The Arts of Ancient Greece

July 8-15, 2002
University of Maryland, College Park

Crossing Borders/Breaking Boundaries is an integrated program supporting performance, scholarship, and education in the Fine Arts. Developed especially for Maryland middle and high school educators of dance, music, theater, and the visual arts, the institute will:

EXPOSE YOU to new scholarship in the arts and arts education;

ENGAGE YOU in an exploration of new performance possibilities within and across the arts disciplines;

SUPPORT YOU in creating new teaching units and lesson plans that incorporate Maryland's Essential Learner Outcome guidelines for the Fine Arts;

PREPARE YOU to work collaboratively with teachers in you own and other arts disciplines, so that you can

STRENGTHEN the position of the arts at your school.

Teachers from other disciplines are also most welcome!

This eight-day residential program, now in its second year, offers a core curriculum of lectures, hands-on performance classes, and collaborative lesson-planning workshops. Additional activities include a museum field trip, self-guided library research, technology training, and a day in which participants share their newly developed lesson plans. After the institute, all lesson plans will be archived electronically for the benefit of the participants and teachers around the world. Participants who complete the program will be eligible to receive 5 MSDE Continuing Professional Development credits.

The Program

The Greeks not only practiced the arts as we now know them; they also thought deeply about arts integration, theorized the role of the arts in education, and left us a language through which we continue to talk about aesthetics and artistic practice.

During the course of this year's institute, participants will explore these approaches to the arts through a guided study of fifth-century Greek tragedy, comedy, poetry, movement, women and art, sculpture, and vase painting. Additionally, teams of middle and high school teachers will compare an aspect of ancient Greek arts with another topic of their own choosing. Comparative exercises and group discussions will help each team to create interdisciplinary lesson plans around the two subjects.

Teachers are urged to apply in interdisciplinary teams of 2 to 4, formed from the different arts disciplines at their schools, as well as from other disciplines, such as social studies, English, mathematics, science, and Latin. Teachers who apply individually will be placed in teams at our discretion. Please indicate on your application form whether you are applying as a member of a team or individually.

Crossing Borders/Breaking Boundaries does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, national origin, or disability in matters affecting eligibility or providing access to programs.

To request a brochure, please call (301) 405-6830, or send us an email. To view the lesson plan archive from the previous institute, click here.