Hellenic studies Chair, Program and related courses

Since its inception, HCAAO was committed to helping in the establishment of a permament Chair in Hellenic Studies, with focus on Modern Greece, in one of the Ontario Universities. The last few years major steps have been taken towards this goal.
On January 28, 2000, a memorandum of agreement was signed with York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. See Hellenic Studies Chair and Program for more details.
In September 2001, the advertisement for a temporary faculty position in Modern Greek Studies at York University was published. Professor Thomas Gallant assumed the position of Hellenic Heritage Chair for the 2002-2003 academic year. This position will be re-advertised as a permanent Chair in Hellenic Studies.
Other relevant links include Get-together Dinner 2001 and Donation to the Hellenic Studies Chair Fund.

In an effort to raise awareness, knowledge and understanding of Greek civilisation, HCAAO is presenting a page with a list of courses offered in Ontario Universities and relating to Greece and/or Greeks.

At this moment, we only include undegraduate courses offered at the University of Toronto and York University. It is our hope that we will soon collect information about similar courses offered in other Ontario universities, as well as related graduate courses.

Students (be of Greek descent or not) are highly encouraged to enroll in these courses.

Courses on Modern Greek Language, Literature, History and Culture are presented with a short description; for the rest of the courses we only include number and title.

Note that the list of courses currently offered by York University will soon be enhanced by at least another 4 half courses, arising from the establishment of the endowed Chair in Hellenic Studies.

Courses on Modern Greek Language, Literature, History and Culture

University of Toronto, Department of Classics

The Department of Classics offers a minor programme in Modern Greek. The minor consists of four full courses (one full course equals two half courses), three of which must be chosen among the following MGR courses, at least one being at the 300-level, and one more full course chosen appropriately among other courses of the department. For more information see the Modern Greek programme and the course descriptions.
General course subject Course number and duration Course name Course description
Language MGR100Y Introductory Modern Greek An introduction for beginners to the modern Greek Language in its oral and written form.
MGR245Y Modern Greek A course designed for students with some command of the language: vocabulary building; study of grammar and syntax; compositional skills leading to the study of a prose literary work.
Literature MGR301F Modern Greek Poetry I Greek poetry 1830-1930. Selected readings from the poetry of Dionysios Solomos and others up to Costas Karyotakis.
MGR302S Modern Greek Prose I Greek prose from the end of the 19th century to 1930.
MGR351H (*-) Modern Greek Poetry II Greek poetry from 1930 to the present. A seminar course based on the reading of whole works of modern Greek poets; comparison and contrast with classical and modern non-Greek poets.
MGR352H (*-) Modern Greek Prose II Greek prose since 1930.
MGR357S (*+) Contemporary Greek Theatre A seminar course based on the reading of representative dramatists of contemporary Greece.
Other MGR428Y Independent Study in Modern Greek Prose texts.
MGR429Y Independent Study in Modern Greek Poetic texts.
MGR430F Independent Study in Modern Greek Poetic texts.
MGR431S Independent Study in Modern Greek Poetic texts.
History MGR320F (*+) Modern Greek History A survey of twentieth century Greek history to 1967, which provides the historical, political and social background ot the study of Modern Greek literature and theatre. Especially designed for students who intend to take MGR351H/352H/357H. Readings in Greek and English.


York University, Atkinson College

Atkinson College in cooperation with the Department of Classics offers a minor programme in Modern Greek. The programme consists of the following three full courses, normally offered September through April. For more information see the course list of the Department of Classics and the course outlines of Atkinson College.
General course subject Course number and credits Course name Course description
Language AK/GK1410 6.0 A Introductory Modern Greek This intensive language course is primarily designed to introduce beginners to the Modern Greek language in its oral and written forms. Students with some previous knowledge of Modern Greek will also be accommodated. More specifically:
- Develop the student's conversational ability and listening comprehension skills.
- Develop the student's active vocabulary and reading ability.
- Improve the student's pronunciation and intonation.
- Develop the student's writing skills.
AK/GK2430 6.0 A Intermediate Modern Greek The objective of this course is to improve the students' skills of reading, writing and speaking Modern Greek by means of reading fragments from Modern Greek literature, discussing points of grammar, enlarging their vocabulary and composing short essay. Moreover, the course aims at familiarizing students with aspects of Greek culture and history which contributed to the making of the Modern Greek. More specifically:
- Selective readings from contemporary Modern Greek poetry and novels.
- Review and explanation of grammatical phenomena.
- Improvement of the students's vocabulary
- Improvement of reading and writing skills
- Deepening the students' understanding of aspects of Greek culture/history
- Study and discussion of approaches to Modern Greek culture by foreigners.
Literature and Culture AK/GK3440 6.0 A (-) Modern Greek Literature and Culture Before Independence This course is designed to provide a general outline for the developoment of Greek language and literature during the Byzantine period and up to the 18th century. The main focus will be on demotic literary texts of both prose and poetry. Major works such as the epic poem of Digenes Akritas, or didactic works such as Pulologos and the Ptochoprodomika as well as samples of Cyprian and Cretan literature will be read and analyzed with emphasis on language, style and contemporary culture. The course will be a combination of lectures, discussions and presentations. Students will be expected to participate in class discussions and to present in class an outline of a research paper which will be due by the end of the course.
AK/GK3450Y 6.0 A Modern Greek Literature and Culture After Independence This course is designed to provide a meaningful outline of the development of Greek language and culture from the early 19th century to the present. The main focus will be on prose and poetry, however, the approach will not be chronological; instead several sociopolitical issues (i.e. the conflict between demoticists and purists, the Asia Minor disaster and the Greek civil war) will be the foci around which the development of contemporary literature and of new cultural forms (eg. cinema) will be critically examined and the connections with ancient and medieval Greek culture will be discussed.

Abbreviations and notation:
Y = full year course (September to April)
F = half course (Fall - September to December)
S = half course (Spring - January to April)
H = half course (Fall or Spring)
* = offered in alternative years
+ = offered 2001-02
- = not offered 2001-02
6.0 = 6 credits, usually full year course
3.0 = 3 credits, usually half course

Courses on Ancient, Hellenistic and Byzantine Greek Studies

University of Toronto, Faculty of Arts and Science

For more information see the Classical Studies (CLA) course descriptions, the Greek (GRK) course descriptions, the Fine Arts History (FAH) programme, the Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations (NMC) undergraduate programmes, the History (HIS) course list, and the Philosophy (PHI or PHL) department page.

Department Course number
and duration
Course name
Classics CLA 160Y Introduction to Classical Studies
CLA 201H Latin and Greek in Scientific Terminology
CLA 202S The Ancient Novel
CLA 204H Introduction to Classical Mythology
CLA 205Y Greek and Roman Mythology
CLA 230F Introduction to Greek History
CLA 300Y Greek Tragedy and Comedy
CLA 301F Greek Epic
CLA 305S Theories of Myth
CLA 345S Periclean Athens
GRK 100Y Introductory Classical Greek
GRK 102S Introductory Classical Greek: Continuation
GRK 201F Intermediate Classical Greek I
GRK 202S Intermediate Classical Greek II
GRK 300S Euripides
GRK 310F Plato: Dialogues I
GRK 311S Herodotus
GRK 330F Advanced Greek Language Study
GRK 401F Aristophanes and Menander
GRK 402S Early Greek Epic II
GRK 410F Plato: Dialogues II
Fine Art FAH 202Y Art and Archaeology of the Prehistoric Aegean
FAH 203H Greek Art and Architecture
FAH 300H Greek Architecture and Planning
FAH 303H Greek Painting and Mosaic
FAH 305H Greek Vase Painting
FAH 315H Narrative in Greek Art
FAH 317H Art of the Hellenistic Age
FAH 414H Greek Iconography
FAH 417H The Greek Symposion
FAH 418H Greek Sculpture
FAH 419H Greek Architecture, Art and Politics
FAH 422H Art on Thera ca. 1500 B.C.
FAH 423H The Palaces of Minoan Crete
FAH 424H Aegean Religious Art and Architecture
FAH 425H The Mycenaean Palaces
FAH 262H Early Medieval and Byzantine Art
FAH 321Y Problems of Early Christian and Byzantine Art
Near and
Middle Eastern
Civilizations
NMC 225F Introducing the Greek New Testament
NMC 227S The Greek New Testament and Related Writings
NMC 470Y Hellenistic Near East
History HIS 320Y Europe, 400-1100
Philosophy PHI 200Y Ancient Philosophy
PHI 303F Plato
PHL 304F Aristotle

York University, Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Fine Arts.

For more information see the undegraduate course list of the classical studies programme (AS/GK, AS/HIST, AS/HUMA), the Department of History page (for AS/HIST courses), the humanities division (AS/HUMA) page, the Department of Philosophy page (for AS/PHIL courses), and the Department of Political Science page (for AS/POLS courses), and the Department of Visual Arts of the Faculty of Fine Arts page (for FA/VISA courses).

Department Course number
and credits
Course name
Classics AS/GK 1000 6.0 Elementary Classical Greek
AS/GK 2000 6.0 Intermediate Classical Greek
AS/GK 3010 3.0 Greek Tragedy
AS/GK 3030 3.0 Greek Epic Poetry
AS/GK 3040 3.0 Greek Historians
AS/GK 3050 3.0 Socrates
AS/GK 3060 3.0 Greek Rhetoric
AS/GK 4010 3.0 Greek Lyric and Choral Poetry
History AS/HIST 2100 6.0 Ancient Greece and Rome
AS/HIST 3120 6.0 Foundations of Athenian Democracy
AS/HIST 3150 6.0 Early Greek History
AS/HIST 4150 6.0 Slavery in Ancient Greece and Rome
Humanities AS/HUMA 1100 9.0 The Worlds of Ancient Greece and Rome
AS/HUMA 1105 9.0 Myth and Imagination in ancient Greece & Rome
AS/HUMA 1110 9.0 Greek and Biblical Tradition
AS/HUMA 2100 6.0 The World of the Ancient Greeks
AS/HUMA 2830 6.0 The Founders of Christianity
AS/HUMA 4100 6.0 Interpretations of Homeric Epic
Philosophy AS/PHIL 2010 3.0 The Origins in Western Philosophy
AS/PHIL 2015 3.0 Plato and Aristotle
Political
Science
AS/POLS 4030 3.0 Classical Political Thought
Visual
Arts
FA/VISA 2110 6.0 Introduction to the History of Western Architecture
FA/VISA 2520 3.0 Greek Art and Architecture

If you know of other courses relating to Greece or Greeks offered at Ontario Universities, please let us know.


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