International Byzantine Greek Summer School, Trinity College Dublin, July 18–August 15, 2020
The Department of Classics at Trinity College Dublin is delighted to host the International Byzantine Greek Summer School (IBGSS). This well-established course, directed by Dr Anthony Hirst, moved to Dublin in 2016 after many years of success at Queen’s University Belfast (2002-11) and the University of Birmingham (2012-15).
The course teaches Byzantine Greek at Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced level and allows early learners to engage with original Byzantine texts from the start.
LEVEL 1 BEGINNERS (18 July – 1 August)
The Level 1 course is designed for those with no previous knowledge of Greek. It starts with the Greek alphabet and through 60 hours of teaching over a two-week period introduces students to the basic morphology and syntax they need to take the first steps towards reading Byzantine Greek. They read extracts of actual Byzantine Greek texts from the start and will be able to translate simple Greek texts with the aid of a dictionary at the end of the course.
LEVEL 2/2.5 INTERMEDIATE/HIGHER INTERMEDIATE (1– 15 August)
The Level 2 course assumes that students have successfully completed Level 1 (either last year or in the previous weeks: each year many students take both levels) or they have acquired an equivalent level of competence in Greek by other means (for example, in a university or secondary school course in Ancient Greek). Level 2 consolidates and completes the coverage of basic Greek grammar and introduces students to Byzantine Greek texts in different genres, such as historiography, liturgy and hagiography.
LEVEL 3 ADVANCED READING (1– 15 August)
The Level 3 course is for learners who successfully completed Level 2/2.5 in a previous year and have followed this up with at least one year’s further study, or those who have acquired substantial familiarity with Greek by other means (for example, in university intermediate or advanced courses in Byzantine, Ancient or New Testament Greek). The course assumes a wide vocabulary and a good knowledge of the morphology and syntax of Greek. Grammar revision and extension are offered as needed, but the emphasis in Level 3 is on reading and discussion of a substantial amount of Greek, in different genres and from different periods, selected in consultation with the students on the course.
COSTS AND BURSARIES
The course fee for two weeks (Level 1 or Level 2/2.5 or Level 3) is €450. The course fee for all four weeks (Level 1 + Level 2/2.5) is €900. Accommodation in the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, Dublin 14, at a cost of €420 per two weeks, can be booked on application to the course.
Students who require financial support to attend this Summer School can apply for a bursary.