LNGA 101 is an introduction to the grammatical
structures and vocabulary of Ancient Greek, through grammar exercises,
translating, composing, and oral reading.
We will also discuss how the language reflects and is reflected by the
intellectual and cultural life of ancient Greece.
Satisfactory completion of this semester will allow
students:
· to
understand how to conjugate verb forms and to decline noun and adjective forms
· to
understand basic grammatical concepts, like article/noun and adjective/noun
agreement
· to pronounce
fluently any Ancient Greek writing
· to
comprehend and to compose rudimentary sentences.
· to
understand how certain words key to many Ancient Greek writings translate
imperfectly—or at the very least, awkwardly—into English, and what
this might tell us about the different world views.
The
books we will use are produced by the Joint Association of Classical
Teachers’ Greek Course, published by Cambridge University Press; both are
second editions published in 2007.
1. Reading
Greek: Grammar and Exercises, 2nd edition, 2007 (ISBN:
978-0-521-69852-8)
2. Reading
Greek: Text and Vocabulary, 2nd edition, 2007 (ISBN:
978-0-521-69851-1)
(They
are complete revisions of the first edition, published back in 1978; only the
second editions will suffice for these courses.)
At
each class session students will be assigned exercises to be completed for the
next session, when we will go over those exercises. There will be a quiz alternating with an
examination every two chapters (it taking a little more than a week per
chapter). Thus, we will have a quiz
after the first fortnight, an examination after the second fortnight, a quiz
after the third fortnight, and so forth.
All quizzes and examinations will be cumulative, the difference between
the two consisting in their depth and length.
For
LNGA 101, the class will work out of the grammar and exercise book on Mondays
and Wednesdays and out of the text and vocabulary book on Fridays. The detailed
schedule for the
semester is here.
LNGA
101 will have three examinations evenly spaced during the semester, and
interspersed with four quizzes, and then a final examination. Here are the point values, out of a
semester total of 500 points:
· nine quizzes
@ 15 points each, with your lowest score dropped (so 8 x 15 = 120 pts.)
· one
two-to-four-minute class presentation on an Ancient Greek word, its etymology,
subsequent history, use, meaning(s), and descendant words in English @10 points
· four
examinations during semester @ 70 points each
· final
examination @ 90 points, during exam week.
Personal electronics
This seminar requires a free-flowing exchange of ideas, between you and
the long-dead, as well as among us. Because they create a literal vertical
barrier among us, the use of laptops is not allowed in class, except by those
with documented special needs. Those with electronic copies of the readings
should use a tablet, e-reader, or some other flat-laying device.
Otherwise, cell phones should be stowed away, and not simply on the
table, even if turned completely off. “Why,” you ask? Recent
studies indicate the distracting effect of even a cell phone not
one’s own, laying on a nearby table. In fact, of even a
drawing or a thought of a cell phone. So I hereby prohibit you during class
even to think of a cell phone.
Students with
documented disabilities
“Students are admitted to
St. Mary’s College based on their potential for academic success,
irrespective of physical or learning disabilities. Administrative staff and
faculty work cooperatively to assist students with disabilities in their
educational endeavors and adjustments to the College community. The Office of
Academic Services works to ensure that educational programs are accessible to
all qualified students. Students with physical or learning disabilities should
contact the Office of Academic Services for specific information and assistance
regarding potential special needs.” --SMCM
2014-15 Catalog, pg. 8
If you have a disability documented with
the Office of Academic Services, you must schedule a meeting with me to discuss
how to address any accommodations from Academic Services. Please note that this
meeting must take place during the first three (3) weeks of classes.
If you have a documented disability, but do not plan on using your
accommodations, you still need to meet with me. The purpose of this meeting is not to
justify or explain the reasons for any accommodations (that’s the
business of the Office of Academic Services), but to discuss what reasonable
accommodations for this course will be and to work out the logistics of these
accommodations. For example, if Academic Services recommends that you
have a certain amount of additional time on tests, we will discuss where and
when you will get this extra time.
Academic integrity
Academic integrity: The College’s definitions and
policies on this matter are laid out in the student handbook, To the Point, article III, section I: www.smcm.edu/tothepoint/judicial-procedures-for-academic-misconduct/. Ignorance of such matters is no excuse.
· UPrinting has a helpful guide about
plagiarism, complete with a six-step guide to avoiding plagiarism.
· Good samples of
acceptable and unacceptable paraphrases can be found at a page put up by
Indiana University: https://wts.indiana.edu/writing-guides/plagiarism.html
· Cornell has a
quiz you can take to see how well you understand what sorts of material needs
to be sourced: plagiarism.arts.cornell.edu/tutorial/exercises.cfm (Click on “Introduction”
on the left-hand side if you want to see their discussion leading up to the
quiz.)
My address: mstaber at smcm
dot edu
Go to Michael Taber's home page.
Go to the SMCM home
page.