In modern history, Athens is one of the only cities that has played host to the Olympics twice – first in 1896 and again in 2004. Professor Siva Vaidhyanathan brought his Global Media class to the sites of these two very different Games, using the Olympics as a way of looking at how global media events occur, and how they have changed in the last century. Students were able to talk with professors, guides, and public relations personnel to gain insight into themes including globalization, nationalism, and patriotism. They were able to gain first hand insights into what huge global media events actually look like, the differences between live events and televised coverage, and the development of the Olympics from a small game into a huge, multimedia event.
