Instructor: Guy Rahat
Email: guyrahat@uw.edu
Classics 101 has for many years been a popular 2-credit course option for students throughout UW. The course is designed 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. More than that, the course examines the ever-changing relationship between language and ideas in order to better understand the continuing impact of classical Greece and Rome on modern culture. Classics 101 gives you a sense of the words, ideas, and stories that we have adopted from the ancient Greeks and Romans, and helps you identify classical influence when you encounter it. Knowledge of Latin or Greek is not required.
The required textbook is Dominik’s Words and Ideas.
This course counts for the following General Education requirement: A&H
Six sections at different times available, including this one.
Please note that this course will be offered online in asynchronous format
Class Schedule:
The Tuesday and Thursday listings represent when recorded lectures will be uploaded; bulleted items represent readings and assignments. Please note that page numbers are for the physical copy of the book and do not apply to the electronic version. If you are using the electronic version, use the headings to navigate to the relevant pages.
WEEK ONE (6/17-21)
Tuesday – Introduction & Syllabus; What is Classics?
Thursday – Introduction to Word Building
- Read Chapter 1 – Word Building (pp. 1-15)
- Read Appendices I-III (pp.251-256)
WEEK TWO (6/24-28)
Tuesday – Mythology: Primordial Gods and Theogony
- Read Ch.4 – Mythology (pp. 75-99)
- Memorize Greek Nouns/Adjectives (pp. 19-25): Memorize all bulleted bases/combining
forms in these sections. E.g. know that the combining form ‘–archy’ means ‘rule by.’
Thursday – Olympian Gods
- Homework 1 – Due Friday
WEEK THREE (7/1-5)
Tuesday – Mythology: The Age of Heroes
- Memorize Greek Adverbs/Verbs (pp. 25-29)
Thursday – Mythology: The Epic Cycle
- Discussion 1 – Due Friday
WEEK FOUR (7/8-12)
Tuesday – Greek History & Historians
- Memorize Greek Prefixes/Suffixes (pp. 29-36)
- Read ch. 9 – History (pp. 227-246)
Thursday – Roman History & Historians
- Homework 2 – Due Friday
WEEK FIVE (7/15-19)
Tuesday – Greek Politics and Law
- Read ch. 6 – Politics and Law (pp.145-164)
Thursday – Roman Politics and Law
- Discussion 2 – Due Friday
WEEK SIX (7/22-26)
Monday/Tuesday – Midterm Assessment
Thursday – Greek Commerce/Economics
- Read ch. 7 – Commerce and Economics (pp.169-187)
- Memorize Latin Nouns/Verbs (pp. (45-48)
WEEK SEVEN (7/29-8/2)
Tuesday – Roman Commerce/Economics
- Memorize Latin Prefixes (pp. 48-55)
Thursday – Medicine I
- Read Ch. 5 – Medicine (pp. 105-139)
- Homework 3 – Due Friday
WEEK EIGHT (8/5-9)
Tuesday – Medicine II
- Memorize Latin Suffixes (pp. 55-63)
Thursday – Philosophy I
- Read Ch. 8 – Philosophy & Psychology (pp. 206-219)
- Homework 4 – Due Friday
WEEK NINE (8/12-16)
Tuesday – Philosophy II
Thursday/Friday – Final Assessment