Athens

Program Description

Hofstra in Athens
January 2-24, 2009

The city of Athens, sunny and sprawling from the foot of the Acropolis, is the site of a three-week odyssey offered by the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Department of Comparative Literature and Languages. In creating this program, Hofstra University provides a curriculum-related opportunity for students to interact with the landscape and environment that has shaped the foundational principles, ethics and aesthetics of their own culture.

2009 THEME: DISCOVERING 19th CENTURY GREECE

Most of our program will take place in exciting downtown Athens, within walking distance from all the major archeological sites, museums, the parliament building, the national garden, shopping areas, clubs, cafes and theaters.

In addition, we take excursions to some of the most stunning regions of Greece: the island of Aegina during the festive holiday of the Epiphany (1/6); Delphi, to the shrine of Apollo (where the Pythia, prophesied in Apollo's voice) and the ski resort of Arahova for lunch (1/14); the port of Pireus (1/21) for a seaside meal and possibly even a dip. There are always hot summer-like days in Greece, even in January, when Greece is greenest (oranges, tangerines, and olives are harvested this month).

The highlight of the 2009 program is a special two-day/two night excursion to the city of Ioannina (north-west Greece), once ruled by the legendary and infamous Ali Pasha. A crescent-shaped city around a mist-filled lake, Ioannina and the surrounding region are rich in folklore, ancient sites (Dodoni, the shrine of another of Apollo’s prophetess, the Sybil), and modern history, particularly of the period of the Greek Revolution (1821). A mosque and synagogue attest to diverse influences. We have our own tour bus that will take us directly from the airport, once we arrive in Athens (1/3) to Ioannina. We return to Athens, January 5 to Hotel Astor, our "home" in Athens.

Classes begin Wednesday January 7. Our class schedule is Monday to Thursday, 9-12:30, at the Goethe Institute, a 10-minute walk from our hotel. After class students are free, until we rendezvous for dinner at Diros, a favorite local restaurant. Thursday afternoon to Sunday, students are free to travel on their own or hang out in Athens. Join us on a truly mythic journey.