Modern Greek

Prerequisites. Proficiency in written and spoken Modern Greek. At least three semesters of Ancient Greek are recommended.

Academic Residence. Minimum of four semesters of full-time study (16 courses, or 64 credits). Students are not normally permitted to take more than two courses numbered 301 before sitting for their General Examinations.

Program of Study. All candidates will be expected to take courses in the following areas:

1. Theoretical and/or methodological approaches: (a) Classic 350. Classics Proseminar or (b) CompLit 299ar. Comparative Literature in Theory and Practice, or another appropriate course in theoretical or methodological issues pertaining to the study of literature (one course);
2. Ancient Greek (Greek 10 or above) (one course);
3. Byzantine Greek (e.g., Medieval Greek 115 or any course listed under Medieval Greek) (two courses);
4. The study of the modern Greek language, its history and development from the Hellenistic koine to the present day (one course);
5. The study of modern Greek literature and culture, from the twelfth century to the present day (three courses);
6. At least one course in three of the following areas (three courses):
   1. cultural theory, literary theory and criticism, or other appropriate course in theoretical or methodological issues pertaining to the study of literature;
   2. comparative study of modern Greek literature and culture;
   3. Greek paleography and textual criticism, codicology, and/or the study of early printed texts;
   4. diachronic and /or comparative analysis of modern Greek folklore and oral literature;
   5. social and anthropological approaches to modern Greek culture;
   6. ancient Greek or Byzantine history, art, or culture
   7. post-classical Greek or European history.

At least three courses in the program will be graduate seminars.

Languages. Candidates will demonstrate 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. Reading knowledge will be tested by the department (with the aid of dictionaries). This requirement must be fulfilled before the dissertation prospectus is approved. Tests are normally administered in October and April.

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

General Examinations. All students should, normally by the end of their fourth semester, take three General Examinations, namely:

1. Two written examinations of three hours each, covering
   1. Translation: the examination will consist of six passages of which four will be from the reading list and two will be unprepared texts from the twelfth century to the present day, and
   2. Essays: Explication and commentary on prepared texts from a specified field agreed upon in consultation with faculty in the program;
2. An oral examination of one-and-one-half hours, to be conducted in Greek and English, based on the texts examined in the written exams.

Note: These examinations may be repeated only once in the event of failure. If a student fails only one part of the examination, they need only repeat that part.

Special Examinations. By the end of the sixth semester, or at the latest, the seventh, the candidate must take a two-hour oral examination in three fields. Students must submit a proposal for the three special areas to the graduate committee, normally by the end of the fourth semester of graduate study. The three fields are as follows:

1. At least one modern Greek author or corpus, or a literary movement or period, and the relevant historical and cultural context (mid-fifteenth century to the present, or twelfth century to the present, in the case of vernacular early modern Greek texts).
2. An ancient Greek or Byzantine author or corpus, and/or the reception of any of the above in modern Greek literature and culture, or a genre and its transhistorical development in Greek literature.
3. Special subject to be selected from relevant allied fields or methodological approaches pertaining to the student’s research interests, such as comparative study of Modern Greek literature; literary and cultural theory; comparative oral poetics; modern European history; cultural politics; linguistics; folklore; palaeography; textual criticism of vernacular early modern Greek texts (twelfth through seventeenth century).

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