Stockholm university

Classical Greek

Ancient Greek is one of the foundations of modern Western culture. When you study Greek, you will not only learn a language but also have access to a rich selection of literature and philosophical and scientific texts that are still relevant for our modern society.

Athena, gudinna i grekisk mytologi, symbol för lag och rätt
Athena, gudinna i grekisk mytologi, symbol för lag och rätt. Foto: Digitalpress

Subject description

The Greek culture has strongly influenced not only Western culture as a whole, but also our thinking and our way of expressing ourselves linguistically and in literature. Our science and philosophy are largely based on Greek culture. It is no coincidence that modern philosophy is sometimes described as "a series of footnotes to Plato"! Homer's poetry and the works of the Greek tragedy writers are considered by many to be unmatched in the Western literary canon.

Many important concepts originate from Greek, but we do not know about it. "Democracy" is a Greek word, and a form of Western democracy developed for the first time in ancient Greece. The New Testament is written in Greek. In short, it is not possible to understand our modern society without knowledge of the Greek heritage.

After the basic course has been completed, you will read selected parts of Homer's heroic songs about the Trojan War and the return journey of Odysseus, poets such as Sappho and Pindar, the dialogues of Plato, dramas of the timeless tragedy writers Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and the comedy writer Aristophanes, and examples of the rhetoric art of Lysias and Demosthenes. In addition to this, parts of Herodotus's and Thucydides's histories and central texts from the New Testament.

The teaching is given at half speed. The first semester's studies do not require any previous knowledge of the subject. You can also start by reading the course "Biblical Greek" first term at the undergraduate level and then continuing with ancient Greek the second semester.

The courses "Ancient Greece: narratives and concepts", "Greek Eros - Love and Eroticism in Ancient Greece" and "Greek Tragedy and Comedy in Translation" do not require any knowledge of Greek and are aimed at those who want an introduction to the ancient Greece's culture, ideas and way of living.

Career opportunities

Ancient Greek is of use to anyone who works with culture related subjects. This applies e.g. to university teachers, journalists in the cultural field, archaeologists and those working with art and in museums. Greek is therefore not only valuable in itself but also complements studies in other humanities.

Courses and programmes

Degree

To obtain a bachelor's degree in Greek, you will read independent courses listed under Education (including the bachelor's degree). To obtain a master's degree in Greek, you either read the master's programme in Linguistics with a specialization in Greek or the master's programme in Literary Studies with a with a specialization in Greek; they are listed under Education. Greek combines well with bachelor's degree in other subjects such as History, Ancient Culture and Society, Archaeology, Literature, and Art Studies.

More information about degrees at Stockholm University

Research

Within the subject of Greek, research is mainly conducted within the linguistic field as well as text editing and scientific studies within the field of philology.

Read more about Classical Languages

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    Directors of Studies first and second level
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