T/Th, 8:30-9:20, Denny 113
Instructor: Liam Dulany (he/him; wdulany@uw.edu)
Office Hours: Thursdays, 1:00-2:00 p.m. in Denny 400K or by appointment
Faculty Coordinator: Stephen Hinds (shinds@uw.edu)
Classics Department Phone: 206-543-2266
Department Website: https://classics.washginton.edu
Required Text:
William J. Dominik, Words and Ideas (Bolchazy – Carducci); ISBN 978-0-86516-485-7
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://etymonline.com)
Course Goals:
This course has two primary aims: First, to expand English vocabulary through knowledge of how English words are constructed via Greek and Latin roots; Second, to provide an introduction to classical Greece and Rome and their stories and ideas, as well as examine how these stories and ideas influence the current world.
(Course policies and expectations are listed underneath the schedule of assignments)
Schedule:
All readings and assignments are due on the day they are listed on the syllabus.
Week 1
March 26 (Tu) — Syllabus Overview; Intro to Classics and Word-Building
Look over the syllabus and familiarize yourself with the canvas site.
March 28 (Th) — Word-Building; Intro to Mythology
W&I (Words and Ideas) Chapter 1 (pp. 1-15); Pay particular attention to plural forms (pp. 13-15).
Week 2
April 2 (Tu) — Mythology — Gods
Familiarize yourself with Greek Adjective/Adverb word components (pp. 19-25)
Read “Beginnings” through “The Underworld” from Chapter 4 (pp.75-84)
April 4 (Th) — Mythology — Underworld and Afterlife
Possible Homework Reading: Homeric Hymn to Demeter; Poetic Hymn
Week 3
April 9 (Tu) — Mythology — Heroes
Familiarize yourself with Greek Verb word components (pp. 25-29)
Read “Heroes” (pp. 85-89)
Possible Homework Reading: Medea by Euripides; Athenian Tragedy
April 11 (Th) — Mythology — Trojan Cycle, Part 1
Read “The Trojan War” through “Oedipus and his Family” (pp. 90-99)
Week 4
April 16 (Tu) — Mythology —- The Trojan Cycle, Part 2
Familiarize yourself with Greek Prefixes and Suffixes (pp. 29-36)
Possible Homework Reading: The Trojan Women by Euripides; Athenian Tragedy
April 18 (Th) — Quiz #1
Homework 1 Due
Week 5
April 23 (Tu) — History — 800 BCE to 323 BCE
Read “What is History” through “Recording Time” from Chapter 9 (pp. 227-232)
April 25 (Th) — History — 323 BCE to 235 CE
Read “Greek and Roman Historians” through “Key Words for History” (pp. 233-245)
Possible Homework Reading: Life of Tiberius Gracchus by Plutarch; Roman History/Biography
Week 6
April 30 (Tu) — Politics and Law — Greece
Familiarize yourself with Latin Nouns and Verbs (pp. 45-48)
Read “The Greek Polis” through “Democracy” from Chapter 6 (pp. 145-151)
Possible Homework Reading: Against Simon by Lysias; Athenian Oratory
May 2 (Th) — Politics and Law — Rome
Read “The Roman Republic” through “Latin Legal Phrases” (pp. 151-164)
Possible Homework Reading: Pro Caelio by Cicero; Roman Oratory
Week 7
May 7 (Tu) — Quiz #2
Homework 2 Due
May 9 (Th) — Commerce and Economics — Mass Enslavement in the Ancient World
Familiarize yourself with Latin Prefixes (pp. 48-55)
Read Chapter 7 – Commerce and Economics (pp. 169-187)
Fill out Primary Literature Poll on Canvas
Week 8
May 14 (Tu) — Medicine — Ancient Medical Practices
Familiarize yourself with Latin Suffixes (pp. 55-63)
Read “Greek Medicine” through “Roman Medicine” (pp. 105-125)
May 16 (Th) — Medicine — The Four Humors, Gynecology, and Magic
Read “Medical Humor” (which is not actually about the four humors) through “Key Words” (pp. 125-139)
Possible Homework Reading: Pharsalia Book VI by Lucan; Epic Poetry
Week 9
May 21 (Tu) — Philosophy and Psychology
Read “Inquiry” through “Freudian Psychology” (pp. 191-219)
Possible Homework Reading: The Republic, Book VII by Plato (at least through the end of the Allegory of the Cave); Athenian Philosophy
Possible Homework Reading: The Clouds by Aristophanes; Athenian Comedy
May 23 (Th) — Word Review Day
Homework 3 Due
Week 10
May 28 (Tu) — Quiz #3
May 30 (Th) — Primary Literature Day
Make sure to submit any late homework!
I reserve the right to modify the syllabus at any time
I reserve the right to modify the syllabus at any time
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.
The use of chatbots, neural network text generation, or other “AI” tools is not allowed in this course, and trying to pass off ChatGPT’s (or another AI text generator’s) output as your own work will result in a zero on whatever question or assignment you used it to answer.
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 (9:00am-5:00pm), 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.
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.
If absence 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), please contact me via e-mail to let me know before class. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed in class, to catch up on any missed homework, and to schedule make-ups for any quizzes or exams.
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 430 points. They are broken down as follows:
Participation and Homework (60pts): Actively participating in class is important to learning, as is usual attendance. The first step in earning a participation grade is regularly attending class. Beyond just showing up, it is important that you show up prepared (having already completed the assigned material and any homework) and that you participate actively in class activities and discussions. Completion of minor assignments and class participation will in total count for 60 points — meaning that without them, the highest grade you would be eligible to receive is a 3.1.
Quizzes (240pts): There will be three quizzes worth 80 points each given over the course of the term (see schedule below for dates). You will be given the whole class period to complete them. Make-up opportunities will only be given due to a legitimate absence, as defined above, and then only if the absent student promptly e-mails me to reschedule. 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.
Final Exam (130pts): There will be one cumulative final exam, worth 130 points, on Tuesday, June 4th, from 10:30-12:20. In accordance with university policy, the final exam will be administered only on this date and at this time. Final examination guidelines, including policies on ‘unavoidable absence’ can be found here: https://www.washington.edu/students/reg/examguide.html
Extra Credit (24pts): There will be twenty-four points worth of “bonus points” given throughout the quizzes and the final exam. 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.
Grading Breakdown:
Participation: 1 x 30 = 30pts
Homework: 3 x 10 = 30pts
Quizzes: 3 x 80 = 240pts
Final Exam: 1 x 130 = 130 pts
—————————————
Total = 430 pts
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 less
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
Academic Integrity and Student Conduct:
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/
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.
DRS Website: https://depts.washington.edu/uwdrs/
Email: uwdrs@uw.edu
Phone: 206-543-8924
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 the link below. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.
Religious Accommodations Policy: https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/
Religious Accommodations Request form: https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/
Face Covering in the Classroom (COVID):
The University continues to review its policies regularly in response to the public health picture. here is the current UW COVID-19 Face Covering Policy: https://www.ehs.washington.edu/covid-19-prevention-and-response/face-covering-policy
Further Resources:
UW Campus Food Pantry (Provides UW students, staff, and faculty with nonperishable groceries and select fresh produce for no cost): https://www.washington.edu/anyhungryhusky/get-food/
Counseling Center (Resources for students seeking counseling): https://wellbeing.uw.edu/topic/mental-health/
Let's Talk (Free, confidential, informal drop-in counseling service at the UW): https://wellbeing.uw.edu/virtual-lets-talk/
Leadership Without Borders (Resources for undocumented students): https://depts.washington.edu/ecc/lwb/
International Student Services Office (Visa and immigration advising for international students on F or J student visas): https://iss.washington.edu/
Safe Campus (How to report violence or threats to the safety of yourself or others): https://www.washington.edu/safecampus/