1 Intensive (Ancient) Greek 1441 and 1442 (Levels I and II) MWF 10am-12 noon in 206 Preston Hall Dr. Charles C. Chiasson, 310 Carlisle Hall (272-3216) E-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: MW 1-2pm and by appointment Welcome to the study of ancient Greek, which should make you an object of awe, respect, and affection to the outside world. Be forewarned, however, that more common reactions are known to include disbelief, amusement, and open derision (all products of ignorance and jealousy, as I choose to believe). Be that as it may, we will be studying primarily Classical Greek as spoken and written in fifth and fourth century (B.C.) Athens. Our textbooks for this semester, anxiously awaiting your appearance at the UTA Bookstore, are: REQUIRED Athenaze: An Introduction to Ancient Greek, Book I, 2nd edition (Oxford UP 2003), by M. Balme (no kidding) and G. Lawall. OPTIONAL i) Workbook I Athenaze: An Introduction to Ancient Greek, 2nd edition (Oxford UP 2004), by G. Lawall, J. F. Johnson, and L. Miraglia ii) The Oxford Grammar of Classical Greek, by J. Morwood Our goal for this semester is to finish the first fourteen chapters of Athenaze, as detailed below in the weekly schedule. This text (like its sequel, Book II) offers a much livelier and more interesting course of study than traditional Greek grammars, which tend to treat the language in isolation from other aspects of Hellenic culture. Athenaze (which, by the way, is an English transliteration of the Greek word meaning "to Athens") will enable you to learn the language in a meaningful cultural context: from the outset you will be reading passages of connected Greek that deal with important aspects of life and thought in Athens and the Hellenic world shortly before the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War (431 BCE). These passages form a continuous narrative that is at first fictional but eventually incorporates extracts from Herodotus, Plato, Thucydides, and Aristophanes. By the end of the second volume you will have the basic skills and experience to tackle a wide variety of ancient texts, including the New Testament. Requirements You will be tested weekly, usually on Fridays, beginning with the first quiz of the semester on Aug. 28th. According to the schedule outlined below you should anticipate 10 quizzes; 3 in-class exams, on Sept. 18th ,2Oct. 9th, and Nov. 6th; and a final exam on Wed. Dec. 9th. You will receive two separate grades for this course, one for 1441 and one for 1442. Your grade for 1441, covering course work through Oct. 9th, will be based on the average of your 4 highest quiz grades (= 33% of your course grade) and the exams on 9/18 and 10/9 (=33% apiece). Similarly, your grade for 1442, covering course work from 10/12 through the end of the semester, will be based on the average of your 4 highest quiz grades (=33%), the exam on 11/6, and the final exam on 12/9 (=33% apiece). For both semesters the fate of borderline grades will depend upon class attendance and participation as well as performance on written homework assignments. Attendance Policy Consistent and informed class attendance is essential to your well-being, especially since this is an intensive course, and we’ll be covering a lot of ground in each class session. Please note that UTA instructors are not permitted to drop students from their class rolls simply for failure to attend, even in the case of students who have never attended a single class. If you should decide that you wish to withdraw from the course, it is your respon-sibility to initiate the necessary paperwork in timely fashion. (NB: a student may drop a course with an automatic grade of W through Fri. Oct. 30th) If you simply stop attending class without undertaking the official procedure for withdrawal, I cannot give you a W on the final grade sheet, and you run the risk of receiving an F for the course (a well-deserved F, I might add). Since you may miss 2 quizzes without adversely affecting your grade, there will be NO MAKE-UP QUIZZES. If you anticipate being unable to attend a class for which an exam is scheduled, please let me know in advance; a make-up will be arranged if (and only if) circumstances so warrant. If you miss an exam for some unforeseen reason (illness, accident, etc.), please contact me within 24 hrs. to explain the circumstances. Classroom Demeanor I expect that while in class you will be courteous to one another and to me. I expect you to show up for class on time and (barring unforeseen developments) to stay for the entire period: people who arrive habitually late (and typically unrepentant) are a pet peeve of mine. During class you must either pay attention to me or foster the illusion that you are doing so--I won't tolerate people who are ostentatiously reading the Shorthorn, for example, or doing work for another course, or creating a disturbance that distracts me or other students. If you're doing any of these things I will ask you once (and once only) to cease and desist; if you persist, you will be invited to leave the class. Cell phones are—for some, and arguably—a necessary evil outside of class. During class, when you need to focus on the material presented without external interruptions, they are simply, inescapably, and profoundly evil. Please turn them off, lest you distract me, yourself, and/or others.3 How Difficult and Time-Consuming Is Greek? Since each of you comes to this course with a different level of linguistic skill and preparation, it’s impossible to quantify the degree of difficulty you should anticipate. There is undeniably a lot of work to be done, especially with regard to memorization (as with any foreign language), which takes time and concentrated effort. At the least you should anticipate two hours of preparation for every hour of class time, the standard mentioned in the UTA Student Handbook; in other words, if you hope to do well in this course, you should anticipate committing 12 hours a week to the study of Greek. Americans with Disabilities Act The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 92-112 - The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population