2020-21

The aim of the course is two-fold: It offers a compact and global overview of fundamental theoretical knowledge centering upon the manifold subject in psychology, the development of the individual. It also highlights the application of this knowledge, to facilitate the understanding and better handling of the individual during the vital periods of childhood and adolescence.

The course deals with theoretical problems in the history of Modern Greek literature, such as the various views regarding when it can be considered to begin, its periods, its language and the distinction between literature and written material in general.  The students are taught the basic features of Modern Greek prosody and Modern Greek dialects.  The course then deals with writers and representative texts, mainly historical, from the 10th c.

The course introduces students to aspects and areas of the splendid civilization that Byzantium developed.  The course examines various matters, such as Byzantine society, daily life in city and countryside, state administration, philanthropy, education, the Church, monasticism and the refulgence cast by Byzantium over her neighbours.  It also offers an analysis of medieval Greek literature and intellectual culture.  It does not, however, deal with the various art forms that reached a peak in Byzantium (These matters are dealt with in detail in courses concerning Byzantine art).

The course covers a significant chapter in the history of medieval Europe and its interaction with the rest of the world. The Crusades both contributed to and were a consequence of the dynamic evolution and expansion of Latin Christendom in various fields, such as politics, military affairs, commercial life and cultural development, and in all directions, from the 11th c. onwards. 

The course focuses on the states created in Greek lands by various Westerners (excluding the Venetians). These “Franks” originated mainly from areas of Western Europe, such as Champagne, Flanders, Burgundy and Lombardy, where feudal organization was prominent, but also from city-states, such as Genoa and Florence. Most Frankish lordships were created in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade (1204) – for example, the Latin Empire of Constantinople, the Kingdom of Thessalonica, the Principality of Achaia, the Duchy of Athens and the Duchy of the Aegean.