Doctor of Philosophy in Modern Greek

Program of Study. In addition to close analysis of modern Greek texts, all candidates will be expected to take courses, and/or undertake programs of guided reading, prior to the General Examinations, in order to improve

a.  Knowledge of the history and development of the Greek language, including study of the katharevousa and the principles of modern dialect differentiation;
b.  Mastery of the rudiments of postclassical history pertinent to modern Greek;
c.  Familiarity with ancient and Byzantine texts relevant to the study of modern Greek culture, including palaeography and the study of Greek manuscripts and early printed editions;
d.  Understanding of major cultural trends from the Renaissance to the present day;
e.  Awareness of current theoretical approaches.

While programs of study will be determined on an individual basis in consultation with the supervisor, two courses each for (a) through (c) and at least one course each for (d) and (e) are recommended.

The curriculum is also designed to foster expertise in

1. The study of the modern Greek language, its history and development from the Hellenistic koine to the present day;
2. The study of modern Greek literature, from the twelfth century to the present day; and at least two of the following:
3. Literary criticism, with emphasis on the poetry and prose of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries;
4. Textual criticism, with emphasis on vernacular texts from the twelfth to fifteenth centuries and on Cretan Renaissance poetry and drama from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries;
5. Comparative analysis in ancient Greek mythology and modern Greek folklore;
6. Social and anthropological approaches to modern Greek culture.

Languages. In addition to a reading knowledge of ancient Greek (to the level of Greek 10 or the equivalent), and of Byzantine Greek (two courses or equivalent), a reading knowledge of two other languages relevant to the program of study (e.g., Latin, Ottoman/Turkish, French, German, Italian, Russian), one of which should be either French or German. Requirements may be satisfied either by course work, or by examination (with the aid of dictionaries). This requirement must be fulfilled before the dissertation prospectus is approved. Tests are normally administered in September, February, and April.

Pedagogy. Students take a practicum course (Classic 360) in the craft of teaching, normally in their third year. Strategies will be applicable to courses taught in translation as well as language courses.

General Examinations. All students should normally, by the end of the April of their second year, take three General Examinations, namely:

1. Two written examinations of three hours each, covering
   1. Translation, explication, and commentary on prepared and unprepared texts from the twelfth century to the present day, and
   2. Explication and commentary on prepared texts from a specified field;
2. An oral examination of one-and-one-half hours, to be conducted in Greek and English. These examinations may be repeated only once in the event of failure.

Special Examinations. By the end of the third, or at the latest, the fourth year, the candidate must take a two-hour oral examination devoted to at least one modern Greek author in relation to a genre and/or special subject to be selected from the fields of language, literature, and ethnography. Choice of author(s), genre/subject to be submitted for approval at the time of the General Examinations, or as soon thereafter as possible. This examination may be repeated only once in the event of failure.

Dissertation Regulations. See the Dissertation Regulations page. Note that the dissertation may be submitted (with approval) in modern Greek.