Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Greece

Language Requirement: None
Academic Standing by Program Start: Sophomore or Above
Location: Europe, Greece
GPA: 2.5
Program Overview

The vibrant city of Athens, with its rich cultural history, will serve as the backdrop for students to read, discuss, and interpret significant works of literature addressing gender and sexuality in the ancient Greek world. Whether you are familiar with the classics or are encountering them for the first time, this course will offer new perspectives on ancient epic, tragedy, comedy, lyric, and oratory. In addition, we will supplement our readings with visits to the museums and sites of Athens and neighboring cities to explore the material and archaeological evidence on ancient gender and sexuality.

Includes excursions to the Parthenon, the Theater of Dionysus, Mycenae, Delphi, many museums around Athens, and more. 

Dates and Deadlines
 
Term Year Priority Deadline Deadline Arrival Date Departure Date
Spring 2024 10/15/2023 11/15/2023 3/30/2024 6/15/2024

Discount for Pell Recipients

To expand access to study abroad, GEO is offering a $400 discount for this program (Summer 2024 and beyond) to UO students who currently have the Pell Grant as part of their federal financial aid (FAFSA).

Academic Details

Open to students at all levels, this program will appeal to those interested in classical literature, art history, Greco-Roman history, gender studies, and archaeology. We will consider attitudes toward the body, homo-, bi-, and heterosexuality, the household, and religious ritual in relation to ancient gender norms. Class time will be divided between discussion of literary texts and excursions to sites and museums. Journaling and short writing exercises will engage students with the material and will guide class discussions.

You will enroll in at least 3 of the 4 courses, though we highly recommend enrolling in all 4 to round out your experience:

  • Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Greece* (4 quarter credits)
  • Classical Archaeology* (4 quarter credits)
  • Politics and Economy in Greece (4 quarter credits)
  • Modern Greek Life and Society (4 quarter credits)

*Required

Course Equivalencies

UO students: please refer to the UO Course Equivalency Process and the UO Office of the Registrar Course Equivalency Database.

Non-UO students: Actual credit awarded is determined by the relevant department at your university in consultation with the study abroad office. Check with your study abroad advisor for more information.

Application process

This program is less than 90 days. Students with a US passport will be traveling to Italy under the Schengen Visa waiver program and do not require a travel visa for this program, and GEO is unable to assist U.S. citizens in obtaining a visa. If you are not a U.S. Citizen: Notify your GEO Advisor. Students who are not U.S. citizens should contact the Italian consulate in their country of residence about visa requirements, no matter the duration of the program of study.

This program has a rolling admission application process: GEO staff (and the program faculty leader, if applicable) will complete a review of the application materials of complete applications in the order that they are submitted (“first come, first serve”). Decisions about acceptance will be made shortly after you submit a complete application. There are some programs that fill fast, some even before the deadline. Students are encouraged to complete applications and commit to programs early.

Acceptance is based on a holistic review of your application.  This includes a review of your GPA, transcripts (including courses taken and in-progress), any additional requirements or prerequisites (see section "Additional Requirements"), and the short statement.

Faculty and Staff
Professor Lowell Bowditch received her B.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of California at Berkeley in 1984 and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Brown University in 1992. She has been at the University of Oregon since 1993 and has taught a wide range of language and literature courses on epic, tragedy, gender and sexuality in antiquity, postcolonialism and the Classics, and the Augustan era. Her research explores the interface between the literature and socio-political relations of Augustan Rome and she is the author of Horace and the Gift Economy of Patronage (2001), A Propertius Reader: Eleven Selected Elegies (2014), Roman Love Elegy and the Eros of Empire (2023), and articles on Tibullus, Propertius, Horace, Ovid, and issues of translation.
Housing Description
While in Athens, you will live in a shared apartment with a small kitchenette within walking distance of the Athens Centre. Generally, there will be two to four students in each apartment, although some houses will accommodate up to six people. You have the choice of cooking meals in the apartment or eating at one of the inexpensive cafés and restaurants near the Athens Centre.