Undergraduate Global Engagement

formerly the office of Global Programs

Sitting at geo-political, cultural, and geographic crossroads between the West and East, Greece is an exciting touchpoint for collaboration and learning. This program takes Athens as a vantage point to introduce you to classical sport and spectacle through the lenses of literature, geography, and material culture and to consider how sport has shaped political identity, social values, and cultural memory, questions that remain relevant to our understanding of the modern Olympic and Paralympic games today. You will have the opportunity to:

• Deepen Understanding: Engage with values and traditions of a culture or civilization through primary sources as a means to broaden your outlook.

• Learn Beyond the Classroom: Combine seminar study with field visits to unique locations, meetings with local experts, and other cultural activities.

• Expand Your Horizons: Develop intercultural competencies, acquire skills in critical thinking, and cultivate deeper self-awareness while engaging with global perspectives.

This program is offered by Columbia Global, the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement, and the Athens Global Center, which generously funds flights and housing for students participating in this program.

Eligibility and Application

• Open to undergraduate and graduate students in good academic and disciplinary standing from Columbia and Barnard.
• Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. Students must also maintain a 3.0 GPA during the semester before going abroad.

How to apply?

Want to apply? Click the “Start Your Application" button at the top of this page. If the button doesn't appear above, the program is not yet accepting applications. You will be asked to set up a short profile, which will allow us to send you relevant information about your application. Once you’ve created a profile, you will see a checklist of items that you will need to submit. These generally include:

• Application questionnaire(s)
• Personal statement
• Official transcript(s)
• Reference
• Interview

Academics

All students will be enrolled in the following course:

Ancient and Modern Olympics, 3 points

Instructors: Paraskevi Martzavou, Lecturer in the Discipline of Classics, Department of Classics and Lien Van Geel, Lecturer in the Discipline of Classics, Department of Classics

This course introduces students to classical sports and its many aspects, from literary representations to geography and material culture. The choice of Athens as the location will allow the course to be enriched by extending the classroom experience to local museums, exhibits and multiple venues of the Olympic and Panhellenic Games. The interdisciplinary approach will allow students to explore the history and impact of ancient sports in conjunction with questions about sports and political and cultural identity and significance. An essential aspect of the course is the reception of athletic competitions in modern times, the Olympic movement, and the modern Olympics and Paralympic Games as a cultural, political, economic, and social phenomenon centered on the celebration of life, of diversity, and of inclusivity.

• Pending approval by the Committee on Instruction

• Pending approval to meet the requirements of the Classics major/minor and the Global Core

• Students may check with their departments to understand if this course can meet major/minor requirements.

Note: The University reserves the right to withdraw or modify the courses of instruction or to change the instructors as may become necessary.

PROGRAM Schedule

Please note that there will be two pre-departure meetings in April/May, TBD.

Please note that personal travel should not be scheduled while the program is in session

GRADES AND TRANSCRIPTS

Grading Policy

Click here for the Columbia summer program grading policies.

Transcripts

Upon successful completion of the program, grades are entered into Columbia's online grading system.

No credit is granted to students who do not complete the full program.

Columbia students: Grades appear on SSOL and your transcript as semester grades from courses taken at Columbia. For more information, please see the section on Academic Credit in Steps to Study Abroad.

Barnard students: Grades appear on eBear and your transcript as any semester grades from courses taken at Barnard. For more information, please see the section on Credit and Transcripts for Barnard Students on our Barnard student pages.

Life in Athens

The program will be based in Athens, a cosmopolitan metropolis and the capital of Greece.

You should expect to be busy with classes and courses-related activities on a daily basis. In addition to local museum visits, trips to relevant Panhellenic sites will be organized. A more detailed schedule will be provided prior to the start of the program.

People

Paraskevi Martzavou has a BA in Archaeology (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), a Masters in Epigraphy (EPHE, IVth Section, Paris) and a PhD in Ancient History (EPHE, IVth Section Paris), and has held a PostDoc research position in Oxford University. She teaches Ancient and Modern Greek Studies in the Classics Department at Columbia University.

Financial Considerations

*Summer 2026 Tuition and Fees will be posted shortly

Find Out More