Studying Greek today is a rewarding, but not an obvious choice. This page contains an overview of webpages discussing the reasons of studying Greek.
Why Study Greek?
(from the National Committee for Latin and Greek): circumstantial lists of the advantages to students studying Greek (for High School students and for University and College students separately); a list of typical questions that can be answered by the knowledge of Greek; an open letter recommending the choice of Greek for the foreign language requirement to incoming freshmen at Ohio University (by Steve Hays); an enthusiastic defense of the choice of a Greek class for High School students (by Andrea Craig of [ http://www.ljhs.sandi.net/ La Jolla High School]); links to other relevant websites.
Die Ziele des Griechischunterrichts
(by Werner Meincke): 8 fundamental advantages of the choice of the Greek course for the pupils of the Johanneum gymnasium at Lüneburg (not far from Hamburg) and, by extension, for any high school students; and by the same author Bedeutung des Griechischen heute: four testimonies by leading figures in science and economy on the study of Ancient Greek.
1. Bildungswerte intensiver Textarbeit an unvergänglichen Werken der Weltliteratur
2. Sich der eigenen Herkunft und des eigenen Wesens bewußt werden
3. Abstand zu sich und der erlebten Wirklichkeit gewinnen
4. Grundfragen menschlicher Existenz
5. Charakteristische Denkstrukturen
6. Das Streben der Griechen nach dem ,,Schönen"
7. Der spezifische Bildungswert der griechischen Sprache
8. Die unerschöpfliche Aussagekraft des griechischen Mythos.
Why In Heaven's Name are You Majoring In Greek?
(by Lynn Sherr of ABC News): this is the text of a stimulating talk given at the Spring meeting (April 2000) of the Classical Association of the Atlantic States in Princeton.
Why study Latin and Greek and the Classical Humanities?
These are six reasons given by the Saint Louis Classics Department Staff:
1. Study them for word-power.
2. Study them for a good education.
3. Study them for self-knowledge.
4. Study them for wisdom.
5. Study them for joy.
6. Study them for "us," and study them for someone else.
Latein und Griechisch: Wozu?
(by Franz Peter Waiblinger): profound article on the ancient roots of our culture, the first half of which deals exclusively with Ancient Greek.
Wozu Griechisch?
Very interesting page on the site of the Friedrich-Gymnasium Freiburg.
Habt ihr Lust auf etwas völlig Abgedrehtes? Die Griechisch Homepage der Heimschule Lender: Wozu? Wer? Schwer? Verrückt?
(by Thomas Feigenbutz): these very original and funny pages explain why Ancient Greek is like a hard drug, but without harming your health.
Greek, Too: The Recovery of Greek in American Schools
(by Richard L.S. Evans): this article deals with strategies to reverse the marginalization of Greek in American high schools by urging Latin teachers to confront their audience with the continuous interaction of their field with the Hellenic language and intellectual traditions. By focusing on their own bilingual Renaissance heritage, Latin teachers can lead the recovery of a fuller classical program in schools.
Why Study Classics?
(Drew University): some quotations illustrating several practical ways in which the study of Greek and Latin can help you.