Joseph Goodwin (Y1 PhD): CUNY Latin and Greek Institute, Upper Level Greek Course

As the third Bridge student in Duke’s Classical Studies Department I had the pleasure to continue improving my skills in Latin and Greek during the 2025-2026 academic year to more fully prepare for my admission to the full PhD program. As part of this training I participated in City University of New York’s Latin and Greek Institute (LGI) Upper Level Greek Course. Although I received a partial scholarship to cover the cost of LGI’s tuition, the summer travel fund ensured that I would be able to continue my refresher Greek training at no personal cost. As an older, non-traditional student, this financial benefit offered more peace of mind and a freer schedule, which allowed me to work on my Greek with greater focus.

            To that end, the program emphasized the practical incorporation of Greek grammar and vocabulary review through the systematic and intense reading of five ancient Greek texts: Lysias’ Against Eratosthenes, Xenophon’s Apology of Socrates, Plato’s Phaedrus, Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War 2.1-65, and Sophocles’ Ajax. Three of these works are on Duke’s Classical Studies Ancient Greek reading list, which allowed me a chance to gain an understanding of some required authors in anticipation for my Greek qualifying exams. Further, I underwent drills which reviewed both foundational grammatical concepts and core morphological skills; these will continue to serve me well as I read and analyze Greek literature throughout my PhD. 

            Ultimately, this funding helped reduce the institutional barriers a non-traditional student and Classicist like myself faces. It allowed me to catch up with my peers and has been instrumental in equipping me to be a boon to Duke’s Classical Studies Department.