univie: summer school Byzantine Greek

About

The Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies at the University of Vienna is pleased to accept applications for a Byzantine Greek Summer School to be held in person in Vienna 13–24 July 2026, this year as officially recognized univie:summer school. The program will include three hours of intensive language instruction in two 90-minute sessions every morning, combined with thematic seminars, visits to relevant cultural institutions in Vienna, and professional development sessions in the afternoons.

The field of Byzantine literature is undergoing a time of exciting growth and change, with many fascinating texts—both well-known and recently (re-)discovered—being read in new ways. Our summer school will present a sample of this astonishing variety along with the tools scholars use to explore it. Vienna is a world-leading center for Byzantine Studies, and the program is designed to take advantage of the unique resources of its scholarly institutions.

Morning language sessions will run in two groups (of ca. 10 students each) at the intermediate and advanced level in order to develop reading skills in a representative range of Late Antique and Medieval Greek texts and genres. Afternoon seminars will be led by recognized experts in a range of topics in Byzantine literature and culture from Late Antiquity through the Middle Ages. In addition, we plan to offer group advising sessions to demystify application processes and help young scholars navigate options for MA, PhD, and postdoctoral opportunities in an increasingly international academic world.

The program will run Monday to Friday for the two weeks covering 13–24 July 2026. Approximately 4 to 5 hours each day will be spent in class. Students are expected to spend the remainder of their time preparing for these sessions

Course leader

Cosimo Paravano, John Kee

Target group

We welcome applications from BA, MA, and PhD students with interests in any field that benefits from advanced reading skills in Late Antique and Medieval Greek. Applicants are expected to have a minimum of three semesters of university-level Ancient Greek or equivalent; sessions will assume familiarity with the morphology, syntax, and common vocabulary of the classical language.

The course will be conducted in English. The instructors will be mindful of the fact that expressing oneself in a second language may cause additional difficulties; however, participants must be proficient enough in English to translate Greek into it and easily interact with the rest of the group

Fee info