Friday, December 30, 2011

My Courses!!

EURO 111 Modern Greek Language (5)
Introduction to the modern Greek Language. On previous programs, students who applied themselves seriously to this course were prepared to take intensive Greek on their return to UW.

EURO 399 Greek Culture (5)
Taught by a selection of instructors from the University of Ioannina and members of the local community, this class introduces students to a range of aspects of Greek culture, from its ancient foundations to its current status as a member of the European Union. It will be divided into 3 modules: Ancient, Byzantine and Modern Greece, with one instructor facilitating each module. 

CHID 471 Regional Tensions: Greece and Albania During the Age of Nationalism (5)
Examines political and social relations among Greek and Albanian people. Students will learn about histories of competing territorial claims in Northwest Greece and Albania, about current immigration issues between the two countries, and how these issues express more general themes of nationalism, ethnicity and sovereignty. This class includes an overnight trip to the University of Gjirokaster in Albania, so that we can discuss these issues with Albanian students

Ioannina Sunset

Preview of Lake Pamvotida

Program Description - Provided by Study Abroad UW

"Greece has one of the longest records of continuity in world history. Its earliest history was thought to be myth until archaeologists discovered the physical evidence of Homer's account of the Trojan War and its survivor, Odysseus. Although that highly specialized culture was destroyed, it re-emerged to produce the equally brilliant culture of Athens, Sparta, and more than another 1000 city-states that managed to deal with the Great King of Persia. Incorporated into a larger kingdom by Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander, that culture continued until the success of the Romans. Yet it again re-vived when Rome fell to become the Byzantine Empire, which later fell to the Ottomans. Surfacing again with assistance from outside cultures, Greece became a modern, independent state in 1821. Currently, its crisis puts the world economy in dire circumstances. This is the nine thousand years of history that you will witness.
As a student on this program, my perspective will be from the city of Ioannina, in the northwest of Greece, a university town large enough to provide needs for our program, but small enough that students have been able to become familiar with people and places there without becoming lost or feeling anonymous. It is also the site of important historical developments that are relevant to the academic content of the program. Reminders of the past are abundant both in the city and the surrounding region, which is physically attractive, with its interplay between mountains and canyons and valleys. It was the seat of power for the Ottoman Albanian ruler Ali Pasha, and is the largest city in Epirus, a region over which sovereignty is still contested by some Albanians and Greeks. The Albanian University of Gjirokasta is nearby, serving our program as a site for a visit, during which they can experience a different perspective on regional tensions with students at the University" - University of Washington Study Abroad CHID Website