CLAS 101 C: Latin and Greek in Current Use

Welcome to CLAS 101:  Latin and Greek in Current Use

Instructor: Zainab Syed (pronouns: they/them) 

Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 12:30 - 1:30 PM (PST) via Zoom and also by appointment via Zoom. 

Click here for the link to my Monday and Wednesday office hours. If you have any trouble entering the meeting, please email me. 

Class Time and Date: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:30 - 11:20 AM (SMI 107) 

The aims of CLAS 101 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 elements 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 words, ideas, and stories that we have adopted from the ancient Greeks and Romans, and to help you identify, understand, and critically examine classical influence when you encounter it. It is inevitable that while we do this, we will also interrogate what “classics” really means and, hopefully, question preconceived notions of classical Greece and Rome that are rooted in racism, misogyny, and classism.

General Note: 

Since we are still in a pandemic, I'm going to be uploading all powerpoints, handouts, etc. online. This is so that you do not make yourself come to class if you're unwell and also, in case the situation should change and we are forced to revert back to online teaching, I want to make sure the transition is as easy as possible for us all. However, barring such situations, please make sure to attend class as it will have an impact on your participation grade if you do not. 

Feel free to download the syllabus here or check out Module 1 in the Modules section. I have also provided a series of resources on a page in Module 1 but you can also access that page here. 

Textbook: 

Dominik, William J. Words & Ideas. Bolchazy-Carducci.

The UW Bookstore (Links to an external site.) has it in various forms (physical & digital). It’s also cheap to rent as an ebook from Chegg (Links to an external site.) Chegg has rentals for the physical book, but the ebook gets you immediate access and is cheaper.

You will also need a good dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) (Links to an external site) is available through UW Libraries.

Below is the tentative schedule for this class: 

Week 1:

Thursday, September 30th:

• Introduction & syllabus

Week 2:

Tuesday, October 5th:         

• What is Classics?
• Chapter 1 – Word Building Basics: Read pp. 1-15
• Appendices I-III – Diphthongs, Numbers, and Colors: Read pp. 251-256

Thursday, October 7th:

• Chapter 4 – Mythology: Read pp. 75-99 (CW: violence/war, sexual violence/assault)
• Responsible for: Greek Nouns/Adjectives – pp. 19-25 (Memorize all bulleted bases/combining forms in this section. For example, know that -archy means ‘rule by.’)

Week 3:

Tuesday, October 12th:

• Mythology II

Thursday, October 14th:    

• Reading Consent into the Iliad by Rachel Herzog 
• Homework: Ch. 4 ex. 2-3

Week 4:

Tuesday, October 19th:       

• Chapter 5 – Medicine, pp. 105-139 (CW: ableism)

Thursday, October 21st:     

• Quiz #1

Week 5:

Tuesday, October 26th:       

• Chapter 6 – Politics and Law, pp. 145-164
• Responsible for: Greek Adverbs/Verbs – pp. 25-29

Thursday, October 28th:    

• Roman Politics and Magic Trials in Athens! 

Week 6:

Tuesday, November 2nd:

• He Wants to Save Classics from Whiteness. Can the Field Survive? By Rachel Poser (A NYT feature that will be uploaded as a PDF onto Canvas)
• Responsible for: Greek Prefixes/Suffixes – pp. 29-36

Thursday, November 4th:

• Chapter 7 – Commerce and Economics, pp. 169-187 (CW: slavery)
• Homework: Ch. 5 ex. 4 (until p), Ch. 6 ex. 3, reading response
• Review Greek word-building from Ch. 2

Week 7:

Tuesday, November 9th:

• Quiz #2

Thursday, November 11th:

• No Class – Veterans Day

Week 8:

Tuesday, November 16th:   

• Chapter 8 – Philosophy and Psychology, pp. 191-206 (stop before “psyche”)
• Responsible for: Latin Nouns/Verbs – pp. 45-48

Thursday, November 18th:

• Chapter 8 – Philosophy and Psychology, pp. 206-219 and Quiz Review
• Responsible for: Latin Prefixes – pp. 48-55

Week 9:                              

Tuesday, November 23rd:  

• Quiz #3

Thursday, November 25th: 

• No Class - Thanksgiving

Week 10:

Tuesday, November 30th:   

• Chapter 9 – History, pp. 227-238
• Responsible for: Latin Suffixes – pp. 55-63

Thursday, December 2nd:

• Chapter 9 – History, pp. 238-246
• Review Latin word-building from Ch. 3
• Homework: Ch. 7 ex. 4, Ch. 8 ex. 6(b)

Week 11:

Tuesday, December 7th:     

• Thinking critically about Classics discussion. Additional handout will be provided

Thursday, December 9th:   

• Review day – bring questions

Monday, December 13th:

• FINAL EXAM – SMI 107 10:30-12:20pm

NB: All homework assignments for this class will be submitted online unless stated otherwise! Quizzes will be held in class.