International Byzantine Greek Summer School, Trinity College Dublin Online, July 12–August 6, 2021
The Department of Classics at Trinity College Dublin is delighted to confirm that the International Byzantine Greek Summer School will return in 2021. Our teaching dates are 12-23 July 2021 (Beginners) and 26 July - 6 August 2021 (Intermediate and Advanced). All courses will run online in small groups taught by experienced teachers. Each level comprises two weeks of full-time study, with two formal teaching sessions daily plus tutorial support and access to learning resources throughout the course.
Byzantine Greek is the dominant form of Greek written during the Byzantine Empire (AD 330–1453). The spoken language changed significantly in this period and came close to Modern Greek, but most Byzantine authors use conservative forms of Greek that looked back to Classical Attic, the Hellenistic Koine and Biblical Greek. Therefore much of the vocabulary, morphology and syntax of Byzantine Greek are not significantly different from Classical Greek, which makes this course a suitable preparation also for reading Classical literature and the New Testament.
The International Byzantine Greek Summer School (IBGSS), 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).
LEVEL 1 BEGINNERS (12 – 23 July)
The Level 1 course is designed for those with no previous knowledge of Greek. It starts with the Greek alphabet and through intensive 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 (26 July – 6 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 Bzyantine Greek texts in different genres, such as historiography, liturgy and hagiography.
LEVEL 3 ADVANCED READING (26 July – 6 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 €350. The course fee for all four weeks (Level 1 + Level 2/2.5) is €700. A limited number of bursaries are available for students who require financial support to attend this Summer School.