Research & Summer Archaeology
SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES IN CLASSICS
There are many opportunities available to Classicists for summer study or research. Several of our majors have participated in these programs. You generally need to apply in January and February, so start planning in the fall term.
1) Notre Dame’s Summer Language Institute
Study Latin, Greek, Syriac or Hebrew right here in the Bend. We offer beginning and intermediate language courses.
2) Archaeological dig or field school in Europe
Get down and dirty in the ditch. Digging can be both exhilarating and grueling. You live on or near your site and work hard in the field during the day. Often, your room and board is covered, but you pay for your own travel costs.
- The American Institute of Archaeology lists digs and scholarship opportunities.
- The Hellenic Education and Research Center is currently excavating a harbor in western Crete. See underwater archaeology in action.
- York Archaeological Trust allows you to participate in a training excavation in York, England. England is rich in Roman antiquities—Hadrian’s Wall, Bath, British Museum, York. You get hands-on experience digging on a medieval or ancient site. This program is very flexible; you can attend for as little as one week.
- Dig at Tel Dor, which is an ancient harbor now located within Israel.
- Dig near Hadrian's Wall in Britain and learn about the Roman army at Vindolanda. (www.vindolanda.com)
3) Summer School or Academic Travel in the Mediterranean
Attend summer classes that take you out to the great sites of the Greco-Roman world as part of your coursework. Visit the major sites and archaeological digs. Some of the programs offer academic credit.
- The American School of Classical Studies in Athens usually offers two 6-week sessions and the chance to dig in the Athenian agora (www.ascsa.edu.gr). They also have many fellowships available for graduate students.
- College Year in Athens Summer Program offers several different curricula (www.cyathens.org). From the same people who run our academic term program.
- American Academy in Rome.
- Harvard Summer Program in Olympia, Greece
- Learn underwater archaeaology at the Aegean Institute.
- Sponsored by the University of Missouri-St. Louis, this Greek Studies program combines digging and travel on the Peloponnesus.
- The College Year in Athens is offering a new program for students interested in pursuing careers in museums and other cultural institutions. The Graduate Summer Program In Cultural Resource Management is a six week program in Athens for graduate and advanced undergraduate students.
4) Internships
- Intern at the Phillips Exeter Academy Summer School. Receive pay and training to become a high school teacher.
- The Newberry Library in Chicago (near the Magnificent Mile) pays you to work with their ancient manuscripts.
- Intern at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
- Check out the opportunities listed on the A&L website.
- Internship at the Library of Congress.
- Intership at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.
- Internship at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
- Internship at the L.A. County Museum of Art.
5) Latin Pedagogy Workshop
This workshop is offered annually, usually for four days in early July. It is for students who are interested in teaching Latin, as well as novice and experienced Latin teachers. It is held in Chicago near Northwestern University. See the website for more details.
6) Summer School in Greek Palaeography
Lincoln College International Summer School in Greek Palaeography takes place annually at Oxford Univ for one week, usually during the end of July. The Summer School is for advanced undergraduate as well as postgraduate students working in subject areas such as classics (Greek language and literature), medieval and early modern Greek philology, patristics, theology, art history and archaeology, and late antique, medieval, and Byzantine literary and cultural history. Contact the Programme Director, Dr Christos Simelidis.
FUNDING YOUR SUMMER WORK
Many of the above programs offer financial aid for their participants. There are also several internal funding opportunities available to Notre Dame students.
- Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program
- Learning Beyond the Classroom grants
- The Arts & Letters website lists many opportunities. Note especially the funding offered by our Kellogg and Nanovic Institutes.
- Nanovic Institute for European Studies.
- OIS has funds available for financial aid students who need support to travel for educational or cultural reasons. Contact Ms Joan Clark at 1-5203.
- Hritzu and Erikson funds administered by the Department of Classics (see below).
- The Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures has funds available for language study, especially if you want to travel abroad to study a foreign language.
Hritzu-Erikson Summer Travel Bursaries
Applications are invited from students concentrating in Arabic and Classics (majors, minors, and ECS students) for bursaries to assist with summer travel to places of interest and relevance to the department's programs of study. Such places might include archaeological sites and museums in the greater Mediterranean world, or museums of particular importance in North America and elsewhere. Awards of up to $1000 may be made. Applications will be assessed on a competitive basis. They should provide a detailed account of proposed travel plans, and include a clear statement of the relationship between the proposed travel and the course of study in progress. An estimate of expenses is also required. Applications should be addressed to the Department of Classics, and received no later than April 30, 2009.
