Class heads to Greece to study roots of Olympics

While some Princetonians might head for Mexico or Florida for spring break, the 12 lucky students of CLA/HLS 335, "The Olympic Games: Ancient and Modern," will have the opportunity to combine sun and education when they take a group study visit to Greece, birthplace of the Games.

The trip is a required component of the course and will be entirely funded by the Program in Hellenic Studies. The objective of the seminar is to draw out the relations between the ancient and the modern manifestations of the Olympic ideal in the institution of the Olympic Games.

Although it was not her main motivation in choosing the course, the trip was "definitely a plus," said Kaity Kratsios '07, who is also a 'Prince' staff writer. Like her fellow students, she said she looked forward to the visit to Greece, which "should be a good experience."

Classics Professor Constanze Gthenke said the trip will have two components, "engagement with the city of Athens and a three-day visit to the sites of ancient Games: Olympia, Nemea, Isthmia and Delphi."

Students should be able to complement the visits with the insights offered by the Greek archaeological experts on site, with whom the Program in Hellenic Studies entertains good relations.

In Athens, they will explore the role of athletics and its manifestations in classical society and in the contemporary city, which is undergoing major architectural changes. Kratsios recalled that when she was in Athens this past summer, she "didn't recognize anything. It was a completely different Athens than it used to be."

Although many museums might be closed due to renovation works in progress, Gthenke envisaged "tours and discussions with representatives of the institutions involved in the organization of the Games."

It is precisely this "educational focus" that appealed to Kratsios, who is of Greek descent and has been to Athens many times. The trip should allow her to question her own assumptions about the city, she said.

To think critically about the Olympic Games is exactly what Gthenke encourages her students to do.

Athens will provide a good test case, since Greece was the home of the Ancient Olympics and it was in Athens that the first modern Olympics were also held in 1896. The city also made an unsuccessful bid in 1996.

Gthenke wanted to visit Athens with everything still in preparation, before the Olympic Games, to be able to "think about the site of Games before the media craze next summer."

Firestone Library has agreed to give the class a space at the end of the year to stage an exhibition. It will focus on the links between Princeton and the Olympic Games. Guest speakers will also be invited during the semester.

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The group is not the only one to go to Greece during spring break. Its visit will coincide with that of WWS/HLS 487, taught by Brady Kiesling on Greek-American political relations.