CUNY Greek Institute--Former Students?

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Hektor
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CUNY Greek Institute--Former Students?

Post by Hektor »

If you have attended CUNY's Greek Institute, I would be interested in hearing any thoughts you might have to share about the program.

Thanks.

Hektor

aso
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Post by aso »

my girlfriend did it and hated it. she said it was militaristic/mechanistic. (but then again, it's supposed to be). another friend of mine did it and apparently liked it. it really depends on a) whether you want to spend six weeks doing nothing but greek; b) whether you have the patience to do, and review, hours of drills every day; c) whether you mind the explanation "because that's the way it is."

Hektor
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Post by Hektor »

Thanks. The other feedback I got from students there was very positive, but then again, they were referred to me by CUNY.

Didymus
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Post by Didymus »

Two anecdotes:

1. One of my Greek professors in college learned his Greek at the CUNY summer program. He had graduated from college having studied Latin but not Greek, worked for 10 or 15 years, and then did the program. He eventually went on to a very prestigious Ph.D. program and a prosperous university career. He was extraordinarily enthusiastic about the program.

2. One of my fellow students in college also did the program. He described it as very intense (obviously). He was not as positive as my professor, but I think that he thought it was a worthwhile experience.

I'm not convinced it's quite as wonderful as it's sometimes made out to be, but I think it's probably the best option for a lot of people. The problem, in my view, is that cramming 3 semesters of college Greek into a 10 (?) week session is just that -- cramming. Sometimes the knowledge doesn't seem to stick. Thus one must understand that continued (= never-ending) practice and reading must follow to allow the Greek to really sink in.

Disclaimer: These are very subjective interpretations of the limited anecdotal evidence that I've seen. If you can get funding for the program, by all means you should go for it -- it can't hurt.

Goals
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Post by Goals »

Does anyone know how large the classes are, and how much one needs to study outside of class? I'd like to spend 10 weeks over the summer learning Greek, but at the same time I want to be able to do other things.

euphony
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Post by euphony »

Goals wrote:Does anyone know how large the classes are, and how much one needs to study outside of class? I'd like to spend 10 weeks over the summer learning Greek, but at the same time I want to be able to do other things.
When I went there several summers back, we started at a normal hour in the morning in small classes of about 10 or 15, if I remember correctly. Then we would take lunch and reconvene after lunch for a large group sort of instruction. One has to be wide awake and prepared at all times because you get called upon a lot. Answering "I don't know" or being wrong too many times can be embarassing.

You should expect to spend ALL OF YOUR WAKING HOURS and some of your sleeping hours on review, paradigm study, and reading. When they say intensive they are not being so very honest: it is more like language boot camp. It's hardcore.

If you have any other obligations during those ten weeks then you had better find another way to learn the language.

Hope this helps.

moonlight sonata
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Post by moonlight sonata »

euphony wrote:
Goals wrote:Does anyone know how large the classes are, and how much one needs to study outside of class? I'd like to spend 10 weeks over the summer learning Greek, but at the same time I want to be able to do other things.
When I went there several summers back, we started at a normal hour in the morning in small classes of about 10 or 15, if I remember correctly. Then we would take lunch and reconvene after lunch for a large group sort of instruction. One has to be wide awake and prepared at all times because you get called upon a lot. Answering "I don't know" or being wrong too many times can be embarassing.

You should expect to spend ALL OF YOUR WAKING HOURS and some of your sleeping hours on review, paradigm study, and reading. When they say intensive they are not being so very honest: it is more like language boot camp. It's hardcore.

If you have any other obligations during those ten weeks then you had better find another way to learn the language.

Hope this helps.
How, if you don't mind me asking, did you manage to learn Greek in a mere 10 weeks? Did you memorize most of the grammar in the first few weeks, or what was the method? Also, what texts did you use?

Yuriy
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Post by Yuriy »

I had a related question. I saw on their site that they also offer a senior Greek program, consisting of 6 weeks of pure translation. Does anyone have any information about the quality of this course? What level is it really appropriate for?
Thanks.
Yuriy

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