The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies

Over the past 15 years, Hellenic Studies at SFU has grown into a successful interdisciplinary program, consistently maintaining high enrollment levels while capturing the imagination of SFU's graduate and undergraduate students.

The Hellenic Studies Program has been offering courses in Greek and Byzantine history, Greek language and culture. One major challenge was making Greek (a lesser-used language) more accessible to both local and international students. After approaching The Stavros Niarchos Foundation in 2003, the program received a series of grants that enabled the creation of an e-learning platform offering various levels of Greek language.

The platform, known as The Odysseas Online Language Tutor, has to date taught Greek to thousands of students throughout the globe, most notably in China where there are 15 universities using our Tutor. Recognized as a pioneer of online language instruction, over 25,000 users around the globe have registered online or downloaded (app) The Odysseas Online Language Tutor.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies is committed to the study and teaching of Greek history language and culture. Fundamental to this endeavor is the application of innovative technology to enhance the learning experience for the student and scholar.

The aim of the Centre is to make Hellenic Studies accessible to university and non-university students with teaching and research as the cornerstone of the Centre’s activities. These tasks are accomplished by training future scholars in Greek history, language and culture. The Centre is dedicated to the survival of Greek studies both in the West and in Asia.

Partners in China

• Nankai University
• Sun Yat-sen University
• Beijing Foreign Studies University
• Peking University
• Tsinghua University
• Fudan University
• Beijing Language and Culture University
• Renmin University of China
• Shanghai Normal University
• Northeast Normal University
• Shandong University
• Xi'an International Studies University
• Sichuan University
• Southwast University
• Zhengzhou University
• Capital Normal University
• Wuhan University
• Yantai University
• University of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong Baptist University
• Embassy of China (Athens)
• Embassy of the Hellenic Republic (Beijing)

Courses We Offer

Modern Greek Language Modern Greek Level 1 Modern Greek Level 2 Modern Greek Level 3 Modern Greek Level 4 Ancient Greek Language Ancient Greek Level 1 Ancient Greek Level 2 Ancient Greek Level 3 Ancient Greek Level 4 Ancient Greek Level 5 Surveys Survey of Greek Philosophy History of Greek Civilization History of Greek Art & Architecture

Ancient History Archaic Greece The Golden Age of Greece Alexander the Great Greek Mythology History of Greek Law Byzantine History From Constantine to the Dark Ages From Reconstruction to Destruction Modern Greek History Greeks in the Ottoman Empire 19th Century Greek History (1830-1914) Greece in the 20th Century