GreeceOnline is an online graduate humanities program, developed by The Examined Life: Greek Studies in the Schools (ExL), and consists of:

• A course of study based on 11 online videos—over 20 hours of classroom lectures—accompanied by a variety of study materials
• An opportunity to write and publish curricula
• Eligibility to participate in an optional study tour of Greece
• Membership in a Leadership Corps of Greek Study Fellows

GreeceOnline is open to educators, school and public librarians, museum specialists, and all those working with young people, as well as individuals committed to the program’s mission to strengthen Greek studies in the schools and to raise public consciousness and knowledge of ancient (and modern) Greece.

Click a link to find out more:

• Overview
• Schedule
• Program Requirements
• Noncredit/Credit Participation, Grading Criteria
• Lecture Videos
• Required Reading
• Lecturers
• Study Tour (Optional)
• Curriculum Project
• Leadership Corps
• Application Form and Costs
• Program Leadership
• Funding Sources
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Overview

GreeceOnline provides an exciting journey to ancient (and modern) Greece through the eyes of world-class scholars. History, literature, philosophy, art, culture, government, and politics are explored in lectures and readings that include The Iliad and The Odyssey; the tragedies of Euripides, Sophocles and Aeschylus; the comedies of Aristophanes; the writings of Herodotus, Thucydides, and Plato. In addition, the influence of ancient Greece is examined in the works of such modern writers as American playwright Eugene O’Neill in Mourning Becomes Electra. Lecturers take up several themes in the literature including democracy and the obligations of citizenship, war and peace, anger and reconciliation, the meaning of life, the ideal of heroism.

GreeceOnline provides a time for reflection and renewal, a time to step away from teaching to ask such questions as Why do we teach? What do we hope to impart? And a time to explore the quality of our own lives and the legacy we choose to leave to our children.

Schedule 2010

The schedule includes 11 lecture videos, 2 online meetings, and an optional study tour of Greece. Lectures are released in one or two week intervals to be viewed at your convenience.

Dates		Topics	Lecturers (bios)
Jan 9		Online Meeting, 11am–2pm	Facilitator
Jan 20	1.	Introduction and Overview	Ann Koloski-Ostrow
Feb 3	2.	The Iliad	Leonard Muellner
Feb 17	3.	The Odyssey	Gregory Nagy
March 3	4.	Tragedy	Eirene Visvardi
March 17	5.	Women in Antiquity	Mary Lefkowitz
March 31	6.	Hecuba	Helene Foley
April 3		Online Meeting, 11am–2pm	Facilitator
April 14	7.	Comedy & Democracy	Kenneth Rothwell
April 17-30		Study Tour of Greece (optional)
April 28	8.	Inventors of History	Cheryl Walker
May 5	9.	Philosophy	Andreas Teuber
May 19	10.	Influence on Modern Poetry	Olga Broumas
May 26	11.	Influence on Modern Theater	Judith Malone-Neville
All dates are Wednesdays except those marked with an asterisk (), which are Saturdays.

Program Requirements

Noncredit

Students taking the program for noncredit must complete the following requirements:

• Prepare for viewing each lecture video by completing the required readings before the lecture.

• View each lecture video in its entirety.

• Follow up each lecture by writing a thoughtful, articulate response to the lecture (250 words) and posting it as a new topic for discussion on ExL's online Discussion Board. Each student must also post at least one response to a topic posted by another student.

• Attend two scheduled online conference meetings, hosted by the program facilitator and attended by other distance learners.

• Join the ExL Leadership Corps, committed to outreach activities aimed at strengthening the teaching of Greece in the schools. Participating teachers become a part of a growing teacher and scholar corps of leaders in Greek studies to serve as mentors for others, lead workshops, and participate in aspects of outreach and dissemination.

• Promptly submit assignments.

Credit

Students taking the program for credit must complete all the requirements above, plus the following:

• Conclude the lecture videos by writing a 1,000 word response to one of the topics or ideas posted on the Discussion Board during the semester. This assignment is an opportunity to develop one of the topics more fully.

• Develop a detailed Study Guide for use in the classroom and possible publication on teachgreece.org. Click here for a sample Study Guide.

Study Tour

The Study Tour is optional in both cases but highly recommended:

• Consider carefully the optional study tour to Greece. As a distance learner and Greek Study Fellow, you are eligible to join the 2010 Study Tour to Greece, April 17–April 30, 2010. Sites derive from program readings and lectures. Travelers will see the rugged landscape, precipitous mountains, amazing light, and the architecturally splendid Parthenon in Athens. They will visit Sounion, Corinth, Nauplion, Mycenae, Epidauros, Olympia, and Delphi on a breathtaking pilgrimage that includes seminars and poetry. Click here for a sample itinerary.

Noncredit/Credit and Grading Criteria

Noncredit Participants

Professional Development Points (PDPs) are earned in MA; and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are recognized nationally by most educational institutions toward certification and advancement. For Certificate of Participation, PDPs and/or CEUs, noncredit students are required to complete only the Program Requirements listed above under Noncredit. Non-credit participants will not receive a grade.

Credit Participants

3 graduate credits are available from Framingham State College (pending). Credit students are expected to complete al the Program Requirements listed above under both Noncredit and Credit. Credit students may request PDPs and CEUs.

Grading Criteria for Credit Participants

Lecture Videos (in order of lecture schedule)

Run times generally vary between 1.5 - 2.5 hours per video.

1. Introduction and Overview, runtime: 56 minutes
   In a slide-lecture, Professor Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow, ExL program humanist and Chair of the Brandeis University Classics Department, demonstrates interconnections between ancient Greek material culture (painting, architecture, sculpture) and the literary tradition (oral and written). She considers how the cultural ideals set forth in the Homeric tradition, The Iliad and The Odyssey, and in Athenian tragedy had a far-reaching impact on many aspects of Greek (particularly Athenian) life and art. The discussion considers the power of art in ancient and modern society and asks what exactly a “text” is to us and to the ancient Greeks.

2. The Iliad, runtime: 2 hours 30 minutes
   Professor Leonard Muellner, Department of Classics, Brandeis University, lectures on how to read The Iliad, how not to read it, and what is in it, including friendship, anger, and the meaning of life. Professor Muellner also talks about what Achilles himself learns and what he teaches us. The discussion considers comparisons between our Judeo-Christian world view and that of the pagan world.

3. The Odyssey, runtime: 2 hours 33 minutes
   Professor Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow, ExL program humanist and Chair of the Brandeis University Classics Department, introduces the complexities of the epic poem. The discussion considers Odysseus’ fantastic journey home (“nostos”) and the struggle he faces when he reaches home; it also encompasses questions about the meaning of home, growing up and leaving home, our inherent need ultimately to return home, and what life is like when one is truly home-less.

4. Tragedy , runtime: 1 hour 26 minutes
   Eirene Visvardi, Assistant Professor of Classics, Weslyan University and 08-09 Florence Levy Kay Fellow in Ancient Greek Theater, Brandeis University, pursues the interplay between ancient Athenian drama and religion in plays by the Athenian tragedians Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Dr. Visvardi’s discussion considers such questions as What was the experience of going to the theater in Athens? How do the three Athenian playwrights vary the story of the House of Atreus? What are the literary techniques of all three? What do we today hope to get from our theatrical entertainment? Is our “worship” of movie stars different from Greek hero worship? If so, How?

5. Women of Antiquity, runtime: 2 hours 15 minutes
   In her lecture, Mary Lefkowitz, Professor Emerita of Classical Studies at Wellesley College, tackles the contention that the Greeks were notoriously harsh in their treatment of women. Discussion centers on Sophocles’ Antigone and Euripides’ Medea. In a slide-presentation, Professor Lefkowitz discusses the contributions of women in ancient Greek society and asks how myths inform ancient reality and perceptions about women in today’s society.

6. Hecuba, runtime: 37 minutes
   Helene Foley, Professor of Classics, Barnard College, explores the recent renewal of interest in Euripides’ play Hecuba, a drama that takes place in the aftermath of the Trojan War and focuses on the impact of devastating losses on Hecuba, the once-powerful queen of Troy.

7. Comedy and Democracy, runtime: 2 hours
   Professor Kenneth Rothwell, Chair, Department of Classics, University of Massachusetts, Boston, explores Athenian comedy through the works of Aristophanes, including the Archarnians, Lysistrata, and the Clouds. He discusses the concept of comedy, the likenesses and differences between ancient and modern comedy, the politics reflected in the comedies, and the nature of the Athenian democracy compared to our own.

8. The Inventors of History, runtime: 1 hour 19 minutes
   Professor Cheryl Walker, Department of Classical Studies, Brandeis University, introduces us to an overview of Greek history. Through selected passages from the works of Herodotus and Thucydides, Greek historians, she explores the invention of history. Professor Walker asks such questions as Who were the Greeks? What is worthy of the historical record? How can we judge historical accuracy? Who are history makers today and in the ancient Greek city-state?

9. Philosophy, runtime: 1 hour 17 minutes
   Professor Andreas Teuber, Chair of the Department of Philosophy, Brandeis University, guides Fellows through Plato’s Apology and Crito with several fascinating questions: Why did the Athenian democracy condemn Socrates, its most famous citizen, to death? What did Socrates say or do that prompted the charges against him in the first place? What was the relationship between Socrates and Plato and their philosophies? Professor Teuber asks how Socrates’ views in the Crito and the Apology can be reconciled. In the Crito, Socrates seems to say that a citizen must always obey the laws of the city, no matter what it commands, but in the Apology, he seems to leave room for justified disobedience. What are Socrates’ arguments in the Crito for a citizen’s obligation to obey? Are his arguments still applicable today?

10. Greek Influence on Modern Poetry, runtime: 1 hour 07 minutes
    As an award-winning poet and translator of the poetry of Odysseus Elytis, Professor Olga Broumas, Writer-in-Residence and Director of Creative Writing at Brandeis University, shares her perceptions of the winner of the 1979 Nobel Prize for Literature. She reads from the works of Odysseus Elytis and Constantine Cavafy, Alexandrian Greek poet, among others, and talks about the demands of translation and factors that inform modern Greek poetry.

11. Greek Influence on Modern Theater , runtime: 1 hour
    Judith Malone-Neville, PhD, independent scholar, and ExL program administrator, takes up the influence of the ancient Greeks on Eugene O’Neill in Mourning Becomes Electra, and other modern texts strongly influenced by the quest for “the examined life." She discusses the impact of ancient Greek literature on modern literature, in particular Aeschylus’ Oresteia trilogy and the three plays of O’Neill’s Mourning Becomes Electra.

Required Reading (in order of lecture schedule)

Each required reading assignment needs to be completed before viewing each lecture.

1. The Iliad, Bks 1-12 (Homeric epic)
2. The Iliad, Bks 13-24 (Homeric epic)
3. The Odyssey (Homeric epic)
4. Oresteia: Agamemnon, Choephoroi, Eumenides (Aeschylus), Electra (Sophocles), Medea (Euripides)
5. Hecuba (Euripides)
6. Acharnians, Lysistrata, Clouds (Aristophanes)
7. Antigone; Oedipus the King (Sophocles)
8. Herodotus and Thucydides (selections)
9. Apology and Crito (Plato)
10. What I Love: Selected Poems of Odysseus Elytis (translated by Olga Broumas)
11. Mourning Becomes Electra (Eugene O’Neill)

Lecturers (in alphabetical order)

Olga Broumas
MFA (University of Oregon)
Olga Broumas, award-winning poet and critic, is professor of the Practice of English and American Literature at Brandeis University where she directs the creative writing program. Her books include Pastoral Jazz; Perpetual; and, with T.Begley, Sappho’s Gymnasium. She is the translator of poems by modern Greek Nobel prize-winning poet Odysseus Elytis, including Eros, Eros, Eros: Selected and Last Poems and What I Love: Selected Translations of Odysseus Elytis.

Helene Foley
PhD (Harvard University)
Helene Foley is professor of Classics at Barnard College. She is the author of Ritual Irony: Poetry and Sacrifice in Euripides (Cornell 1985); and co-editor of Visualizing the Tragic (Oxford 2007). Her primary research concerns are Greek epic, tragedy, and comedy, and women and gender in antiquity. She is also interested in the reception of classical drama in antiquity and today. In 1998, Professor Foley served as president of the American Philological Association and in spring 2008, she was the Sather Professor of Classics at Berkeley.

Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow
PhD (University of Michigan)
Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow is Chair of the Department of Classical Studies at Brandeis University, where she teaches courses in Greek and Roman art and archaeology, Latin, and ancient literature in translation. She is the winner of several teaching awards and the author of the forthcoming Pompeii and Herculaneum: Roman Daily Life in the Shadow of Vesuvius (Cambridge University Press, 2009); The Sarno Bath Complex: Architecture in Pompeii's Last Years (Rome,1990); and co-editor with Claire Lyons of Naked Truths: Women, Sexuality, and Gender (Routledge 1997); she is also the author of reviews and articles on a variety of topics in Greek and Roman social history and archaeology.

Mary Lefkowitz
PhD (Radcliffe College)
Mary Lefkowitz is Professor Emerita of Classical Studies at Wellesley College. She holds honorary degrees from Trinity College/Hartford (1996), the University of Patras in Greece (1999), and Grinnell College (2000). She is the recipient of a 2006 National Humanities Medal for her distinguished work in helping the nation understand the importance of the humanities in American life. Her books include Greek Gods, Human Lives (Yale 2003, pb 2005) and Women in Greek Myth (Johns Hopkins 1990); her articles and reviews have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Times Literary Supplement, The New Republic and The New York Review of Books.

Judith Malone-Neville
PhD (Brandeis University)
Judith Malone-Neville has taught on both secondary and university levels. A former housemaster at Newton South High School and assistant superintendent of schools in Newton, MA, she serves as a program administrator on the ExL Board and lecturer in the ExL program. Dr. Malone-Neville makes frequent presentations to parent and professional audiences on a broad range of educational topics, including educational administration and the professional development of teachers.

Leonard Muellner
PhD (Harvard University)
Leonard Muellner is Professor of Classical Studies at Brandeis University, where he teaches Greek and Latin language and literature. He served for several years as chair of the Brandeis Classics Department. He is a member of the Editorial Board of Harvard University’s Center for Hellenic Studies and the author of The Anger of Achilles: Menis in Greek Epic (2004), and The Meaning of Homeric EYXOMAI through its Formulas (Innsbruck, 1976, second edition forthcoming).

Gregory Nagy
PhD (Harvard University)
Gregory Nagy is Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature at Harvard University and he is the director of Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, DC. He is the author of The Best of the Achaeans: Concepts of the Hero in Archaic Greek Poetry (1979,1999) and Greek Mythology and Poetics (1990), among other books, and over 100 articles. He coedited with Stephen Mitchell the 40th anniversary edition of Albert Lord’s The Singer of Tales (2000). His interests include integrating archaic Greek literature and oral poetics (special research interests) with teaching in a course for Harvard’s Core Curriculum, “The Concept of the Hero in Greek Civilization.”

Kenneth Sprague Rothwell.
PhD (Columbia University)
Kenneth Sprague Rothwell is Associate Professor and Chair of the Classics Department, University of Massachusetts/Boston. He teaches courses in Greek Comedy, Greek Vase-Painting, and Athenian Democracy. He is the author of Politics and Persuasion in Aristophanes Ecclesiazusae (1990) and most recently Nature, Culture, and the Origins of Greek Comedy: A Study of Animal Choruses (2006).

Andreas Teuber
PhD (Harvard University)
Andreas Teuber is Chair of the Philosophy Department and Associate Professor of Philosophy at Brandeis University. He is the recipient of several honors, among them, a Fullbright Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, and a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. He has served as a Member and Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and has received a Harvard Graduate Prize Fellowship. He is the founder of the New Poets’ Theater and its artistic director from 1987-1995. He also founded the Cambridge Theater Company. He is the author of many articles in philosophy, politics, and law.

Eirene Visvardi
PhD (Stanford University)
Eirene Visvardi is Assistant Professor of Classics at Wesleyan University and 2007-2009 Florence Levy Kay Fellow in Classical Studies and Theater Arts at Brandeis University. While at Brandeis, Professor Visvardi taught such courses as The Performance and Politics of Greek Tragedy: Gender and the Emotions; The Greeks and Their Dances; and Euripides’ Hecuba in Performance. With Leonard Muellner, she translated Euripides’ Hecuba which was adapted for the stage by Prof. Visvardi and Eric Hill and produced in April 2009 at Brandeis’ Spingold Theater.

Cheryl L. Walker
PhD (University of North Carolina)
Cheryl L. Walker is Associate Professor of Classical Studies at Brandeis University. Her expertise is Roman and Greek history. In the ExL program she lectures on Greek historians Herodotus and Thucydides. Her publications include Hostages in Republican Rome (online at chs.harvard.edu), the first online publication of Harvard University’s Center for Hellenic Studies.

Study Tour (Optional)

As a distance learner and Greek Study Fellow, you are eligible to join the 2010 Study Tour to Greece, April 17-April 30, 2010 (approximate cost $3,700). Sites derive from program readings and lectures. See the rugged landscape, precipitous mountains, amazing light, and the architecturally splendid Parthenon in Athens. Visit Sounion, Corinth, Nauplion, Mycenae, Epidauros, Olympia, and Delphi—a breathtaking pilgrimage that includes seminars and poetry. Click here for a sample itinerary.

Curriculum Project

It is the responsibility of each Greek Fellow to develop a curriculum project — in the form of Study Guides — pertaining to the study of Greece, based on his/her discipline or area of interest. Serious consideration should be given to this project as the year progresses. The curriculum development project will be presented at the reception at Brandeis University held to welcome new Greek Study Fellows into The Examined Life program. Each project will be considered for publication on this website. Click here for a sample Study Guide.

Leadership Corps

The ExL Leadership Corps is committed to outreach activities aimed at strengthening the teaching of Greece in the schools. Students who successfully complete their tenure as Greek Study Fellows join a growing teacher and scholar corps of leaders in Greek studies to serve as mentors for others, to lead workshops, and to participate in aspects of outreach and dissemination.

Application Form and Costs

Application Form

(Note: the Application Form should pop up in a new
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Please complete and submit the application form. Each registrant will receive a prompt registration confirmation and letter of welcome to the program as a Greek Study Fellow. In GreeceOnline, ExL strives to create a sense of community and commonality in its efforts to strengthen Greek Studies in the schools and to raise public consciousness and knowledge of the importance of Greek ideas and achievements to the very fabric of American life.

Costs

Payment by personal check, bank check, or money order in full is required by January 9, 2010 (first online meeting). ExL does not accept credit card payment.

Make checks and/or money orders payable to “Newton Public Schools: ExL Program.” Write “GreeceOnline” on the memo line of your check. Send check or money order to:

Sandra Mangan
Office of Grants Management
Newton Public Schools
100 Walnut Street
Newton, MA, 02460

Cancellation and Withdrawal Policy

To withdraw from the program, credit and noncredit students must do so before the second lecture in order to receive 50% refund. After the second lecture, no refunds will be made. If you withdraw, you must inform the instructor that you are withdrawing, If you do not inform the instructor, you are subject to a failing grade, and no refund will be possible.

Program Leadership

Barbara Harrison, Program Director, PhD, Newton Public Schools, email: barbara_harrison@teachgreece.org

Ann Koloski-Ostrow, PhD, Program Humanist, Brandeis University, email ann_koloski-ostrow@teachgreece.org

Connie Carven, MEd, Teacher Specialist and Liaison with School Districts, Newton Public Schools, email: connie_carven@teachgreece.org

Judith Malone-Neville, PhD, Program Administrator, Newton Public Schools, email: judith_malone-neville@teachgreece.org

Stephen A. Coren, BFA, Director of Media Production, Newton Public Schools, email: stephen_coren@teachgreece.org

Funding Sources

FAQs

Who can participate?

Although GreeceOnline targets the education community, it welcomes all interested learners and those committed to its mission to raise public consciousness and knowledge of ancient (and modern) Greece and to strengthen Greek studies in the schools. We invite students worldwide who are eager to learn more about the Greek epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey, mythology, literature, history, philosophy, art, democracy, and politics. The program takes as its theme the Socratic call to the examined life and asks what the Greeks have to teach us about ourselves and our times.

Do I need any special equipment to participate?

No. The requirements for viewing the videos are basic:

• High speed (or better) internet connection
• Computer with speakers
• Browser with the Flash plugin installed

Today's computers usually have everything needed -- just connect to the Internet.

In addition, students participating in the two Web Meetings will need the following:

• Phone (required)
• Webcam (optional)

How many professional development points will I earn?

Students will earn 45 professional development points (PDPs), or 3.5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) on completion of specific Program Requirements marked with a red asterisk (). Professional Development Points (PDPs) are earned in MA; and Continuning Education Units (CEUs) are recognized nationally by most educational institutions toward certification and advancement.

Are there assignments?

Yes. Students taking the program for credit need to: complete required reading before viewing each video, write a 250 word response to each video, post the response as a new topic for discussion on the ExL online Discussion Board, and comment on one other student's topic. Once a student has completed viewing all the lectures, the student needs to write a 1,000 word essay and post it to the Discussion Board. Finally, every student needs to develop a Study Guide for classroom use.

Noncredit students are expected to complete reading before viewing each video and to post to the Discussion Board. Noncredit students do not need to write the 1,000 word essay, unless they choose to, and they do not need to develop a Study Guide, unless they choose to.

What is a Study Guide?

A study guide is a curriculum project, a written plan developed to provide guidance and information to students with the ultimate aim of engaging them in a genuine learning experience. Click here for a sample Study Guide.

Is there a program facilitator?

Yes, a program facilitator will welcome students on board, and be available to answer questions, to monitor and assess program assignments and to award grades, PDPs, CEUs, and certificates of participation.

How do I communicate with the program facilitator?

Students will communicate with the program facilitator via the Web Meeting, Discussion Board, and email.

If I need help during the program, how do I get it?

If in doubt about any assignment, students are expected to ask questions by contacting fellow distance learners or the instructor/facilitator.

How do I communicate with my online "classmates"?

Students will communicate with online classmates via the Discussion Board and email.

What’s the connection between GreeceOnline and The Examined Life: Greek Studies in the Schools?

GreeceOnline, the online curriculum of The Examined Life: Greek Studies in the Schools (ExL), is a humanities program for educators and others featuring a graduate course, a lesson plan development opportunity, an optional study tour of Greece, and Leadership Corps membership. GreeceOnline, incorporates all elements of The Examined Life onsite program and is open to educators and all those Interested In furthering its mission. The program has no prerequisites and can be taken for credit or noncredit. Please note: GreeceOnline is open only to those who live and work beyond 50 miles.

Do you have a cancellation or refund policy?

Yes. To withdraw from the program, credit and noncredit students must do so by the third lecture in order to receive 50% refund. After the third lecture, no refunds will be made. If a student withdraws, he/she must inform the instructor that he/she is withdrawing. If the student does not inform instructor, he/she is subject to a failing grade, and no refund will be possible.

Can I copy and use your videos in my classroom?

No. All materials, including the lecture videos, are protected by copyright law and are provided here only for GreeceOnline students to use during the program. No duplication or distribution is permitted.

How can I get more information?

For further information about GreeceOnline, please contact Connie Carven, Teacher Specialist and Liaison with School Districts, connie_carven@teachgreece.org, 781-405-6094.