Course Syllabus

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CLAS 101 A/B — Latin and Greek in Current Use

Summer 2021 (online asynchronous)

 

Instructor: Laura Harris          

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Email: lhharris@uw.edu                    

Office Hours: Fridays 11am -12 pm PST via zoom or by appointment.

Link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/96041737620

Course Coordinator: Professor Clauss

Email: jcc@uw.edu

Required Text:​

  • William J. Dominik, W​ords and Ideas ​(Bolchazy ­ Carducci). Both the physical and electronic copies are available through the University Bookstore. Either the physical or digital copy is acceptable, but please note that the digital copy does not have page numbers. If you do use the electronic copy, make sure to follow the headings.
  • If you have trouble getting or accessing this book, please let me know as soon as possible. Any other readings will be online or on Canvas.

 

Recommended Reference Texts:​

  • The O​xford English Dictionary (OED) is available free online: go to https://lib.washington.edu/ a​nd log in → “Start Your Research” → “Articles & Research Databases” → click “Oxford Dictionaries.”

 

Course Aims:​

The aims of the class are twofold. First, we will seek to improve and increase English vocabulary through a study of the Latin and Greek elements in English, with emphasis on words in current literary and scientific use. The Latin and Greek word roots learned in this course will help you better understand how many English words have evolved, and prepare you to continue expanding your English vocabulary well after the class is over. Second, we will examine the ever-changing relationship between language and ideas in order to better understand the continuing impact of classical Greece and Rome on modern culture. This course aims to give you a sense of the stories, words, and ideas that we have adopted from the ancient Greeks and Romans and to help you identify their influence when you encounter it.

 

Class Policies (More about UW’s policies on conduct and accommodation at end of syllabus)

  • Class will be conducted entirely online this quarter, and I expect you to keep up with the weekly assignments and lectures. Pre-recorded lectures will be posted on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. You may view lectures and handouts and at any time that is convenient for you. However, please note that all deadlines for homework, discussion boards, and quizzes will be posted on Canvas in Pacific Time.
  • You are responsible for keeping up with all email and Canvas communications. I will answer class-related emails Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. All email correspondence should be polite and professional. I cannot discuss grades during class or via e-mail due to university policy, but rather during office hours and by appointment only. If a student has questions regarding assignments, tests, homework or any other matter, I would be happy to discuss during my student office hour via Zoom. Please keep in mind that our e-mail correspondence is a public record according to RCW 42.56, the Washington State Public Records Act, and I have the right to share it with my supervisor or other authorities if I think it is necessary (more information at

https://itconnect.uw.edu/work/appropriate-use/public-records-act/).

  • Class Communication: Empathy & Respect: Everyone in this class deserves empathy and respect, and everyone deserves a supportive learning environment, even a digital one. Embracing the diversity of our group is an essential learning experience for any class. When communicating with classmates for this course (such as on a discussion board), please treat everyone with civility and respect!
  • Academic Honesty: UW’s full policy on academic integrity is linked below (please read it!), but it is written in pseudo-legalese. Academic misconduct includes but is not limited to: cheating/unauthorized collaboration (working collaboratively on assignments, sharing answers); and plagiarism (representing others’ work as your own without proper citation). Please cite any references used (other than the textbook) for homework and put answers in your own words. Quizzes and the final are open book/open note. You may use the textbook, lectures/lecture slides, and your own notes. Google/Wikipedia is not an approved “open-book” source. Huge, communal Google docs are not an approved “open-note” source.  

Instances of academic dishonesty may result in receiving no credit for a particular question; receiving no credit for an assignment or assessment; failing the course; or being reported to the University’s Committee of Academic Conduct. 

If you’re unsure if something is academic misconduct, ask me!

  • Extensions & Late Work Policies: All assignments will be due at 11:59 PM PST on their respective dates.

If missing a due date for an assignment or quiz is unavoidable due to illness or other legitimate circumstance (e.g. family emergency, religious or cultural obligation, court date, university-sponsored competition or field trip, etc.), please contact me via e-mail to let me know before the due date. If you miss a due date because of an unavoidable circumstance, it is your responsibility to email me in a timely fashion about potential make-up options. If you anticipate that you will be unable to complete an assignment by the due date, please email me early for an extension. If you turn work in late without an extension, it will be awarded up to 90% credit if it’s turned in within 24 hours of the due date, up to 80% within 48 hours, up to 70% within 72 hours, etc.

  • Getting Help for Class & Crises: If you find yourself falling behind or struggling, let me know ASAP! If a crisis in your life or issues related to COVID (e.g. loss of income, illness, grief, bad WiFi, etc.) are affecting your studies, let me know and I will be happy to talk with you about making sure that the situation doesn’t affect your grades.

Above all, I want you to succeed in this course, and I will be patient and flexible toward any issues that arise.

 

Grading:

Homework/Participation: Participation will be earned through engaging in six discussion boards, each worth 5 points, and there will be three homework assignments, each worth 10 points. Completion of homework assignments will count for 30 points, as will participation, for a total of 60 points. Discussion board posts and homework are due by the deadline indicated on Canvas. Homework and participation account for a large portion of your grade — if you were to get a zero in this category, the highest course grade you could receive is a 3.1.

 

Quizzes: There will be three quizzes worth 80 points each given over the course of the term (see schedule below for dates). The quizzes will be completed on Canvas, and make-up opportunities will only be given if a student promptly emails me to reschedule. The quizzes will be open book, and you will have one hour to complete them. Additionally, there will be a 48-hour time period in which you can take the quiz at any convenient time. I strongly recommend keeping up on relevant vocabulary from each chapter as we cover it by completing your homework and attending class; this will make preparation easier and allow you to get higher scores. Bonus points will be offered in the quizzes and in the final. Even if a student has achieved the maximum score for a given quiz or final without the bonus points, any earned bonuses will be ‘banked’ for use towards the student’s overall points total for the course. You may not use outside resources while taking quizzes.

Final Exam: The final exam, worth 130 points, will be from Wednesday, August 18 at 12:00am to Thursday, August 19 at 11:59pm via Canvas. The exam is open book, and you will also have a 48-hour window to complete the final exam. You may use your textbook, the lectures, the PowerPoints, any handouts, homework/discussion boards, and your own notes. You may not use outside resources (e.g. Google, Wikipedia) while taking the final exam.

 

Grading Breakdown:

Participation + Homework: 60 Points

Quizzes: 3 x 80 = 240 Points
Final exam: 130 Points
-----------------------------                                                                          

Total: 430 points

 

Grading Scale:

 

4.0: 430-411

3.0: 365-361

2.0: 315-311

1.0: 265-261

3.9: 410-406

2.9: 360-356

1.9: 310-306

0.9: 260-256

3.8: 405-401

2.8: 355-351

1.8: 305-301

0.8: 255-251

3.7: 400-396

2.7: 350-346

1.7: 300-296

0.7: 250-246

3.6: 395-391

2.6: 345-341

1.6: 295-291

0.0: 245 or fewer*

3.5: 390-386

2.5: 340-336

1.5: 290-286

 

3.4: 385-381

2.4: 335-331

1.4: 285-281

 

3.3: 380-376

2.3: 330-326

1.3: 280-276

 

3.2: 375-371

2.2: 325-321

1.2: 275-271

 

3.1: 370-366

2.1: 320-316

1.1: 270-266

 

 

* Note: in order to pass this class, you must receive 246 points or greater.

 

A Note on Content

Our course readings and discussions may focus on potentially difficult topics. This is true of any course that addresses interactions between past and present events and ideas.

I will try my best to provide content warnings (labeled [CW] in schedule) before difficult subjects. Content warnings related to the study of Classics: sexism, violence and war, rape/sexual violence, slavery, racism, abortion, ableism.

If you have any questions or concerns about content, please feel free to email me.

 

Schedule: ​All readings and assignments a​re due​ on the day they are listed on the syllabus.

 

Week 1

Tuesday June 22:

  • Introduction and Syllabus
  • What Is Classics? (No reading assigned).

Thursday June 24: Language Basics/Word Building

  • Read: Chapter 1 – Word Building Basics (pp.1-15); Appendices I-III (pp. 251-256)

Week 2

Tuesday June 29: Myth

  • Read Chapter 4: Mythology (pp. 75-99) [cw: rape]
  • Commit to Memory: Greek Nouns and Adjectives (Chapter 2 pp. 19-25; combining form -archy to adjective therm). Memorize all bulleted bases/combining forms in these sections. For example, know that -archy means ‘rule by.’
  • Discussion Board #1 Due

Thursday July 1: Myth

  • Commit to Memory: Greek Adverbs and Verbs (Chapter 2 pp. 25-29; adverb eu to verb treph)
  • Homework #1: Chapter 4 Exercises 2-3 (p.101)

 

Week 3

Tuesday July 6: Myth:

  • Commit to Memory: Greek Prefixes and Suffixes (Chapter 2 pp. 29-36; prefix a/an- to verb suffix -ize)
  • Discussion Board #2 Due

Thursday July 8: Quiz

  • Quiz # 1

Week 4

Tuesday July 13: Greek Medicine

  • Read Chapter 5 – Medicine (pp. 105-139) [CW: abortion, ableism]
  • Homework #2: Chapter 5 Exercises 4a-k, 5a-h, 6a-f (pp.142-143)

Thursday July 15: Roman Medicine

  • Commit to Memory: Latin Nouns and Verbs (Chapter 3 pp. 45-48; aqu- to ven/vent)
  • Discussion Board #3 Due

Week 5

Tuesday July 20: Greek Politics and Law

  • Read Chapter 6 – Politics and Law (pp. 145-164)
  • Homework #3: Chapter 6 Exercise 3 (p. 166)

Thursday July 22: Roman Politics and Law

  • Commit to Memory: Latin Prefixes (Chapter 3 pp. 48-55; prefix ab- to ultra-).

Week 6

Tuesday July 27: Quiz

  • Quiz #2

Thursday July 29: Commerce and Economics

  • Read Chapter 7 – Commerce and Economics (pp. 169-186) [CW: slavery]
  • Discussion Board #4

Week 7

Tuesday August 3: Philosophy

  • Read Chapter 8 – Philosophy and Psychology (pp. 191-206)
  • Commit to Memory: Latin Suffixes (Chapter 3 pp. 55-63; -ane to -esce)

Thursday August 5: Greek History   

  • Read Chapter 9 – History (pp. 227-249)
  • Discussion Board #5 Due

Week 8

Tuesday August 10: Quiz

  • Quiz #3

Thursday August 12:  Roman History  

  • Supplementary readings will be posted to canvas

Week 9

Tuesday August 17: Review Day

  • Review all materials and email me questions
  • Discussion board #6 due

Thursday August 19: Final exam

 

Resources:

Education

UW has a free program for enrolled students to increase student access to technology needed for class. They can ship equipment to you if you are not in the Seattle area.  

Tips for online learning, tutoring, and individual coaching for academic success.

 

Safety

Providing resources, loans, grants for housing, food, medical expenses, etc.

Micro-grants (up to $300) aimed at helping classics students make ends meet, no questions asked.

Both free & low-cost, confidential legal consultation for students including (but not limited to) tenant rights, immigration, and discrimination.

Health

Both the Counselling Center and Hall Health are offering online mental health services (free!) for enrolled students!

Important UW policies:

UW’s Religious Accommodations Policy: “Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/) (Links tnal site.). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/ (Links to an external site.), the Religious Accommodations Request form.”

UW’s Student Conduct Code: “The University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121) defines prohibited academic and behavioral conduct and describes how the University holds students accountable as they pursue their academic goals. Allegations of misconduct by students may be referred to the appropriate campus office for investigation and resolution. More information can be found online at https://www.washington.edu/studentconduct/ (Links to an external site.)”

UW Disability Resources & Access and Accommodations: Your experience in this class is important to me. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please communicate your approved accommodations to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are welcome to contact DRS at +1 206-543-8924 or uwdrs@uw.edu or disability.uw.edu. (Links to an external site.) DRS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructor(s) and DRS. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. Please also feel free to email me if issues arise and I am happy to discuss how we can make the class accessible to you.

 

Academic Integrity: University of Washington students are expected to practice high standards of academic and professional honesty and integrity as outlined here: http://depts.washington.edu/grading/pdf/AcademicResponsibility.pdf (Links to an external site.)