Athens, Greece International Seminar - Summer 2008
Program Handbook
The Athens, Greece international seminar is offered by International Academic Programs (IAP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This IAP Program Handbook supplements materials you receive from IAP as well as the IAP Study Abroad Handbook and provides you with the most up-to-date information and advice available at the time of printing. Changes may occur before your departure or while you are abroad.
Questions about your program abroad (housing options, facilities abroad, academics, etc.) should be directed to International Academic Programs at UW-Madison.
This program handbook contains the following information:
Contact Information 1
Program Dates 2
Preparation Before Leaving 2
Travel and Arrival Information 4
The Academic Program 5
Living Abroad 7
Student Testimonials 10
Contact Information
On-Site Program Information
Your primary contact in Greece will be UW Professor William Aylward, the Resident Director. Professor Aylward will be staying in the Hotel Achilleas in Greece. His on-site contact information will be distributed in Athens.
Professor William Aylward
Department of Classics
968 Van Hise Hall
Tel: (608) 263-7498
UW-Madison Information
International Academic Programs (IAP)
University of Wisconsin-Madison
261 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Tel: 608-262-2851, Fax: 608-262-6998
Web: www.studyabroad.wisc.edu
For Program Advising & Grades:Mandi Schoville
Study Abroad Advisor
Tel: 608-265-8977
E-mail: / For Financial Matters:
Judy Humphrey
IAP Financial Specialist
Tel: 608-262-6785
E-mail:
Emergency Contact Information
In case of an emergency, call the main IAP number (608) 262-2851 between 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; after-hours or on weekends call the IAP staff on call at (608) 516-9440.
Embassy Registration
All program participants who are U.S. citizens must register at the U.S. Embassy before departure as this will help in case of a lost passport or other mishap. You can register on-line at https://travelregistration.state.gov. If you are not a U.S. citizen, register at your home country’s embassy or consulate.
U.S. Embassy in Athens
91 Vassilisis Sophias Ave
10160 Athens, Greece
Tel: +30-210-721-2951
E-mail:
http://athens.usembassy.gov/
Program Dates
Depart U.S. Sunday, May 25
Arrive in Greece (first night in housing) Monday, May 26*
Course dates Tuesday, May 27 – Thursday, June 12
Departure from housing Friday, June 13 (Check out by Noon)
* We recommend that all students arrive to the hotel in Athens by 6 PM on May 26th at the latest so that you will have time to rest before the Welcome Banquet.
Preparation Before Leaving
Refer to the Pre-Departure Checklist on pages four and five of the IAP Study Abroad Handbook for essential information.
Immigration Documents
Passport
A passport is needed to travel to Greece. Apply immediately for a passport if you do not already have one. Passport information and application forms can be found on the U.S. State Department website (http://travel.state.gov/passport). If you already have your passport, make sure it will be valid for at least 6 months beyond the length of your stay abroad.
Visa
No visa is required for U.S. passport holders for stays less than 3 months. Students from other countries should consult with the Greek Embassy regarding visa requirements.
Handling Money Abroad
The currency in Greece is in Euros. For the latest currency exchange rate, visit www.x-rates.com. Banks in Athens are typically open Monday to Friday from 8am to 1:30pm. The National Bank of Greece has branches in Syntagma Square and in Omonia Square, which is open later and has some weekend hours.
Students must obtain an ISIC (International Student Identity Card) prior to departure. This card entitles the students to discounted rates for the fieldtrip locations you will attend on this program and also to other locations throughout Europe. Details on the ISIC card can be found at www.isic.org. You can purchase an ISIC card at STA Travel on State Street.
When you leave Athens at the end of the program, you will need to pay a departure tax. This is roughly 8 euros for travels within Europe and 12 euros for all other travels.
Packing
All manner of clothing is possible in Greece, within the limits of decency and good taste. You are expected to dress in a respectable manner when visiting churches and monasteries. In order to enter a church, women are expected to wear skirts that fall below their knees and at minimum, shirts that cover their shoulders. Men should likewise wear pants and sleeved shirts. You will see tourists entering churches with far less clothing than is required, but it is considered extremely offensive. Remember to bring comfortable walking shoes.
Electronics
The standard in Greece is 220V AC (50Hz). With the difference in currency, we recommend that you avoid taking U.S. electrical appliances. If you do, pack an adapter together with your electrical appliance, so that you do not have to spend valuable time looking for adapters and transformers during your stay.
Travel and Arrival Information
You are responsible for making your own travel arrangements, which includes arranging flights that will allow for appropriate arrival time before the course start date. You may wish to arrange flights with other students on the program or fly to Athens on your own. We recommend that all students arrive to the hotel in Athens by 6 PM on May 26th at the latest so that you will have time to rest before the Welcome Banquet. Prior to this date, you will need to arrange your own accommodations.
Arrival Directions
Athens' International Airport, Eleftherios Venizelos - www.aia.gr, has all the amenities of a large airport including a hotel, post office, courier service, banks, currency exchanges, ATM's, as well as many stores and restaurants. The airport is 27 kilometers (17 miles) southeast of Athens and is accessible by car, taxi, metro, and bus. Upon arrival, you will want to go to your housing facilities at the Hotel Achilleas:
Hotel Achilleas
21, Lekka Str, Syntagma Sq.
Athens 10562 GREECE
Tel: +30-210-3233197, Fax: +30-210-3222412
http://www.achilleashotel.gr/
To get to the hotel, you will need to either take the metro, bus, or a taxi from the airport. Here are some tips on these transportation modes:
Metro
The quickest and cheapest way to travel to the center of Athens is to take the metro. Metro Line 3 connects the airport to Syntagma Station, which is a 4 minute walk to the hotel (6 euros per person one way, 3 euros for students if you use your ISIC card). Trains depart for the Airport every half hour. The journey time from Athens International Airport to Syntagma is 27 minutes. Note: The Metro tends to be more comfortable than the bus which can often be overcrowded.
Bus
Bus 95 runs from the airport to Syntagma Terminal (3,20 euors per person one way). The express bus 95 runs from the West, East, and Charter terminals and typically depart every half hour from 5am to midnight, and every hour after midnight. Bus tickets can be purchased from the bus drivers, all metro stations, and public transport ticket outlets.
Taxi
The most convenient and expensive way of arriving at the hotel is by taxi. Outside the airport, there are taxi stands operating 24-hours a day. The taxi ride duration varies depending on the traffic congestion, but typically takes 30-45 minutes (airport to the town center). Taxi fares are charged on a per km basis, typically costing 25-35 euors/per cab for 2-3 passengers with luggage (airport to hotel). If you do decide to utilize taxi service, be aware that there are people at the airport who charge astronomical rates for transport to the city in their own private vehicles.
Prebooked taxis are available upon request. For further information and/or booking details, contact the Taxi Union Association (SATA) at:
Tel.: +210-5239524, 5221123, 5227986, 5242589
E-mail:
According to the Greek Legislation, taxi drivers should provide upon request a receipt for the amount paid for transportation services. The receipt should also indicate the taxi registration number and the driver's name.
The Academic Program
General Information
This program examines the literature, society, monuments, artifacts, and culture of classical Athens.Study will include examination of archaeological remains, literary texts, and the viewpoints of modern scholars. We will explore the defining characteristics of the Athenian city-state (polis) and the contribution of ancient Greece to the Western intellectual tradition.Topics of discussion will include topography, architecture, religion, democracy, war, imperialism, tragedy, and art. We will also examine questions of identity in the ancient world, the role of women in ancient Greek society, and the conceptions of myth and the divine. Because we will have the city of Athens and its museums and monuments as our classroom, material culture will be a natural focus of our daily study. Units on history and literature will round out our coverage of ancient Greece, which will include several trips outside of Athens in order to experience the Greek countryside and other important sites for study of ancient Greece.
Course Information
Class will convene regularly in classroom space provided by our hotel. Class begins at 11 a.m. and runs for several hours. Classroom lecture and discussion will be complemented by numerous trips to monuments and museums in Athens as well as full day trips to regional sites and museums. On some of these days we will have early morning departures. Each student will be required to prepare a short presentation about a monument, artifact or event at a site we visit, to be delivered to the class at the site on the day we visit (a list of possible topics will be distributed later). All reading assignments in the textbook that appear on the syllabus should be completed in advance of the time for which they are assigned. Readings from the course reader will be assigned once we are in Athens. Quizzes and the final exam will be based on assigned readings in the textbook and course reader, as well as on information provided on fieldtrips.
Week 1: May 26-30
Monday, May 26: Arrive in Athens. Welcome banquet (evening).
Tuesday, May 27: Class lecture, discussion, and quiz (start at 11 a.m.)
Assigned readings: Powell and Morris, Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 23 (and following chronological chart).
Wednesday, May 28: Athens National Museum (4 hours). Morning departure with private guide to take the subway to the National Archeological Museum for guided visit to see the most important findings from the Acropolis and Attica area.
Assigned reading: Powell and Morris, Chapters 8, 9 and 10.
Thursday, May 29: Trip to Athenian Acropolis, with guide (4 hours). Bring good walking shoes, sunblock, and hat. Be prepared to take notes.
Assigned reading: Powell and Morris, Chapters 14 and 15.
Friday, May 30: Trip to Athenian Agora (May 30) with guide (4 hours). Bring good walking shoes, sunblock, and hat. Be prepared to take notes.
Assigned reading: Powell and Morris, Chapter 13.
Week 2: June 2-6
Monday, June 2: Full day bus trip to Delphi, with guide (8 hours round trip, 2 hours on bus each way). Lunch provided at Taverna Bacchus in Delphi, menu TBA. Bring good walking shoes, sunblock, and hat. Be prepared to take notes.
Assigned reading: Powell and Morris, Chapter 7
Tuesday, June 3: Class lecture, discussion and quiz (start at 11 a.m.)
Assigned reading: TBA.
Wednesday, June 4: Full day bus trip to Marathon and Cape Sounion, with guide (8 hour round-trip). Itinerary includes Marathon, the Tumulus of the Athenians and Museum, the Tumulus of the Plataians, possibly the Tombs of the Myceneans, and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. Bring good walking shoes, sunblock, and hat. Be prepared to take notes.
Assigned reading: Powell and Morris, Chapters 11 and 12.
Thursday, June 5: Full day bus trip to Tiryns, Argos, and Mycenae, with guide (8 hours). Lunch provided at Taverna Kolizeras in Mycenae , menu TBA. Bring good walking shoes, sunblock, and hat. Be prepared to take notes.
Assigned reading: Powell and Morris, Chapters 4, 5 and 6.
Friday, June 6: Class lecture, discussion, and quiz (start at 11 a.m.)
Assigned reading: Powell and Morris, Chapters 16 and 17.
Week 3: June 9-13
Monday, June 9: Class lecture, discussion, and quiz (start at 11 a.m.)
Assigned reading: Powell and Morris, Chapters 18 and 19.
Tuesday, June 10: Full day bus trip to Eleusis, Corinth, and Acrocorinth, with guide
(8 hours). Lunch at your own expense in Corinth. Bring good walking shoes, sunblock, and hat. Be prepared to take notes. Bring good walking shoes, sunblock, and hat. Be prepared to take notes.
Assigned reading: Powell and Morris, Chapter 22.
Wednesday, June 11: Class lecture, discussion, and quiz (start at 11 a.m.)
Assigned reading: Powell and Morris, Chapters 20 and 21.
Thursday, June 12: Class lecture, discussion, and FINAL EXAM (start at 11 a.m.)
Assigned reading: review your previous readings in Powell and Morris, the course reader, and your notes from fieldtrips.
Friday, June 13: Depart Athens
Required textbooks:
B.B. Powell and Ian Morris, The Greeks: History, Culture and Society (Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ 2006)
Course Reader with supplemental readings and maps (for sale at the Underground Textbook Exchange on State Street)
Credit and Grading:
This course cannot be taken for Pass/Fail. Upon successful completion of the course, students will earn 3 credits of Classics 371: Topics in Greek Culture.
Class preparation and participation in discussion (20%)
Site presentation (20%)
Quizzes (25%)
Final two-hour exam (35%)
Living Abroad
Greece
Greece is located in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula. It is bordered by Bulgaria, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania to the north, and by Turkey to the east. The Aegean Sea lies to the east and south of mainland Greece, while the Ionian Sea lies to the west. It is heir to the heritages of classical Greece, the Byzantine Empire, and nearly four centuries of Ottoman rule. Regarded as the cradle of western civilization and being the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, western literature, political science, major scientific principles and drama, Greece has a particularly long and eventful history and a cultural heritage considerably influential in Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East. Today, Greece is a developed country, a member of the European Union since 1981 and a member of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union since 2001. Athens, Thessaloniki, Piraeus and Patra are the country's major cities.