(Note 1: the program is organized along time slots and not according to common theme)
(Note 2: at the end of each session questions and discussions will follow)
Saturday 3 January 2026
08:30-09:00
Registration
09:00-09:30
Opening and Welcoming Remarks:
09:30-11:00 Session 1
Moderator: Carmen Cozma, Professor, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași, Romania.
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- Steven Oberhelman, Professor of Classics, Holder of the George Sumey Jr Endowed Professorship of Liberal Arts, and Interim Dean, Texas A&M University, USA.
Title: The Miracles of two Women Saints of Attica, Greece: Agia Mavra and Agia Irene Chrysovalantou.
- David Philip Wick, Retired Professor of History, Gordon College, USA.
Title: Acharnian Charcoal, Athenian Casseroles, Well-Nymphs named for Chronic Diseases, Dried Herbs, Citrons and ‘Little Fish’ … and some Gruel for the Dead – An Introductory Sketch of the Unexpected Foodways of Ancient Athens in Winter.
- Nicholas Meihuizen, Extraordinary Professor, North-West University, South Africa.
Title: Christopher Logue’s ‘Startling Modernity’ in His Versions of Homer.
- Jing Gao, PhD Student, Nanjing University, China.
Title: Art as Energeia – A Re-examination of Aristotle’s Aesthetics through the Concept of Energeia and its Contemporary Significance.
- Junlei Yang, Professor, Fudan University, China.
Title: Greek Mythological Metaphors in Science Fiction Films.
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11:00-12:30 Session 2
Moderator: Steven Oberhelman, Professor of Classics, Holder of the George Sumey Jr Endowed Professorship of Liberal Arts, and Interim Dean, Texas A&M University, USA, Vice President of International Programs, Athens Institute and Editor of the Athens Journal of History.
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- Carmen Cozma, Professor, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași, Romania.
Title: On the Aesthetic and Moral Experience of Listening to Classic Music: A Phenomenological Outlook.
- David Osbon, Professor, London College of Music – University of West London, UK.
Title: The Composer Performer Axis.
- Nicoleta Presura Calina, Associate Professor, University of Craiova, Romania.
Title: An Almost Forgotten Romanian Mezzosoprano: Aurelia Chițu.
- Matthew Carter, Lecturer, The City College of New York, CUNY, USA.
Title: Platformed for Violence: Branding, Virality, and the Crisis of Authenticity in Bronx Drill Music.
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12:30-14:00 Session 3
Moderator: David Philip Wick, Director, Arts, Humanities and Education Division, Athens Institute & Retired Professor of History, Gordon College, USA.
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- Assaf Meydani, Professor, The Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo, Israel.
Title: The Crisis of Liberal Democracies: Identity, Ontologies, and the Challenge of Governance in a Fragmented World – The Israeli Case.
- Dimitrina Kanazireva, Associate Professor, Varna Medical University, Bulgaria.
Title: Ancient Roman Mosaics Presenting a Rare Genetic Disorder (Case Study SE Thrace).
- Hristo Preshlenov, Associate Professor, National Archaeological Institute with Museum – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria.
Title: Sacred Modules. Studies of Christian Architecture along the Southwestern Black Sea Area (4th – 7th c. AD).
- Mina Yaney, Architect, Practice for Architectural Interfaces, Austria.
Title: The Architecture of Mediation.
- Lucila Costa Beber, Master Student, Hochschule Wismar, Germany.
Title: Ültje Area in Transformation: Sustainable Heritage and Renewal in Emden.
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14:00-14:30 Lunch
14:30-17:30 Session 4
Old and New-An Educational Urban Walk |
| The urban walk ticket is not included as part of your registration fee. It includes transportation costs and the cost to enter the Parthenon and the other monuments on the Acropolis Hill. The urban walk tour includes the broader area of Athens. Among other sites, it includes: Zappion, Syntagma Square, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Ancient Roman Agora and on Acropolis Hill: the Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, and the Parthenon. The program of the tour may be adjusted, if there is a need beyond our control. This is a private event organized by ATINER exclusively for the conference participants. |
18:00-20:00
An Ancient Athenian Symposium: Continuous Dialogues, Timeless Flavors (featuring authentic ancient Athenian dishes, local wine, and sweet delicacies from ancient Athens)
Sunday 4 January 2026
09:00-10:30 Session 5
Moderator: Ephrem Habtemichael Redda, Research Professor, North-West University, South Africa.
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- Esther Nieto Moreno de Diezmas, Full Professor & Chair, Department of Modern Languages, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain.
Title: CLIL as a Gender Gap Leveller: Exploring How Bilingual Education Shapes Inclusion.
- Zakarya Aldukhayil, Associate Professor, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia.
Title: Transformative Intellectual Journeys: Confronting Colonial Logic in Children of the Alley.
- Noah Luce, Director of the Arts Center and Assistant Professor, Lake Superior State University / Lecturer, University of California, Santa Cruz / Associate Artistic Director, New Canon Theatre Co., USA.
Title: Re-Singing the Song: Reimagining an Iliad Across Space, Gender, and Time.
- Kelly Cresap, Senior Lecturer (Retired), University of Maryland, USA.
Title: John Fowles’s Synoptic View of Human Existence.
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10:30-12:00 Session 6
Moderator: Noah Luce, Director of the Arts Center and Assistant Professor, Lake Superior State University / Lecturer, University of California, Santa Cruz / Associate Artistic Director, New Canon Theatre Co., USA.
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- Michael Wagner, Professor and Department Head of Digital Media, Drexel University, USA.
Title: Rediscovering Dialogue and Authentic Learning in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.
- Ran Yang, Associate Professor, Sichuan Conservatory of Music, China.
Title: The Generation of Action Relationships and Aesthetic Mechanisms in Socially Engaged Art.
- Ephrem Habtemichael Redda, Research Professor, North-West University, South Africa.
Title: How Do Utilitarian and Hedonic Motivations Influence Consumer Behavior in the Digital Environment?
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12:00-13:15 Session 7
Moderator: Michael Wagner, Professor and Department Head of Digital Media, Drexel University, USA.
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- Inmaculada Lara Bonilla, Full Professor, Hostos Community College – CUNY, USA.
Title: Giannina Braschi’s Putinoika (2024): The Moving Seat of Radical Polyphony and Freedom.
- Ruth-Ellen Miller, President, Emerson Institute & Researcher Director, Gaia Living Systems Institute, USA.
Title: The Evolution of the New Thought Philosophy as a Psycho-Spiritual Movement in the Global Culture.
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13:15-15:00 Session 8
Moderator: Orna Almog, Deputy Head, Politics & International Affairs Unit, Athens Institute & Senior Lecturer (Retired), Kingston University, UK.
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- Eva Maria Duran Eppler, Associate Professor, University of Roehampton London, UK.
Title: The RISE UP Horizon Europe Project: A Focus on Cross-border Aspects of Aromanian.
- Boris Sharov, PhD Candidate, Ariel University, Israel.
Ronen A. Cohen, Associate Professor, Ariel University, Israel.
Chen Kertcher, Lecturer, Ariel University, Israel.
Title: Examining Regional Rivalries: Russia’s Diplomatic Engagements within the United Nations Regarding the Iran-Saudi Arabia Rivalry, 2012-2021.
- Danye Brown, Assistant Professor, Ithaca College, USA.
Title: Permission 2 Play: Empathetic Acting as a Roadmap for Intercultural Competence.
- Natalia Sharova, PhD Candidate, Ariel University, Israel.
Ronen A. Cohen, Associate Professor, Ariel University, Israel.
Title: Reinventing New Order: Turkish Revisionist Aspirations in the MENA Region through a Constructivist Lens: 2002–2022.
- Francesco Domenico Vitale, PhD Student, Pegaso Online University, Italy.
Title: Lessons in Nationhood: Power, Gender, and Schooling in Post-Unification Southern Italy.
- Maria Rosaria D’Acierno Canonici Cammino, Associate Professor, University of Naples Federico II, Italy.
Title: Dream and Art.
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15:00-15:30 Lunch
20:30-22:30
Athenian Early Evening Symposium (Sequence of Events: Ongoing Academic Discussions, Dinner, Wine and Water, Music, Dance)
Monday 5 January 2026
Visiting the Oracle of Delphi
Tuesday 6 January 2026
Nafplio & Mycenae Visit
Wednesday 7 January 2026
An Educational Visit to Selected Islands
