Program in Hellenic Studies
Director
Peter R. Brown
Faculty
John F. Haldon, History, Hellenic Studies
Molly Greene, History, Hellenic Studies
Executive Committee
Leonard Barkan, Comparative Literature
M. Christine Boyer, Architecture
Patricia Fortini Brown, Art and Archaeology
Peter R. Brown, History
Marina S. Brownlee, Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Cultures, Comparative Literature
Slobodan Ćurčić, Art and Archaeology
Denis C. Feeney, Classics
Dimitri H. Gondicas, Classics
Anthony T. Grafton, History
Molly Greene, History
Constanze M. Güthenke, also Classics
John F. Haldon, History
Stanley N. Katz, Woodrow Wilson School
Michael Koortbojian, Art and Archaeology
Nino Luraghi, Classics
Alexander Nehamas, Philosophy, Comparative Literature
Gideon A. Rosen, Philosophy, Council of the Humanities, ex officio
P. Adams Sitney, Lewis Center for the Arts, Visual Arts
Christian Wildberg, Classics
Froma I. Zeitlin, Classics, Comparative Literature
Associated Faculty
Elizabeth A. Davis, Anthropology
Marc Domingo Gygax, Classics
Janet Downie, Classics
AnneMarie Luijendijk, Religion
Nikolaos Panou, Comparative Literature
Emmanuel Papoutsakis, Near Eastern Studies
Albert J. Raboteau, Religion
Efthymia Rentzou, French and Italian
The Program in Hellenic Studies, under the general direction of the Council of the Humanities and with the support of the Stanley J. Seeger Hellenic Fund, is designed for students interested in the interdisciplinary study of the Greek world, ancient Byzantine or modern, as well as the classical tradition. The program offers language courses in modern Greek and postclassical Greek (Hellenistic koine to Byzantine Greek), freshman seminars in Hellenic studies, introductory courses in Byzantine and modern Greek studies, upperclass seminars in classical, Byzantine, and modern Greek studies, and a senior thesis colloquium for concentrators in the program. These are complemented by cognate courses offered in several cooperating University departments.
Additional information about the program can be found at the program's website.
Admission to the Program
The program is open to undergraduates majoring in any department. Students should apply for admission during the sophomore or junior year. Students will be accepted into the program on the basis of interest and a coherent academic plan.
The formal requirements for admission are:
1. Satisfactory completion of the requirements for admission to any department with whose plan of study this interdepartmental program may be combined.
2. Satisfactory completion of HLS 107, 204, 206, 235, 240, 261, 346, 348, or 358, or a freshman seminar on a Hellenic studies topic approved by the program executive director.
Program of Study
Program concentrators may elect to follow one of three plans of study:
Plan A allows a specialization in the language and literature of modern Greece. Concentrators in this plan must satisfy a language requirement (HLS 107 or its equivalent).
Plan B provides for a broad-based interdisciplinary study of modern Greek culture, including literature in translation, history, politics, and anthropology.
Plan C offers a diachronic survey of the Hellenic tradition, including the classical, Byzantine, and modern Greek periods.
Concentrators choosing Plan B or C are encouraged to take at least two years of ancient or modern Greek.
Each student works out an individual program of study in consultation with the program executive director. Students in all three plans of study must complete the following requirements:
1. Completion of at least one of the following: HLS 204, 206, 235, 240, 261, 263, 346, 348, or 358, normally during the sophomore year. Plan A concentrators must also complete HLS 107 or its equivalent.
2. Two upper-level HLS seminars or one upper-level HLS seminar and one upper-level cognate course.
3. A senior thesis with an appropriate Hellenic studies focus approved by the program executive director. For science and engineering majors, a substantial research paper on a Hellenic topic, approved by the program executive director.
4. Participation in senior thesis colloquium.
The program also sponsors a biweekly modern Greek seminar, a lecture series, and occasional colloquiums that provide a forum for discussion of research in progress on all aspects of Greek civilization by faculty members, students, members of the Institute for Advanced Study, and visiting scholars.
Study Abroad and Fellowship Opportunities
Program concentrators are encouraged to pursue further study and research in Greece during the summer months and, on occasion, during the academic year. Interested students may apply for Stanley J. Seeger study/travel fellowships through the program.
Under the auspices of the Study Abroad Program, students may complement their academic work in Hellenic studies by enrolling for one or two terms at selected institutions in Greece or England. The Princeton-Oxford Exchange Program provides additional opportunities for students in Hellenic studies.
The program also offers scholarships to qualified Greek nationals who have been admitted to Princeton for study at the undergraduate level.
Certificate of Proficiency
A student who completes the requirements of the program with satisfactory standing receives a certificate of proficiency in Hellenic studies.
Senior Thesis Colloquium
This noncredit colloquium is designed to help program concentrators formulate and carry out their senior thesis research and writing. In any given year the colloquium will be run by faculty in Hellenic studies and others who advise program concentrators. Discussion will focus on research methods and resources in Hellenic studies. Students will present periodic reports on the progress of their work.
Core Courses
HLS 101* Elementary Modern Greek I (also MOG 101) Fall
Designed to serve as an introduction to the language of modern Greece. Practice in speaking, grammatical analysis, composition, and graded reading. Four classes. Staff
HLS 102* Elementary Modern Greek II (also MOG 102) Spring
A continuation of 101, aiming to develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing modern Greek in a cultural context. Classroom activities include videos, comprehension and grammar exercises, and discussions. Four classes. Staff
HLS 105 Intermediate Modern Greek (also MOG 105) Fall
Advanced grammatical analysis, composition, and graded reading, with further practice in speaking. An introduction to themes in the Hellenic tradition through readings in modern Greek literature. Four classes. Prerequisite: 102 or instructor’s permission. Staff
HLS 107 Advanced Modern Greek (also MOG 107) Spring
Advanced composition and oral practice aimed at developing idiomatic written and spoken style. Discussions entirely in Greek. Introduces students to contemporary Greek culture and literature through the study of works by Cavafy, Sikelianos, Seferis, Elytis, Ritsos, and Anagnostakis, among others. Readings from articles on current Greek topics. Four classes. Prerequisite: 105 or instructor’s permission. Z. Passati-Bouloutas
HLS 204 Pagans and Christians: Urbanism, Architecture, and Art of Late Antiquity (see ART 204)
HLS 206 Byzantine Art and Architecture (see ART 206)
HLS 240 Introduction to Postclassical Greek from the Late Antique to the Byzantine Era (see CLG 240)
HLS 261 Myth, History, and Contemporary Experience in Modern Greek, English, and American Poetry (also COM 261) Not offered this year LA
An introduction to the critical appreciation of modern poetry through a close reading and comparison of poems in the modern Greek, English, and American traditions that focus on related themes and modes. Among the poets to be considered are Cavafy, Dickinson, Yeats, Lawrence, Pound, Sikelianos, Stevens, Auden, Seferis, Thomas, Elytis, Lowell, Ritsos, Mastoraki, and Anghelaki-Rooke. Two 90-minute classes. Staff
HLS 324 The Classical Tradition (see COM 324)
HLS 325 Topics in Ancient History and Religion (see CLA 326)
HLS 326 Tragedy (see COM 326)
HLS 334 Modern Transformations of Classical Themes (see CLA 334)
HLS 335 Studies in the Classical Tradition (see CLA 335)
HLS 337 The Ottoman Empire, 1300–1800 (see NES 437)
HLS 346 Introduction to Byzantine Civilization (also HIS 346) Not offered this year HA
The development of Byzantine civilization from the foundation of Constantinople in A.D. 330 to the city’s fall to the Ottoman Turks in 1435. Within a chronological framework, the course analyzes the growth of a specifically medieval, Greek, Christian culture, which developed from the pagan, Greco-Roman background of late antiquity, and moves through medieval, Slavic, Islamic, and Western influences to the Renaissance. Two lectures, one preceptorial. Staff
HLS 348 Mediterranean Europe: 16th to 20th Century (see HIS 363)
HLS 358 Greeks, Turks, and Slavs: Nationalism in the Balkans (also HIS 358) Not offered this year HA
Examines the rise of nationalism in the Balkans, beginning with an examination of Balkan society under the Ottomans and continuing up through the establishment of nation-states in the 19th and 20th centuries. Case studies will include Greece, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Albania. Themes covered: social organization, prenational politics, imperialism, cultural and economic elites, the Ottoman heritage. One lecture, two preceptorials. M. Greene
HLS 361 Special Topics in Modern Greek Civilization (also COM 369) Not offered this year LA
An aspect or period of modern Greek civilization since the War of Independence (1821) as it is illuminated by literary, historical, and other relevant sources. Emphasis will be given to the cross-cultural context of the topic, including the relation of modern Greece to Western, Eastern, or Balkan cultures, or the Hellenic diaspora in America and elsewhere. Staff
HLS 362 Special Topics in Byzantine Civilization Not offered this year
An aspect of the civilization of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, from 312 to 1453, as illuminated by literary, historical, and other relevant sources. Emphasis will be given to the cross-cultural context of the topic, including relations of the Byzantine Empire with Sassanid Persia, the Arabs, the Slavs, and Western Europe. Two lectures, one preceptorial. Staff
HLS 363 Special Topics in Hellenic Studies Not offered this year
The diachronic development of a theme, genre, or institution, with emphasis on the continuities and discontinuities between successive periods of Hellenic culture—ancient, Byzantine, and modern. The approach will be interdisciplinary and cross-cultural. Staff
HLS 422 Religion and Society in Early Medieval Byzantium and Western Europe (see HIS 422)
HLS 430 Seminar. Medieval Art (see ART 430)
HLS 441 Seminar. Renaissance Art (see ART 440)
HLS 461 Great Cities of the Greek World (also ART 461) Not offered this year LA
An intensive interdisciplinary study of the evolution of a city, such as Athens, Constantinople, Thessaloniki, Alexandria, or Antioch, where Greek civilization flourished through successive periods, from antiquity to the present. A study of the form and the image of the city as seen in its monuments and urban fabric, as well as in the works of artists, writers, and travelers. Prerequisite: instructor’s permission. Two 90-minute classes. Staff
Cognate Courses
Depending upon individual student interests, any of the following courses may provide an appropriate supplement to the program’s core courses. For complete course descriptions, see the pertinent departmental entry. Other courses may be added to this list with the approval of the appropriate department and the director of the program.
Courses in Hellenic Studies
Art and Archaeology
202 Greek Art: Ideal Realism
205 Medieval Art in Europe
300 Greek Archaeology of the Bronze Age
301 The Art of the Iron Age: The Near East and Early Greece
302 Myths in Greek Art
305 Greek and Roman Architecture
306 Classical Athens: Art and Institutions
312 The Arts of Medieval Europe
315 Medieval Architecture
318 Medieval Manuscript Illumination
401 Archaeology Seminar
410 Seminar. Greek Art
412 The Archaeology of the Greek Theater
435 The Arts of Pilgrimage in the Middle Ages
Classics
124 The Ancient Comic Tradition
208 Origins and Nature of English Vocabulary
212 Classical Mythology
216 Archaic and Classical Greece
217 The Greek World in the Hellenistic Age
323 Self and Society in Classical Greek Drama
324 Classical Historians and Their Philosophies of History
326, 327 Topics in Ancient History and Religion
329 Sex and Gender in the Ancient World
330 Greek Law and Legal Practice
334 Modern Transformations of Classical Themes
335 Studies in the Classical Tradition
372 English Literature and the Classics
Greek 101 Beginner’s Greek: Greek Grammar
Greek 102 Beginner’s Greek: Attic Prose
Greek 103 Ancient Greek: An Intensive Introduction
Greek 105 Socrates
Greek 108 Homer
Greek 213 Tragic Drama
Greek 214 Seminar
Greek 301 Plato
Greek 302 Greek Tragedy
Greek 304 Greek Historians
Greek 305 Greek Comedy
Greek 306 Greek Rhetoric: Theory and Practice
Greek 307 Homer and the Epic Tradition
Greek 308 The Lyric Age of Greece
Greek 310 Topics in Greek Literature
Comparative Literature
205 The Classical Roots of Western Literature
310 The Literature of Medieval Europe
324 The Classical Tradition
History
211 Europe from Antiquity to 1700
290 The Scientific Worldview of Antiquity and the Middle Ages
Humanistic Studies
216 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Western Culture I: Literature and the Arts
217 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Western Culture II: History, Philosophy, and Religion
Medieval Studies
227 The World of the Middle Ages
Philosophy
205 Introduction to Ancient Philosophy
300 Plato and His Predecessors
301 Aristotle and His Successors
335 Greek Ethical Theory
Politics
301 Ancient and Medieval Political Theory
371 Democracy in Europe
Religion
251 The New Testament and Christian Origins
252 The Early Christian Movement
340 Ancient Judaism and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Other Related Courses
Anthropology
416 Culture and International Order
Art and Archaeology
200 The Art and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East and Egypt
Comparative Literature
327 Modernism in Fiction
328 Modernism in Poetry
Contemporary European Politics and Society
300 European Politics and Society in the 20th Century
Creative Writing
205, 206 Creative Writing (Translation)
305, 306 Advanced Creative Writing (Translation)
European Cultural Studies
209 Cultural Interpretation
History
212 Europe since 1700
343 The Civilization of the Early Middle Ages
344 The Civilization of the High Middle Ages
353 Intellectual History of Europe, 1760–1880
354 Intellectual History of Europe since 1880
357 Eastern Europe since 1815
365 Europe in the 20th Century
Medieval Studies
412 Topics in Medieval Studies
Music
250 World Music Cultures
270 Medieval and Renaissance Music from Original Notation
Near Eastern Studies
201 Introduction to the Middle East
331 The Ancient Near East
337 International Relations in the Middle East since the First World War
433 Imperialism and Reform in the Middle East and the Balkans
437 The Ottoman Empire, 1300–1800
438 The Late Ottoman Empire
Politics
231 European Politics
Religion
231 Hebrew Bible and Earliest Judaism
Woodrow Wilson School
313 Peacemaking
401, 402 Policy Seminars
*Normally students electing a beginner’s course in any language will receive credit only if two terms are completed.
