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Hellenic Studies: Greece Field School 2020

Summer
Athens, Greece (Map)
Lesvos, Greece (Map)
Thessaloniki, Greece (Map)

General 

SFU's Hellenic Studies Program has partnered with Douglas College to bring a group of lucky undergraduate students to Greece for a field school in May and June 2020.

Students will spend three weeks at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University, in lectures and orientations getting to know the faculty and each other as they prepare for their intellectual adventure.

Students will spend three days in the Greek capital of Athens, home of democracy, philosophy, and theatre. Athens is home to some of the world's richest museums (the Archaeological Museum) and is the site of the Acropolis, Parthenon, and Acropolis Museum, where ideas of democratic sovereignty, imperialism, classicism, and cultural appropriation can be fruitfully explored.

Students will then travel to the Aegean island of Lesvos, where you will stay for three and a half weeks. The island of Lesvos is the third largest in Greece and has played host to important developments in Greek history and culture since antiquity. Home to Archaic era poets Alcaeus, Arion, and Sappho and the historian Theophrastos, the island was known in antiquity as a place of refinement. Lesvos experience Roman, Byzantine, Genoese, and Ottoman rule, and was host to the legendary pirate admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa.

Finally, students will journey to Greece's fascinating northern capital, Thessaloniki, for the final few days of the field school. For millennia, Thessaloniki has been the crossroads of the southern Balkans. It is the city in which St. Paul proclaimed he would spread the message of Christianity to Europe; the home of the impressive 8th century Church of St. Sophia; the site of the medieval struggle between the Byzantines, Venetians, and Ottomans; and a place that bears the scars of the 20th century's most painful history, from the Macedonian Struggle, to the First World War, to the Nazi occupation and the Holocaust.

All in all students will have the opportunity to live and learn in a space filled with history and beauty. Students will interact with its landscapes, people, and monuments and enrich your understanding of our world at the edge of Europe, where East and West merge to create the heady mix of Greek culture.

For additional details, visit the Hellenic Students page or if you are a Douglas student you can view the Douglas College page for more information.

Field School Director: Dr. James Horncastle, profile here

 

 

Field School Application Instructions

Application Deadline:

January 31, 2020 

Eligibility 
Undergraduate

Greece Field School applicants must meet the following requirements:

  • Must be 19 years of age or older prior to departure
  • Have completed a minimum of 30 units of university courses
  • Have a minimum 2.5 CGPA
  • Recommended that students should have completed at least one course that meets the "W" requirement and one FASS course
  • 1 academic reference who has taught you in the past, such as a professor/instructor or graduate-level TA, SFU lab instructor, or professor from another university or college (for transfer students only)

        Recommended:

  • 1 personal reference, such as an employer, mentor, coach etc (no family members permitted)

The Field School Selection Committee reserves the right to conduct intake interviews in addition to reviewing the completed application as part of the application process. The Field School Selection Committee for each Field School program will select qualified participants. Decisions are expected 2-4 weeks after the application deadline. All programs require a minimum number of students and are subject to cancellation if minimums are not met.

How to apply as a non-SFU student 

Qualified students from institutions other than SFU are eligible to apply. Visiting students must arrange for transfer credit with their home institution, as well as a transcript after completion. You can access a Visiting Student Application when you begin your Field School Application. Both applications must be complete and submitted by the application deadline for your Field School.

Academics 
English
Hellenic Studies

Exchanges: The names of the subject areas may be different at the partner. The above does not guarantee availability in a specific term or language, nor how courses taken on exchange will transfer back to SFU. This list may be subject to change. Use the above list as a guideline for exploring academic options at the partner.

Field School Program Information 

Field School students take three courses, worth 10 SFU credits, taught by the field school director and SFU Hellenic Studies professor James Horncastle and Julian Brooks, faculty in the Department of History at Douglas College. All courses are transferable to Douglas College.

Courses

  • HS 216-3: War and Society: An examination of some of the key themes in the history of war and society
  • HS 277-3: History of Greek Civilization (B-HUM): An online survey of Greek civilization, Mycenaean Greece to the twentieth century
  • HS 307-4: Selected Topics in Hellenic Studies: The study of issues related to Hellenic Studies not offered in regular courses. For a more detailed description, please refer to the syllabus here. 

 

 

February 28 - March 11: Mandatory Canvas Program
March 12: Pre-Departure Orientation Session

Location: Simon Fraser University
Dates: May 11 - 29, 2020

You will spend three weeks at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University, in seminars and orientations getting to know the faculty and each other as they prepare for your intellectual adventure.

Location: Athens, Greece
Dates: May 30 - June 2, 2020
Places: Acropolis; Parthenon; Agora; Archaeological Museum; Delphi Museum; Hosios Loukas Monastery; Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center

You will spend three days in the Greek capital of Athens, home of democracy, philosophy, and theatre. Athens is home to some of the world's richest museums (the Archaeological Museum) and is the site of the Acropolis, Parthenon, and Acropolis Museum, where ideas of democratic sovereignty, imperialism, classicism and cultural appropriation can be fruitfully explored.

Location: Island of Lesvos, Greece
Dates: June 2 - 25, 2020
Places: Skala Sykamnias; Vareltzidaina Mansion; Leimonos Monastery; Mytilene; Molyvos; Valley of the Waterfalls; Mt. Lepetimnos

You will then travel to the Aegean island of Lesvos, where you will stay for three and a half weeks. The island of Lesvos is the third largest in Greece and has played host to important developments in Greek history and culture since antiquity. Home to Archaic era poets Alcaeus, Arion and Sappho and the historian Theophrastos, the island was known in antiquity as a place of refinement. Lesvos experienced Roman, Byzantine, Genoese, and Ottoman rule, and was host to the legendary pirate admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa.

Location: Thessaloniki, Greece
Dates: June 25 - 28, 2020
Places: White Tower; Arch of Galerius and Rotunda; Aristotelous Square; Hagios Demetrios

Finally, you will journey to Greece's fascinating northern capital, Thessaloniki, for the final few days of the field school. For millennia, Thessaloniki has been the crossroads of the southern Balkans. It is the city in which St. Paul proclaimed he would spread the message of Christianity to Europe; the home of the impressive 8th century Church of St. Sophia; the site of the medieval struggle between the Byzantines, Venetians, and Ottomans; and a place that bears the scars of the 20th century's most painful history, from the Macedonian Struggle, to the First World War, to the Nazi occupation and the Holocaust.

All in all you will have the opportunity to live and learn in a space filled with history and beauty. You will interact with its landscapes, people, and monuments and enrich your understanding of our world at the edge of Europe, where East and West merge to create the heady mix of Greek culture.

* All destinations are tentative and subject to change due to weather, availability or other unforseen factors

 

Program Fees
*$2,465.72 - $3,549.58

Tuition Fees
**$1,920.30

Student Activity Fee (off-campus) 
$63.60

Financial Aid
For more information on funding your trip, please visit the SFU Study Abroad's Financial Aid page.

What's included

  • Shared accommodation in Athens, Lesvos, and Thessaloniki
  • Field trips
  • Entrance fees
  • In-country transportation
  • Some group meals
  • Pre-Departure Orientation, In-Field/Re-Entry Support

What's not included

  • International airfare
  • Books
  • Vaccinations
  • Some food
  • Communication costs
  • Mandatory health insurance
  • Entertainment and additional personal travel

* Final program costs are based on the total number of students and are subject to change
** Based on ten credits. Does not include student fees. International students pay differential tuition

Students must pay all fees directly to SFU Student Services by the due date as outlined in the SFU Calendar.

The cost of the program is estimated and subject to change.

Funding

Full time students participating in SFU field schools are eligible to apply for student loans. Full time degree-seeking SFU students may also apply for bursaries, scholarships, awards, and International Exchange/Field School Bursaries. Please note full time undergraduate students are those taking 9 or more SFU units per term. Students on SFU undergraduate scholarships must be enrolled in 12 units per term. For more information on funding and costs while studying abroad, please click here.

Suite of Study Abroad Awards (Value: $1000-$2000)
In the Study Abroad (Formal Exchange or Field School) program application, degree seeking SFU students applying for a full-time study abroad program may apply to the Suite of Study Abroad Awards.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies is providing $250 grants to undergraduate SFU and Douglas College students who participate in the 2020 Hellenic Studies: Greece Field School (students from any other universities may be considered for the grant on a case-by-case basis). Students are considered automatically as part of the application process to the field school.

Mandatory Health Insurance

SFU Students will need to indicate whether or not they will be covered by the SFSS Undergraduate Health/Dental Plan or the GSS Benefit Plan for the duration of the field school. Please visit www.studentcare.ca for further coverage details. If you are a visiting student or an SFU student that has already opted out of the SFSS Undergraduate Health/ Dental or the GSS Benefit Plan within the current academic year (September 1st - August 31st), you will need to print, sign, scan and upload a copy of the Field Schools: Proof of Alternative Travel Medical Coverage Form.

 

 

 

 

Drop-in Office Hours

The field school directors will be holding drop-in office hours on the following dates and times in their offices on the SFU Burnaby campus and Douglas New West campus.

Friday, January 24, 2020
Time: 12:00-14:00
Room: AQ 6207 (SFU)

Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Time: 12:00-14:00
Room: AQ 6207 (SFU) 

Mondays
Time: 17:00-18:00
Room: N3315 (Douglas) 

Wednesdays 
Time: 14:00-15:00 
Room: N3315 (Douglas) 

 

 

For people with (physical or mental) medical conditions, international travel can present severe challenges. Because SFU field schools take place in international locations where emergency services, and/or mental or physical support services may be limited, or non-existent, some field school placements will not be appropriate for everyone. Please speak with the program's Field School Director for information on specific conditions for this field school.

If you have a medical condition that poses limitations on your ability to function in certain environments, we strongly advise that you register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL). CAL staff will ask that you provide documentation from a duly-qualified medical specialist, which contains a diagnosis and a treatment plan. Where appropriate, CAL staff will communicate with field school staff with regard to accommodation in the field. (Please note that, while Centre staff indicate to field school staff that a prospective participant requires accommodation for a medical condition, they do not disclose the nature of the medical condition.)

Because overseas arrangements can be complicated, we recommend that you contact the CAL at least three months prior to the commencement of the field school in which you wish to participate. Please note that failure to make proper arrangements in advance of travel could result in termination from the field school with costs and academic credit forfeited.

Weather

 

  • Temperature conditions such as high heat are common in summer months
  • Students are encouraged to drink plenty of fluids, especially water
  • Students are advised to apply sunscreen throughout the day

Walking

 

 

  • Students will be doing a considerable amount of walking
  • Students are advised to wear approriate footwear and comfortable clothing

 

 
Type:
Field School

Program Provider

SFU

Host Institution