CLAS 205 D: Bioscientific Vocabulary Building From Latin and Greek

CLAS 205 D — Fall 2024 — Bioscientific Vocabulary Building from Latin and Greek

MWF 11:30-12:30, Denny 113

Instructor: Liam Dulany (he/him)                    Faculty Coordinator: James Clauss (jjc@uw.edu)

Email Address: wdulany@uw.edu                     Department Phone: 206-543-2266

Office Hours: Tuesday, 12:00-1:00pm               Department Website: https://classics.washington.edu                                              Friday, 11:45-12:45pm
                         (or by appointment)
                         Denny 400K

Required Text:

Donald M. Ayers, Bioscientific Terminology: Words from Latin and Greek Stems (The University of Arizona Press)

Reference Texts:

Any reputable English dictionary with etymological entries, such as Webster’s New World Dictionary or the Oxford English Dictionary (available online through UW Libraries)

Online Etymology Dictionary (https://www.etymonline.com/)

Check the modules page! This course is run primarily out of there!

Schedule:

Days with an asterisk next to them will have a graded homework assignment due

I reserve the right to change the schedule at any time. Please remain flexible throughout the quarter as to precisely which lessons we will be going over on specific days.

Course Goals:

This course has three primary goals:

1. To improve your understanding of bioscientific vocabulary through pattern recognition and practice with word formation

2. To give you familiarity with Greek and Latin stems and their meanings, so you can identify and interpret unfamiliar terms

3. To introduce you to concepts relating to the Latin and Greek languages, and the role that Ancient Greece and Rome played in shaping modern western science.

This course will require memorization. It will, in fact, require a lot of memorization. Keeping up with each week’s vocabulary is vital to success, as falling behind will result in a lot of catching up to do. However, no knowledge of Latin or Greek is required to succeed in this course, and the vast majority of students come in without any background in classical languages.

Class Conduct and Expectations:

Please come to class on time and having already done the reading for the day’s lecture. Cellphones, tablets, laptops, and other such electronics should be silenced. If you get a call or have an alarm go off during class (it happens to everyone once in a while), please simply move to silence it as soon as possible. Taking notes is strongly encouraged, preferably by hand, but electronic note-taking is allowed as well. University conduct and scholarly integrity codes must be followed at all times.

If you miss class, please email me letting me know. I prefer if you can do so before the class that you miss, but after is okay too. You are responsible for any work you miss while absent, and I am always available during office hours to help you go over any missed content.

You are encouraged to call me by my first name, Liam. If you’re more comfortable using a title, go for either Mr. or “Instructor,” I’m not a professor yet. I can only guarantee answering class emails on weekdays (M-F), during work hours (9:00-17:00), and will try to get back to you within one business day of you sending your email — after 24 hours (not including weekend hours), feel free to send a follow-up. To ensure that your email goes to the top of my priority list, please include [CLAS205 D] in your subject line!

When emailing me, remember that any correspondence via public university email is a matter of public record, according to RCW 42.56, the Washington State Public Records Act. This means that anything you send can be shown to any citizen who requests it. In addition, I have the right (and obligation) to share anything I think necessary with my supervisor or state authorities.

Due to university policy, I am not allowed to discuss grades directly via email. If you need to discuss your grades, please get in touch to schedule a zoom meeting or drop by office hours.

Grading:

This course is evaluated on a point scale, based on a total of 400 points. They are broken down as follows:

Homework (50pts): Five of your regular homework assignments will be graded; these assignments are the ones related to the lessons marked with an asterisk on the schedule (Lesson 1-2, Lesson 9-10, Lesson 19-20, Lesson 29-30, and Lesson 39-40). These are graded for completion, not accuracy, and are each worth 10 points.

Participation (10pts): Regularly coming to class and participating in in-class exercises will be worth a total of 10 points for your grade. I realize that everyone participates differently, and not everyone is comfortable speaking up in a room full of other students; because of this, coming to office hours to go over some of the recent lessons can also factor into your class participation points, as can consistent completion of the non-graded homework assignments and regular class attendance. Doing any one of those on a regular basis — whether it be speaking up in class, coming to office hours, or completing a majority of the written assignments — can earn you full participation points.

Exams (340pts): There will be four exams given throughout the quarter, each worth 85 points. They are semi-cumulative — Test 2 builds on the vocabulary given for Test 1, and Test 4 does the same with Test 3. The tests will be given in class on the day noted in the schedule, and will be taken instead of normal class meetings. You will have one full class period (50 minutes) per test. There is also no final exam for this course, despite what the schedule of finals may say.

Extra Credit: There will be various opportunities for extra credit given throughout the course, primarily on exams and on the graded homework assignments.

Grading Breakdown:

Homework: 5 x 10 = 50 pts

Participation: 10 x 1 = 10 pts

Exams: 4 x 85 = 340 pts

—————————————

Total = 400 pts

Scale:

4.0: 400-381                      3.0: 320-312                      2.0: 230-221                      1.0: 139-120

3.9: 380-371                      2.9: 311-302                      1.9: 220-211                      0.9: 119-109

3.8: 370-366                      2.8: 301-293                      1.8: 210-201                      0.8: 108-98

3.7: 365-361                      2.7: 292-284                      1.7: 200-191                      0.7: 97-87

3.6: 360-356                      2.6: 283-275                      1.6: 190-181                      0.0: 86 or fewer

3.5: 355-351                      2.5: 274-266                      1.5: 180-171

3.4: 350-345                      2.4: 265-257                      1.4: 170-161

3.3: 344-337                      2.3: 256-248                      1.3: 160-151

3.2: 336-329                      2.2: 247-239                      1.2: 150-141

3.1: 328-321                      2.1: 238-231                      1.1: 140-131

Academic Integrity:

The use of “AI,” chatbots, LLMs, or any other sort of text generative technology is not allowed in this course. To avoid suspicion of using any AI tools, please include specific references to course, textbook, and lecture materials in your answers to course activities.

University of Washington students are expected to practice high standards of academic and professional honesty and integrity as outlined here:

https://www.washington.edu/cssc/forstudents/academic-misconduct/

Learning Support/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 206-543-8924 or uwdrs@uw.edu or disability.uw.edu. 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 UW to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.

UW Bothell: Disability Resources for Students (UW Bothell) Email: uwbdrs@uw.edu
Phone: 425-352-5307

UW Seattle: Disability Resources for Students (UW Seattle) Email: uwdrs@uw.edu
Phone: 206-543-8924

UW Tacoma: Disability Resources for Students (UW Tacoma) Email: drsuwt@uw.edu
Phone: 253-692-4508

Religious Accommodations:

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. Accommodations must be requested within the
first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.

Further Resources:

UW Campus Food Pantry: Provides UW students, staff, and faculty with nonperishable groceries and select fresh produce for no cost.

Counseling Center: Resources for students seeking counseling.

Let’s Talk: Free, confidential, informal drop-in counseling service at UW.

Leadership Without Borders: Resources for undocumented students.

International Student Services Office: Visa and immigration advising for international students on F or J student visas.

Safe Campus: How to report violence or threats to the safety of yourself or others.