CLAS 205 H: Bioscientific Vocabulary Building From Latin and Greek

CLAS 205 H — Bioscientific Vocabulary

Spring 2024

Instructor: Suh Young Choi

Email: atobdura@uw.edu

Office Hours: By Zoom Wednesdays 1-2pm or by appointment 

Anonymous Feedback Form: here!

Department Course Coordinator: Professor James Clauss

Email: jjc@uw.edu

Required Text:

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

Recommended Reference Texts:

• Any reputable English dictionary with etymological entries, such as The American Heritage Dictionary (3^rd), or Webster’s New World Dictionary. (Oxford English Dictionary used to be great, but now you've got to pay for half their stuff...)
• Online resources:
  Google dictionary (google “define + word”)
  Online Etymology Dictionary (http://www.etymonline.com)
  Merriam-Webster Dictionary (https://www.merriam-webster.com)

COURSE AIMS:

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 high-level concepts relating to the Latin and Greek languages, and to the role that the Ancient Mediterranean has played in shaping modern science

You will learn to assess the meaning of words by breaking them down into component parts that derive from Latin and ancient Greek. By the end of the quarter you should be at ease in interpreting rare medical or scientific terminology.

How can I be successful in this course?

CLAS 205 requires a great deal of memorization. Keep in mind that this is first and foremost a vocabulary class, and you will need a systematic way to memorize a lot of new vocabulary each week. You should also make sure to keep up with assignments and review the contents of each lesson regularly.

But I don't know any Latin or Greek!

That's OK! In fact, that's expected-- you don't need to know any Latin or Greek to succeed in this class. (That's also why I'm here as your instructor!)

CLASS STRUCTURE:

On Sunday evenings, I will post links to pre-recorded lesson videos and handouts for the week. You are expected to read through the lessons in the textbook either before watching the videos or concurrently. Some videos will have guided walkthroughs for word breakdown that might be hard to follow unless you've at least skimmed the text. 

Learning looks different for everyone. There's not one right or wrong way to learn and memorize all the vocabulary for this class. Some students in previous quarters have found flash-cards, tables, charts, or other tools like Quizlet helpful. Don't be afraid to try different study strategies throughout the quarter to figure out what works best for you! 

I will try to answer all emails as soon as possible, with an initial response guaranteed within 24 hours (unless an emergency happened that has left me unable to respond in that timeframe). To help me find your communiques and respond faster, please include [CLAS 205 H] in the subject line of your email.

Please keep in mind that our e-mail correspondence is a public record according to RCW 42.56, the Washington State Public Records Act, and I have the right to share it with my supervisor or other authorities if I think it is necessary (more information at https://itconnect.uw.edu/work/appropriate-use/public-records-act/).

IMPORTANT UW POLICIES:

The UW's Religious Accommodations Policy: “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.”

The UW's Student Conduct Code: "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/."

Access and Accommodation: 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 University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.

Academic Integrity: University of Washington students are expected to practice high standards of academic and professional honesty and integrity as outlined here: http://depts.washington.edu/grading/pdf/AcademicResponsibility.pdf

GRADING:

Participation: Consistent participation in class counts for 10 points. There will be weekly discussion threads beginning in Week 1 (the week of 25 March). Each separate discussion thread that you participate in will count for 2 points. To earn 10 points, you will need to participate in at least 5 discussion threads. No more than 10 points will be awarded for participation.

Quizzes: To help you stay on track with memorization, there are 5 Canvas quizzes that consist of vocabulary items from recent reading, worth 10 points each. Canvas quizzes are 30 minutes long and are open-book, open-note. Relevant material is listed in the descriptions for each quiz. For example, Quiz 1 (Syllabus, 1-3) covers material from the syllabus and Lessons 1 through 3.

Tests: There will be four tests, worth 85 points each, given over the course of the quarter, and they are semi-cumulative. Like quizzes, the relevant material will be listed in the description for each test. Tests will focus on the material in the description but may sometimes require skills or vocabulary from previous units. The tests will be held on the day indicated on the schedule, but you can choose any time of the day to complete them. All tests are 60 minutes long and are open-book, open-note.

Assessment-based bonus points: There will be extra credit opportunities on each of the quizzes and tests: 1 point per quiz and 5 points per test (for a maximum of 25 assessment-based bonus points across the quarter).

Warmup Tests: There will be four warmup tests, one preceding each of the four tests this quarter. Warmup tests will open one class day before the test they precede and will close alongside that test. They can be attempted up to five times as practice for the actual test. 3 bonus points are awarded for at least one score of 90% or above across all attempts. A total of 12 additional bonus points can be earned through Warmup Tests. There are no makeups for the Warmup Tests.

Pre- and Post-Course Surveys: At the beginning and end of the quarter, I will post two optional (but recommended!) surveys. These are worth 2 points each and help me learn about your goals and expectations for this course, along with how I can best help you or structure this course to support your learning. These surveys are not the same as course evaluations. The Pre-Quarter Survey will be open until the end of Week 2, and the Post-Quarter survey will be open from the beginning of Week 10 to the end of Finals Week.

In total, there are 41 additional points that you can earn through bonus activities.

Grading breakdown:

Homework: 5 x 10 = 50 points

Tests: 4 x 85 = 340 points

Participation: 10 points

---------------------------                                                                       

Total: 400 points

GPA Conversions:

Final GPA may be calculated from your points using the table below:

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 

*Note: In order to pass this class, you must receive 87 points or greater.

Ceiling Policy: The nature of partial credit in this course may result in you ending up with a final score that has a decimal. All decimal-point scores are rounded up. As an example, both 378.001 and 378.999 would be rounded up to 379.

Makeup Policy for Quizzes and Tests

Though quizzes and tests are both timed assessments, you have the full day (12:00am to 11:59pm on the scheduled day) to complete them. That being said, life happens. If you find yourself in a situation where you are unable to take the time during the scheduled day to take the quiz or test, please email me as soon as you know that you will miss the quiz or test, preferably at least 24 hours in advance.

In the case of unexpected emergencies, I do not expect you to communicate immediately. However, I will need to hear from you within 24 hours of the quiz or test due date, so that arrangements can be made for a makeup. This is crucial since I intend to release quiz and test solutions throughout the quarter, for your study.

I will try to be as flexible and lenient with makeups as I can. However, I will not grant makeups for the following situations:

• Insufficient advance notice (less than 2 hours before the due time; i.e., between 9:59-11:59pm the day that a quiz or test is scheduled)
• Requests made more than 24 hours after the due time of the missed quiz or test
• Missing quizzes or tests due to commitments in other classes

Remember that you do have 24 hours to complete a 30- or 60-minute timed assessment. Technology can be fickle, so make sure that you have a strong Internet connection as well as adequate time to complete these!

DON'T SUFFER IN SILENCE

 As your instructor, the most important thing to me is that you are learning, and that you are learning well. Learning vocabulary, especially for highly technical jargon from two different languages, can be difficult! I also recognize that you have a life outside this class that includes things like jobs, familial commitments, health concerns, and many other things beyond your control that could impact your performance in this class. The sooner I am made aware of any situation, the sooner and more easily I can provide you with accommodations and/or resources.

While some amount of struggle is natural and can be healthy for learning, please let me know if you are getting stuck on practice problems or find it difficult to keep up with the course content. I am here to help!

SCHEDULE

All readings and assessments are due on the day they are listed on the syllabus. Graded assessments are given in bold text.

I reserve the right to modify the syllabus.