The Story |
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In June of 2006, Professor Russell McCutcheon, the Chair of UA's Department of Religious Studies, was among the participants at the inaugral conference of the Greek Society for the Study of Culture and Religion (CSSCR), held in the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, Greece. |
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Above is Mr. (as Greek students call their professors, rather than "Dr." as we do in North America) Panayotis Pachis, founder of the GSSCR, the conference organizer, and a Professor in the Faculty of Theology at Aristotle University, pictured here keeping things on track at the 2006 conference. Rollover: Professor Pachis, who then also hosted Prof. McCutcheon and the four REL students during their 2008 trip to Thessaloniki, is pictured dining with the group from UA and his own students at an outdoor restaurant atop a local village. |
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Rollover the above map to get an idea where Thessaloniki is (in northern Greece), as well as where some of the local sites are that are discussed throughout this site. (Click the map to visit Wikipedia's article on the city.) |
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While Professor McCutcheon had already made arrangements to re-visit Aristotle University during Interim 2008 in order to teach graduate classes, Capstone International partnered with the Department of Religious Studies (along with assistance from the College of Arts & Sciences) to send four of UA's REL majors to Greece along with him, as an inaugral trip of a study abroad program for UA's REL students. |
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Prof. McCutcheon is here pictured chatting with UA's REL students (pictured from bottom left to right: Keke Pounds, Chris Hurt, Prof. McCutcheon, Sean Beadore, and Jaci Gresham), outside a Katholikon, or church, near Thessaloniki's acropolis (that is, the old walled city). This Greek Orthodox church was one of the many churches visited during their stay in Thessaloniki, along with spending time in museums, archaelogical digs (rollover to see the students entering King Philip II's tomb, the father of Alexander the Great), wonderful Greek restaurants (have you tried the tzatzkiki, yet?), and Aristotle University's classrooms. |
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Pleased with the success of the trip--evident from the faces of Chris, Keke, and (rollover) Sean, below--REL, Capstone International, and Aristotle University have begun planning the future of what is hoped to become our Department's annual study abroad in Greece--designed specifically for UA students in the academic study of religion. Plans are already underway to take a small group of REL majors back to Thessaloniki for Interim 2009. (See the main menu link for additional information on Interim 2009's course.) |
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Are you an REL major and considering an overseas adventure to Greece? Stay tuned on the site for upcoming news regarding plans for the trip in Interim 2009. |
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Next: The People |
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