Tag: Greek Language

Greek To Be Taught as Foreign Language in Russian Schools Starting January 1, 2017

According to sources, the Russian Minister of Education, Olga Vasilieva recently signed and approved the Greek language into the curriculum of Russian schools.

Starting January 1, 2017, Greek will be taught as a second language in Russia’s primary and secondary schools. It is a decision that has been on the table of discussion for sometime, as Greek and Russian relations have strengthened over the past decade.

“This achievement comes as a result of many years of efforts of AUTH to promote the Greek language in the Black Sea countries,” the rector of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Pericles Mitkas said to ERT International about the recent development.

The new Consul General of Russia in Thessaloniki, Alexander Scherbakov also weighed in on the topic, applauding the new additions of Greek language to Russian school’s curriculum.

“The introduction of the teaching of the Greek language in primary and secondary education in Russia creates strong promotion of Greek foundations in Russia as well as prospects for further cooperation in the field of culture and education” he said.

(eu.greekreporter.com)

January 19, 2017
Nikolaos Panou, PhD, installed as tsantes endowed Professor in Greek Literature and Language at Stony Brook University

The Stony Brook community came together to celebrate the formal installation of Nikolaos Panou, Ph.D., the inaugural Peter V. Tsantes Professor in Greek Literature and Language.

“It is an understatement to say that I am delighted that Nikolaos Panou has been named to this distinguished professorship,” said President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. during the ceremony. “And we are grateful to Peter V. and Despina Tsantes for endowing this professorship. It will be a lasting tribute to the Tsantes family and enable us to continue to attract and retain prominent scholars in the field of Hellenic studies.”

As Assistant Professor of Comparative Studies in Stony Brook University’s College of Arts and Sciences, Panou’s current research focuses on the ways in which power and authority were conceptualized and represented in pre-modern philosophical discourse, with particular emphasis on moral and political works written from the 16th to the 18th century.

Nikolaos Panou received his Ph.D. in comparative literature from Harvard University and has been a postdoctoral fellow at the Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies at Princeton University. Before joining Stony Brook in 2014, he was a visiting assistant professor of comparative literature at Brown University.

President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. explained that it is a Hellenic tradition of rigorous investigation of the hard sciences, social sciences and humanities that Stony Brook seeks to emulate, promulgate and celebrate.

“It is not only fitting, it is important that at Stony Brook — one of the top 62 research Universities in the country known for our emphasis on the study of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine — we also educate and nurture students with the values of Hellenic civilization,” he said.

Recognized for his long history of visionary generosity in providing valuable resources and leadership among Greek communities, Long Islander Peter V. Tsantes’ passion and enthusiasm was encouraged by Stony Brook’s own educational reputation and commitment toward advancing the study of Hellenic culture. He also noted that he and his family have dedicated the professorship to the memory of his adoptive mother who sponsored his trip to the United States in 1951, Aikaterini Spanou Haralambou Batuyios. “How can you forever show your love and remembrance?” Tsantes’ said of Batuyios.

Throughout Tsantes’ life, Batuyios encouraged him to give back, which led to his involvement in the American Foundation for Greek Language and Culture (AFGLC). Before long, he turned his philanthropic focus closer to home, where he formed the New York Chapter of AFGLC. He currently serves as treasurer for its executive board.

To Tsantes, the professorship was a fitting tribute to not only his adopted mother and homeland, he hopes it will spur others “toward an increased energy in philanthropy and education.” The professorship, he believes, will be the base for a plethora of Hellenic activities on campus, supported not only by his family, but also by the generosity of other members of the Long Island Hellenic community.

As holder of the professorship, Panou is invested in promoting scholarship, teaching and research in all aspects of Hellenic civilization, from Antiquity to the present.

One of Panou’s principal goals at Stony Brook is to build a stronger Center for Hellenic Studies that will serve as a forum for the study of Greek society, history and culture, and which will cultivate a comprehensive understanding of classical, post-classical and modern Greece.

“The vision is here, and so is the will, the determination and the expertise,” Panou said. “We now have to direct all of our effort — and with a great sense of urgency, I might add — to the creation of a robust, radiant, magnetic Center for Hellenic Studies that will serve as a hub for the study of Greek society, history, politics and culture that will become an indispensable point of reference within Stony Brook and beyond.”

This new professorship is yet another example of how endowed faculty build on the University’s dedication to excellence across campus. That’s why one goal of the $600 million Campaign for Stony Brook is to create a total of 100 endowed faculty positions by 2018, aimed to attract more eminent scholars and researchers and retain outstanding faculty across a wide range of disciplines.

Over the past six years, the number of endowed chairs and professorships at Stony Brook has increased more than seven-fold, to a total of 42 endowed chairs and professorships.

“At a time when the humanities are being increasingly marginalized, to say the least, the establishment of an endowed chair in Hellenic studies is an event and an opportunity of singular importance,” Panou said. “The truth is, what’s happened here at Stony Brook is the result of extraordinary actions that require inspiration, zeal, commitment, generosity and a lot of hard work.”

About Stony Brook University

Part of the State University of New York system, Stony Brook University encompasses 200 buildings on 1,450 acres. Since welcoming its first incoming class in 1957, the University has grown tremendously, now with more than 25,000 students and 2,500 faculty. Its membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU) places Stony Brook among the top 62 research institutions in North America. U.S. News & World Report ranks Stony Brook among the top 100 universities in the nation and top 40 public universities, and Kiplinger names it one of the 35 best values in public colleges. One of four University Center campuses in the SUNY system, Stony Brook co-manages Brookhaven National Laboratory, putting it in an elite group of universities that run federal research and development laboratories. A global ranking by U.S. News & World Report places Stony Brook in the top 1 percent of institutions worldwide. It is one of only 10 universities nationwide recognized by the National Science Foundation for combining research with undergraduate education. As the largest single-site employer on Long Island, Stony Brook is a driving force of the regional economy, with an annual economic impact of $4.65 billion, generating nearly 60,000 jobs, and accounts for nearly 4 percent of all economic activity in Nassau and Suffolk counties, and roughly 7.5 percent of total jobs in Suffolk County.

(hellenicnews.com)

December 2, 2016
Greek Native Offering Language Lessons in Jasper: ‘I Just Want to Share my Culture’

Greek native Kostas Souliaris moved to Canada from Greece five years ago. He settled in Jasper, Alberta, where there is a healthy Greek population and decided that it was about time that Greek language lessons were offered in the town.

Although the details are yet to be finalized, so far he has put together a loose syllabus for his classes and Souliaris has organized a meeting to further discuss the classes and see if there are enough people interested in learning Greek in the community to kick-off his lessons. The meeting is taking place at the Jasper Municipal Library on November 26 at 11:00 am and is open for anyone interested in attending and learning more about the Greek language lessons.

“We’re trying to see if there are enough people and then we can start to move forward,” he said to Jasper’s Independent Newspaper, The Fitzhugh, adding, “The course will basically be free” adding that he will volunteer as the course’s instructor.

Souliaris also noted that prospective students might be asked to contribute a $10 monthly fee to help cover the cost of renting a classroom for lessons to be taught at the Habitat for the Arts.

So far, Souliaris has had inquiries about the Greek lessons from both Greeks and non-Greeks. He says that he is very pleased about the interest generated in the town. “We welcome everyone. I just want to share my culture,” he commented.

(canada.greekreporter.com)

December 2, 2016
Speak Greek in March campaign spreads across Australia and overseas

The Speak Greek in March (SGM) campaign was conceived in order to stimulate the Greek community, the school system and government to give greater priority to the speaking, learning and teaching of the Greek language.

This initiative was started in 2015 by individuals and representatives of literary and cultural organisations within the Greek community. The organising committee’s policy is to encourage the various stakeholders to initiate, develop and implement activities, appropriate to their own fields of endeavour, which promote the Greek language. For example, schools that teach Greek may organise during March (as well as throughout the year) competitions, celebrations, debates, lectures and special projects related to the Greek language.

“We believe that learning another language enhances one’s competence in their primary language. As language and culture are interrelated, retaining our mother tongue will strengthen our ability to maintain our cultural identity in multicultural Australia. It will also benefit Australia, as multilingualism in our globalised world is acknowledged to have cultural, educational and trade advantages,” Mr Mike Zafiropoulos AM, the convener of the SGM committee said.

The retention of our language in the diaspora needs constant support, otherwise it runs the risk of succumbing to the pressures of globalisation and assimilation to the dominant culture and language. There are many reasons for this, including the prevalence of intermarriage and the preference and ease for children born in Australia to become monolingual, speaking only English, the lingua franca of our adopted country.

“Furthermore, our school system, that teaches Greek as a second language, needs new ideas and the ongoing support of the community in order to make the learning of Greek attractive to our youth,” Mr Zafiropoulos continued.

The committee chose March for the campaign for a number of reasons. March incorporates a plethora of Greek cultural activities, it is the beginning of the school year, and includes the celebration of Greek National Day and the Antipodes festival.

Of course, choosing one month for the campaign is only a marketing technique, as the objective of the organising committee is to encourage and promote the speaking of Greek throughout the year.

For the 2016 campaign, an exciting concept has been developed to ensure a heightened interest on a daily basis on the campaign’s goals. It has identified 31 themes, one for each day of the month. The themes vary from simple topics like ‘the alphabet’, ‘arithmetic’ and ‘grammar’ to ‘philosophy’, ‘politics’, ‘economics’, ‘the Olympics’ and ‘mythology’ to name just a few.

All the themes chosen are English words, which have their origin in the Greek language. On its new website, the campaign will include the theme for each day with resources and links for parents, students and the general community. People with expertise in any of the themes are invited to contribute brief content in the form of text, pictures, video or sound for inclusion on the website.

These themes have been strategically placed on specific days to reflect the historical significance or appropriateness of the theme. For example, the ‘history’ theme is on 25 March, Greek Independence Day; the ‘philosophy’ theme is on 7 March, the date of Aristotle’s death in 322BC and the ‘theatre’ theme is on 20 March, which is the International Theatre Day for Children.

While the campaign originated in Melbourne, it has quickly spread to other parts of Australia and overseas. The aspiration of the organising committee is that the campaign is embraced not only by the Hellenic diaspora, but also by other minority communities in Australia.

(neoskosmos.com)

March 6, 2016