Late last year, La Trobe University’s Greek Studies program ran its three-week Study Tour: HUS3ISB ‘Connecting with Language and Culture in Greece’ (30 November – 23 December 2023).
Interacting with peers and Greek locals for 21 days, our students immersed themselves in Greek history and culture from the Bronze Age to the present, practised their Greek language skills daily, and delved deeper into Greece’s contemporary social and economic challenges.
Our thanks to HUSS Study Tour coordinator Dr Raul Sanchez-Urribarri from La Trobe and Jaqui Preketes from the travel agency for organisational assistance related to this latest iteration of our Study Tour. Special thanks to all our hosts in Greece, including the Australian Ambassador Ms Alison Duncan who met with us in Athens at the Benaki Museum.
The Ambassador discussed the goals of the Embassy with us, while we updated her on our work with Pharos and presented her with a resource on 1821 produced by local teachers for Greek Australian students learning Greek (Little Anna Stories). We travelled from Athens to Meteora, across to Syros, and around the Peloponnese over three transformative weeks that enriched our students’ personal and professional lives.
Earlier in the year, in August, we hosted Assistant Professor Michail Bakogiannis from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
He presented a captivating workshop for our students and a public lecture at the Greek Centre on contemporary Greek literature. We also hosted school visits to the Greek Studies program with the help of the Modern Greek Teachers’ Association of Victoria, and continued working on Pharos initiatives related to promoting the vitality of the Greek language in Australia. We partnered with translation company “Ethnolink” (Costa Vasili) and 3ZZZ Greek radio (Elias Diacolabrianos) to offer student internships highlighting potential career pathways.
We hosted an important talk with the La Trobe University Greek Society (LUGS) on the Traditional Mediterranean Diet presented by Markos Dymiotis, and we convened the second series of the Dardalis Hellenic Archives Research Seminar Series (May-Nov. 2023) in collaboration with La Trobe’s Dardalis Archives and the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria.
Thanks to the generous support of the late Mr Vassilogianis, as well as more recent donations from members of the wider community, we were again able to recognise our high-performing students last year: the recipients of the Vassilogianis Awards for Excellence in Greek Studies were Cassandra Potsios, Marina Papadoglou, Kayla Careri and Evanthia Katsoulis; the Zangalis Award was received by Catherine Elder and the Fifis Travel Grant was shared between Adrian Jones, Niah Bratoi and Catherine Edwards. In 2024, the Corfu Cooperative Society will provide a generous bursary to a student enrolled in Honours in Greek Studies (fourth year) working on a topic concerning language or culture, or both. We thank all our supporters and partners for their input and interest in the future of the program.
La Trobe’s Greek Studies program wishes all Neos Kosmos readers a Happy New Year and invites you to consider (either for yourself or for friends or family) the prospect of studying Greek at La Trobe. La Trobe is the only university in Victoria offering Greek language subjects and welcomes students based elsewhere to study Greek at La Trobe, as a single unit or as part of a Diploma, regardless of background or age.
Whether it is a matter of learning Greek in order to connect with family or to appreciate Greek literary masterpieces in the original, or for an edge in STEM studies (whose terminology is based on Greek) or for a better understanding of English generally, or for the workplace where a second language is always an advantage, or to prepare for your next holiday in Greece, you can commence now by simply enrolling in a Greek language unit (whether complete beginner or advanced) at La Trobe University.
Please, don’t hesitate to contact Dr Stavroula Nikoloudis the Coordinator, Greek Studies Program of the La Trobe Universit for any inquiries.
For more info contact s.nikoloudis@latrobe.edu.au or go to www.facebook.com/GreekStudiesLTU
