“Ancient Greek for Philosophers” is a series of online and in-person activities designed to help scholars of ancient philosophy better engage with the original Greek texts. Whether you have never studied ancient Greek or simply need to brush up and exercise your skills, our courses and reading groups mix language learning with philosophical discussion of important texts.
Our online Ancient Greek for Philosophers classes will run from Fall 2021 into late Spring 2022.
There will be several levels of classes; Reading Greek for Philosophers focusing on Plato’s Gorgias (intermediate/advanced); Elementary Greek designed for those who have already done a beginners course and who want to revise and improve their knowledge of Ancient Greek and begin to read some simpler Greek texts; and a complete Beginners Greek course for those who have no, or very little, previous knowledge of Ancient Greek.
Our tutors are Dr. George Gazis and Dr. Chiara Blanco who will lead the classes live.
The deadline for application for the first 2022 10-week block is Monday 10th January 2022.
Courses will be taught live on Zoom and recordings of the lessons will be available after each class to those who register.
Courses will run if there is a sufficient number of participants registered.
BEGINNERS’ ANCIENT GREEK COURSE (Tuesdays 6.30 – 7.30 pm CET) starting Jan 11th.
This course is aimed at those who have done no – or very little – Greek before. Starting from the basics, the course takes students from learning the alphabet, through basic notions of the Greek language (article, declensions, pronouns, verbs etc.) to reading simple texts in Greek.
Using the “Reading Greek Beginners Course”, supplemented by handouts where necessary, our tutor will introduce you to the fascinating complexities of the Greek language.
The course will run through January to March 2022, with 10 classes (1 hour each class) in total. There will be a block of classes in Spring 2022, running from March to May.
The course will be taught live online on Zoom. Classes will be recorded.
ELEMENTARY ANCIENT GREEK COURSE (starts Thursday 13th January 2022, 6.30 – 7.30pm Italian time)
This course is aimed at Greek learners who have already done a Beginners Greek course (either with Exedra or elsewhere) and have basic notions of the Greek language (article, declensions, pronouns, verbs etc.).
Learners will read simple original Greek texts and work on the grammar and syntax as explained in “Reading Greek Beginners Course”, supplemented by handouts where necessary.
The course will run through January to March 2022, with 10 classes (1 hour each class) in total. There will be a further 10 weeks of classes in Spring 2022, running from March to May.
The course will be taught live online on Zoom. Classes will be recorded.
GREEK FOR PHILOSOPHERS READING GROUP (starts Wednesday 12th January 2022, 5 – 6pm Italian time)
We will be meeting once a week online to read one of the Platonic dialogues from the original text over the course of the academic year. The text chosen for the three 10-week sessions starting in October and running through to May 2022 is the Gorgias (recommended edition Gorgias. A Revised Text with Introduction and Commentary. Plato; Dodds, E. R., ed. Oxford University Press (1959) ISBN 10: 019814153X ISBN 13: 9780198141532) (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0178%3Atext%3DGorg.)
Gorgias is considered by many to be the perfect Platonic dialogue because it merges the questioning characteristics of his Socratic dialogues with the theoretical depth of works like the Republic. The dialogue compares rhetoric and philosophy in the attempt to understand the best approach to a good life. Topics explored include justice, virtue, truth, and persuasion.
The Greek for Philosophers Reading Group is open to all levels of Greek learners, from Beginners to Advanced level, since the focus will be mostly on the content rather than the language. Participants can volunteer to prepare a translation of a short passage in advance and then present their translation in class, after which the discussion of the content will be open to all.
Translating will not be compulsory for participants and in the case of lack of translators, the seminar leader will lead the group through the text.
The aim of the reading group is to provide students and scholars interested in Plato with an informal platform in which they can come in contact with the text in the original Greek and discuss the content in a relaxed and friendly environment.
There will be 10 ( x 1 hour) weekly meetings, starting on the 12th of January, and a further 10 weeks in Spring 2022 (March – May). It is not compulsory to sign up for all.
The course will be taught live online on Zoom. Classes will be recorded.
Siracusa Summer Seminar on Ancient Greek Philosophy (details TBC)
July 18 – 29, 2022
Phillip Mitsis of NYU will be the Guest Professor and Plato’s Euthyphro will be the focus of the 2022 Siracusa Seminar on Ancient Greek Philosophy. The goal of the seminar is to help graduate students, teachers and professors of philosophy develop skills reading Greek and to publish a new annotated translation of Plato’s Euthyphro that includes the Greek text and accompanying commentary and essays from seminar participants on the historical, cultural, and linguistic nuances useful for understanding the dialogue philosophically.
The Siracusa Seminar will combine Greek language study with academic lectures and presentations, as well as cultural activities. Participants live and study on the picturesque island of Ortigia, where they can visit ancient Greek temples, swim in the sea, and experience the vibrant Mediterranean lifestyle.
Particpants can attend for one or two weeks. Bursaries covering all or part of the seminar fee and assistance finding low-cost housing are available.
March 15 is the early application deadline (necessary if applying for a bursary).
May 15 is the deadline for submitting an abstract for presentation and possible inclusion in the volume.
Applications will be accepted as long as space permits.
Online participation may be possible. Please contact info@exedramc.com for information about on-line options.
Course description is available here
All courses will be taught in English by Dr George Gazis and Dr Chiara Blanco.
Dr Gazis is Assistant Professor in Greek Literature at the Department of Classics and Ancient History, at Durham University. His research interests lie in Archaic Greek Poetry (mainly Homer), as well as Greek Lyric and Tragedy. He is the author of Homer and the poetics of Hades (OUP, 2018) and the editor of Aspects of Death in Greek Literature (LUP, 2021).
Dr Blanco is a Teaching Fellow in Classics at the University of Edinburgh. Before moving to Edinburgh she was a Research Lecturer in Classics at Trinity College, University of Oxford and Lecturer in Classics at Exeter College, Oxford, and she also taught Classics at Durham University and the University of Cambridge, where she completed her PhD. Her main research interests lie in the intersections between ancient literature (Greek tragedy in particular) and medicine, and she is also interested in the role of the senses and emotions in Greek and Roman culture.