Greece - Eternal Summer Gilds Them Yet: The Literature, Legend, and Legacy of Ancient Greece
Course Description:
Faculty Leader
Dr. Eric Nelson, Associate Professor of Classics, 253-535-7235 or nelsoned@plu.edu
Ancient Greece is often held in reverential awe, and praised for its iconic values, contributions, and innovations. However, much of what has been considered iconic is, in fact, the product of a western classical tradition that re-imagines and re-fashions its ancient past to meet its present needs. In this course, you will explore the romance - and the realities - of ancient Greece in Greece. Explore Athens, the birthplace of democracy, and the ruins of Mycene, from which the Trojan War was launched. Examine the evidence for yourself in Greece's many museums and archeological sites. Learn how the western classical heritage has reinvented itself over time, and re-envision what this radiation may yet have to say that is relevant, fresh, and contemporary.
After gaining a preliminary overview through pre-travel lectures and readings, you will pick a "research area" to explore abroad. In Greece, you will attend lectures and site visits conducted by PLU faculty and on-site experts from the College Year in Athens (CYA), and conduct research in your area in the museums and archeological sites at your disposal. Other assignments in Greece will include daily readings, a daily blog/photo journal, and short oral reports. A 5 - 7 page final paper on your research area is due upon your return. The research areas are:
- Identity: Conceptions of Greek ethic, political, social and gender identity.
- Struggle: Conceptions of "excellence" (arete) and "competitive struggle (agon) and their cultural roles in athletics, war, politics, and the arts.
- Balance: Responses to life's uncertainties, limitations, and inevitabilities in ancient Greek religion, myth, philosophy, and medicine.
- Representation: The practice and cultural context of ancient Greek theater, art, and literature.
The College Year in Athens, which will be hosting our visit in Athens, is one of PLU's primary study-abroad portals for Greece and the eastern Mediterranean. CYA has furnished apartments (with wi-fi) and classroom facilities located in central Athens, laundry, instructors, student services, and more. Find out more about this program at www.cyathens.org.
Course Highlights:
Explore Athens and its environs with expert faculty. Scheduled site visits include:
- Acropolis and Parthenon, Pnyx, Athenian Agora, Library of Hadrian
- Temples of Olympian Zeus, Hephaistus, Asclepius
- Theatres of Dionysus and Odeon of Herodes Atticus
- Plaka, Lycebettus Hill, neighborhoods of Athens
- Piraeus, Cape Sounion, and the Battle site of Marathon
- Eleusis, Corinth, Acrocorinth, and Corinth Canal
- National Archeological Museum, Acropolis Museum, and many others
An excursion into Greece including:
- Epidaurus: a famous center of healing in antiquity.
- Nauplion, a charming seaside city and the first capital of modern Greece.
- Mycene and Tiryns, the legendary homes of Agamemnon and the hero Herakles.
- Ancient Olympia: where the original Olympics were celebrated.
- Delphi: the oracle of the ancient world.
Course Objectives:
- Contextualize ancient Greece in its historical, geographical, and archeological settings;
- Appreciate the legacy of ancient Greece in the Western imagination;
- Distinguish the ideal from the historical, archeological, and textual evidence;
- Critically assess claims about antiquity;
- Explore an area in which you are personally interested;
- Reflect intelligently on the classical tradition;
- Re-envision what this tradition might have yet to offer.
Course Credit:
CLAS 241 (4 credits). Department credit. GUR/Gen Ed Literature credit.
Program Fee:
$4,800. Includes airfare, lodging, supplemental study abroad insurance, and program related transportation. PLU reserves the right to add a surcharge in response to unanticipated price increase.
These estimated additional costs indicated below are intended to assist students and parents in budgeting for those additional living and discretionary expenses not included in the program fee. Actual expenses may vary according to student interests, individual needs, and spending habits:
- Passport (new) = $110 / Passport (renewal) = $135
- Visa fees (required for some non-US passport holders) = varies
- Pre-travel evaluation at the PLU Health Center = $45 *All students are required to visit either the PLU Health Center or a personal healthcare provider to achieve the proper medical clearance. Be aware that other medical providers may charge additional fees that may result in a higher cost than the PLU Health Center.
- Immunizations = $0 to several hundred dollars **Vaccination needs vary on destination and individual medical history, and may be costly.
- Airline baggage fees = approximately $25 for each checked bag
- Books, supplies, course materials = varies
- Cell phone and cell usage = varies
- Personal Expenses = approximately $600. Check with your faculty leader for an accurate estimate for your destination.
Application Deadline:
April 13, 2012. A non-refundable deposit of $50 is required with the application. A $250 non-refundable program payment to confirm participation in the course is due within 10 days of notification of acceptance. Maximum of 18 students.