International Summer Institutes

2010 Program Information Available Soon.

MSU Faculty Led Short-Term Study Abroad Institutes Global Education Center Montclair State University 22 Normal Avenue Upper Montclair, NJ 07043	Tel: 973 655-4185 Fax: 973 655-7654 simonw@mail.montclair.edu

Montclair in Athens

July 1 – 12, 2009, with class meetings prior and post travel

Program Description Join us for a 12-day group study of the connections between ancient and modern drama in Athens and on an idyllic Greek island. With a particular focus on drama and theatre, participants in this program study the arts and culture of ancient Greece and their influence on the modern world. The Montclair summer program in Greece will bring a group of undergraduate and graduate students, teachers and community members to Athens and the island of Spetses for a 12-day program concentrating on Greek culture and civilization.  It will include five days in Athens, with guided visits to the Acropolis, Agora, the National Museum, the Theater Museum, and a performance at the Theatre of Dionysus if available, plus five days of workshops and classes in the pine-covered island and picturesque villages of Spetses.  Located opposite the Peloponnese, just 2 ½ hours from Athens by hydrofoil, Spetses is known as the “green island” due to its forested hillsides and lush gardens of bougainvillea, oleander and jasmine.  We will begin and end our stay in Greece in Athens. Our five days on the island of Spetses will include morning and/or afternoon sessions of play readings and discussions of ancient and modern texts with ample time for: exploring the island by bike or on foot, swimming in the Aegean Sea, shopping at harbor boutiques, and visiting neighboring islands and archeological sites; and evenings at seaside tavernas enjoying the pleasures of Greek island life. Participants may register for one course for undergraduate or graduate credit or receive professional development credits, or participate on a non-credit basis. There will be three class meetings at Montclair State University prior to travel in Greece, which will be required for any credit participants and optional for all others.

Housing
Participants in the program will be housed in Athens in the Art Gallery hotel in the central area of Athens called Koukaki. The entrance to the Acropolis is only a few
blocks away, as is the Herod Atticus theatre, the ancient theatre where the Athens Festival performances take place. The hotel is actually a neo-classical Athenian mansion renovated into a hotel, with a wonderful top floor breakfast room with a view of the Acropolis.  There are tables out on the balcony for breakfast outside on warm days.  Rooms are double, with twin beds, modern bathroom, and a fridge in each room.  All rooms are air conditioned.

The hotel in Spetses, the Villa Alexia, is a fairly new hotel; all rooms are double with twin beds and a tiny kitchenette equipped with fridge and small table-top stove.  There is a large swimming pool in the grounds, and the beach is a 5 minute walk away.  The rooms are furnished in simple island style, with doors leading out to balconies or terrace areas.  Breakfast is served each morning at a seaside café near the hotel.

Meals
Welcome and farewell dinners will be arranged in Athens on the first and last nights at a typical neighborhood taverna.  There are numerous cafes and seaside tavernas in Spetses where other meals can be taken.

Faculty
Susan Kerner (Program Director) is an Associate Professor in the Theater and Dance Department at Montclair State University. She has directed London theater programs for Montclair State University, New York University, Drew University and Rutgers University. A professional stage director, Ms. Kerner has directed in major regional, New York and London theaters. She recently directed a bi-lingual co-production of A. R Gurney’s The Dining Room for Shanghai Theatre Academy (China) and Montclair State University. Professor Kerner was a Fulbright Scholar in India.

 

Mary C. English is an Associate Professor of Classics and General Humanities at Montclair State University.  She has written numerous articles and book chapters on the staging of ancient comedy and the reception of Greek drama by contemporary American playwrights. She was the recipient of the American Philological Association's 2007 Award for Excellence in Teaching at the College Level. Since the fall of 2003, she has been Editor of Classical Outlook, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Classical League.

Academics

Undergraduate and graduate student participants may select one course from the following options:

THTR 432: Greek Drama Today or
THTR 509: Special Topics: Montclair in Athens (3 credits)

An examination of select ancient Greek plays and their influence on modern and contemporary playwrights. Students will explore plays by such writers as Arthur Miller, Neil Labute, AR Gurney, Peter Schaffer, Naomi Iizuka, and Mary Zimmerman to understand the various ways that classical works inspire and shape both the form and content of playwriting and play production today. Students may also prepare short scenes and/or monologues from classical plays (and modern adaptations of classical plays) for an informal performance at the amphitheatre on the Island of Spetses.

 

GNHU 385 Greek Tragedy (3 credits)
Students will read selected plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, and they will explore the legacy of these tragedians by looking at contemporary performances of these scripts. They will also learn about the origins of Greek theatre, religion and myth in tragedy, the concept of the "tragic" hero, and ancient Greek stage practices. Students will select scenes from the assigned scripts for a “staged reading” at the amphitheatre on the Island of Spetses.

GNHU 502 Classical Traditions (3 credits):
In this graduate level course, students will not only read representative Greek tragedies (see above description), but will consider how later generations of scholars, playwrights, and directors have interpreted these "masterpieces" from the past.

Participants not wishing to register for credit may elect to receive professional development credits.

Program Cost
The program cost includes:

• Roundtrip airfare
• Double occupancy hotel in Athens and Spetses- 5 nights each
• Breakfasts at a seaside café near the Spetses hotel
• Hydrofoil transfers in Greece from Athens to and from Spetses
• Bus transfers to and from the port of Piraeus
• Airport Transfers in Athens and port transfers in Spetses
• Entrance fees to local museums
• 24-hour emergency support through Athens Centre

Undergraduate and graduate students:
$3,200 plus tuition and fees for three credits.
Professional Development and non-credit participants:
$3,500 (includes a certificate for 45 hours of professional development).

Application procedure:
This summer program is open to teachers for graduate credit or professional development, community members, MSU and non-MSU undergraduate and graduate students. Non-MSU students and new transfer students will need to submit two references forms plus a official transcript(s) from their home institution(s).

All student participants are required to have
1) a minimum GPA of 2.75;
2) an interview with one or both of the faculty leading the program;
3) a reference form completed by a faculty member other than the faculty
leading that program; and
4) the $100 non-refundable application fee.

 

Non-MSU Students
Applicants should submit two reference forms and official transcript(s) from the home institution(s) plus a $100 non-MSU administrative fee. Telephone interviews with the faculty will be accepted for out of state students. After completion of the program, non-MSU students will need to request an MSU transcript for submission to the home institution.

Teachers wishing professional development credit and non-credit community members: Participants should schedule an interview with one or both of the faculty leading the program but do not need to submit transcripts or reference forms.

Payment schedule
Once accepted into the program, the payment schedule for program costs is as follows:
By April 1, 2009:         $1,600 Includes Non-Refundable $100 Application Fee        
By May 1, 2009:          balance due for payment in full
Make checks payable to “Montclair State University”

Registration for undergraduate and graduate credit summer session courses is done through the online WESS system in May, and tuition for the three credits is then paid directly to the Bursar.
A limited number of partial scholarships are available for MSU students with a 3.0 G.P.A. Contact the Global Education Center for further information. The deadline for scholarship applications is April 15, 2009.

Athens Pre-enrollment and Application Packet

For Further Information:
Contact the Global Education Center at 973-655-4185 or email simonW@mail.montclair.edu.
For further information about THTR 432 and THTR 509 and the program on the ground in Greece, please contact Prof. Susan Kerner kernerS@mail.montclair.edu 973-655-4454.
For further information about the General Humanities and Classics courses, please contact Prof. Mary English englishM@mail.montclair.edu 973-655-5135.