GREK 200/300/400: DIRECTED READINGS IN
GREEK:
EURIPIDES, ALCESTIS, SPRING 2017 (.25
Credit)
MEETING DAYS, TIMES, AND PLACE:
Tuesdays, 2-2:50 PM, Wallace 115
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:
Dr. Robert Holschuh Simmons
21 Wallace Hall
Office Phone: 309-457-2378
E-mail:
rsimmons@monmouthcollege.edu
Office Hours:
Monday-Friday
11-11:50 AM, and by appointment.
PREREQUISITES:
Successful completion of GREK 102 or satisfactory performance on the Greek
diagnostic exam.
FOR WHOM PLANNED:
This course is designed for anyone interested in reading the classical Greek
texts that GREK 101 and 102 have prepared you to read.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The general aim of this course is to improve your Greek reading and
comprehension skills and to contribute to your exposure to a variety of texts in
Greek. The specific goal of the course
this semester is to read selections from the Euripides’
Alcestis and learn about the genre of
Greek tragedy at the height of the classical period.
Furthermore, this course is designed to help you continue developing the
cognitive abilities that come from learning this challenging language.
Greek 200 can fulfill partial
requirements for a major in Greek,
Latin, or Classics.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon successful completion
of this
course,
students
should
be
able to do the following, and
more:
1)
Read original texts of Greek with accuracy, with the help of vocabulary and
grammar notes.
2)
Learn certain passages well enough to be able to read them without reference to
notes.
3)
Accurately read certain passages you have never seen before without reference to
any vocabulary or grammar notes.
4)
Continue your development of a vocabulary of English grammatical terms that will
be necessary for reading Greek and analyzing its structure.
5)
Explain the context in which Euripides wrote his tragedies and specific ways in
which this work both is and is not exemplary of the tragic genre.
6)
Demonstrate an understanding of and sensitivity to Greek culture and the
differences between ancient Greek culture (and language) and other cultures (and
other languages).
7)
Analyze a range of circumstances more intelligently due to skills developed
through close study of a language that is very different from English.
CLASSICS
STUDENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1)
Think critically about the Classical World, including knowing what questions to
ask and how to answer them.
2)
Know the basic structure of one (or more) of the Classical Languages.
3)
Know the broad overview of Greek and Roman history (the
difference between the Republic and Imperial periods, for example), the values
prevailing within each culture and period, and the factors that led to changes
in the political, social, and economic structures.
4) Be familiar with Classical
literature, including the major authors, genres, groupings, and relationship of
literature to history and culture.
5) Understand the role of Classics
in the modern world.
EVALUATION AND GRADING:
PREPARATION:
Prior to each meeting of class, you are to spend two hours outside of class in
preparation for it. What you do in
those two hours each week is something you should document on the sheet titled
“Records of Preparation, Participation, and Progress in Directed Readings
(Simmons)” that I will print for you.
Most weeks, this time should primarily be spent reading in the original
language, but there are other things we will do as well to reinforce and expand
your knowledge on a variety of levels, and those things should be documented on
the sheet noted. Please follow each
week’s assignment to know what is particularly relevant on which for you to
work, but it is acceptable to work on other tasks of review or enrichment as
well (though if you are spending more time away from the main part of the
assignment than I think is warranted, I will let you know that).
No matter what else comes up, at least one of your hours of preparation
should be spent simply on reading the Greek text (if there is a Greek
assignment), starting wherever it is that the class is designated to do so for
the day.
When you do the Greek portion of your assignment, here is how I would like you
to do it. You may write out a
translation, but in class, I would like you to refer only to vocabulary and
grammar notes to help you as you are translating.
Please do NOT write those notes on your text; you may mark up the text
with notes about roles words are playing in the sentence, subordinate clauses,
and the like, but vocabulary and other more specific grammar notes should be off
of the text. I will check your
notes each day we meet; if you have very few notes, I will expect that your
performance in class will show that those are all the notes you need.
If you struggle at all in class with the amount of notes you have,
though, I will count that against you in your “Preparation” score.
Your knowledge of any other reading assignments will be shown through
discussion.
PARTICIPATION:
Active participation in class is essential to your learning, and to your grade.
Participation includes not only being attentive and involved in class,
but also coming to class on time and bringing all required materials with you.
You must be ready to translate the passage (or otherwise deal with the
assignment) assigned for the given week, to answer questions in class about that
assignment, to volunteer to answer questions when they are offered to the class
as a whole, and to take notes to support your understanding of the material as
necessary. In class, we will go
over as many lines of each assignment as the most-prepared person has read, and
we may discuss other matters (grammatical and literary, for instance); you
should write down notes during that time that will cement your understanding of
the text covered. Whatever you do
in class itself, whether translation, answering of questions, contribution to
discussion, etc., should be noted on the “Records” sheet.
I too will keep notes on your class performance each week, and we will
compare our senses of the extent of your appropriate participation at the
midterm and final individual meetings.
PROGRESS:
You should be noting where you recognize progress that you are making in your
knowledge and/or performance in the course of the semester on your “Records”
sheet, and I will do the same (though in a different medium).
If there are things that used to be unclear that are becoming clearer, if
you have certain vocabulary cemented that you did not previously, if you are
improving your speed of translation, or things along those lines, note them week
by week on your “Records” sheet. It
is also important on your “Records” sheet to keep track of what is causing you
trouble, because when you look back at your earlier sheets later in the
semester, they can give you a sense of obstacles you have overcome.
Tests:
There will be two exams: one at the midterm and one at the end of the term.
Both will be oral (just as each class requires you to show your knowledge
aloud). The specific date and
material for which you will be responsible on each one will be announced far
enough in advance to give you sufficient time to study well for each.
Missed exams may be made up only
if missed for one of the following reasons, and only with sufficient
documentation: debilitating or contagious illness, family emergency,
mandatory religious obligation, or participation in authorized College
activities. You must make every
effort to contact me
before your scheduled exam
time if a make-up is necessary, and you must take the make-up exam within five
class days of the scheduled date.
In certain circumstances, however, I will allow exams to be made up for partial
credit even if I do not find the justification for missing it to be particularly
valid.
Attendance:
Attendance is crucial in a class like this.
You may occasionally, however, need to miss a class for illness or other
reasons.
Thus you will not be penalized for your
first absence, whatever the reason for it.
If you miss more than one class, however, your grade or status in the
class will be affected according to the following parameters:
Normally, the one-absence cushion should account for matters outside of your
control that would keep you from attending class, so the second one, even if it
could be excusable on its own, serves as the consequence for a class missed
previously that was within your control, and it underscores the importance of
your being present: any absence, for whatever the reason, detracts from your
learning in the class. However, I
recognize that a person can, at times, run into circumstances that can keep her
or him out of class on more than one occasion without any fault on the student’s
part. If your first absence was
both due to debilitating or contagious illness, family emergency, mandatory
religious obligation, or participation in an authorized College activity (for
any of which I may require documentation), I would be willing to consider not
penalizing you for a second absence either, if that also was precipitated by one
of those circumstances. For
absences beyond the first one that you believe should be excused, you should
contact me beforehand if you are in position to know about the absences in
advance (such as if you have a mandatory religious or College obligation); if
the absence is the result of an emergency, you should notify me within three
days of the missed class. Please
speak with me if you have a different reason for your absence that you think may
be excusable. I will be the sole
arbiter as to whether an absence will be considered excused.
Further details:
Grade Breakdown:
Attendance
10%
Preparation
30%
Participation
10%
Progress
10%
Midterm exam
15%
Final exam
25%
Percentage/Grade Equivalents:
93+ = A
87-89 = B+
77-79 = C+ 67-69 =
D+ 59 and below = F
90-92 = A- 83-86
= B
73-76 = C
63-66 = D
80-82 = B-
70-72 = C-
60-62 = D-
Required materials:
Luschnig, C. A. E., and H. M. Roisman.
2010.
Euripides’ Alcestis.
University of Oklahoma Press.
course engagement expectations:
This course is scheduled to meet 1 day per week for 50 minutes throughout the
semester, plus a final exam. You should expect to spend approximately two
hours outside of class for every hour in class on course reading, scansion,
review of familiar concepts, and learning of new concepts. Intensive
studying for exams will be in addition to the standard weekly preparation, but
will likely average out to an extra one hour per week.
The time estimates for the course thus break down as follows:
In class activities
1.0 hours
Homework, review, and learning of new concepts
2.0 hours
Intensive studying and preparing for projects (averaged out)
1.0 hours
Average per week:
4 hours
class behavior Expectations:
To maintain a classroom environment in which everyone can learn, please show the
respect and courtesy to others that you would expect in turn.
Here are a few of the ways in which you can show respect and courtesy:
E-mail Courtesies:
When sending me e-mail, please observe the following courtesies:
·
Begin the message with a salutation of some sort (Dr. Simmons, Prof. Simmons,
Magister Simmons, etc.).
·
Include a reasonably accurate subject line.
·
Capitalize and punctuate where appropriate, and proofread to make sure that you
are communicating clearly.
·
At the end of the message, please identify yourself by the name by which I know
you (first name or nickname).
I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Sometimes a response will be immediate; on other occasions it may take me
several hours, and quite possibly a full day if you write late in the day, at
night, or on a weekend, if I need to give some thought to a response before
providing one, or if I simply have other things I need to get done before I can
get to e-mails.
Special Needs:
Anyone who has a special need that may require some modification of seating,
testing, or other class requirements should see me as soon as possible.
I will be pleased to make the appropriate arrangements in consultation
with you. Depending on the
modification, you may need to be registered with Disability Services
Academic honesty:
From the Monmouth College Academic Honesty Policy: “We view academic
dishonesty as a threat to the integrity and intellectual mission of our
institution. Any breach of the academic honesty policy – either intentionally or
unintentionally – will be taken seriously and may result not only in failure in
the course, but in suspension or expulsion from the college. It is each
student’s responsibility to read, understand and comply with the general
academic honesty policy at Monmouth College, as defined here in the Scots Guide,
and to the specific guidelines for each course, as elaborated on the professor’s
syllabus.”
“The following areas are examples of violations of the academic honesty policy:
“Please note that this list is not intended to be exhaustive.”
The complete Monmouth College Academic Honesty Policy can be found on the
College web page by clicking on “Student Life” then on “Student Handbook” in the
navigation bar on the top of the page, then “Academic Regulations” in the
navigation bar at the left. Or you can visit the web page directly by
typing in this URL: http://www.monmouthcollege.edu/life/residence-life/scots-guide/academic.aspx.
In this course, any violation of the academic honesty policy will have varying
consequences depending on the severity of the infraction as judged by the
instructor. Minimally, a violation will result in an “F” or 0 points on
the assignment in question. Additionally, the student’s course grade may be
lowered by one letter grade. In severe cases, the student will be assigned
a course grade of “F” and dismissed from the class. All cases of academic
dishonesty will be reported to the Associate Dean, who may decide to recommend
further action to the Admissions and Academic Status Committee, including
suspension or dismissal. It is assumed that students will educate
themselves regarding what is considered to be academic dishonesty, so excuses or
claims of ignorance will not mitigate the consequences of any violations.
Help outside of class:
You should not
hesitate to talk with me about any difficulties you are having—Greek is a
difficult language, and I want to help you do the best you can at it.
Speak with me as soon as you are having trouble; letting a problem fester
is likely to make it worse. Also, tutoring
is available on Sunday through Thursday nights from 7-9 PM at Einstein Brothers’
Bagels in the library.
CAVEAT:
Things can change in the course of the semester.
Any substantive changes to the syllabus will be provided in writing.
Schedule of Assignments (tentative and incomplete):
The schedule from week to week will largely be determined by how things are
going in the class. However much
you get done in one week in two hours of work will give us our starting point
for the next week, and it will also determine whatever supplementary assignments
you will do (to learn concepts to which you were not exposed in Greek I and II).
Week 1
(Tuesday, Jan. 17):
·
Introduction
to the class, Euripides, and Alcestis
·
Diagnostic
assessnebt
Week 2
(Tuesday, Jan. 24):
Assignment:
·
Read, and be
ready to discuss, the introductory section to the text, pp. 3-14, and pp. 49-50,
before the commentary.
·
In Greek,
prepare (carefully read, take notes on, and be ready to translate in class) from
the beginning of Alcests.
Skip over in Greek, but read in English, any passages that I have left
off the text of Alcestis that I have
posted on Moodle.
o
Spend at least
an hour on reading the Greek text; do not count review of forms and
constructions from semesters 1 and 2 among that hour.
Week 3
(Tuesday, Jan. 31):
Assignment:
·
Whatever we
determine would be most useful based on discussion in Week 2 of class.
Each week’s
assignment will be largely the same, with a possible shift to a later part of
the book at some point if we feel a need to make such a shift.
Week 7 (Mon.-Thurs.,
Feb. 27-March 2):
Assignment:
·
During our
normal class meeting time, take the Eta Sigma Phi Translation Contest exam
·
Individual
midterm exams with me—sign up for a half-hour time during this week
Final exam
week (Friday, May 5-Wednesday, May 10):
·
Individual
final exams with me—sign up for a half-hour time during this stretch