Kostis Kourelis

Kostis Kourelis is an Associate Professor of Art and Architectural History at Franklin & Marshall College. He specializes in architectural history, the archaeology of migration, Mediterranean studies, and cultural heritage preservation. His teaching spans prehistoric to contemporary architecture, with courses on medieval Islamic art, the architecture of health, migration, and counterculture. He directs archaeological field schools in Greece, focusing on sites like the Peloponnese and Corinth. Dr. Kourelis advises students pursuing careers in architecture and contributes to the Health Humanities and Forced Migration certificate programs.

Education:

• Ph.D. Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World, University of Pennsylvania (2003)
• Master of Architecture, University of Pennsylvania (1993)
• B.A. in Philosophy and Design of the Environment, University of Pennsylvania (1990)

Research Interests: His work bridges Byzantine archaeology, migration studies, and contemporary cultural heritage. He explores how architectural spaces reflect identity, displacement, and historical memory. Recent projects include studies of forced migration in modern Greece, diasporic Greek American communities, and the archaeology of temporary labor camps in North Dakota.

Publications Trends: Kourelis’s scholarship spans Byzantine domestic architecture, Mediterranean material culture, and the archaeology of migration. His forthcoming 2025 works emphasize ethnographic approaches to displacement and transnational identity. Earlier articles address methodological innovations in field archaeology and interdisciplinary connections between art, history, and digital humanities.

Awards & Grants:

• Samuel H. Kress Foundation Teaching Grant (2023)
• Wolf Humanities Center Fellowship (2022–2023)
• National Endowment for the Humanities Research Grant (2004)

Advising & Fieldwork: Advises over 50 students since 2009; co-directs archaeological projects in Greece and the U.S. Coordinates field schools at Mount Lykaion and Lidoriki, emphasizing hands-on pedagogy. Collaborates with institutions like the Penn Museum and Princeton University’s Hellenic Studies program.

Labs & Teams: Leads the Archaeologies of Home initiative, combining fieldwork with digital storytelling. Partners with organizations to document endangered cultural landscapes in Greece and the U.S. Contributions to the Digital Press at UND highlight open-access publishing in archaeology.