Course Syllabus
GRE 1120 Beginning Ancient Greek 1 (Spring 2021)
Contact Dr. Wolpert
Andrew Wolpert, PhD
Director of UF Quest and Associate Professor of Classics
352-273-3702
Class Meetings: MWF Period 3 in MAT 107 and by Zoom Conferences
Office Hours: MWF Period 4 and by appointment
To meet me during my regular office hours, call me at 352-273-3702 so that I can then join you via Zoom Conferences. To schedule an appointment, please email or call me. You can email me through the Canvas mail app or via wolpert@ufl.edu. You can expect a response in less than 12 hours!!
Course Description and Objectives
- GRE 1120 is the first half of the beginning ancient Greek sequence. You will learn the basic grammar, morphology, syntax, and vocabulary of ancient Greek, and you will read adapted passages from ancient Greek authors.
- Upon completion of GRE 1120 and 1121, you will be able to identify, explain, and analyze the basic elements of ancient Greek and read ancient Greek authors at the intermediate level.
- By studying ancient Greek, you will gain a greater understanding of how languages work and will be able speak, write, and analyze English with greater nuance and expertise because the subtleties of ancient Greek draw attention to many features of English that are implicit.
Course Format
- Synchronous Hy-Flex Meetings: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Period 3 in MAT 107 and by Zoom
- A face-to-face section will meet in Matherly 107 simultaneously with a fully online section, which will connect to the meeting via Zoom. Class meetings will not be recorded to protect your privacy. Students using Zoom will be asked to keep their video camera on so the Hy-Flex meeting can mirror as much as possible a meeting in a regular classroom. If you will be using Zoom and will be in a room that other people are also using, it is recommended that you use headphones and an appropriate virtual background.
- If you are in the face-to-face section meeting in Matherly 107, please bring a laptop, tablet, or smartphone and a set of headphones so you can login to Zoom to participate in a discussion with those students who will be meeting with us virtually.
- Asynchronous Online Drills: On Thursday, you will complete a weekly online drill that is intended to help you review the weekly morphology and vocabulary. The weekly drills will focus on new material, but they are comprehensive. Some questions will be about material from previous weeks.
Required Text
- Shelmerdine, Cynthia W., and Susan C. Shelmerdine, Introduction to Greek, 3rd Edition (Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing, 2020). ISBN: 1585109606. You can purchase the textbook either as a paperback (e.g., Amazon) or as an ebook (e.g., Google Play). It may also be available through the UF bookstore. Make sure to purchase the third edition.
Course Requirements
- Attendance (20%) with a 20% deduction for arriving more than 10 minutes late or leaving early.
- Daily Homework (20%) to be submitted online before 9:30 am on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
- Consult the weekly schedule for the homework assignments.
- Students will be granted an extension on homework only in the case of an excused absence (see UF Attendance Policies).
- Weekly Online Drills (20%), due before 9:30 pm every Thursday. The lowest score is dropped.
- The weekly online drills are intended to help you review Greek morphology and vocabulary. Although the drills will concentrate on new material, they are cumulative and will include material from previous weeks.
- You can spend as long as you like on each drill, and you can take each drill an unlimited number of times until it closes. Your highest score will be recorded.
- All drills are "closed book." You are not permitted any study aids, but you can use blank scratch paper.
- Drills will be conducted with the Honorlock app. You will need to use the Google Chrome browser and add the Honorlock extension (see Honorlock Instructions).
- Ancient Greek Unlocked (5%)
- Choose one of the following readings: Xerxes' Whips the Sea 1 (page 99) or Xerxes' Whips the Sea 2 (page 106).
- Part 1 A: Translate the reading into idiomatic English while keeping as closely as possible to the sense and meaning of the Greek.
- Part 1 B: Explain in 2-3 paragraphs where your translation deviates or differs from the Greek. What changes have you made in order to convey the sense and meaning of the Greek into idiomatic English? What do you feel is lost in your translation? Where do you feel the original sense of the Greek is conveyed most effectively in your translation?
- Part II A: Provide an adapted translation of the reading that reflects how you would recount the event. Do not mimic Herodotus' style. Use your own words and describe in your own way the event that is recounted in Herodotus.
- Part II B: Explain in 1-2 paragraphs how your adapted translation differs from Herodotus' account of the event.
- Submit all four parts of the assignment (Part IA, IB, IIA, and IIB) as a word document by 9:30 am on Monday, April 19.
- Tests (35%)
Grade Scale
A = 93–100% | B = 83–86% | C = 73–76% | D = 63-66% |
A- = 90–92% | B- = 80–82% | C- = 70–72% | D- = 60–62% |
B+ = 87–89% | C+ = 77–79% | D+ = 67-69% | E < 60% |
*Grades are rounded to the nearest whole number (e.g., 89.4% = 89% and 89.5% = 90%).
Information on UF grading policies is available in the Undergraduate Catalog.
Course Policies
Academic Honesty
UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge which states, "We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honor and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: 'On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment'.” The Honor Code specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code and the possible sanctions. Furthermore, you are obligated to report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel. If you have any questions or concerns, please consult with the instructor of this class.
Attendance
Requirements for class attendance and make-up exams, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies: https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academic-regulations/attendance-policies/
Course Accessibility
Students with disabilities who experience learning barriers and would like to request academic accommodations should connect with the Disability Resource Center by visiting https://disability.ufl.edu/students/get-started/. It is important for students to share their accommodation letter with their instructor and discuss their access needs, as early as possible in the semester.
Course Evaluations
Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/students/. Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens, and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or via https://ufl.bluera.com/ufl/. Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results/.
COVID-19 Policies
If you attend the face-to-face class meeting in MAT 107, you will need to observe the following policies and requirements in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to maintain our learning environment and to enhance the safety of our in-classroom interactions.
- You are required to participate in the Screen, Test & Protect program in order to attend in-person classes. You may only attend in-person classes if you are "cleared for campus." If your results are "not cleared" or "withheld from campus," you may participate in class meeting remotely via Zoom.
- You must wear approved face coverings at all times during class and within buildings. Following and enforcing these policies and requirements are all of our responsibility. Failure to do so will lead to a report to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution.
- This course has been assigned a physical classroom with enough capacity to maintain physical distancing (6 feet between individuals) requirements. Please utilize designated seats and maintain appropriate spacing between students. Please do not move desks or stations.
- Sanitizing supplies are available in the classroom if you wish to wipe down your desks prior to sitting down and at the end of the class.
- Follow your instructor’s guidance on how to enter and exit the classroom. Practice physical distancing to the extent possible when entering and exiting the classroom.
- If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms (Click here for guidance from the CDC on symptoms of coronavirus (Links to an external site.)), please use the UF Health screening system and follow the instructions on whether you are able to attend class. This website gives UF Health guidance on what to do if you have been exposed to or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms (Links to an external site.).
- Course materials will be provided to you with an excused absence, and you will be given a reasonable amount of time to make up work. Find more information in the university attendance policies (Links to an external site.).
Counseling Resources
Students experiencing either health or personal problems that interfere with their general well-being are encouraged to seek assistance through the university’s health care and counseling centers. Resources are also available on campus for students who wish to explore their career options.
- Student Health Care Center, 392-1161, shcc.ufl.edu
- University Counseling and Wellness Center, 3190 Radio Road, 392-1575, counseling.ufl.edu
- U Matter We Care, 294-care, umatter.ufl.edu
- Career Connections Center, Suite 1300 J. Wayne Reitz Union, 392-1601, career.ufl.edu
You can also check out the UF Resources page for the many university resources, services, and support that are available to you.
Credits
Landing Page
- Week 1: Photograph of the Parthenon, Athens, taken by Andrew Wolpert, 1 October 2004.
- Week 2: Photograph of the Temple of Aphaia, Aegina, taken by Andrew Wolpert, 27 February 2016.
- Week 3: Photography of the Temple of Hera, Selinus, Sicily, AdiJapan, licensed under CC By SA 3.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sicily_Selinunte_Temple_E_(Hera).JPG
- Week 4: Photograph of the Temple of Hephaestus, Agora, Athens, taken by Andrew Wolpert, 26 February 2016.
- Week 5: Red-figured pyxis by the Eretria Painter, British Museum, 1874,0512.1. Scene may be depicting women preparing for a wedding.
- Week 6: Red-figured stamnos by the Siren Painter, British Museum, 1843.1103.31.
- Week 7: Red-figured pyxis by the Marlay Painter, British Museum, 1920, 1221.1. Scene depicting a marriage procession.
- Week 8: Late geometric krater, depicting a funeral, Hirschfeld Workshop, Attica, c. 750-735 BCE, Metropolitan Museum of Art, photographed by Futons_of_Rock, February 2009, licensed under CC BY 2.5.
- Week 9: Chigi vase, depiction of hoplites going to battle, c. 7th century BCE, Wikimedia Commons.
- Week 10: Red-figured pyxis, attributed to a follower of Douris. British Museum, 1873,0111.7.
- Week 11: Red-figured pyxis, attributed to a follower of Douris. British Museum, 1873,0111.7.
- Week 12: Photograph of the Temple of Concordia, Agrigento, Sicily, taken by Wolfgang Pehlemann, 2014, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 DE. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Concordiatempel_Tempio_della_Temple_of_Concordia_de_la_Concorde_Tal_der_Tempel_Valle_dei_Templi_Agrigento_Sizilien_Foto_Wolfgang_Pehlemann_DSC07490.jpg
- Week 13: North Portico of the palace of Knossos, Crete, photographed by Bernard Gagnon, 18 October 2011, licensed under CC By-SA 3.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Knossos_-_North_Portico_02.jpg
- Week 14: Tholos of Delphi, photographed by Tamara Semina, 4 March 2015, licensed under CC By-SA 3.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphi#/media/File:Delphi,_Greece_-_panoramio.jpg
- Week 15: Photograph of the Parthenon, Athens, taken by Andrew Wolpert, 1 October 2004.
Syllabus Page
- Douris's "School Cup," Staatliche Museum, Berlin, photgraphed by M. Tiverios, Elliniki Techni. https://www.beazley.ox.ac.uk/tools/pottery/painters/keypieces/redfigure/douris.htm
Weekly Pages
- "The Acropolis of Athens viewed from the Hill of the Muses," photographed by Carole Raddato, 18 April 2014, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. https://www.flickr.com/photos/carolemage/14220794964/
The syllabus page shows a table-oriented view of the course schedule, and the basics of course grading. You can add any other comments, notes, or thoughts you have about the course structure, course policies or anything else.
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Course Summary:
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