2027 ASCSA SUMMER SESSION: ANCIENT GREECE IN CONTEXT AND IN DEPTH

About

The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) Summer Session is a six-week intensive, interdisciplinary, on-site program offering immersive exposure to Greece, ancient, medieval, and modern. Since 1925, the Summer Session has introduced students and educators in History, Classics, Archaeology, Art History, and related fields to Greece’s diverse landscape, history, material culture, literature, and people. Led by exceptional scholars of Classics and related disciplines, participants visit many of the major archaeological sites, monuments, and museums throughout Greece, and have unique opportunities to learn from eminent archaeologists and art historians on site. 

The Summer Session is designed to serve participants at different stages of their academic and professional careers. Graduate students and faculty in Classics, Ancient History, and Theater whose main focus is not archaeology will gain valuable information and new perspectives on ancient Greece that can enrich and contextualize their teaching and research. For graduate students specializing on Greek Archaeology and Art History, the Summer Session offers an intensive introduction to the major questions and resources in the field. Advanced undergraduates considering graduate training in any field of Classical Studies or Anthropology will gain superb preparation for the rigors of graduate school. Teachers will discover new stories, sites, and materials to bring back to their classrooms and share with their students. Summer Session participants become part of the ASCSA alumni/alumnae community, with more than a thousand members around the world. Your Summer Session participation can open the doors to professional connections, mentoring, fieldwork opportunities, and scholarly support for years to come.

The program combines demanding academic study, physical rigor, and experiential learning. Participants are expected to conduct research at their home institutions, engage critically with the sites and materials they encounter in Greece, and present their work on site. This combination of scholarly rigor, field-based learning, and sustained engagement with Greece and its material culture, landscapes, history, and people makes the ASCSA Summer Session a unique and immersive academic experience.
 

Itinerary for 2027

The 2027 Summer Session, directed by Dr. Lee L. Brice (Western Illinois University) and Dr. Georgia Tsouvala (Illinois State University), runs from June 14 to July 28, 2027, and examines the diverse ways continuity, change, and cultural memory have shaped Greece from the first Neolithic settlements and Bronze Age kingdoms to the modern Hellenic Republic. Participation is limited to twenty (20) North American and international academic applicants studying or working on any aspect of the ancient Greek world or its reception.

The Summer Session is based at the ASCSA campus in central Athens.  From there, participants travel extensively throughout Greece, from Crete and the Peloponnesus in the south to Thessaloniki and beyond in the north. Three trips give participants an in-depth introduction to the major archaeological and historical sites and museum collections in Crete (c. 5-7 nights), Central and Northern Greece (c. 10 nights), and the Peloponnese (c. 7-9 nights). The remainder of the session is devoted to the study of the museums and monuments of Athens and Attica with day trips to sites such as Marathon, Sounion, Piraeus, Eleusis, Aegina, and more.  The itinerary includes not only well-known archaeological and historical sites and museums but also lesser-known locations that offer distinctive perspectives on Greece’s past. 

A Typical Day

Summer Session participants receive exclusive access to archaeological sites and storerooms otherwise inaccessible to the public, as well as on-site lectures, presentations, and tours by the world's leading specialists in Greek archaeology and art. The Summer Session combines on-site and experiential learning through visits to sites and museums with School faculty, eminent archaeologists, and specialists working in the field, participant presentations and discussion, object handling and workshops, and readings.  

Interdisciplinarity and collaboration are central tenets of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.  Summer Session participants work together as a group, share their knowledge and expertise through oral presentations at archaeological sites and museums, and engage in seminar-style discussions. Every participant gives two on-site oral reports of about twenty minutes each. Report topics are selected in consultation with the directors, taking into account participants’ interests and skills. If you want to see an example of a program itinerary and past report topics, click here. 

The 2027 Summer Session will take place between June 14 to July 28, 2027. This is a rigorous program, physically, mentally, and academically. A typical day starts at 7:00AM and ends at 7:00PM. A group will usually visit 3 to 7 archaeological and historical sites and/or museums during the day. There will be stops for bathrooms and lunch, but those may range from a sit-down meal to a picnic lunch and snacks.  Each visit may include a director’s presentation, lectures by invited specialists, and one or more student reports. There is much standing and walking - up to 75% of the day. Participants will walk multiple miles (5+ miles) a day on-site and in museums with limited shade and limited seating. Many sites have steep inclines and can be rocky with uneven paths. Accessible paths are not always available at museums and sites in Greece. The Mediterranean summer sun is intense (hot, direct, high UV), and temperatures are regularly in the 90s or low 100s Fahrenheit. Please consider these environmental conditions into your planning.  

Participants are expected to participate fully in all program activities. Applicants uncertain about their ability to participate fully in all program activities or in need of accommodations are encouraged to contact the ASCSA office (application@ascsa.org).
 

Facilities

The Summer Session is based at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens on Souidias Street 54 in Kolonaki.  Participants enjoy 24-hour access to the world-class Blegen Library, including the computer lab, printers, wireless internet access, and individual study space. The hours of operation and any special arrangements for the Gennadeion Library, the Archives, the Wiener Lab, and the Makriyannis Exhibits are posted on their respective websites. All our facilities are ADA compliant.

While in Athens, participants will be housed in Loring Hall which provides comfortable accommodations with private bathrooms and air conditioning, a welcoming and supportive staff, home-style Greek cooking, and gardens and verandas where to enjoy your meal or beverage. Buffet meals are served in the Loring Hall dining room most days. The School also offers numerous opportunities (tea hour, ouzo hour, lectures, etc.) for informal conversation, learning, and networking with professors and students working at the ASCSA, and with members of the international scholarly community in Athens.

Outside of Athens, participants will stay in double and triple hotel rooms. Hotels are typically C class, clean and secure establishments with private bathrooms and A/C available. Most hotels have wi-fi, but it is not always fast or reliable. Continental breakfasts are provided at the hotel every morning. 

Lunch may be picnic-style or at local eateries depending on the day’s schedule. Beach stops for swimming are scheduled whenever possible. Participants eat dinner on their own at local restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. Dinner hour in Greece is typically later than in North America, with many people eating between 8-11pm.

Participants/Eligibility

Enrollment is open to graduate and advanced undergraduate students, and to high school teachers and college or university faculty of Anthropology, Archaeology, Art History, Classics, History, Museum Studies, Theater, and related subjects. Enrollment is limited to 20 participants. The language of instruction is English, and the program is open to all nationalities studying worldwide. 

An attempt is made to ensure that the session includes undergraduate students, graduate students, high school teachers, and college professors, though there is no quota for any category. The American School of Classical Studies at Athens does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national or ethnic origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation when considering admission to any form of membership or application for employment.

The program is intellectually rigorous and can be physically challenging.  Museum visits may involve long periods of standing, while many site visits require hiking uphill in the Mediterranean summer heat.  Participants should be ready and able to work cooperatively as part of a close-knit group.

Participants are expected to participate fully in all program activities.  Applicants uncertain about their ability to participate fully in all program activities or in need of accommodations are encouraged to contact the ASCSA office (application@ascsa.org).

Costs

The 2027 program fee is $5,120, including tuition, room for the entire six-week period, weekday board (i.e., three meals a day on Monday through Friday) while in Athens, travel within Greece, and museum and site entry fees. (Rates and fees are subject to change without notice.)

International airfare, most meals outside Athens and on weekends, and incidental expenses are the participant's responsibility.

The ASCSA offers funding opportunities based on academic merit without extra forms to submit. Several national and regional Classics organizations also offer scholarships specifically for Summer Session participants. 

Academic Credit

The American School is not a degree-granting institution. No grades are given for its programs, nor are transcripts provided.

An optional final exam at the end of the Summer Session may be given upon request.  The director(s) of the Summer Session will write a letter to the member’s home institution recommending that credit be granted, provided that the member has satisfactorily participated in the program and passed the final exam. 

If you are interested in the course credit option, please contact the Summer Session Director(s).

Application

The deadline for the application materials, including the two letters of recommendation, is January 11, 2027 (at 11:59pm ET). Applicants will be notified in February.

Link to the online application: https://ascsa.submittable.com/submit/270462/ascsa-summer-program-application.
You may use this form to apply to the Summer Session and Seminar(s) simultaneously, if you are applying to more than one summer program. 

Admission to the Summer Session is granted on the basis of academic performance and letters of recommendation. Required application materials include: 

• A statement of interest highlighting the applicant’s qualifications, skills, and reasons for wanting or needing to participate in the summer program (maximum length 500-600 words);
• If you are applying for multiple programs, a statement that indicates and discusses your preferences (maximum 250 words);  
• Curriculum vitae, which includes the colleges and universities attended, with dates of attendance, degrees awarded or expected, any awards and honors attained, any earlier fellowships, grants, and scholarships received, as well as any teaching and other professional experience with institutions and dates indicated;
• Student applicants must submit transcripts or the equivalent from all post-secondary education education (copies and/or unofficial transcripts are acceptable). Transcripts in scripts other than Latin or Greek must be translated into English. Faculty members (K-12 and all levels of post-secondary education) are exempt from the transcript requirement; 
• Two letters of recommendation by individuals well-acquainted with the applicant’s strengths and weaknesses by the application deadline. Recommenders will automatically be sent instructions about how to upload their recommendation, once the applicant submits their application online. Alternatively, applicants may choose to send the requests for letters of recommendation before their online application submission is complete by clicking the "Send Request Now" button on the application form.

Applicants for ASCSA sponsored funding can check a box on the online application form to be considered for all internal scholarships for which they are eligible. If awarded an ASCSA scholarship, we will notify you in your admission letter. A separate application is not necessary for ASCSA sponsored funding. However, external funding opportunities (e.g., CANE, NYCC, etc.) have their own application processes and requirements. Please, carefully review eligibility requirements for each funding opportunity.

Visas

Any U.S. or Canadian citizen who plans to spend more than 90 days within a six-month period in Greece and/or any other member of the Schengen countries (namely, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland) must obtain a special visa BEFORE entry into the Schengen zone. This visa must be issued by a Greek consulate/embassy in the country where the applicant is a resident, and the application process can take two or more months

Please note that the Summer Session itself accounts for 45 days and any participant who plans to combine, for example, a spring or fall study abroad program in Europe with the ASCSA Summer Program(s) may exceed the 90-day limit, and therefore may need a visa. For further information on visas and residence permits, click here.

Ready to apply?

The American School of Classical Studies at Athens does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national or ethnic origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation when considering admission to any form of membership or application for employment.

For additional questions or information:

Contact the Programs Office in the United States at application@ascsa.org.