POSTDOC RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS AT PRINCETON

We would like to make you aware of the following announcement issued by Princeton University:

“The Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies at Princeton offers postdoctoral fellowships that are awarded annually on a competitive basis.  Scholars in all disciplines of the humanities and social sciences are eligible to apply.  These fellowships are intended for scholars in Hellenic Studies, with a special emphasis on Modern Greek Studies, Byzantine Studies, or Late Antique Studies, including their relation to the Classical tradition.  The goal of this postdoctoral research fellowship program is to advance the scholarship of outstanding Hellenists at an early stage of their career and thus to strengthen the field of post-Classical Greek Studies in the United States and abroad. Current and former fellows are listed on our website.”

Please note that the deadline for applications is 4 January 2017 and follow the link to read the full announcement.

You may also take a look at a list of works by Hellenic Studies postdoctoral fellows, based on their research at Princeton, which have been published since the programme’s inception in 1992.

FIEC CONGRESS IN LONDON 2019

We would like to let you know that we have set the date for FIEC’s next congress:

The XVth FIEC International congress, incorporating the Classical Association Conference, will take place in London from July 5 till 8 2019, with the help of the three British associations : Society for  the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, Society for  the Promotion of Roman Studies, Classical Association, co-ordinated by the Institute of Classical Studies. The General Assembly of FIEC delegates will take place on July 4.

We will, of course, keep you posted as to the scientific programme, the venue etc.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you in London.

COMMEMORATION OF WERNER KRENKEL

We would like to let you know that the University of Rostock is going to commemorate the life and academic career of the late Werner Krenkel on Wednesday, 26 October 2016. A colloquium will be held in the Aula of the University at 5:15pm.

Programme:

Welcome speech by the rector of the University.

Peter Kruschwitz (University of Reading): Satire, Schmähgedicht und das

Recht auf freie Meinungsäußerung [“Satire, Invective and Freedom of Expression“]

Craig A. Williams (University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign): Animal

Sexuality in Greek and Latin Literature

Ian Goh (Birkbeck, University of London): Laudatio

For more information and registration please refer to:

altertumswissenschaften@uni-rostock.de

CROTONE FOOTBALL CLUB TO BUILD STADIUM ON THE AGORA

We need to make you aware of an alarming development in Crotone, Italy. Since the local football club has recently been promoted to the Seria A, i.e. the top of the Italian football league system, they have devised plans to expand their stadium on top of the remnants of the ancient agora. Even though there has been some protest, the status of the Archaeological sites has been changed from “completely unsuitable for new buildings” to “provisional and removable”.

Please follow the link to read the full story.

A VOLUME ON KURD VON HARDT

We would like to let you know that the Fondation Hardt currently offers a special volume that tells the story of the Baron Kurd von Hardt (1889-1958) and the history of the institution he founded:

“This book recounts the extraordinary destiny of a man and the success of the work to which he devoted his life and fortune: a foundation dedicated to the study of classical antiquity. In 1950 Kurd von Hardt, a German Baron, acquired a large estate in Vandœuvres in the Canton of Geneva. There he opened a research centre that would achieve international recognition. Nicolas Gex, a historian, presents the biography of the Baron, the history of the Foundation, the library as well as the Entretiens sur l’Antiquité classique. Térence Le Deschault de Monredon, an art historian, analyses the collection of works assembled by Kurd von Hardt. Christine Amsler, a specialist in the regional history of Geneva, discusses the district of Chougny, an area known as La Chandoleine, from its origins in the seventeenth century to the present.” [translation of the original text in French]

The Fondation allows a substantial discount on offers placed before 28 October 2016. Please follow the link to obtain more information. 

1-YEAR PHD SCHOLARSHIP IN BASEL, SCHWITZERLAND

Please take note of the following offer by the University of Basel’s Department of Ancient Civilisations:

“The PhD program of the Department of Ancient Civilizations at the University of Basel announces a one-year scholarship starting at the 1st of April 2017 (á CHF 30'000 per year; two tranches with evaluation).

Your tasks:

The grant is intended to support a young graduate during the starting phase of his/her PhD research project. It is expected that he/she will develop his/her research project in that time for applying to the Swiss National Science Foundation or other funding institutions at the end of that year.

Your profile:

The scholarship is addressed to students who held a 1st class MA‐degree either in Egyptology, Classical Archaeology, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Ancient History, Greek Philology, Latin Philology, Comparative and Historic Linguistics or European Archaeology. It is expected that the PhD student is highly motivated and will personally be involved in the PhD program of the Department of Ancient Civilizations at the University of Basel. Most welcomed are PhD projects that can be linked to the research fields of the Department of Ancient Civilizations at the University of Basel. The PhD student has to choose from the date of admission to the doctoral program a first or second supervisor from the Department of Ancient Civilizations at the University of Basel.

Application / Contact:

Application deadline: 14th of November 2016

The following documents should be sent by email to the coordinator of the Doctoral Program of Basel Ancient Studies Mr. Hans-Hubertus Muench (hubertus.muench@unibas.ch):

1.         Letter of motivation

2.         CV

3.         MA-Diploma

4.         1-2 sample of text (max. 20 pages each, including at least 1 academic qualification text, like BA- or MA-thesis)

5.         Sketch for the dissertation project (max. 3 pages)

6.         Letter of reference

For further information, please contact the coordinator of the Doctoral Program of Basel Ancient Studies Mr. Hans-Hubertus Muench (hubertus.muench@unibas.ch).

Applications can be submitted in German, in French or in English. The enrolment at the University of Basel is mandatory.”

GREECE INTRODUCES SEVERE RESTRICTIONS UPON ANCIENT GREEK IN SCHOOLS

We need to let you know about some disquieting developments concerning the teaching of Classics in Greek Secondary Education. In recent years the Greek government has substantially weakened the status of Ancient Greek both at the level of the Gymnasium and of the Lyceum. FIEC has now contacted Mr Nicholaos Filis, Greece’s Minister of Education, Research and Religion, with an open letter addressing the issue and asking the Minister to intervene.

You may read the full letter below. In case you would like to support the efforts to preserve the status of Classics in Greece, you may consider signing this international petition.

“                                                                                                          Pisa, September 5th, 2016

Dear Sir,

I write on behalf of FIEC (International Federation of Associations of Classical Studies), a body which brings together all major associations of Classical Studies around the world.

In the past two years, our Federation has learned, with great surprise and profound concern of a steady restriction and downgrading in the teaching of Classics in Greek Secondary Education.

More specifically: According to a recent Ministerial Decision, in the three classes of the Gymnasium, one hour was eliminated from the teaching of Ancient Greek language. In the Lyceum, the restriction of Ancient Greek and Latin is also detrimental to the linguistic and cultural background of Greek pupils. In particular, in the first and the second class, the teaching of Ancient Greek was reduced by three hours (one hour in the first and two hours in the second class), while the teaching of Latin was abolished in the second and restricted in the third class to the candidates of Humanities. Similarly, the abolition of Pericles’ Funeral Speech in the third class of the Lyceum deprives schoolchildren of the acquaintance with the values of this unique text.

In the current year we hear that a more radical downgrading in Classics is imminent, since the Head of the Committee for the Dialogue in Education has proposed the abolition of the teaching of the original Ancient Greek texts from the Gymnasium and its restriction in the Lyceum only to those wishing to take Humanities in Higher Education.

All these measures will deal a heavy blow to Classical Education: if eventually applied in Greece, the birthplace of Classical Civilization, they will significantly weaken the younger generation’s skills in oral and written communication, clarity of expression and critical thinking. This is all the more unfortunate, since such measures go against the practice adopted in many countries, where the teaching of Classics has been recognized as an important instrument for the knowledge of our common roots in language and culture.

As an International Organization devoted to the promotion of Classical Studies, we ask you, as

Greek Minister of Education, to intervene to prevent downgrading the Humanities and support the teaching of classical languages and literature, thus enabling Greek youth to take full advantage of the substantial benefits of classical tradition in language and culture.

Looking forward to your reply, I remain

yours sincerely

Franco Montanari (FIEC President)”