The study of Modern Greek Philology is framed as an integrated study of its basic natural components (practical language and its theoretical foundation, literature, history and cultural‒social context). This field of study is full-time and may only be studied as a joint degree programme in both the BA and the MA programmes. The Modern Greek department co-operates with Greek partner universities in Thessaloniki, Corfu and Ioannina within the framework of Erasmus +.
During the three-year BA programme, the students do not only acquire sound understanding of the modern Greek language (equivalent to the B2 level according to the standards of the European Framework of Reference for Languages), but also an extensive knowledge of modern Greek cultural studies, history and literature. In addition, the students take the Ancient Greek course and acquire basic information about the classical and Byzantine culture, which enables them to understand the cultural and linguistic historical contexts. The purpose of this programme is to produce specialists equipped with skills necessary to analytically evaluate the current situation in Greece on the background of the social-historical development of the Greek civilization, thus placing it in a broader socio-scientific framework. Mastering the modern Greek language, literature and history is a basic requirement for theoretical and methodological preparation of the students for the Modern Greek Philology MA programme.
The undergraduate of the Modern Greek Philology programme is proficient in the modern Greek language. He/she is qualified for unsupervised language use, especially in the areas of education and tourism, and has synoptic knowledge of modern Greek history, culture, literature as well as current topics. He/she is qualified for professions which require general knowledge and linguistic proficiency (in addition to modern Greek, the undergraduate is proficient in at least one other major world language). He/she is qualified to work in the public sector, cultural institutions and also in the commercial sphere. The graduate is able to work with specialised literature, apply scientific methods to his/her work and look for specific information in internet databases. Rudimentary knowledge of Ancient Greek, Ancient and Byzantine literature and basic understanding of the analytical approach to literature enlarge his/her general knowledge in Humanities and allow for flexibility in his/her future professional training.
The main purpose of the MA programme is a significant expansion of practical knowledge in connection with theoretical basics acquired during the BA programme both from the synchronic and the diachronic perspectives. The study plan of Modern Greek Philology is framed as a systematic grounding for the students in the skills of language, literature and cultural-historical interpretation.
The study begins with a focus on acquiring thorough grounding in the language development and the modern history of the south-eastern Balkans, which is followed by knowledge expansion in the fields of speech, grammar, translation and text culture, culminating in hands-on engagement with original pieces of texts Students gain qualification for both theoretical and practical employment of the language, as well as an adequate overview of Greek literature and history from the late classical period to the present. Attending compulsory courses significantly expands the knowledge in the student’s field of study and provides the student with new dimension in the theory of translation and interpretation. The MA programme provides the opportunity to use this knowledge independently and creatively in the PhD programme.
The graduate of the Modern Greek Philology is highly proficient in the modern Greek language (equivalent to the C2 level as defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and possesses broad knowledge of Greek literature, history, life and institutions. He/she is also an expert in the area of modern Greece and Cyprus. Being able to interpret both primary and secondary texts, both original and translated literary and technical texts, he/she is prepared to work independently in the field of philology. He/she is trained in professional working methods and knows the basics of scientific working methods. The graduate is able to interpret diligently and accurately even older primary sources. The fact that the graduate programme in Modern Greek Philology is always studied concurrently with another programme allows the students to broaden the possibilities of their future employment according to their specialization. The graduate is trained for work in both public and corporate institutions which require deep general knowledge in Humanities, i.e. jobs in scientific institutes, publishing houses, museums and other cultural institutions, as well as in other institutions of non-academic nature, such as the governmental institutions, the European Union and other international organizations, or, he/she may find employment as a translator, since the overwhelming majority of Byzantine and Modern Greek literature still awaits to be translated. The graduate also has a basic grasp of the theory of interpreting.