Program Description
Spend a summer on the Greek island of Lesvos, studying “The Great Books” from the ancient world and writing poetry! This three-and-a-half-week program will explore how the Aegean landscape was vital to the world’s most influential and enduring literary works, including the lyric poetry of Sappho, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, and Euripides’ Bacchae. In the Poetry Workshop course, students will discuss the lyric’s enduring influence on contemporary poetry and produce their own creative writing, inspired by the history of the lyric, as well as the island’s beautiful setting.
Students may take one or both courses. Each course is worth 3 credits. The program will include several days in Athens, Greece; cultural excursions to the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum, and National Archeological Museum; poetry readings and guest lectures; and many opportunities to explore and be inspired by the local landscape and nature on the magical island of Lesvos, Greece. Other site visits and local activities will be organized in Lesvos.
Housing: Students will be housed in hotels in Athens and in beachside housing on Lesvos. Breakfast is included; students will be responsible for lunch and dinner. The program will host two group dinners at the beginning and end of the program.
Prerequisites: For both courses, ENGL 220 is a required pre-requisite. For the poetry workshop, it is recommended that you have completed Introduction to Creative Writing and/or Workshop in Poetry.
Syllabi:
- ENGL 303/75956/ COMPL 320/ CLA 306: Western Literary Backgrounds: Transformative Texts (3 credits)
- ENGL 31400 or 31600: Workshop in Poetry (3 credits)
Credits & Grades: Students in this program will receive both course credit and letter grades. Grades will count toward their Hunter GPA.