Harvard Summer Program In Nafplion, Thessaloniki, Greece Comparative Cultures Seminar Student’s Handbook June 25th – July 31st, 2016 http://www.summer.harvard.edu/programs/study-abroad/greece http://chs.harvard.edu/ccsp Dear Student, It’s a great pleasure to welcome you to the Harvard Summer Program in Greece. Please know that the Coordinators of the Program are here to provide you with any support you may need and will help to minimize any difficulty you may experience. If you need any help at all you should not hesitate to ask for our assistance. During your stay in Greece, you will have the opportunity to learn a lot about the history and culture of the country and the eastern Mediterranean more broadly. You will also be introduced to various questions and methodologies in the comparative study of cultures. At the same time, you will be encouraged to immerse yourself in the region’s culture and history, from antiquity to the present time. We hope that this handbook will help you getting around Nafplio and Thessaloniki. Our aim is to provide you with the practical information you will need during your stay in Greece and participation in the Program. Please make sure you read it carefully and share with us any questions you might have. Sincerely, Anna Stavrakopoulou and Nicolas Prevelakis Academic Coordinators Marina Cheilitsi and Evan Katsarelis Program Administrators Table of Contents I. Contact Information p. 2 II. Transportation p. 3 III. Accommodation p. 4 IV. Classes p. 5 V. Excursions & Extra-Curricular Activities p. 6 VI. Communication p. 8 VII. Finances p. 9 VIII. Food p. 10 IX. Useful-to-Know p. 12 X. What to Bring p. 14 XI. Survival Dictionary p. 15 XII. Locate Yourself p. 16 XIII. Daily Schedule p. 17 Credits for photos by alumni of the program 2011 – 2015 See the CHS website and the CHS flickr profile for photos of the program! See the videos for the previous years here: 2015, 2014 and 2013. 1 I. CONTACT INFORMATION . Anna Stavrakopoulou, Academic Coordinator [email protected] . Nicolas Prevelakis, Academic Coordinator [email protected] . Marina Cheilitsi, Programs Coordinator, CHS Greece +30 6934500937, +30 2752047033 [email protected] . Evangelos Katsarelis, Programs & Events Coordinator, CHS Greece +30 6979647166, +30 2752047030 [email protected] . Comparative Cultures Program [email protected] . Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies, Nafplio + 30 27520 47030 [email protected] . Harvard Travel Assist +1 617-998-0000 https://www.globalsupport.harvard.edu/ . European Union (EU) Tourist Police Phone: 112 . US Embassy in Athens 011 30 2107212951 http://athens.usembassy.gov [email protected] More information: http://www.usembassy.gov and http://embassy.goabroad.com 2 II. TRANSPORTATION TO GREECE You should obtain your ticket as soon as possible upon admission to the program, as air travel to Greece is more expensive in the summer. You should arrange to fly to Eleftherios Venizelos Athens International Airport if arriving from abroad. A number of airlines operate routes between major U.S. or European cities and Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport in Athens. We will be arranging for courtesy pick-up from Athens airport on the 25th and on the 26th of June at 4.00PM (both days). Please make sure you arrive to Athens airport and are through customs by 3.30PM, (to be on the safe side, you should choose a flight that lands by 2.00PM). A faculty member will be at Athens airport to welcome you and travel with you to Nafplio. Students who arrive before or after these dates will have to make their own arrangements for travel to Nafplio. Please note that you are expected to be present at the Center for Hellenic Studies in the morning of Monday June 27, for the beginning of the program. As soon as you finalize your travel arrangements, please make sure to send us the details, so that we can help with anything that might come up. Further information about the meeting place in the airport will be sent closer to the dates. *** In the event that your luggage is delayed, it is advisable to include in your carry-on bag a change of clothes, prescription drugs, and any other small items you consider essential. Please attach the luggage tags provided before leaving home; we have found that they help to identify misplaced luggage. FROM GREECE In the morning of Sunday, July 31st (the final day of the program is Saturday, July 30th), we will provide one courtesy bus return trip from Nafplio to the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport in Athens early in the morning (the night of July 31st is not covered by the program). We hope to accommodate as many students as possible, but we cannot guarantee it. We can also help you book a taxi from Nafplio to the airport if the scheduled bus is not convenient (the taxi will not be covered by the program). Should you wish to stay a few more days in Athens, we can provide you with a list of reasonable hotels (not covered by the program). A number of our students in the past have chosen to do so, and have very much enjoyed staying a few extra days in the capital. For US citizens, it is highly recommended that they register their trip to Greece under the Smart Traveller Enrolment Program of the Department of State. See the iPhone and iPad free Smart Traveller application. WITHIN NAFPLIO You can cover all of Nafplio on foot. The hotel is located right next to the Old Town of Nafplion, and is a five-minute walk from the main square of the Old Town and the Center for Hellenic Studies. There are also taxis (to call one, +30 27520 24120). WITHIN THESSALONIKI You can cover the center of Thessaloniki on foot. The hotel, the classroom, and all program activities will take place in the center of the city. There are also taxis (to call one, +30 2310 214900). 3 III. ACCOMMODATION Students will share double-occupancy accommodation which is decided by the academic and program coordinators. The roommate list is final. Buffet breakfast and dinner are included in the price of tuition for all days of the program. Laundry service is not covered by the program. All hotels provide laundry service. It is not uncommon for students to hand-wash their clothes. June 25 – July 7, in Nafplio: Park Hotel 1 Dervenakion Str., Nafplion, Greece, GR-211 00 Phone: +30 27520 27428, 26717 Fax: +30 27520 27045 E-mail: [email protected] . July 7 – 10, in Olympia: Hotel Europa Drouva 1, Ancient Olympia, Greece, GR-270 65 Phone: +30 26240 22650 Fax: +30 26240 23166 E-mail: [email protected] . July 10 – 22, in Thessaloniki: City Hotel 11 Komninon Str., Thessaloniki, Greece, GR-546 24 Phone: +30 2310 26 94 21, Fax: +30 2310 27 43 58 E-mail: [email protected] . July 22 – 24, in Athens: Hotel Titania 52 Panepistimiou Str., Athens, Greece, GR-106 78 Phone: +30 2103326000, Fax: +30 2103300700 E-mail: [email protected] . July 24 – 31, in Nafplio: Park Hotel Upon departure from the hotels, you will be asked to pay any personal charges you may have incurred during your stay. You may settle your account with American Express, Visa, or MasterCard. 4 IV. CLASSES A full list of the seminars (2016 syllabus) offered can be found here. A full list of the professors joining the program in summer 2016 can be found here. Attendance of all classes, lectures and extra- curricular activities arranged by the program is mandatory. All students are expected to participate actively in class discussions. Students should anticipate a busy schedule of reading and writing assignments. In Nafplio We spend the first, the second and the last week of the program in Nafplio. In the first and the second week, students attend two daily class meetings in the morning and afternoon from Monday to Thursday. Classes take place at the premises of Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies in Nafplio (five minutes from the hotel on foot). The final week of the program is dedicated to the final paper. The research facilities of the Center for Hellenic Studies – with free and unlimited access to Harvard electronic resources – are available to students. In Thessaloniki The group is based in Thessaloniki for the third and fourth week of the program. Students attend two daily seminar meetings in the mornings and afternoons from Monday to Thursday. Morning and afternoon classes take place in the seminar room at Hotel Excelsior, right next to City Hotel, where the group will be staying. * A full curriculum and a list of books to purchase will be circulated in May. Students are strongly advised to obtain all the recommended books in advance (they are not available for purchase in Nafplio) and to begin reading well ahead of the beginning of the program. The program coordinators can be contacted for advice about reading/preparation for the course. ** Professors from Harvard and Greek universities will join the group and give guest lectures, scheduled independently from the seminars. Students are expected to attend all guest lectures organized during the Program. 5 V. EXCURSIONS & EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Apart from seminars, excursions and other extracurricular activities are scheduled for the group throughout the program. Attendance is mandatory for all these activities. The excursions take us to some of the most important historical and archaeological sites in Greece, and are closely connected to the curriculum. Students have the opportunity to visit ancient, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman sites, and explore some of Greece’s most impressive museums (the National Archaeological Museum, the Museums at Mycenae and Olympia, the wonderful and less well-known Cycladic Art and Benaki Museums in Athens, and the Folk Art Museum in Nafplio).