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GreeceCultureAFGLC/IFGLC 18th Annual Forum/Conference February 22-23, 2013

AFGLC/IFGLC 18th Annual Forum/Conference February 22-23, 2013

Hellenic News
Hellenic News
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AFGLC

AFGLC/IFGLC 18th Annual Forum/Conference February 22-23, 2013

 

FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

 

Thanks for reading Hellenic News of America

The American Foundation for Greek Language and Culture (AFGLC) is a non-profit organ-ization whose singular, most important objective is the preservation and diffusion of Hellenism. The members of the Foundation, all volunteers from different walks of life, undertake to carry out this mission because they are convinced that our future leaders must have no lesser knowledge of the forces that shaped todayʼs world (the great majority of which are traceable to the ancient Greeks) than did the founders of our United States. To ensure that the future leadership possesses a firm understanding of the human condition, of the origins of democracy, and of the philosophi-cal underpinnings of Western thought, the Foundation believes that todayʼs education must in-clude a study of the Greek experience. AFGLC is dedicated to passing the torch of knowledge to todayʼs youth in appropriate academic settings.


To this end, the Foundation strives to establish Interdisciplinary Centers for Hellenic Stud-ies (ICHS) at institutions of higher learning throughout the United States. Every Center consists of five professorships, each bearing the name of the benefactor whose donated funds helped es-tablish it; the professorships are endowed in perpetuity and cover all aspects of Hellenic culture in areas that have had an impact on modern civilization: Language and Literature, Philosophy, His-tory, Culture (art, archaeology, musicology and related subjects), as well as Byzantine History & Orthodox Religion. These Interdisciplinary Centers then serve as a vehicle for bringing the rich-ness of Hellenism to a general American audience at secular universities. To-date, AFGLC has es-tablished its presence at the University of South Florida, Tampa, FL; Richard Stockton College, Pomona, NJ; Stony Brook University, New York, NY; and now a budding Hellenic Studies Program at St. Petersburg College—Tarpon Springs campus, Florida. AFGLC has active chapters in Athens, Greece, St. Louis, MO, Tampa, FL., the Tri-State area, MA, New York, N.Y., and Bogota, Colombia; it works in tandem with other organizations in the United States whose goals and objectives are to promote and enhance the teaching of the Greek language and culture at academic institutions of higher learning.

One of the most prized activities of AFGLC is the Annual Educational Forum/Conference it organizes for the benefit of its membership, the faculty and students of the hosting university, and the general public. Well known scholars are invited to present papers in their area of interest and/or engage in discussions on a number of topics, all stemming from Hellenic thought that spans more than two thousand five hundred years of intellectual activity. The most recent devel-opment in AFGLCʼs annual events has been the attempt to get closer to the general public by bringing the Conference to them. Such was the case in 2010 with our 15th Annual Fo-rum/Conference which, for the first time, was divided between two venues and two basic areas of interest: mostly research-based, scholarly papers at USF, and mostly popular presentations, readi-ly understood by the general public at St. Petersburg College–Tarpon Springs. From the start, the program of this two-day event has been rich in content and has attracted increasingly the interest of the local community.

This yearʼs presenters come to us from a number of U.S. institutions of higher learning, all of whom will contribute their own scholarly points of view as they elaborate the general topic en-titled “Performance of Culture in Ancient Greece: Past and Present,” during Day One at USF. Crowning the activities at USF will be The John Balis Memorial Lecture “The Gods Made Me Do It! ʽPerforming the Divine Defense of Helen of Troy, presented by Dr. Ruby Blondell, Professor of Classics at the University of Washington. The presenters of Day Two at SPC will be educators, graduate students, physicians, and others, all of whom will contribute to the dayʼs activities under the title theme of Performance in Greek Culture: Past and Present. The presentations are in-tended for the general public and will vary widely, from literary archetypes, to the history of the bouzouki, to Greek Carnival dances, to the Epiphany ritual. Also scheduled for this day are the annual awards of the Dr. Demetrios Halkias, and Peter and Sophia Kourmolis Scholarships.

The entire two-day event is free and the public is invited to attend any and all sessions that are scheduled during the two-day event at either campus:
• Friday, February 22, 2013: at the Plaza Room (MC2708) of the Marshall Center, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, USF, from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM; it will be followed by a plenary session and a reception from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM.
• Saturday, February 23, 2013: at the Lyceum, Room 156, St. Petersburg College, Tarpon Springs campus, from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM; the Murray Theater of Ruth Eckerd Hall, 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM.

This 18th AFGLC educational event will be brought to a closure at Ruth Eckerd Hall, with a recep-tion and a cultural performance, showcasing our Greek Heritage and Spirit in “Romiossini: A Tribute to Modern Greek Poets,” directed and produced by Rev. Fr. James Rousakis, which will include poetry read-ings, music and dance.

The variety and sheer richness of information packed in this yearʼs presentations promise to make this Forum/Conference another great success! Donʼt miss it!

 

Dr. Byron P. Palls
Past President
Tel. 727-449-9189
[email protected]

The copyrights for these articles are owned by the Hellenic News of America. They may not be redistributed without the permission of the owner. The opinions expressed by our authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hellenic News of America and its representatives.

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