Modern Greek Section

Modern & Medieval Languages

Modern Greek Section

Learning Modern Greek at Cambridge

Modern Greek is now a "section" within the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages, but separate from the other 6 departments.

Staff of the Modern Greek Section

The teaching and research staff associated with the Modern Greek Section are:

Professor David Holton, Professor of Modern Greek. Fellow of Selwyn College. Network telephone: (3)35869. E-mail: dwh11@cam.ac.uk

Ms Marjolijne Janssen, Research Associate. Office in the Raised Faculty Building, Room 136. Network telephone: (6)60802. E-mail: mcj30@cam.ac.uk

Dr Regina Karousou-Fokas, Visiting Lecturer. E-mail: rk3549@cam.ac.uk

Ms Eleftheria Lasthiotaki, Language Assistant. On maternity leave 2007-2008. Office in the Raised Faculty Building, Room 305. Network telephone: (3)35043. E-mail: el279@cam.ac.uk

Mr Kostas Skordyles, Visiting Lecturer in Modern Greek history. E-mail: K.Skordyles@westminster.ac.uk

Dr Teresa Shawcross, Research Fellow, Trinity Hall. E-mail: ctms2@cam.ac.uk

Dr Notis Toufexis, Research Associate. Office in the Raised Faculty Building, Room 136. Network telephone: (6)60802. E-mail: nt262@cam.ac.uk

The secretary of the Modern Green Section is Mrs Nan Taplin and the office (shared with the Department of Italian) is situated in the Raised Faculty Building Room 204, 2nd Floor. Network telephone: (3)35038. Email: moderngreek@mml.cam.ac.uk.

Noticeboards

The noticeboard is on the 2nd floor South landing of the Raised Faculty Building.

Preliminary reading for prospective students

Click here to download the preliminary reading list for prospective students of Modern Greek [in .pdf, 72kb]

Recommended books for purchase

The first three items in the following list are for beginners in the language; the other books are recommended for all Part IA students.

  • D. Dimitra - M. Papacheimona, Ελληνικά Τώρα 1+1 (Greek Now 1+1) (Nostos, Athens 2002). Some copies are available for loan from the Departmental Office, but it is worth considering acquiring your own copy.
  • D. Dimitra - M. Papacheimona, Ελληνικά Τώρα 2+2 (Greek Now 2+2) (Nostos, Athens 1991). Some copies available for loan from the Departmental Office.
  • D. Holton, P. Mackridge and I. Philippaki-Warburton, Greek: an essential grammar of the modern language (Routledge, 2004)
  • D.N. Stavropoulos, Oxford Greek-English Learner's Dictionary (Oxford University Press, 1988)
  • D.N. Stavropoulos and A.S. Hornby, Oxford English-Greek Learner's Dictionary (Oxford University Press, 1977)
  • D. Holton, P. Mackridge and I. Philippaki-Warburton, Greek: A comprehensive grammar of the modern language (Routledge, 1997)
  • P. Mackridge, The Modern Greek language. A descriptive analysis of Standard Modern Greek (Oxford University Press, 1985). (A second edition of 1987 is available in paperback.)
  • R. Clogg, A Concise History of Greece (Cambridge University Press, 2nd ed. 2002), OR:
  • C. Woodhouse, Modern Greece. A short history (Faber, London, 5th ed. 1991)
  • C. Robinson, C.P. Cavafy (Bristol Classical Press, 1988)
  • R. Beaton, George Seferis (Bristol Classical Press, 1991)
  • R. Beaton, An Introduction to Modern Greek literature (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 2nd ed. 1999).

The Language Centre

Students are advised to make regular use of the Language Laboratory facilities for private study throughout the Part IA and IB course. The Centre is located in Downing Place. In addition to various materials on audio cassette and videotape, a Greek television channel (ET 1) is received by satellite in the Language Centre, and in the CALL facility.

Computer Assisted Language Learning Facility (CALL)

The Computer Assisted Language Learning Facility (CALL) is situated on the first floor of the Raised Faculty Building on the Sidgwick Site, where you can pick up an explanatory leaflet. The aim of the CALL Facility is to integrate computing into the teaching and research of the Modern Languages Faculty. Greek-related sources on and research of the Modern Languages Faculty. Greek related resources on the World Wide Web may also be accessed from the CALL Facility or from the Modern Greek web pages. Introductory sessions for all freshers are held at the beginning of the Michaelmas term.

Videos

There is a small collection of Greek films on video, which are available on overnight loan from the Secretary of the Modern Greek Section.

Libraries

The Modern Greek section of the CLASSICS Faculty Library (N.B. NOT the MML Library) has a good collection of books on language, literature, history, etc., for reference and for borrowing. A Library Guide is available from the issue desk, where all new readers should register. Please observe the borrowing rules. Students may also use the University Library, but first year students are not permitted to borrow.

Modern Greek Lecture Series

Throughout the year, at 5 p.m. on certain Thursdays, there are lectures by visiting speakers on a wide range of subjects connected with Modern Greece. Since many of these lectures are particularly relevant to the course, you are strongly encouraged to attend and come and meet the lecturer afterwards over a drink. Information about the programme can be found on this link and copies can be obtained from the Office.

Summer courses

Students reading Modern Greek normally attend a language school in Greece during the summer vacation following their first year. There is now a very wide range of courses on offer. A scholarship is normally available for a first-year student to attend a course in Thessaloniki. Colleges will also often provide grants or travel awards. A detailed handout on courses scheduled for 2008 will be available at the beginning of the Easter Term.

The London Hellenic Society Undergraduate Prize

Prizes are offered for an essay of 3,000 to 4,000 words on any topic relating to Greece since 1453. The competition is open to students in the second or higher year of an undergraduate degree course. The closing date is 30 June 2008. Further information will be posted on noticeboards.

Problems and feedback

Students are encouraged to discuss with their supervisor or some other appropriate person any difficulties they may be experiencing with their course. We are also very keen to receive feedback on the teaching arrangements and the content and delivery of courses, whether in the form of questionnaires (which are distributed from time to time) or in private and confidential discussion. Students should not feel inhibited from commenting on the teaching: all comments will be taken seriously and any problems remedied wherever possible.

The Faculty Staff Student Liaison Committee

The Staff Student Liaison Committee consists of the three student representatives of the Faculty Board (elections are usually held around the middle of the Michaelmas Term) and another student who is co-opted. The senior members are: Chair and Secretary of the Faculty Board, a Head of Department and someone to represent College matters. Further information is available on the website at this link.

The Committee provides an important channel of communication between the students and the teaching members of the Faculty. There are normally one or two meetings per term, chaired by the graduate student representative on the Faculty Board. The student members on the Committee usually canvas student opinion on issues of concern before the meeting and bring them for discussion. Such matters can range from the organisation of Examinations Skills Days through the difficulties students can encounter when they are trying to find a job during the Year Abroad to problems with information flow between the Faculty administration and the student body. A list of names of Staff Student Liaison Committee members is advertised on the noticeboards. Moreover, every Director of Studies is asked at the beginning of the year to nominate a College student representative for the Faculty. These students are often approached by members of the Staff Student Liaison Committee when the views of undergraduates are sought and when it is not appropriate to circulate a full questionnaire or hold a public meeting.

Matters raised at the Staff Student Liaison Committee are regularly brought to the attention of the Faculty Board; indeed, the student representatives on the Board have their own 'slot' and are invited to raise issues of concern to the student body.

Communication travels in the other direction, too: the Faculty Board often refers matters, such as changes in the regulations, to the Liaison Committee for consideration. The student representatives are then expected to canvas student opinion and discuss the issues in the Liaison Committee before reporting back to the Faculty Board where student feedback is then taken into account.

All students are encouraged to approach members of the Liaison Committee with any concern they have in connection with the Faculty. In some cases, they might be referred to the Chair or Secretary of the Faculty Board or to their Director of Studies; in many cases, however, the Liaison Committee will take the opportunity to consider the matter as a general issue. In this way policy can be changed from the grassroots level.

 

 

 

 

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