Student Julia Paré: Reflections on Summer Travel

This summer, as a recipient of funding from the Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies and the Princeton Classics Department, I was able to attend the course in Modern Greek at the Princeton Athens Center, taught by Lelia Panteloglou, as well as a three-week French course through LSF in Montpellier, France. Department funding also supported my travels to other sites in Greece as well as visits to museums and sites within Athens relevant to my research and coursework.

The format and content of the Modern Greek course were instrumental in helping me improve my awareness of language pedagogy as well as the contemporary culture of Greece and the enduring legacy of ancient Greek in the modern spoken language. I appreciated Lelia’s pedagogical and content choices for the course, as well as the incredibly welcoming and inclusive atmosphere that she promoted. The course itself was a helpful blend of close language study and introduction to the city and culture of present-day and recent-past Athens.

Following upon the Greek history proseminar this past spring, I was particularly grateful to be able to see several works of art in Athens which were integral to the historical context and arguments introduced in class. I was also able to visit Delphi, Sounion, Thoricos, and the mines at Laurion en route to Sounion. Having seen these sites in context will be helpful for my plans to teach courses on Greek culture and history. I also appreciated the opportunity to visit several ancient theaters in and around Athens on the Acropolis, at Delphi, and at Thoricos, as I have studied ancient theater for several years but had never had the chance to visit a physical Greek theater.

At Montpellier, I had the opportunity to take 3-5 hours of French courses per day and use the language in everyday interaction. Following upon my participation in the LSF French school, I feel much better prepared to engage with French classics scholarship, literature and oral communication.

Julia Paré, Emily Chesley and Radka Pallová at the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion

The Meeting of Socrates and Confucius, Athenian Agora

Theater of Delphi