Special Programs

Storytelling: It's All Greek to Me

Program Overview

The Greeks knew how to tell a good story. They wrote stories that entertained, inspired, and gave the audience insight into their own lives. Learn how to craft your own during this study abroad program in Athens.

Daytime photo of Grecian ruins overlooking a city in the distance

Photo by Rob Galka

Core Curriculum

Students will be enrolled in the following 4-unit course.

Please Note: Students studying abroad on a Tisch track are not eligible to pursue an internship (except for Television Writing in London and Theatre in Ghana). Tisch programs do not provide work visas.

Storytelling: It's All Greek to Me

IFMTV-UT 1203 | 4 units | Instructor: John Warren

This course will focus on the fundamentals of storytelling, analyzing Greek mythology, poems, and fables. We will also explore contemporary methods of storytelling, such as short stories by J. D. Salinger, Toni Morrison, and others. The Greeks introduced oral storytelling, which will lead us to Spalding Gray, Richard Pryor, and poet Kae Tempest and singer-storytellers, from Leonard Cohen to Bob Dylan and Beyoncé. It’s All Greek… will study podcasts (S-TOWN, How I Built This) and webisodes (Booth at the End, High Maintenance).

Course Objectives:

1. Introduce students to Greek literature, writers, and philosophers, as well as current storytellers from a variety of genres.

2. By looking and thinking beyond the bounds of contemporary entertainment, students are introduced to storytelling that is not only evocative, but intellectually stimulating.

3. At the completion of the course, students will write a Greece-inspired piece. The final assignment can be a short story, short film script, feature film treatment, outline or treatment for a TV pilot or web series. All projects must take place in Greece. Using Greek stories, myths, and fables is encouraged. 

Course excursions include sites such as the Acropolis, Delphi, and Hydra.

Sunny outdoor photo of the Mediterranean sea against Greek houses in the countryside

Photo by Rob Galka

Program Dates

Summer 2024

Student Arrival: Sunday, May 19, 2024
Student Departure: Saturday, June 8, 2024

Arrival and departure dates are subject to change.

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Admissions

The summer 2024 application is closed.

Prerequisites:

Film & Television majors: Storytelling Strategies or equivalent.

NYU non-majors and visiting students: College-level creative writing, screenwriting, or storytelling foundational course.

Please read the following application requirements before starting your application.

Note: Students should wait to receive their admissions notification prior to purchasing airline tickets. Students accepted to the program should purchase refundable airline tickets and/or travel insurance in the event the program is canceled or program dates are changed.

Expenses

Summer 2024

  • Undergraduate summer 2024 tuition: $7,376
  • Program Fee: $357
  • GeoBlue Global Health Insurance: $144.12
  • Students are responsible for arranging their own transportation to/from the program.
  • Housing:
    • Doubles: $1,874

Students are responsible for any COVID-19 testing required to travel to the program location and to return home. For the length of the program, students will be enrolled in GeoBlue Health Insurance. Students traveling beyond the dates of the program are encouraged to enroll themselves in GeoBlue Health Insurance. 

Visit the NYU Office of the Bursar for additional information on tuition and fees.

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Scholarship and Financial Aid

There are opportunities for financial assistance to study abroad.

Please review the Scholarships and Financial Aid for Study Abroad page for more information.

Housing

Students reside in double rooms in a hotel with breakfast included. Single rooms are limited. Students do not have access to a kitchen but will have a mini-fridge in their room.