Modern Greek
At UCLA, undergraduate and graduate students can acquire or deepen their knowledge of the modern Greek language. Through the Department of Classics, our Center offers courses from the elementary level to advanced intermediate. More specialized courses, including intensive Greek facilitating research for graduate students, are also available. Students can also pursue a Minor in Greek Language to enhance their proficiency and cultural understanding. In addition to language courses, our Center serves as an official examination center for the Certificate of Attainment in Greek (Ellinomatheia), the only certificate in Greek as a foreign language that is offered and recognized by the Greek state.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) / Ioannis P. and Eirini Caloyeras Lectureship in Modern Greek was established by SNF and Peter J. Caloyeras in 2022 to create a permanent position in Modern Greek language instruction at UCLA. Courses offered by the lecturer are housed in UCLA’s Department of Classics.
The Center’s seminar room houses the Constantine and Koren Christofides Collection of Modern Greek Poetry. The holdings of this extensive collection include several works by such major poets as Constantine P. Cavafy, Angelos Sikelianos, George Seferis, Yannis Ritsos, and Odysseas Elytis, many of them in rare editions. The collection, which was assembled by Constantine Christofides and donated to the Center by Koren Christofides, is used for teaching and research.
Students Christine Muron and Stamatis Hamouzas present on the work of Dimitris Papaioannou in Intermediate Greek, offered in spring 2024.