Programmes

Three-month Perfection Programme

THREE MONTHS' PERFECTION PROGRAMME
IN MODERN GREEK AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

180 hours, 12 weeks
Cost: 4800 euros (3000 euro per student for groups of 5 students)

Only students of an advanced level of Greek (level: Advanced II) may attend this programme. For more information about the syllabus and the required knowledge of this level, please check with the secretariat or see here

The person responsible for this Programme, which is offered since 1998, is Ms. Ifigenia Georgiadou, director of the Hellenic Culture Centre

Study Programme:
- 120 hours of instruction by a Greek language philologist or / and a teacher of the student's mother tongue or by an experienced translator of this language or / and a guest speaker expert (Lawyer, Linguist, Economist, Historian, Social Anthropologist or Sociologist)
- 60 hours of attending sessions in the Greek Parliament, lectures, university classes, public discussions, seminars in other organisations.

Fees:
The cost of the three months' perfection programme is 4800 euros (3000 euro per student for groups of 5 students). The whole amount must be paid two months before the beginning of the programme. The cancellation fee is 300 euros, which will be deducted by the Centre and used as fees if the student participates in a next programme.

Notes:
1. The course is held in private lessons.
2. Special seminars (Legal Terminology, History, Financial and Economic Terminology, Geography and Katharevousa) or any other part of the Programme can be also attended by students who have registered only for these seminars. In this case all participants are entitled to the congruent fees' discount.
3. In case 5 students want to attend THE ENTIRE Three-Month Perfection Programme DURING THE SAME PERIOD, the fees are reduced to 3000 euro/ student.
4. Students of this programme may participate in other activities organized by the HCC (cultural presentations, interviews, traditional dance courses, excursions etc.), providing that such activities are organized during their course period.
5. This programme can partly take place on the island of Lesvos, in cooperation with the Greek language summer school Aeolis.
6. The courses with the teacher or translator of the student's mother tongue are not translation or interpretation technique courses. They are only Greek language lessons. During the lesson, though, it is possible for the students to practice in translating or interpreting, if they wish so.
7. Attending lectures in other institutions and organization is upon the student's responsibility according to the provided programme. In some cases, students are accompanied by their teacher.
8. This programme is organized upon request during the whole year.


Syllabus (120 hours)

1. Instruction of Greek language (80 hours)

Vocabulary and related cultural material on the following topics: Political system and Political parties, Educational System, Environment, Media, Labour relations, Public health system and Insurance, Safety, hygiene and health at work, the Church and the State, the Language Issue, Social problems, Greek Geography and Products, the Institution of family, Gender equality, Economy, Agriculture, Fisheries, Shipping,Terrorism, Cypriot Question and Cypriot dialect etc.

Political speeches, parliamentary debates and texts on contemporary Greek and international issues will also be examined.

Different forms of language are presented either in "Demotiki" or in "Katharevousa". We focus on frequently made mistakes (in spelling, grammar, syntax, expressions).

Grammar focus: irregular nouns - adjectives - verbs, formation and accentuation of feminine nouns, verbs and their related prepositions, idioms with imperative, prefixes, irregular and ancient participles, use of noun cases, ancient verbs in -ώμαι, -αμαι, -εμαι, adjectives in -ην -ην -εν, -υς -εια -υ, rules on derivatives and compound nouns, abbreviations, verbal aspect, word with same or similar sound, ancient words and phrases used in modern Greek.

The educational material is composed of: lectures and interviews of politicians and experts, articles from the Press, extracts from scientific magazines and special editions, documents, audiovisual material (interviews, documentaries, Parliament debates etc.), grammar and vocabulary exercises, special glossaries and vocabulary lists.

The seminar is held by a philologist. Certain amount of hours, 20 in total, may be also held by a teacher or experienced translator of the students' mother tongue, if the latter is common for all students of the group. Special experts (Lawyer, Linguist, Economist, Historian, Social Anthropologist or Sociologist) teach specialized thematic fields.


2. Legal Terminology Seminar (10 hours)

The following topics are presented: general principles of law - introduction to civil law, Greek judicial system and types of courts, harmonization of Greek legislation in line with the E.U. Treaty, Constitutional law principles - the Greek government, Environmental Law, Internet Law, Personal Data Protection, Copyright Law, etc.

The educational material is composed of: legal documents, law lectures, articles in law magazines, laws and decrees. The educational material is a photocopied edition of H.C.C.

The seminar is held by a specialist lawyer. A language philologist participates in it.


3. Financial and economic terminology seminar (10 hours)

The following topics are presented: introduction to the Capital Market (Stock Exchange of Athens), the greek bank system, the state of the Greek economy.
The educational material is composed of: the law for introducing foreign businesses to the Stock Exchange, texts on shares, bonds, mutual capital, types of Stock Exchange and Banking transactions.

The seminar is held by a teacher of economics or a specialist economist. A language philologist participates in it.


4. Contemporary Greek history seminar (10 hours)
The following topics are presented: the establishment of the modern Greek State, the Balkan Wars in the early 20th century, the German occupation during the Second World War, the Civil War, the Cypriot problem, the political transition, admission to the E.E.C., Greek - Turkish relations.

The educational material is composed of: articles from the Press of the time or from the contemporary press, texts of the Treaties, lectures by well-known politicians, (written, recorded, video - recorded), material that is being used in state secondary schools.

The seminar is held by a philologist specialized in Greek history or a Historian.


5. Seminar in Katharevousa (10 hours)

The following topics are presented: the history of Katharevousa, the history of the Language Issue, contemporary social issues.

The educational material is composed of: speeches of church notables and of politicians, press articles, legal texts, scientific and administration texts, etc in Katharevousa. Also: expressions in literary Greek, phrases of the Holy Bible, structural figurations of simple Katharevousa.

The seminar is held by a philologist or a linguistics expert.

6. Anthropo-geography seminar (10 hours)

The following topics are presented: Administrative organization, local cultures and "ethnicities", Economy and "specializations" (Raisin, tourism, services), Populations (indigenous, Refugees, Minorities, Immigrants, Memories and Lost Places («The Greek Orient»)

The educational material is composed of: articles from the Press of the time or from the contemporary press,, extracts from cinema, radio and television series lectures by well-known politicians, (written, recorded, video - recorded)

The seminar is offered by an Historian or Social Scientist.