequisites.
    • Classical Archaeology (pre-Hellenic, Classical, Roman, Medieval/Byzantine)
    • Greek History of any period
    • Greek Art
    • Greek Literature of any period
    • Perhaps even an interest as far afield as traditional peasant farming or vulcanology. (There are amazing volcanic sites at Thira and Nissyros.)
    • honestly justifies 8 quarter hours of credit in place of the two Classical Greek readings courses
    • includes the agreement of a qualified university faculty member to supervise and grade the project

    • In previous years students from UC Berkeley, the University of Chicago, and the University of Victoria, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Wisconsin, Purdue, Bowling Green, Carleton College, Cornell University, and several other universities have participated.

    Are there exceptions?

    We are willing to accept a few participants who do not have the necessary background or interest in Classical Greek language.

    Any student admitted under this alternate plan will be expected to enroll and participate in the Modern Greek course and the Greek Archaeology/History course, but a course of independent study may be substituted for the Plato and Homer courses.
    If…
    an applicant can demonstrate a strong interest in some other aspect of Classical or Hellenic studies that justifies participation in this program, such as…

    And if…
    the applicant can present a proposal for independent study that…

    and
    the applicant understands that s/he will need to work independently on remote islands (with little or no library access) while the rest of the group is reading Greek for hours each day,
    then…
    we will enthusiastically consider that student’s application. We have found in the past that such students can greatly enrich the educational experience of the trip by bringing their own unique interests into our site visits and discussions.

    Are party animals welcome?

    Noooo! Eis Korakas!
    We want to be absolutely clear that this program is not an extended spring break. Most particularly, it is not an opportunity to “party.” There will be a few times when students can explore Greek nightlife if they are determined to do so, but the demands of the program make those opportunities quite rare.

    Moreover, this program will not allow its serious academic purposes to be compromised by participants whose real goal is getting drunk and getting laid rather than learning Greek. The faculty reserve the right to expel from the program (without refund) any participant whose behavior is compromising the academic quality or reputation of the program. We have never even come close to having to do such a thing because students understand from the outset what this program is about, and students who are looking for a spring break in Greece enroll in other, less serious programs.

    The point here is not that we are a bunch of tea-totaling Puritans. We are not. Many a night we have long discussions of everything from Plato to the meaning of life to constellations (The skies on the little Aegean islands are the most brilliantly clear that I have ever seen) to the history of rock and roll while nursing some beers or retsina. Many participants find opportunities to join folk dances or to spend an evening at a disco. Most of us, though, have had more than enough experience of “students” who regard college as a good excuse to get drunk and obnoxious several times a week. That’s not what college is for, and it’s sure not what this program is for. There are lots of other study-abroad programs in which students of that sort can enroll and have a real blast. We will not tolerate them on this program.

    I hope the rest of you–those who really are interested in learning–will see that this policy is designed to bring together an oasis of people like you. If you really want to learn about Greek and Greece, I can just about guarantee that you will find some lifelong friends, soul mates, on this trip.

    Do I need to be healthy?

    In general, yes. Many of the site visits will require strenuous exercise in hot weather–walking over steep, uneven, slippery ground. In addition, since we travel by public transport, you will need to carry all your belongings in a good backpack. Sometimes we will need to walk up to a mile or so with full packs. Granted it’s not Marine Boot Camp, but if you have advanced rheumatoid arthritis or suffer from bad asthma or have a dangerous heart defect, you need to think very seriously about your ability to participate in a program this physically demanding.

    Competent medical care is available in most of the places we will be going, but specialized care is not generally available outside the major cities. If you have any kind of serious or potentially dangerous health condition (epilepsy, heart disease, etc.) be sure to inform me and ask my advice when or before you apply.