Disciplines and areas of study
Greek studies
Program coordinator: Ms Maria Herodotou
The Greek Studies Program offers students the opportunity to study aspects of Greek language, culture, history, and politics from the ancient world to contemporary Greece within the context of Europe. Structured around three separate areas of specialisation (ancient Mediterranean studies, Modern Greek studies and modern Mediterranean studies), the program allows students to focus on their own particular interests while also developing a critical understanding of the evolution of Greek culture. Each area of specialisation is made up of combinations of units from the disciplines of Greek and European studies, art history, archaeology, history, politics, English, and others, enabling students to study civilisations, languages, and history from an interdisciplinary and transnational perspective.
One of the objectives of the program is to integrate into the subject matter the teaching of academic writing, argumentation, and computer skills. Melbourne’s large Greek community provides learners of Greek with a stimulating cultural and social environment in which to observe and practise what they study, both as students and as professionals after graduation. Students of Greek studies are also encouraged to undertake approved study in Greece or Cyprus during their course, gaining credit towards their degree.
Area 1: Ancient Mediterranean studies
The Mediterranean basin has been a highly influential spawning ground for diverse cultures from antiquity to the present. This area of Greek studies allows students to become familiar with the Mediterranean civilisations and, in particular, the Ancient Greek achievement, by taking units offered by various programs within the faculty. Students may pursue their interests in a variety of fields, including history, philosophy, religion, archaeology, language, and literature. By selecting from a large pool of approved units, students will be able to develop an understanding of broad historical and artistic developments in the ancient Mediterranean region, as well as the role of the emergence and collapse of these civilisations in the construction of Modern Greek and European identities.
Programs of study
Students who major in ancient Mediterranean studies must complete a minimum of 130 credit points from the lists below (including the two core units), of which:
- (a) 30 credit points must consist of units in Ancient Greek language, to be taken normally before the beginning of third year, and
- (b) At least 60 credit points must be at third year level (see second- and third year unit list below).
Ancient Greek Units
| Teaching period | Unit title | Unit code |
|---|---|---|
| First year units (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Ancient Greek Beginners 1A | ANG1BEA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Women in Ancient Greek Drama1 | ANG1WAG |
| TE-SEM-2 | Ancient Greek Beginners 1B | ANG1BEB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Ancient Mediterranean Culture – the Greek achievement (core unit) | ANG1AMC |
| Second or third year units (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Ancient Greek Intermediate 2C | ANG2INC/ANG3INC |
| TE-SEM-2 | Ancient Greek Intermediate 2D | ANG2IND/ANG3IND |
| TE-SEM-2 | From Homer to Hollywood: the perennial Greek hero/heroine (core unit) | ANG2HHH/ANG3HHH |
- Key: 1 Not available in 2008.
Additional units for major
Important notice: Not all of the units listed below will be available every year. See the unit lists for the specific disciplines, where units unavailable in 2008 will be noted.
| Unit title | Unit code |
|---|---|
| First year units (15 credit points) | |
| Ancient Civilisations | HIS1ACA |
| Archaeology of Ancient Civilisations | ARC1AAC |
| Art from Greece to the Renaissance: the body in perspective | ARH1AGR |
| Critical Thinking | PHI1CRT |
| Greek Beginners 1A | GST1BEA |
| Greek Beginners 1B | GST1BEB |
| Myth, Legend, and History | HIS1MLH |
| Second year units (20 credit points) | |
| Greek Beginners 2A | GST2BEA |
| Greek Beginners 2B | GST2BEB |
| Second or third year units (20 credit points) | |
| Imaging Contemporary Greece: cinema, song, text | EST2ICG/EST3ICG |
| Managing Archaeology | ARC2MAN/ARC3MAN |
| Mediterranean Archaeology | ARC2MED/ARC3MED |
| Plato and the Meaning of Being | PHI2PAM/PHI3PAM |
| Rise and Fall of Civilisations | ARC2RFC/ARC3RFC |
| Tragedy and the Classical World | ENG2TCW/ENG3TCW |
| Transterritorial Hellenism | EST2TTH/EST3TTH |
| World of the Pharaohs: the archaeology of ancient Egypt | ARC2EGY/ARC3EGY |
Honours
Students who fulfil the requirements for a major in Greek studies (area 1, ancient Mediterranean studies) and who perform well in their work (at least a B average in their core units) are strongly encouraged to enrol in the honours program at fourth year level. Students who wish to enrol in the honours program should apply by September of their third year of study. The honours and masters preliminary program has two components, coursework, and a thesis. For the coursework component, students are required to complete the equivalent of 60 credit points of fourth year units. Coursework counts for 50% of the final honours assessment. The units approved for the honours course (area 1) will be chosen from a variety of disciplines according to the student’s area of specialisation, and subject to approval by the Greek Studies Honours Coordinator and the Honours Coordinator of the other discipline(s) concerned.
For the research component, students are required to complete a 12000 to 15000-word thesis on an approved topic under the guidance of an approved supervisor. The thesis is to be submitted for marking during the second semester and it counts for 50% of the final honours assessment.
Area 2: Modern Greek studies
This area combines the study of the spoken and written language of contemporary Greece with the study of literature, history, society, and culture. First year units introduce students to the broader context of Modern Greek culture and society while later-year units place greater emphasis on competence in the language by examining works of literature in the original Greek. Language units are taught at a variety of levels for beginners, intermediate and advanced learners, as well as for native speakers of Modern Greek. Students may participate in a study abroad program in either Greece or Cyprus.
Units also prepare students for a variety of career paths including teaching, translating, interpreting, health, banking, tourism, and related industries in Australia and within the European Union.
Programs of study
Students who major in Modern Greek studies must complete a minimum of 130 credit points from the list below, including at least 60 credit points at third year level. Depending on students’ knowledge of Modern Greek language, this total of credit points must include one of the following sequences of core units.
Advanced: students who have passed VCE Modern Greek or its equivalent will complete:
- the two language units for advanced students (GST1ADA and GST1ADB), and
- four of the core units from the list below including two at third year level.
These students will complete one other unit at third year level from the list below.
Beginners: students with no knowledge of Modern Greek will complete the six language units for beginners (GST1BEA, GST1BEB, GST2BEA, GST2BEB, GST3BEA, and GST3BEB).
These students will complete one other unit at third year level from the list below.
Intermediate: Students with intermediate competence in Modern Greek but less than is required to pass VCE Modern Greek will complete:
- the four language units for intermediate students (GST1INA, GST1INB, GST2INA and GST2INB), and
- two of the core units from the list below at third year level.
These students will complete one other unit at third year level from the list below.
In addition, students are strongly advised to take the unit EST1GAB Greece and the Balkans in the 20th Century (15 credit points).
Important notice: not all of the units listed below will be available every year. See the unit lists for the specific disciplines, where units unavailable in 2008 will be noted.
| Teaching period | Unit title | Unit code |
|---|---|---|
| First year units (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Greek Advanced 1A | GST1ADA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Greek Beginners 1A | GST1BEA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Greek Intermediate 1A | GST1INA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Greece and the Balkans in the 20th Century | EST1GAB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Greek Advanced 1B | GST1ADB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Greek Beginners 1B | GST1BEB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Greek Intermediate 1B | GST1INB |
| TE-SEM-2 | The Nature of Language and Communication B | LIN1NLB |
| Second year units (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Greek Beginners 2A | GST2BEA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Greek Intermediate 2A | GST2INA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Greek Beginners 2B | GST2BEB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Greek Intermediate 2B | GST2INB |
| Second or third year units (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Ethnic and Civil Conflict | EST2ECC/EST3ECC |
| TE-SEM-1 | Formal Standard Greek 1,2 | GST2FSG/GST3FSG |
| TE-SEM-1 | Greek Immigrants in Australia 2 | GST2GIA/GST3GIA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Varieties of Modern Greek 2 | GST2VMG/GST3VMG |
| TE-SEM-2 | Creative Writing and Journalism 1,2 | GST2CWJ/GST3CWJ |
| TE-SEM-2 | Greek for Professional Purposes 2 | GST2GPP/GST3GPP |
| TE-SEM-2 | Imaging Contemporary Greece: cinema, song and text | EST2ICG/EST3ICG |
| TE-SEM-2 | Issues in Teaching Greek 1,2 | GST2ITG/GST31ITG |
| TE-SEM-2 | Transterritorial Hellenism: a journey through some sites | EST2TTH/EST3TTH |
| TE-SEM-2 | Twentieth-century Greek Literature 2 | GST2TGL/GST3TGL |
| Third year units (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Greek Beginners 3A | GST3BEA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Reading Course A | GST3RCA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Greek Beginners 3B | GST3BEB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Reading Course B | GST3RCB |
| TE-SEM-S | Reading Course C | GST3RCC |
| TE-SEM-2 | Translation: legal and medical1,2 | GST3TLM |
- Key: 1 Not available in 2008.
- 2 Core unit (see rules for advanced and intermediate students above).
Honours
Students who fulfil the requirements for a major in Greek studies (area 2, Modern Greek studies) and who perform well in their work (at least a B average in Modern Greek units) are strongly encouraged to enrol in the honours program at fourth year level. Students who wish to enrol in the honours program should apply by September of their third year of study. The honours and masters preliminary program has two components, coursework, and a thesis. For the coursework component, students are required to complete the equivalent of 60 credit points of fourth year units. A list of units offered is available from the Greek Studies Honours Coordinator. Coursework counts for 50% of the final honours assessment. For the research component, students are required to complete a 12000 to 15000-word thesis on an approved topic under the guidance of an approved supervisor. The thesis is to be submitted for marking during the second semester and it counts for 50% of the final honours assessment.
Area 3: Modern Mediterranean studies
This area of specialisation traces the evolution of the modern Mediterranean over the course of four centuries. It aims to provide a historical perspective on the ways in which the formerly unified centre of European civilisation broke apart into the very different regions that characterise it today: southern Europe, eastern Mediterranean, and North Africa. Through the study of the region’s history, politics, economies, societies and cultures, students investigate aspects of continuity and change in the Mediterranean as well as the development of the divide between southern and northern Europe and between the two Mediterranean shores.
The wide range of available units from a large number of disciplines allows students the possibility to pursue their individual interests in a particular region of the Mediterranean while studying several major themes in the history of the modern world. Such themes include: nation building in Europe; the experiences of Fascism, Nazi occupation, communism and civil wars; transitions to democracy and modernisation; Europe’s Americanisation, Europeanization and globalisation; the impacts of colonialism and decolonisation in Europe and in Africa; mass migrations; and human rights, women’s rights, minority rights and their impact on states, societies and cultures.
Central to this area is the objective to provide students with the opportunity of professional development by acquiring a number of practical skills, such as language, oral communication, academic writing, and data analysis. Acquisition of these skills will enhance students’ employment possibilities in the Australian public and private sectors, the European Union, international organisations, research institutions and the media. It is for this reason that students are highly encouraged to select as many of the second and third year units listed below as possible.
Programs of study
Students who wish to major in modern Mediterranean studies must complete a minimum of 130 credit points from the schedule below (including the three core units), of which:
- (a) 30 credit points must consist of units in Modern Greek language, to be taken at any level and normally before the beginning of third year (refer also to the entry for Modern Greek studies above), and
- (b) At least 60 credit points must be at third year level (see second/third year unit list below).
Highly recommended: students are highly recommended to undertake at least 30 credit points in Spanish (including Catalan, Galician and Portuguese), Italian or French, which can be taken at any level and normally before the beginning of third year. Refer to Spanish, Italian studies and French in this Handbook for details regarding prerequisites.
Important notice: Not all of the units listed below will be available every year. See the unit lists for the specific disciplines, where units unavailable in 2008 will be noted.
| Unit title | Unit code |
|---|---|
| Core units | |
| Greece and the Balkans in the Twentieth Century | EST1GAB |
| Europe Transformed | HIS2EUT/HIS3EUT |
| Ethnic and Civil Conflict in Southern Europe and Cyprus | EST2ECC/EST3ECC |
| First year units (15 credit points) | |
| Ancient Mediterranean Culture – the Greek achievement | ANG1AMC |
| Greek Advanced 1A | GST1ADA |
| Greek Advanced 1B | GST1ADB |
| Greek Beginners 1A | GST1BEA |
| Greek Beginners 1B | GST1BEB |
| Greek Intermediate 1A | GST1INA |
| Greek Intermediate Greek 1B | GST1INB |
| Modern Europe B: the twentieth century | HIS1MEB |
| States, Nations and Security: world in transition | POL1SNS |
| Windows on Contemporary Europe: cultures in transformation | EST1WEA |
| Second and third year units (20 credit points) | |
| Contemporary Italian Cinema | CST2CIC/CST3CIC |
| Ethnicity and Identity: social and political approaches | SOC2EAI/SOC3EAI |
| From Homer to Hollywood: the perennial Greek hero/heroine | ANG2HHH/ANG3HHH |
| Imaging Contemporary Greece: cinema, song and text | EST2ICG/EST3ICG |
| International Relations: the cold war and the great powers | POL2INR/POL3INR |
| International Relations of the Middle East | POL2IME/POL3IME |
| Migration to Australia in the 19th and 20th Centuries | HIS2MTA/HIS3MTA |
| Quantitative Methods in Social Research | SOC2MTB/SOC2MTB |
| Rise and Fall of Civilisations | ARC2RFC/ARC3RFC |
| Spain Today | SPA2SPT/SPA3SPT |
| Transterritorial Hellenism: a journey through some sites | EST2TTH/EST3TTH |
| The World since 1945 | HIS2WOR/HIS3WOR |
- Key: 1 Not available in 2008.
Honours
Students who fulfil the requirements for a major in Greek studies (area 3, modern Mediterranean studies) and who perform well in their work (at least a B average in their core units) are strongly encouraged to enrol in the honours program at fourth year level. Students who wish to enrol in the honours program should apply by September of their third year of study. The honours and masters preliminary program has two components: coursework and a thesis. For the coursework component, students are required to complete the equivalent of 60 credit points of fourth year units. Coursework counts for 50% of the final honours assessment. The units approved for the honours course (area 3) will be chosen from a variety of disciplines according to the student’s area of specialisation, and subject to the approval of the Greek Studies Honours Coordinator and the Honours Coordinator of the discipline(s) concerned.
For the research component, students are required to complete a 12000 to 15000-word thesis on an approved topic under the guidance of an approved supervisor. The thesis is to be submitted for marking during the second semester and it counts for 50% of the final honours assessment.
A full description of these units (including the unit name, unit code, credit points, campus/location, unit coordinator, class requirements, assessment, prerequisites, and readings) appears at the end of each discipline entry. A full description of GST units appears below. For the most recent descriptions of all units, please access the unit database at www.latrobe.edu.au/udb_public.