Studying Classics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
UT Classics Majors Ethan Peebles and Cynthia Hazelton Report
Time seems to work differently in Greece. The material remains of Antiquity and the Middle Ages are juxtaposed with modern architectural and artistic attempts to redefine or reinterpret the much honored past. Thousands of years of prehistory and history can be seen with the naked eye, even from the classroom windows of the unique campus of the University of Athens, a school following in an academic tradition tracing itself back to Socrates and Plato.
This is an environment tailored for the enthusiastic student: the English-language classics program has approximately 80 students from many different countries dedicating up to four years of their lives to study in the land of the ancient Greeks. Committing to the program for even a semester or a year, as we are doing, is enough to transform one’s understanding of the ancient world, and even the modern world! Classes may be held in a lecture hall or an ancient odeon, in a conference room or the fifth-century BCE remains of a Periclean building project.
Field trips take you from the National Archaeological Museum to archaeological sites on the island of Crete. Athens itself provides an endless list of activities: museums, lovely Byzantine churches, archaeological sites both known and unknown, markets, restaurants, and lots of souvlaki and loukoumades stands! This study-abroad program and its staff makes finding friends and navigating Greek city life easy and enjoyable. However, the program also requires commitment. It is not a vacation, but an immersion in the philosophical life. Reading, discussing, and—yes—working on Greek grammar—are still required. But as we have learned in just two weeks of classes, the returns—intellectual, social, cosmopolitan—are worth every minute.
We are so grateful to be able to enjoy these amazing experiences thanks to scholarships from our Classics department: Cynthia received a Dr. Susan Martin Excellence Travel Scholarship, an Albert Rapp Memorial Scholarship, and a Haines-Morris Award; and Ethan an Athena Travel Scholarship as well as the inaugural Robert McDow Scholarship. We are so excited about our invaluable experiences and cannot wait to see what the rest of our time in Athens has in store for us!