Dear new members of our University Community,
I am delighted to welcome you to the Department of Greek Philology of the School of Classics and Humanities at Democritus University of Thrace (D.U.TH.), interpreting – I am certain – the feelings of all my colleagues.
The stage of your university studies opens in front of you, which, I want to believe, will be your main concern and goal for the next four years. I hope you make the most of Greek University, specifically Democritus University of Thrace, and contribute to developing and expanding the opportunities offered to you through your personal and collective creative interaction and constructive critique.
I want you to know that our Department (which was founded in 1993) is now in the age of its maturity and consists one of the most active Philology Departments of our country. It provides qualitative and specialized scientific knowledge of the individual fields of Humanities and promotes Humanities as a national cultural asset. It educates philologists with high scientific and pedagogical criteria and shapes scientists capable of providing important work in areas related to the intellectual production of the country. It promotes the ideals of Humanism as values that contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of society as a whole.
More analytically, following the developments and the requirements of the times, the Department provides you with both, the “pedagogical competence” (one of the formal requirements to work in Public Education) and the basic theoretical and applied knowledge, so that, when you graduate, you take advantage of alternative employment opportunities.
The Department also supports four Laboratories: of Papyrology-Palaeography, of Linguistics, of Modern Greek and Comparative Literature, and of the Study and Research of Early Modern Greek Literature, which will give you the opportunity to broaden your knowledge and learn more about the corresponding sciences.
Since 2001, the Department of Greek Philology has organized more than twenty international conferences and workshops, and held lectures and open courses for the general public of its local area in collaboration with the Municipal and Regional Theatre of Komotini, the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Prefecture of Rodopi and the Municipal Library of Komotini.
Since 2016 there has been working with great success the Department’s Summer School, which focuses on ancient Greek drama as a performance art. Summer lessons are addressed to Greek undergraduate and postgraduate students of Philology and offer, in addition to consolidating the knowledge in ancient Greek theater, the opportunity to both develop practical skills and broaden the professional perspectives for each participant.
I invite you to keenly participate in the activities and social life of the Department in order to gain many scientific benefits and support the Department of Greek Philology with your presence and voluntary work.
The Department Head and all the members of staff will always be at your side to inform you and help you with any problem you encounter.
I wish you happy, constructive and creative years of study and I hope, by graduating, you become the best ambassadors of our Department in Greece and abroad.