University of Arkansas Summer Study Tour in Greece

 May 13- June 11, 2025

Professors Daniel B. Levine, George P. Paulson

We are glad that you are interested in the University of Arkansas Study Tour in Greece 2019. We (George P. Paulson and Daniel Levine) love Greece. We have been there over 40 times between us. We have studied Greece for many years. We have led ten study tours together for the University of Arkansas (2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019). In addition, Dr. Levine has led two other study tours in Greece for the University of Arkansas (alone in 1985, and in 2000 (with Professor Don Lateiner of Ohio Wesleyan University), and five summer sessions for the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (1987, 1995, 2006, 2018, 2022), and one for the Vergilian Society (1990, with Professor Kenneth Kitchell, Jr. of University of Massachusetts). Dr. Levine's curriculum vitae is here.

We see the Study Tours in the Aegean as a great opportunity to spend a lot of quality time with students in exploring the history and culture of Greece, with lots of opportunity to get close to the land and the sea, its mountains and valleys. It delights us to see students thrill to the discovery of the monuments and art works which abound in Greece.

Our philosophy of study abroad teaching is that students learn best when they can see the most, and so we are on the move most of the time. Since our time abroad is short, we do not want to spend it in a classroom or in front of a computer; that is for before and after our voyage of discovery. When students return to the USA, they have time to continue to digest what they have experienced, and they can do more library work to complete their papers and examinations.

There is no language requirement for this trip, though we have found that those students who have taken ancient and modern Greek gain a great enrichment of their skills while there. We will give instruction in Modern Greek in our pre-trip meetings, and during the study tour. Many students learn a great deal of Greek in their time abroad. 

Students will sign up for two three-hour University of Arkansas courses; they may choose from four courses: two honors classes, and two regular classes. Upon completion of the course requirements, they will receive 6 hours of upper-level credit.

The study tour is designed for those who have a serious interest in learning about Greek culture, literature, language, history, art, archaeology, and topography. Many Classical Studies majors enroll in this program, which offers courses towards their graduation requirements in that area. Other students are European Studies majors, who can get credit towards their degrees from the program. Students of History often take these classes and count them towards their History major, with the pre-approval of an academic advisor. Students from the Colleges of Engineering and Business go on this trip, as do members of the Community, retired people, and emeritus professors. Participant ages have ranged from 19 to 75.

Our pace is steady, and the climate can be challenging. We do hope that students will be in good health and ready for daily walks. Former students have told us that they wish that they had done more walking before coming to Greece, in order to prepare themselves for the exercise that they got during the study tour. Verbum sapientibus satis est.

Students will sleep most nights in hotels, but also in ship cabins.  We rotate the roommates at each stop, so everyone rooms with everyone else. We have pre-trip meetings so that students can get to know one another before leaving. We travel by boats and buses, on the Athens Metro, and on foot.  We will be able to see a lot, thanks to the excellent roads and fine accommodations in all parts of Greece. We will see the popular places, and also places off the beaten track. We welcome you on this trip back in time, to the beginnings of the European experience.

Perpetual Palimpsests:  Greek Sites and the Flow of Identities.

 Greece is an ancient land, with many cultural layers. When we visit its sites, we will consider not only the remains that we can see from a single period, but we will also try to envisage the different outlooks and identities of the people who used these places over the centuries. 

For example, Athenians began building the Parthenon during the early democracy. After the Persian invasion destroyed the unfinished building, it was begun anew in Athens’ ‘Golden Age’, and made into a showpiece of Athenian imperial power, with a gold and ivory statue of Athena, and a sculptural depiction of its citizens taking part in a religious procession. To glorify their own accomplishments, both Alexander the Great and the Roman Emperor Nero left their marks on the building. In Byzantine times, it became an Orthodox cathedral. To suit their own religious requirements, the Christians modified the building. When the Crusaders took the city, it became a Catholic cathedral, with the addition of a bell tower. When the Muslim Turks controlled the acropolis, they made the building into a mosque, and converted the bell tower into a minaret for the call to prayer. They also used the building to store their gunpowder, which would have catastrophic consequences. After Greece’s War of Independence in the early 19th century, the new Greek state purged the building of everything that they thought detracted from the 5th century classical original.  The Parthenon is still being restored, and has become both a construction site and a tourist destination, as well a national symbol.  There is still debate about its future:  What are the best ways to preserve the structure in the face of the challenges of air pollution, earthquakes, and the press of millions of eager visitors from all lands?

We will attempt to apply the same kind of diachronic interpretation to whatever sites we visit, whenever we can.  Student reports will incorporate the idea of the ‘perpetual palimpsest and the flow of identities’ whenever possible. In this way, we will see the evolution of every site, and appreciate the uninterrupted flow of history.

Here are some questions to consider when thinking about Identity.  Maybe you can think of more.

Who were they? [What do we call them?]

What did they call themselves?

Where were they from?

What language did they speak?

What script did they use?

What religion did they practice?

How did they govern themselves?

Daniel Levine & George Paulson