UIC Department of Classics and Mediterranean Studies

Wow!

Uncovered Euripides fragments are ‘kind of a big deal’ CU Boulder Classics scholars identify previously unknown fragments of two lost tragedies by Greek tragedian Euripides.

Arabic Poetry Day: Standing Room Only!

Congratulations to our Arabic faculty and students who organized a successful Arabic poetry. Students recited poems in Arabic, with accompanying English translations projected onscreen. It was a celebration of the beauty, pain, and hopefulness of the Arabic poetic tradition.

Our final event of the year! The CAMS Department is reviving its distinguished lecture series, named in honor of former faculty member Theodore Tracy. CAMS is also reviving student awards, and we will be giving awards for outstanding Classical studies major and minor, outstanding Arabic minor (2 awards!), and outstanding Latin and outstanding Modern Greek student.

Here's a terrific event organized by our colleague Dr. Nick Doumanis and hosted by our friends at the National Hellenic Museum. Please RSVP in advance!

Join us at the National Hellenic Museum on April 4, 2024, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM for an evening with one of the premier historians of the Greek American experience as Professor Alexander Kitroeff (Haverford College) presents “American Diner Restaurants: A Greek Story.”

Few things are as intimately associated with Greek American life as the American diner. From the 1960s through the early 2000s, Greek Americans dominated the diner restaurant scene in the Northeast and the Midwest, but how and why did this come to be? Professor Kitroeff narrates this fascinating story, exploring the cultural and structural factors that lead to this dominance.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn about the rich and complex story of America's Diner Restaurants from a leading authority in the field.

This event is generously sponsored by the Hellenic Foundation and the University of Illinois Chicago.

𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗦𝗩𝗣, 𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱: www.eventbrite.com/e/americas-diner-restaurants-a-greek-story-with-prof-alexander-kitroeff-tickets-862469448337?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Check out the clip on our webpage of Dr Anthony Fauci’s response to Chancellor Miranda’s question (provided by our department head) on how majoring in Classics and studying the Humanities have impacted his life and work:

Classics and Mediterranean Studies | University of Illinois Chicago Classics is the study of the history, culture, languages, and reception of the ancient Mediterranean world, with a particular focus on the Greeks and the Romans. The Classics and Mediterranean Studies (CAMS) Department at UIC offers a program leading to the Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies, and...

On the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Department is co-hosting with the UIC Department of History, Institute for the Humanities, UIC, the Consulate General of Greece in Chicago, and the Hellenic American Academy, a lecture and special presentation on Tuesday, Jan 30, at 4:00 PM, at UIC. Professor Nick Doumanis will speak on "Greek Society, Greek Jews, and Surviving the Holocaust."

A safe and warm winter break to you all. See you in 2024!

The room was packed for Dr Esra Tunc’s lecture today!

Public Lecture TODAY:

If you're in the Chicagoland area and are interested in hearing about Byzantine and Modern Greek History, Dr. Young Kim will be speaking today at Holy Taxiarchai and Saint Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church in Niles at 3:00.

On Sunday, students from our Classics Club attended a lecture by Dr. Emily Wilson who recently published her translation of the Iliad.

We had also had a great turnout for Dr. Bourgeois' lecture yesterday, with over 60 people hearing him speak about Roman emperors and American presidents.

We're thrilled that Dr. Brandon Bourgeois of the University of Southern California will be giving a lecture this Thursday, 4:00 PM, in BSB 250. The talk is entitled "President of the Romans, Emperor of the United States of America."

Some of our faculty (including our new colleage Professor Nick Doumanis) and students at the successful Gala of our friend and neighbor, the National Hellenic Museum. Συγχαρητήρια!

Here's an invitation to join in-person or virtually the installation ceremony of our new colleague, Dr. Nicholas Doumanis, as the Foundation for Illinois-Chair in Hellenic Studies!

Our new colleague!

Join us at the investiture ceremony and reception of Nicholas Doumanis, Ph.D., professor of UIC Department of History, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

RSVP to [email protected] and indicate if you are attending in person or virtually.

And we're back! We've finished our first week of classes, and our semester is off to a scorching (literally) start! We have some exciting programming planned for the coming semester, so please stay tuned to this page for announcements!

Congratulations to our graduates! To our current students, have a safe and relaxing summer, and see you in the Fall!

The UIC Department of Classics and Mediterranean Studies will be hosting Dr. Rhodora Vennarucci (University of Arkansas) this Thursday, 3:30 PM, in UH 1501, for a talk entitled “You Touch It, You Buy It: Engaging the Senses in a Roman Shop.” Please see below for more information.

Last week, UIC CAMS, in partnership with Loyola University Chicago Department of Classical Studies, Center for Hellenic Studies, Out of Chaos Theatre, the Kosmos Society, hosted a staged reading of Sophocles' "Electra," for the Reading Greek Tragedy Online series. Here are some photos from the event!

On March 9, UIC Department of Classics and Mediterranean Studies hosted Dr. Muhammad Habib, preceptor in Arabic at Harvard University, to facilitate two Arabic calligraphy workshops. The results were fantastic! Thank you Dr. Habib!

You do not want to miss this! The CAMS Department of UIC College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, under the leadership of our own Dr. Krishni Burns, in partnership with Loyola University Chicago Department of Classical Studies, will be hosting Reading Greek Tragedy Online! Sophocles' "Electra"! Monday, March 27, 5:00 PM Central. More information below:

UIC's School of Literatures, Cultural Studies, and Linguistics, of which CAMS is a part, organizes an in-house conference each year called In/Between. This year, our own Dr. Burns and one of our majors, Jordan Parker, presented on their current projects. Great work!

The CAMS Department is once again proud and honored to partner with National Hellenic Museum to co-organize the (second) annual Homerathon, April 21-22. Become a rhapsode (for a few minutes) by signing up to read a portion of the "Odyssey" and join us for another "nostos," a "homecoming"! There are still several slots left, but they're booking up fast!

https://nationalhellenicmuseum.org/homerathon/

Some department faculty books on sale at the annual meeting of the Society for Classical Studies

Dear Friends of CAMS,

If you're around UIC campus next Monday afternoon, please join us for a lecture by Dr. Ranjani Atur, of the University of Minnesota. Details below:

Dear Friends of UIC CAMS,

You are warmly invited to an online lecture next Wednesday, October 26, at 3:30 central. Our Visiting Lecturer in Modern Greek, Dr. Olnancy Tzirides, will be speaking about "Designing and Implementing Smart Online Modern Greek Language Learning Modules." While her focus will be on Modern Greek language instruction, the talk will be of interest to anyone who teaches or studies other languages. Details below!

Please join us on Zoom for a special lecture by Dr. Dwight Reynolds, UCSB, who will be speaking about "Musical Life in Medieval Muslim Spain (al-Andalus)," next Thursday, October 6, at 3:00 PM. Details below.

Happy Memories! Last May, we said goodbye to our colleague Mustapha Kamal, who retired from our department after over twenty years of service. He's now enjoying his life in Spain!

We also said goodbye to our colleague Anna Tsiola, who is off on a new vocational adventure.

Dear Friends, Alumni, and Students of UIC CAMS,

Greetings! We hope you had a restful and productive summer! Today is the first day of instruction for the new academic year, so welcome back to all of our students, staff, and faculty.

We're pleased to welcome two new full-time faculty to our department, Ghassan Aburqayeq and Jumana Almahamid (well, she's not new, but now full-time!). Our colleague Mustapha Kamal has retired and is enjoying life in Spain! We are also thrilled to have Olnancy Tzirides teaching courses in Modern Greek language and culture for us online

We also are excited about our new revised Classical Studies major, which now includes language or culture track options.

We will have some fascinating talks/presentations this semester, so please keep your eyes open for announcements. A happy start to all!

A happy, restful, and safe summer to you all!

We bid farewell to our colleague Mustapha Kamal, as he prepares his move to Spain to enjoy retired bliss...