Quick Facts
Application Deadlines
- Fall: May 1
- Spring: October 1
Program Dates
FALL SEMESTER 2013
September 2 Semester begins – Students arrive, move into apartments, & check in
September 3-6 Orientation
September 9 Classes begin
October 28 OXI Day (National Holiday)
November (dates TBA) Recess
November 28 Thanksgiving (CYA Holiday)
December 13-19 Final Exams
December 20 Semester ends
December 21 Apartments available until noon
SPRING SEMESTER 2014
January 20 Semester begins – Students arrive, move into apartments, & check in
January 21-24 Orientation Activities
January 27 Classes begin
February 9 Founder's Day
March 3 Clean Monday (National Holiday)
March 25 Greek Independence Day (National Holiday)
April 20 Western and Greek Easter Sunday
April (dates TBA) Recess
May 1 May Day (National Holiday)
May 9-15 Final Exams
May 16 Semester ends
May 17 Apartments available until noon
Language of Instruction
English
Host Institution
College Year in Athens (CYA) and BCA have forged an important collaboration, which allows BCA students to take classes with other study abroad participants while also maintaining their own intellectual and cross-cultural emphasis on the BCA theme of democracy. CYA provides a number of elective courses as well as:
- Greek language class
- Access to Greek Public Library and computer lab
Orientation
Each semester begins with an orientation period during which students are introduced to the facilities, services, staff, academic procedures and policies, and safety procedures and policies. Also, each student is given a copy of the student handbook prior to the start of the program. It contains a wealth of information, hints and suggetions, map of Athens and policies.
During the first week students also receive an orientation on the city of Athens and Greece in general. Numerous planned activities provide the opportunity to get to know fellow students, as well as faculty and staff. During this period, students meet individually with the Director of Student Affairs and may schedule a meeting with the Director of Academic Affairs to discuss their program of studies.
Housing
BCA and CYA students live in self-contained apartments in residential apartment buildings in the Pangrati area of Athens, which are situated a two- to ten-minute walk from the Academic Center. This neighborhood is desirable for its central location, proximity to sites, monuments and museums, and access to the National Gardens and the wooded slopes of Lykavittos Hill. All students live within easy walking distance of grocery stores, cafes and restaurants, bakeries, dry-cleaning shops, banks, and other amenities, including a lively, weekly outdoor "people's market" offering fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, and flowers.
Educational Excursions and Activities
In addition to the educational excursion to Cyprus, students will have a choice of other local excursions in Athens and its surroundings. Some of these are included in the program fee; others are optional and at the students’ additional expense. These vary each semester.
Required BCA Signature Courses
Democracy Then and Now: Perspectives from the Eastern Mediterranean
This 3-credit, 45-contact hour course examines the concept and practices of democracy from ancient times to the present, with a special focus on the Greek contribution to this critically important way of organizing human governance. The course also engages students in study of major issues related to the challenges of democracy, ranging from the European experiment with regional governance to contemporary issues of social justice, financial crises and local, national and transnational decision-making. This course is required of all BCA-Athens students.
Deeply Divided Societies: The Cyprus Question
This is also a 3-credit, 45-contact hour course that aims to engage students in some of the most difficult questions about peace and conflict. While students will be exposed through readings and lectures to related issues in other divided societies (e.g. Northern Ireland; Sri Lanka; and Spanish regionalism including the Basque Country) this course focused particularly on Greek-Turkish relations with regard to the divide island of Cyprus. Students will learn of the contested history of the island and the efforts made toward building a lasting peace. Questions of territorial integrity, national identities, war and peace-making are part of this course. As part of this course, BCA students undertake an educational excursion to the island of Cyprus to learn about the Cyprus Question from Cypriots themselves, both Greek and Turkish.