Modern Greek Program

With the establishment of its program in Modern Greek language and culture in 2008, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign joined other leading institutions of higher education in the United States such as Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, all of which are affiliated with the North American Modern Greek Studies Association. At Illinois, we continue an educational tradition originating in the Chicagoland community, which has one of the nation's largest concentrations of Greeks and Greek-Americans in the world.

Since 2018 the Modern Greek program at Illinois has been housed in the Classics Department, along with its vibrant majors and minors in Ancient Greek, Latin, Classical Civilization, and Classical Archaeology. Modern Greek language courses at the elementary and intermediate levels as well as courses in literature and culture are taught by Dr. Maria Hadjipolycarpou, and students can pursue a minor in Modern Greek.

Greek Coffee Hour Every Other Wednesday at Caffe Paradiso, 3:00PM

Our language course sequence is offered every year. GRKM 201 in the Fall and GRKM 202 in the Spring constitute a year-long course for beginners who wish to learn Greek as written and spoken today. Students master a minimum core vocabulary and acquire basic language skills to perform a range of tasks and functions using an integrative skills approach. Students acquire knowledge and understanding of such forms of Greek culture as music and media. GRKM 403 in the Fall and GRKM 404 in the Spring constitute a year-long course designed for students who are already familiar with basic grammar and syntax of Modern Greek and can communicate at an elementary level. It aims to develop proficiency in understanding, speaking, writing, and reading. In addition to these skills, students are exposed to cultural content—newspapers, radio stations, short trailers, and poetry.

Considering Greece in a global context and with attention to students’ practical and intellectual needs, our language courses engage with a specific theme each year, inviting students, faculty and community members to think and talk about that theme inside and outside the classroom. Recent themes -- meditation and cultivation of the mind, and domestic violence against women -- have been inspired by the global pandemic.

If you have already studied some Modern Greek and would like information about placement and proficiency exams, please contact our Director of Undergraduate Studies, Associate Professor Clara Bosak-Schroeder (cbosak@illinois.edu).