Department Website
Program Description
The Alexander S. Onassis Program in Hellenic Studies provides students with a comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of the language, literature, history, and politics of Greece. Through a wide range of courses, students are exposed to a polyphony of viewpoints that help elucidate the historical and political experiences of Byzantine, Ottoman, and modern Greece; the ways in which Greece has borne its several pasts and translated them into the modern era; Greece and its relations to Western Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Mediterranean cultures; and the distinguished literary and artistic traditions of a country that many regard as the birthplace of Western civilization, even as these traditions exhibit their multicultural contexts.
The Arts and Science summer program in Athens combines classroom study of the language, history, and culture of Greece with extracurricular activities and excursions that introduce students to all aspects of Greek life. The program offers a wide range of courses on such subjects as the Greek language, Greek literature and photography, Greek drama, Greek political history, the city of Athens, and the archaeology of Greece. Classes are held at our new facility in Athens, conveniently located in Kolonaki neighborhood and the historical center of Athens. Activities include walking tours of Athens, visits to monuments and museums, and evening outings to dramatic and musical performances. Weekend excursions include trips to several Greek islands and to important historical and archaeological sites. Relevant courses taken in this summer program count toward the major or minor as regular courses.
Honors Program
A degree in Hellenic studies is awarded with honors to students who complete nine courses (36 credits) of graded work while maintaining an overall GPA of 3.65 and an average in the major of 3.65 and who successfully complete a program of original research leading to an honors thesis. Honors students are required to enroll in both HEL-UA 997 Independent Study and HEL-UA 999 Senior Honors Seminar.
The thesis topic and the faculty adviser are chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies. The average length of the paper is 40-60 pages. Honors students are encouraged, but not required, to take at least one appropriate graduate course in Hellenic studies.
Prizes and Scholarships
The Rae Dalven Prize
The Rae Dalven Prize is a monetary prize awarded annually for the best term paper in the field of Hellenic studies. Submissions are not limited to Hellenic studies majors or minors.
The Panayotis Chris Theotocatos Memorial Scholarship
This annual award provides tuition assistance to a student who demonstrates financial need and academic merit while declaring their Hellenic Studies major. Students must declare Hellenic Studies as their primary undergraduate major, meet all necessary undergraduate Program requirements in their respective track, and maintain their top academic standing.
Admissions
New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU. For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply.
Program Requirements
The major in Hellenic Studies requires nine 4-credit courses (36 credits) completed with a grade of C or better (courses graded Pass/Fail do not count), as outlined below. Courses taken in the Arts and Science summer program in Athens count toward the major as regular courses. A solid foundation in the modern Greek language is a requirement for all majors. Upon declaring the major, a student is expected to enroll in HEL-UA 103 Elementary Modern Greek I or take a placement examination. By the end of their program, all students must demonstrate competence in modern Greek at the intermediate level through the successful completion of both semesters of HEL-UA 105 Intermediate Mod Greek I and HEL-UA 106 Intermediate Modern Greek II (or equivalent performance on a placement examination).
Note: HEL-UA 103 Elementary Moder Greek I and HEL-UA 104 Elementary Modern Greek II cannot be counted toward any of the major tracks.
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| 4 |
| EXPOS-UA 1 | Writing as Inquiry | 4 |
| 1 | 8 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| HEL-UA 105 | Intermediate Mod Greek I | 4 |
| HEL-UA 106 | Intermediate Modern Greek II | 4 |
| HEL-UA 130 | Seminar On Modern Greek Culture | 4 |
| 2 | 8 |
| |
| |
| |
| 3 | 16 |
| 3 | 52 |
| Total Credits | 128 |
Tracks
Students in tracks A and B who have placed out of HEL-UA 105 Intermediate Mod Greek I and HEL-UA Intermediate Modern Greek II are encouraged to take HEL-UA 107 Advanced Modern Greek I and HEL-UA 108 Advanced Modern Greek II. Track C students who place out of Intermediate Modern Greek I and II are encouraged to take HEL-UA 107 Advanced Modern Greek I and HEL-UA 108 Advanced Modern Greek II, or two semesters of ancient Greek in the Department of Classics. Also note that students in tracks A and C are allowed to count up to six courses (24 credits) in Modern Greek language toward the major; students in track B are required to take up to at least four courses in Modern Greek (16 credits) for the major, unless they have placed ahead in/out of this language.
Track A: Language, Literature, and Culture -- Designated Survey Courses
This track provides students with a solid foundation in the modern Greek language and provides a comprehensive introduction to medieval and modern Greek literature and culture.
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| HEL-UA 120 | | 4 |
| HEL-UA 190 | | 4 |
Track B: Politics and History -- Designated Survey Courses
This track provides students with an interdisciplinary social science perspective on the medieval and modern Greek experience. Students may choose to concentrate their studies in history or politics, or create their own combination in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| HEL-UA 159 | | 4 |
| HEL-UA 283 | Topics: (History of the Byzantine Empire) | 4 |
| HEL-UA 525 | | 4 |
Track C: The Classical Legacy -- Designated Survey Courses
This track provides students with an interdisciplinary perspective on the reception of classical Greek thought in post-classical Greece.
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| HEL-UA 120 | | 4 |
| HEL-UA 320 | Greek Tragedy and Modern Greece | 4 |
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of program requirements, students are expected to have developed:
- Proficiency in the Modern Greek language at the intermediate level or higher through multimodal instruction in the areas of speaking, reading, writing, and listening.
- A broad knowledge of Greek culture, arts, literature, language, politics, sociology, and history, including ancient and contemporary movements, figures, and works.
- The ability to contextualize and analyze Greece’s current sociopolitical and cultural state through a variety of disciplines, including literary and cultural studies, sociology, philosophy, history, and politics.
- The ability to utilize critical thinking and research to analyze literary and audiovisual texts, as well as to craft well-supported arguments in written and oral work.
- The ability to apply Hellenic Studies to their fields of interest and prospective careers.
Policies
NYU Policies
University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.
College of Arts and Science Policies
A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page.