Due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, instead of being an on-site summer school program, the Byzantine Studies Program at Dumbarton Oaks has developed a robust digital program of lectures, readings, discussion, and projects.
Designed to improve knowledge of Greek among Byzantinists and others interested in the world of Byzantium (especially since related courses are only taught in a very small minority of universities around the world), Dumbarton Oaks is hosting an intensive four-week Byzantine Greek Summer School program from June 29 to July 24, 2020. We will be welcoming 10 graduate students from schools across the globe.
Instructed by Professors Alexandros Alexakis (University of Ioannina) and Stratis Papaioannou (University of Crete), the program aims to support the study of post-classical and medieval Greek, with an introduction to the history of Byzantine literature, Greek paleography, the study of medieval manuscripts, and Byzantine book culture through online instruction and resources. Students will have access to the rich digital collections of Dumbarton Oaks (including several Byzantine manuscripts and art objects), as well as the increasing number of digital manuscript collections in libraries and related institutions globally. Apart from attending online lectures and introductions, students will complete daily assignments of translations of Greek texts in the original and prepare transcriptions from medieval manuscripts; these translations and transcriptions will then be discussed by the group. Simultaneously, in individual tutorials, each student will work in depth on a project, topic, or text of their own choice, usually related to their doctoral research.
This is an exciting opportunity to engage in new ways and to build a broad foundation of materials for use in digital scholarship and teaching. We look forward to enriching and expanding the knowledge of Greek among Byzantinists this summer.
