The British School at Athens is delighted to offer a new course aimed at postgraduate students and professionals (e.g., athletes, coaches, teachers, journalists, tour-guides, and sport managers) keen to understand the ancient roots of the modern Olympic Games and communicate them appropriately to their target audience.
The course travels backward through history, beginning with the modern Olympics of Paris 2024 and Athens 2004, then “digging down” through the modern Olympic revival of 1896, to arrive at the traditional origin of the Games at Olympia in 776 BCE. It is organised around elements common to the ancient and modern games: ceremonies, athletes, contests, and rewards. We look at the historical and philosophical origins of things like the Olympic flame, the athletes’ oath, and the link to peace. We ask who the athletes were, how they were trained, categorized, and selected. We compare common events, such as footraces, boxing, wrestling, javelin throwing, and equestrian events, and we examine how and why victors were celebrated with prizes, songs, images, and privileges. Participants will be able to tailor their study toward their personal interests by choosing topics to research and share either in traditional academic papers and presentations, professional exercises such as lesson-plans or news features, or digital media such as websites and blog-posts.
The course will take place 24 February – 2 March 2025, and will be directed by Georgios Mouratidis (Assistant Director of the BSA), and Heather Reid (Exedra Mediterranean Center). In addition to lectures and seminars led by the course directors, this one-week residential course will draw on a variety of experts, such as leading academics and sport professionals, who will use lectures, on-site instruction, and hands-on tasks to highlight pedagogy and best practices in teaching, and critically communicating the links between the ancient and modern Olympic Games. Aside from a deep understanding of Olympic history and philosophy, participants will:
- Gain specialised knowledge at postgraduate level on issues related to ancient sport as well as the means for an academic and professional development.
- Gain hands-on experience in organising scholarly presentations or lessons on the ancient and modern Olympic Games for students at different levels.
- Adopt a critical approach to the comparison of ancient and modern Olympic ideals and practices that seeks to improve the management and practices of Olympic and athletic institutions today.
The course fee is £600 and is limited to 12 places. This covers housing, breakfast, other meals as specified in the program, required travel within Greece, museum and site fees, and a one-month BSA membership which includes 24h access to the BSA library and access to museums all over Greece. Not included are: airfare to and from Greece and meals not listed on the program. Incidental expenses are the participant’s responsibility. A number of BSA-administered bursaries might be available for students, which will be assigned on the basis of merit and need.
APPLICATIONS
To apply please complete the application form here.
The application deadline is Friday 29 November 2024. Applicants should make sure that a letter of reference is sent to the same address (assistant.director@bsa.ac) with the subject ‘History and Philosophy of Olympic Games reference’, no later than the application deadline.
Please e-mail assistant.director@bsa.ac.uk for any questions regarding the course.
Please see below for a course programme and a flyer.