Greek

A row of doric columns, overlaid with Greek

This caption describes the image above.

The Greek language has a continuous history of over 3,000 years. Ancient Greek was spoken in Greece and around the ancient Mediterranean world for a over a thousand years. Its modern descendant, known as modern Greek, is the official language of Greece and Cyprus today and spoken by about 25 million people around the world. Click here for a brief history of Greek.

The literature of the ancient Greek world has had a profound impact on Western thought and culture, from the poetry of Homer and Sappho and the plays of Sophocles and Euripides to the histories of Herodotus and Thucydides, the Hippocratic Corpus, the dialogues of Plato, the New Testament, and Christian writings of the Roman and Byzantine eras. The ability to read and interpret these works in their original language provides the key to understanding both the rich culture of ancient Greece itself and the foundations of much later literature and thought, from politics and science to philosophy and religion. Study of the ancient Greek language also provides a firm base for learning other Indo-European languages and develops strong analytical skills

UT students may pursue a major or minor in ancient Greek, and courses in ancient Greek count toward majors in Classical Languages, Classical Studies-Ancient History, and Classical Studies-Classical Archaeology. The Department of Classics offers introductory (GK 506/7), intermediate (GK 311/12), and advanced (GK 324/28 and 365) courses every semester, covering a wide variety of authors every year. A widely recognized programme for Intensive Beginning Greek is offered every summer and attracts students from around the world. The graduate program in Classics, which offers both MA and PhD degrees, involves combined study of ancient Greek and Latin.

In previous semesters, the Department of Classics has offered courses in modern Greek at the introductory (GK 502/3) and intermediate levels (GK 310/310K). There are currently no plans to offer modern Greek in the 2017-18 academic year. There is currently no major or minor in modern Greek.