Summer learning

 The College Year in Athens

The “College Year in Athens,” a study-abroad programme focused on Greek history and civilization, offers foreign students university-level courses on Greece and the eastern Mediterranean world.
In addition to classes taking place in Athens, an annual project is held on the island of Paros.

The Hellenic Language School

The “Alexander the Great” Hellenic Language School offers courses to foreigners. The school has branches in Thessaloniki and Chania in Greece, in Sophia and Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in Skopjie, F.Y.R.O.M, and Tirana, Albania.

Hellenic Culture Centre

The “Hellenic Culture Centre” offers Greek language courses to foreigners. While classes are held in Athens, the institute organises an Easter and summer language teaching programme on the island of Lesvos. 

   

The Athens Centre

The “Athens Centre” language programme consists of Greek language courses held in Athens and a three week summer session on the island of Spetses, which apart from the typical language classes, includes extra cultural activities.

The Greek House

The “Greek House” in Athens is a centre for language lessons and culture. The school’s aim is to provide students with a wide range of courses, seminars, lectures and art exhibitions.

Ikarian Centre

Greek Language courses can be a fruitful experience for foreigners on the island of Ikaria.

The “Ikarian Centre” runs a summer Greek Language School combining learning with entertainment.

Summer Programme in Crete

The Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA is organising a summer programme in Crete for those students who wish to spend four weeks on the island, studying the culture of Crete. 

Thessaloniki International Summer School

The International Summer School for Greek Language, History and Culture of the Institute for Balkan Studies offers summer courses for non-native speakers.  The courses include an intensive language teaching programme plus a special Greek history and culture class. 
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

Advertisement

Conferences in Greece

Sound & Audiovisual Archives

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) The International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA- 2009) conference “Towards the new kind of Archive? The Digital Philosophy in Audiovisual Archives” hosted by the Hellenic National Audiovisual Archive is taking place in Athens from September 20 to 25, at the Megaron Athens International Conference Centre.

The role of audiovisual archives in the new technological environment and how distinct the roles are of the various cultural heritage institutions, what methods and techniques will ensure the accountability and continuity of the audiovisual content, are some of the themes the conference participants will address.   The event will also celebrate the 40th anniversary since the establishment of IASA, which was envisioned as a medium for international co-operation between archives that preserve recorded sound and audiovisual documents. It now counts members from more than 60 countries representing a broad palette of audiovisual archives and personal interests.  IASA: Preliminary Conference Programme

Informatics in the Balkans

The 4^th Balkan Conference in Informatics (BCI 2009) is taking place in Thessaloniki from September 17 to 19. The aim of the conference is to provide a forum for discussion and dissemination of research achievements, to promote interaction and collaboration among scientists from the Balkans and beyond, as well as to encourage the involvement of young researchers from the region.

Socialists’ Meetings in the Balkans

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  President of Socialist International and leader of the main opposition PASOK Party, George Papandreou will address the Socialist International Council Meeting in the Republic of Montenegro (June 29-30).  The meeting will focus on ways to deal with the economic meltdown, climate change, regional conflicts, recent developments in Iran and illegal migration.  Visiting Balkan countries ahead of the Council’s works, Papandreou first arrived in Albania where he held talks with Edi Rama, head of the Socialist Party of Albania and current Mayor of Tirana, as well as with his Beatitude, Archbishop Anastasios of the Orthodox Church of Albania.  Next stop for SI president was Serbia, where he met with President Boris Tadic. Both in Albania and in Serbia, Papandreou endorsed the countries’ European perspective. Especially in the case of Serbia, Papandreou acknowledged that the country has taken important steps in terms of reforms suitable to an EU candidacy.”

Greek President Papoulias Meets Romanian Counterpart

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias met on Wednesday with his Romanian counterpart Traian Basescu, who is on a state visit to Greece. The two leaders discussed matters of bilateral well as of particular Balkan interest, confirming there is common ground regarding the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries, provided that “good neighbour” policies are enshrined in the actions of the aspiring members.  The Romanian president made clear that this principle applies to all countries wishing to join the EU, including FYROM and Turkey. Regarding the latter and its relations to Cyprus, Basescu was pronounced in favour of EU’s “code of conduct,” stressing that is thus unacceptable that Turkey continues to occupy a section of an EU member country and that Nicosia continues to be a divided European capital.

Greek PM Karamanlis in Sweden

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis arrived in Stockholm on Monday for talks with his Swedish counterpart Fredrik Reinfeldt in light of the Sweden’s assumption of the EU’s rotating presidency in the second half of 2009. Dealing with the ongoing international economic crisis, EU enlargement, combating climate change, and implementation of the Lisbon Treaty were the main subjects of discussion between the two leaders. Karamanlis briefed the Swedish side over Greece’s positions on Cyprus, Greece’s interest in Balkan development and the region’s Euro-Atlantic prospects. Regarding Turkey’s accession prospect, the premier reiterated that Athens supports it, as long as Turkey completely and effectively fulfils  the commitments it has undertaken vis-à-vis the EU. Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Bilateral Relations Greece-Sweden

Greece at the International Animated Film Festival in Belgrade

Greek Animation and Animators, creators from the wider audiovisual sector will be honored in Belgrade, by the Balkanima, International Animated Film Festival, that will take place in Belgrade from 7th to 11th of October 2008. For the benefit of the festival and the best possible presentation of our country in Serbia, the Hellenic Audiovisual Institute, the European Animation Centre and the Athens School of Fine Arts, have been united in one team and selected a series of various artistic activities in the context of the Serbian capital is Festival, that are targeting to reveal the Greek contemporary Visual Arts, through animation art, painting, sculpture, graffiti, video art, photography and music. Through this creative framework of all the above forms of art, Greek artists will present their propositions and will attempt artistic interventions in the city, with collaboration from their Serbian associates.

Greece: The Balkan Grid Connection

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Greece’s electric grid links with those for neighbouring countries are proving be a critical element in preventing power cuts and in the development of an integrated power market in Southeast Europe. In fact, the security of the country’s power supplies and the development of its market in the future will greatly depend on boosting the system’s capacity to be replenished by other grids. The grid management agency, Hellenic Transmission System Operator (DESMIE) is promoting a number of projects to this end, including a link with Turkey, a second connection with Bulgaria, upgrading the link with Italy and new links with other neighbouring grids.  The development of Balkan links north of Greece’s border – the section including Albania, FYROM, southern Serbia and Bulgaria – will be decisive for Greece’s power imports.  Kathimerini daily (Athens Plus, p.10): Greece hopes for stronger Balkan grid connections

Karamanlis Backs Lisbon Treaty

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Efforts to ratify the Lisbon Treaty should not be abandoned but remain “on schedule,” even in the face of recent setbacks like the “no” vote in the Irish referendum, Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis stressed at a press conference after the end of the European Council meeting in Brussels on Friday. The premier also conceded that failure to ratify the treaty would effectively stall the expansion process, raising obstacles in the path of Turkey and western Balkan states wishing to join the European Union, but appeared confident that the problem would be resolved eventually. Athens News Agency: Lisbon Treaty must stay on track, PM stresses; EU Council: Presidency Conclusions (20.6.2008)

Speleologists and Nature Lovers Rendez-vous in Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    Environmentally aware speleologists and nature lovers seeking adventure will have a unique rendezvous in the beautiful landscape of the northern prefecture of Drama from June 13 to 22 to attend the 2nd Balkan Speleological Reunion Camp “Balkan 2008.” Speleologists from 11 Balkan countries will have the opportunity to explore a number of caves in the region. The meeting is jointly organised by the Drama Prefecture, the Culture Ministry’s Paleo-Anthropology – Speleology Division in Northern Greece and the Hellenic Speleological Federation of Speleology with the support of the Balkan Speleological Union.