CLAS 205 G: Bioscientific Vocabulary Building From Latin and Greek

CLAS 205 G — Bioscientific Vocabulary

Winter 2024

Instructor: Suh Young Choi

Email: atobdura@uw.edu

Office Hours: Tuesdays 12-1pm or by appointment (Zoom only)

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.
• Online resources:
  Google dictionary(google “define + word”)
  Online Etymology Dictionary (http://www.etymonline.com)
  Merriam-Webster Dictionary (https://www.merriam-webster.com)

COURSE AIMS:

The primary goal of this course is to improve your understanding of technical vocabulary used in the biological sciences. 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 identifying rare medical or scientific terminology. No knowledge of Latin or Greek is required.

Successful completion of this class requires a great deal of memorization. Students must keep up with the assignments and review the contents of each lesson regularly.

CLASS CONDUCT:

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings I will post pre-recorded lectures and handouts.

I will try to answer all emails as soon as possible, with an initial response guaranteed within 24 hours. To help me find your communiques and respond faster, please include [CLAS 205 G] 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 2 (the week of Jan 8). 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 not cumulative. Like quizzes, the relevant material will be listed in the description for each test. 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.

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 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. 5 bonus points are awarded for at least one score of 85% or above across all attempts. A total of 20 additional bonus points can be earned through warmup tests. There are no makeups for the Warmup Tests.

Grading breakdown:

Homework: 5 x 10 = 50 points

Tests: 4 x 85 = 340 points

Participation: 10 points

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

Total: 400 points

GPA Conversions:

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.

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; or 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!

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.