Postbaccalaureate Program in Classics

Location:

Season: September 1, 2023 to May 10, 2024

Deadline Type: Contact for Details

Website: https://cyathens.org/cya-postbaccalaureate-in-classics/

Program Type:
Field School

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
CYA (College Year in Athens) is a non-profit educational institution that has been acting as a cultural and educational bridge between the U.S. and Greece for over half a century. We aim to help students become global citizens who understand and appreciate other cultures. Established in 1962, CYA was the first study abroad program in Greece for English-speaking undergraduates. We offer academically outstanding semester, academic year, summer and winter study abroad programs that embrace the vibrant experience of day-to-day contact with the people, institutions, monuments, and landscapes of Greece and the Mediterranean. All our programs are delivered in English at the Athens-based International Center for Hellenic and Mediterranean Studies (DIKEMES), located next to the Kallimarmaro (Marble) Stadium and the National Gardens in the heart of the city.

Project Director:
Alexis Phylactopoulos is responsible for the overall direction, operation, and development of the International Center for Hellenic and Mediterranean Studies (DIKEMES) and College Year in Athens. Mr. Phylactopoulos (Mr. Phyl) earned his first degree from the Law School of the University of Athens and his post-graduate degrees from Princeton University (The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs), and the University of Cambridge (Wolfson College). In his professional career, he first served as a diplomat for the Greek government in Washington, D.C. (1976–1981), where he directed the Greek Embassy’s Press and Information Service. He subsequently served in the same capacity in Mexico City (1981–1984). Upon returning to Athens, he served as Director of External Relations at the Federation of Greek Industries. He assumed the Directorship of College Year in Athens in 1986.

Project Description:

Our Postbaccalaureate Program is designed to help college graduates improve their engagement with scholarship as well as their classical language skills, and take courses that prepare them for admission to graduate programs in Classics or Archaeology. CYA offers the opportunity of full-time, intensive study for one year with an array of courses such as languages at all levels, Epigraphy, Archaeological Drawing, Excavation fieldwork, etc. along with structured academic support.

Beyond being a Postbaccalaureate, it offers a study abroad experience bringing you into everyday contact and communication with the culture under study, from the wealth of archaeology and museums on offer to excavation and volunteer opportunities. The Greek language is experienced as a living entity, ranging from the ancient inscriptions in every Medieval church to modern graffiti on the streets – a total immersion in language learning in and out of the classroom.

Networking in Athens becomes a natural part of the lives of those who study its past: students can attend hundreds of guest lectures, open meetings, and seminars at the many foreign archaeological institutes such as the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) and the British School at Athens (BSA), University and Academy departments, the Archaeological Society, as well as numerous smaller seminar groups and clubs. Seeing how academics present their work and how others respond is an invaluable introduction to the discourse in the field, as well as providing opportunities to meet scholars of all levels and to discuss their work informally.

Access to material: how to approach a museum for permission to view archaeological material.

We can show you how the Ministry of Culture and its various arms works, how to identify material for study, and who to contact for permission to study it. This also includes discussions on the issue of unpublished material, and the etiquette of approaching museums, Ephorate of antiquities, holders of publication rights.

Access will be given to archaeological digs, and repositories both through CYA (and the two field schools: Voula and Despotiko) and other close collaborators. Participation in CYA field study: The Peloponnese, Crete, Northern Greece.

The small size of our language tutorials and the individual mentoring, counseling and close supervision on offer give students a customized approach to their studies.

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Experience Required: N/A

Academic Credit:
Please check with your home institution if they will accept credits through CYA or our School of Record, Southwestern University.