Students Explore Legacy of Hellenism in Asia Minor During Immersive Summer Seminar

Photo: HCHC

BOSTON, MA — Eight students from institutions across North America and Greece recently completed the biennial Asia Minor Travel Seminar, a four-week immersive academic program exploring the historical and cultural legacy of Hellenism in Asia Minor and the Pontos region. Led by Dr. Tom Papademetriou of Stockton University and funded by the New York Life Insurance Company Center (NYLIC) for the Study of Hellenism at Hellenic College Holy Cross (HCHC), in partnership with the Dean C. Zoë S. Pappas Interdisciplinary Center for Hellenic Studies at Stockton University, the seminar marked its sixth offering since 2010.

Participants — including students from Holy Cross, Stockton University, University of Toronto, UC Berkeley, Fordham University, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and Simon Fraser University — began their studies in Athens with archival work at the Centre for Asia Minor Studies and cultural visits to the Benaki Museum and the Museum of Asia Minor Hellenism. The group then traveled the Black Sea coast, tracing Pontic Greek heritage through key cities including Trabzon, Ordu, Samsun, and Istanbul, culminating with a visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

“It was incredibly powerful for students and faculty alike to read testimonies from village residents, and then actually visit those same villages - sitting outside a former church in the village square and discussing their lives,” said Dr. Papademetriou. “It was a moment where our students connected the past with the present.”

Dr. Nicholas Ganson, Director of the NYLIC Center at HCHC, added: “Visits to sacred sites like Hagia Sophia of Trebizond, Panagia Soumela, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate provided the students with a profound encounter with the enduring spirit of Hellenic culture."

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