Reed College
Reed College

International Programs Office

Reed in Greece

Delphi Ruins

Program/Course Name: Reed in Greece/The Topography and Archaeology of Ancient
Location, Country: Rome, Italy
Code: ANME 1XX F/S
CNR: TBD
Units: 0.25 (F) + 0.25 (S)
Term: Fall 2025 / Spring 2026
Notes: Instructor permission required
City, Country: Greece (starting and ending in Athens)
Program Affiliations: College Year in Athens (CYA)
Program Directors: Ellen Millender, Nigel Nicholson
Academic Discipline/Department: Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies
Application Form: 
Application Deadline: May 19, 2025
Program Dates: January 7-18, 2026

Housing: Students will stay in shared, two or three-bedroom hotel rooms.

Program/Course Description

One-quarter-unit semester course (F+S). This course will center on visits to some of the most important sites of ancient Greece, including Athens, Sparta, Olympia, Mycenae, and Delphi – along with their museums. During the tour, students will develop an understanding of Greek topography, political geography, material culture, and the work that civic spaces performed in the formation of Greek social, political, economic, and cultural structures. Our visit will encompass a variety of civic spaces, including sanctuaries, cemeteries, citadels, theaters, marketplaces, and stadia. During the second half of the fall semester and the first half of the spring semester, students will be required to attend several mandatory class meetings (with readings), conduct research on a chosen site/monument, and prepare a site guide for their fellow students to use on-site. Students must register for both the fall and spring sections of the course. Prerequisite: students must apply to participate; approval is required from the instructor and from the International Programs Office. Lecture-conference. May be repeated for credit..

Learning Outcomes: 

  • Understand the topography, architecture, and special dynamics of various ancient Greek sites.
  • Be able to compare different ancient Greek sites and how they shaped the social, economic, political, and cultural lives of their inhabitants and/or visitors. 
  • Be able to understand how sites and their meanings and use change over time.
  • Explain and critique modern uses and appropriations of ancient material culture and their consequences.
  • Be able to analyze in situ archaeological and art historical evidence, and be able to discuss both the benefits and limitations of that evidence.
  • Be able to orally present research to an informed audience.

Program Fee

Program fee: TBA

Includes the following:

  • Housing in Greece
  • Site entry, excursions, and activities fees
  • Airport transportation
  • Local transportation
  • Per diem for food
  • Study Abroad administrative fee 
  • International health and travel insurance
  • International flights

Program fee payment deadline: Fees must be paid in full by June 13, 2025. 

The program fee does not include:

  • Personal spending money
  • COVID-19 testing related to travel, if applicable (entry or exit requirements) 

(Program participants who currently receive need-based Reed grant funding and have accepted all components of their aid packages, may be eligible for financial assistance. More details on financial aid assistance will be available shortly).

Health, Safety, and Travel Documentation:

  • Travel Documentation: US/UE Passport. Passports should be valid for at least six months after you return home and have two or more blank pages, depending on your destination
  •  International health and travel insurance (included in program fees)

The course does not apply to Group or major requirements.