> Come along to Greece on my study abroad class.
> 
Interested? I've retired but still think this is a great opportunity for students of all ages.
A student from the last trip writes: "I keep in touch with about 3-4 others on a regular basis. Not only was it one of the top highlights of my college career, but my overall travel experiences. I gained lifelong friendships, interests in subjects I may not have ever had the chance to come across, and irreplaceable memories that still come up on regular conversation!"
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Why should you go?
The origins of key aspects of the western intellectual tradition can be traced to ancient Greece. The key texts and the physical locations for serious reflection on these themes are still extant. For students of rhetoric, politics and drama, these are foundational. Indeed, these are foundational questions for the liberal arts. Join us on a thought-provoking trip to Athens and key sites in Crete, Corinth, Delphi, Olympia, Mycenae and more. The class is a series of encounters between ancient texts and their settings, both physical and cultural. We’ll study the site, read a text, and discuss the culture that launched early rhetorical theory, deliberative democracy and shaped Christianity. Readings include Homer, Plato, Thucydides, Herodotus, Aristophanes, the New Testament, and others. Get credit We'll work that out with your university. Who is leading this? I first went to Greece over 35 years ago and have studied it from many angles as well as led student groups there. Check out the rest of my personal web site on Greece, The Plaka, |
What is it about?
One way to pose fundamental questions about our own lives and culture is to explore how another culture (or cultures) grappled with them. That is the purpose of this class. A truly remarkable community came into being in ancient Greece. This community thought long and hard about itself: how should it be governed? How should it tell its own story? Out of this came revolutions in thought about democracy, drama, rhetoric and art that still impact our culture today. Examination of women's surprisingly complex role in this society as well as sport and religion also help shape our thinking. We have the same fundi mental questions: how do we become contributing citizens in a complex, multicultural, globalizing world? How do we govern a community, shape the values of a community, express these values with creativity, live with respect for others? Ancient Greece considered all these questions and even if we reject their answers, we gain by considering their approach to them. As we visit sites and consider texts these various themes and questions keep reappearing in various aspects and combinations. More on the themes of the class is here. Curious? Have questions? Email jpn@jpnordin.com to ask questions and get put on the mailing list for course related announcements. What now? Check out the section of my site on Astypalaia - that is where my interest in a study trip is now. It would be a great spot for a study abroad trip. For the ag folks it is the island of "1,500 people and 15,000 goats'' (and beekeeping), for the environmental people there is that 'smart and sustainable' goal and for you future entrepreneurs, the hotel I stay at is owned and run by a couple of very dynamic businesswomen who have a lot to say about the digitization and the uses of social media to develop a business as well as issues about sustainable development. And you can take a short boat ride to a nice beach with a snack bar and great food (including goat) is everywhere. Want to go? |
Learn more Planning, packing and Practicalities The fine print, the bad news, and things that might trip you up Application details (no longer active) See what previous classes did Links The Plaka - my personal website on Greece The Athens Center Our excellent logistics provider.
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