LATN  200/300/400: INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED LATIN: PETRONIUS, SATYRICA, SPRING 2016 (.25 Credit)

MEETING DAYS, TIMES, AND PLACE: Mondays, 4-4:50 PM, Wallace 115

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:           

Dr. Robert Holschuh Simmons

21 Wallace Hall

Office Phone:  309-457-2378

E-mail:  rsimmons@monmouthcollege.edu

Office Hours: MWF 9-10 AM, TTh 1-2 PM, and by appointment.

PREREQUISITES: Successful completion of LATN 102 or satisfactory performance on the Latin diagnostic exam.

FOR WHOM PLANNED: 

This course is designed for anyone interested in reading the classical Latin texts that LATN 101 and 102 have prepared you to read.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

The general aim of this course is to improve your Latin reading and comprehension skills and to contribute to your exposure to a variety of texts in Latin.  The specific goal of the course this semester is to read selections from the Petronius’ Satyrica and learn about life for common Romans in the Neronian period.  Furthermore, this course is designed to help you continue developing the cognitive abilities that come from learning this challenging language.  Latin 200 can fulfill partial requirements for a major in 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 Latin 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 Latin and analyzing its structure.

5)      Explain the context in which Lucan wrote this epic and specific ways in which this work both reflects the epic genre and stands out from prior epics.

6)      Demonstrate an understanding of and sensitivity to Roman culture and the differences between ancient Rome (and Latin) 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.

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 Latin text (if there is a Latin assignment), starting wherever it is that the class is designated to do so for the day.

When you do the Latin 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 you may (and 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 two absences, whatever the reason for them.  If you miss more than two classes, however, your grade or status in the class will be affected according to the following parameters:

• For your third absence, your attendance grade for the semester will drop to 90%.
• For absences four and above, your attendance grade will drop ten percent for each absence (to 80%, then 70%, etc.).

Normally, the two-absence cushion should account for matters outside of your control that would keep you from attending class, so the third one, even if it could be excusable on its own, serves as the consequence for classes missed previously that were 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 several occasions without any fault on the student’s part.  If your first two absences were 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 third absence either, if that also was precipitated by one of those circumstances.  For absences beyond the first two 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:

• Missing 25 or more minutes of class (whether at the beginning, middle, or end) counts as an absence.
• Three times arriving late counts as an absence.
• If you walk in after I have taken attendance, it is your responsibility to make sure I have marked you present for the time that you were in class.

Grade Breakdown:      Attendance                                                      10%

                                                Preparation                                                      30%    

                                                Participation                                                    10%

                                                Progress                                                           10%

                                                Midterm exam                                                 15%    

                                                Final exam                                                       25%

Percentage/Grade Equivalents:

98+   = A+     87-89 = B+     77-79 = C+     67-69 = D+    59 and below = F

93-97 = A       83-86 = B        73-76 = C        63-66 = D      

90-92 = A-      80-82 = B-      70-72 = C-      60-62 = D-

Required materials:

Severy-Hoven, Beth.  The Satyrica of Petronius.  Oklahoma, 2014.

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 two hours outside of class for every hour in class on course reading, enrichment reading, 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:

• Be in your seat on time for class, and remain for the duration of each class.
• Have a notebook, pen, and relevant materials out and ready to use throughout class.
• Be ready to answer questions about the day’s homework and other relevant subjects, to work on in-class assignments individually and with peers, and to share your work in small groups with the whole class.
• Remain quiet while I or others in class are speaking.
• Show support for those who speak in class by your demeanor and body language.
• Focus on the content of the class, not on personal electronic devices; all such items should be turned off and packed away during class, unless they are being used for class matters, in a way that is not distracting to your classmates or me.
• You may eat and drink in class, but only if it is not distracting to other students or me.

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: 

1. Cheating on tests, labs, etc;
2. Plagiarism, i.e., using the words, ideas, writing, or work of another without giving appropriate credit;
3. Improper collaboration between students, i.e., not doing one’s own work on outside assignments specified as group projects by the instructor;
4. Submitting work previously submitted in another course, without previous authorization by the instructor.

“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—Latin 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 (if any) we might do. 

Week 1 (Monday, Jan. 11):

·        Diagnostic exams

·        Overview of assessment in the class

·        Determine meeting time

Week 2 (Monday, Jan. 18):

Assignment:

·        Read pp. 3-33 of the introduction for background information on Petronius, his times, and this text, and be ready to talk about this section.

·        Read pp. 179-189 for basic review.  If there is anything in that section that was not abundantly clear to you, make sure that you have dedicated time to making it clear.

·        Look through the whole of the book to see how it’s laid out.

·        If time remains in your two hours, start reading the Latin in Ch. 1 (p.  55).

In class:

·        Finish introduction to the class

·        Discuss readings

·        Start reading Latin at sight?

Week 3 (Monday, Jan. 25):

Assignment:

·        Read as much as you can of the Latin in Ch. 1 (pp. 55-56).

·        Read the culture material on pp. 57-59.

·        If you would like, read the English translation (posted on Moodle) of the passages given in Latin.

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. 22-26):

Assignment:

·        During our normal class meeting time, take the National Latin Exam

·        At another time that you set up with me, take the Eta Sigma Phi Translation Contest exam

Week 8 (Mon.-Thurs., Feb. 29-March 3):

Assignment:

·        Individual midterm exams with me—sign up for a half-hour time during this week

Saturday, April.23:

FROM 1-4 ON THE QUAD: CLASSICS DAY

Final exam week (Friday, May 6-Wednesday, May 11):

·        Individual final exams with me—sign up for a half-hour time during this stretch