Modern Greek Studies (MGS)

MGS 150 Modern Greek I (Units: 4)

Modern (demotic) Greek for beginners emphasizing oral expression, listening comprehension, reading and writing. Grammar introduced in context of readings.

Course Attributes:

• C2: Humanities
• Global Perspectives

MGS 151 Modern Greek II (Units: 4)

Prerequisite: MGS 150 or equivalent.

Continuation of first semester Modern Greek.

Course Attributes:

• Global Perspectives

MGS 152 Modern Greek Conversation (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: MGS 150 or permission of the instructor.

Emphasizing aural-oral skills, provides practical contexts for conversational modern Greek derived from instructional videos, DVDs, and online tutorials. May be repeated for a total of 6 units.

Course Attributes:

• Global Perspectives

MGS 316 Contemporary Culture of Greece: The Past in the Present (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or permission of the instructor.

An exploration of the culture of contemporary Greece, considered from the perspective of anthropology, folklore, history, and heritage studies.
(This course is offered as MGS 316 and ANTH 316. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

MGS 350 Greece and the Balkans (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: GE Area E.

History of Greece and the Balkans from the Fall of Constantinople to the present.
(This course is offered as MGS 350 and HIST 350. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

MGS 351 Venetians and Ottomans in the Eastern Mediterranean and Greece (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Upper-division standing; GE Area E; or permission of the instructor.

Examination of the Republic of Venice in conjunction with the Ottoman Empire in their interactions in the eastern Mediterranean.
(This course is offered as HIST 351 and MGS 351. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

MGS 352 From Glory to Debt: Greece from the 19th to the 21st Centuries (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Upper-division standing; GE Area E; or permission of the instructor.

Examination of political, social, and economic crises and transformations sustained by the Modern Greek State from 1830 to the present.
(This course is offered as HIST 352 and MGS 352. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

MGS 365 Modern Greek III (Units: 4)

Prerequisite: MGS 151 or equivalent.

Continuation of second semester Modern Greek. Accelerated emphasis on conversation, grammar and composition.

MGS 378 Athens (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to upper-division standing or permission of the instructor.

Explore the city of Athens from the ancient to modern periods, including contemporary times; focus on key moments in the city's multi-layered history as well as enduring cultural values and global impact.
(This course is offered as HUM 378 and MGS 378. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

MGS 397 Greek American Literature (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.

A survey of the major Greek American authors and poets of the 20th century.
(This course is offered as MGS 397 and ENG 398. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

Course Attributes:

• Global Perspectives
• Social Justice

MGS 452 Forster, Durrell, and Cavafy (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.

Examination of English novelists and travel writers E. M. Forster and Lawrence Durrell and their connection to Alexandrian poet C. P. Cavafy. Discussion includes their collective interest in Alexandria as an alternative literary and ideological topos.
(This course is offered as MGS 452, CWL 452, and ENG 452. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

Course Attributes:

• Global Perspectives

MGS 465 Modern Greek Poetry in Comparative Perspective (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to English: Concentration in English Education and Creative Writing majors.

Survey of Greece's prominent modern poets in comparison with major Anglo-American and European poets. Poets to be studied can include Cavafy, Seferis, Elytis, Mastoraki, Yeats, Eliot, Pound, and Rich.
(This course is offered as MGS 465, CWL 465, and C W 465. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

MGS 470 Modern Greek IV (Units: 4)

Prerequisite: MGS 365 or equivalent.

Continuation of third semester Modern Greek. Conversation, grammar, and composition writing. Reading and translating of representative literary and other texts.

MGS 497 Modern Greek Literature (Units: 3)

Introduction to Greece's major modernist and postmodernist writers. Exploration of experimental writing techniques using 20th Century literature.
(This course is offered as MGS 497 and C W 497. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

MGS 510 The Byzantine Empire (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: GE Area E.

The political, social, economic, and cultural history of the Byzantine Empire from 7th to 15th centuries A.D. and the relations of Byzantium with its Germanic, Slavic, Arabic, and Turkic speaking neighbors.
(This course is offered as MGS 510, CLAS 510, HIST 326. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

MGS 555 Introduction to Modern Greek Literary Texts (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: MGS 470 or equivalent.

Reading and translation of selected texts in modern Greek literature. Modern Greek grammar for upper division students.

MGS 699 Independent Study (Units: 1-4)

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or permission of the instructor.

Supervised intensive, individual work, largely of a research nature, in Modern Greek Studies, e.g., language, literature, folklore and/or culture. Culminates in a paper. May be repeated for a total of 8 units.