School of English - AUTh

The School of English Language and Literature was the first foreign-language School in Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, opening in 1951-52 and functioning according to the founding law of 1931, which provided for an Institute of Foreign Languages and Literatures annexed to the Faculty of Philosophy. During this early transition period and up until 1982, the School operated under the supervision of the presiding Director of the British Council in Thessaloniki as well as of a three-person Supervisory Committee from the Faculty of Philosophy. With the changes in education laws (Reform Bill 1268/1982), the School οf English, along with the Schools of French, German and Italian, was granted autonomous status equal to that of the other Schools in the Faculty of Philosophy. This statutory change marked the beginning of academic and administrative restructuring and modernization, with the originally unified School being divided into two, the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics and that of English and American Literature, which itself was soon (in 1987) to divide into the Departments of English Literature and Culture and American Literature and Culture. This restructuring in turn brought about a greater specialization in the subjects taught in the School of English, with the academic program reorganized to include a balance of general core subjects on the one hand and more specialized subjects on the other. Students were now offered the opportunity to develop their own interests by selecting from a range of elective modules from the different Departments as well as from a limited number of courses in related areas from other Schools in the Faculty. The number of subjects offered increased still further with the founding of the new Department of Translation and Intercultural Studies in 2002. As of 1995, the program of graduate studies has been in operation, offering specialization in the different areas of the four Departments.

Aims and Objectives

The many and various aims of the program of study in the School of English include:

• Providing young scholars with advanced knowledge in the main subjects taught on the program (language, linguistics, literature, translation, cultural studies and teaching), qualifying them for employment in education and other related fields of specialization in the public and private sectors
• Providing graduates with the theoretical and critical tools necessary for research at a more advanced level
• Developing and promoting European exchange programs involving both student and staff mobility
• Establishing and supporting laboratories for systematic research in specialized areas
• Participating in partnerships and collaborative programs with other Schools and universities, both in Greece and abroad
• Encouraging competitive and creative participation on the international level as well as in the Greek community at large through collaboration with cultural representatives and institutions
• Organizing workshops and conferences and publishing scholarly journals
• Inviting internationally recognized scholars to give lectures and seminars to students
• Promoting faculty development through research and publication as well as in teaching methodology
• Supporting and updating the School’s technological infrastructure and facilities

Career options

• Teaching English in Primary and Secondary education
• Private sector (schools, language learnig institutes)
• Translation agencies
• Interpretation
• Publishing houses
• Banks, translation departments
• Cultural institutions (museums, theatres)
• Tourism
• Journalism and the Media
• Advertising