Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "LAT 101"
COURSE NAME: "Elementary Latin I"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Summer Session I 2015

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Erik Walters
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MTWTH 2:00 PM 3:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is a first introduction to the study of the Latin language. The course introduces all forms of nouns and pronouns in the five declensions and all tenses of the verb in the indicative and imperative. It emphasizes vocabulary development and the acquisition of reading skills in Latin prose. Assignments include considerable reading of continuous passages and translation from Latin to English and English to Latin. Attention is also given to Latin proverbs, abbreviations and cognates in English.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
This is an introduction to Latin, that language spoken and written first by the pre-Roman Latin peoples of central Italy, then of the Romans (Early, Classical and Late Latin c. 4th century BCE through the fourth century CE), and finally philosophers, scientists, theologians, humanists, lawyers, and literary figures from 476 CE - c.1700 (Medieval and Renaissance Latin). Latin along with Greek and Sanskrit has been one of the most enduring of languages ever studied, spoken and written (2,500 years). The Romance languages (French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish) all derive from Latin, while English vocabulary and German grammar arguably have much more in common with Latin than with each other. They are all an evolved form of the original language. A knowledge of classical Latin gives access to the documentation and literature of the other periods as well as the only key to understanding modern languarges of Western Civilization. Latin's influence in the development of philosophy, language, law, the natural sciences, religion, and political theory is unavoidable. Scientia potestas est.

The course is aimed at:

. Developing the basics for a reading knowledge of classical Latin
. Learning vocabulary derived from Latin in English (and to a lesser extent in Italian, Spanish, and French)
. Considering the historical, social and intellectual contexts of the Roman world in which Latin was the medium of expression
. Examining linguistic features of Latin grammar and vocabulary which may apply to other language structure and development.
. Preparing the student with the basics and confidence to continue studying Latin either formally or informally

This course is an intensive introduction to learning the Latin language as such. This is NOT an historical survey course or a language in translation course!!!

While a brief review of English grammar is foreseen, students must have a comprehension of said grammar appropriate to an undergraduate university level.

By the end of the course students will have learned:

1) all five declensions for nouns, pronouns, and adjectives
2) all six verb tenses in the active and passive voices and indicative and imperative moods (N.B. the subjunctive mood will not be covered as such is treated in LAT 102))
3) about 1,000 vocabulary words

Latin like other languages is made of words (lexicon) and structure (syntax) or how the words are put together and arranged. In other words Latin is an inflected language (word endings) unlike English that is based on word order. Therefore, the study of Latin will be useful both as an introduction to another form of language structure as well as a preparation for modern languages that use similar structures (e.g. German, Greek, Russian).

Readings will allow you to practice Latin narrative structure, i.e. how the words fall into phrases and sentences, and how paragraphys are built. Students will translate both from Latin into English and from English into Latin.

The first semester of Latin will allow you to move to a second semester course at (Latin 102) at John Cabot University or another institution.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the course, you should be able to read simple narratives in Latin, have learned many English (Italian, Spanish, French) cognates, recognize the Latin origins of frequent abbreviations in Latin, and be knowledgeable in the outlines of the history, social life and developments of the Roman world. Most importantly, the student will be thoroughly confident throughout one's whole life when confronted by Latin with the indispensible aid of a Latin lexicon (i.e. dictionary). A good Latin dictionary (there are few) is necessary for this course (consult the required reading and textbook section).

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number
Latin Via Ovid	N. Goldman, J. E. Nyenhuis	Wayne State U. Press	ISBN-13: 978-0814317327
Cassell's Latin Dictionary	D.P. SIMPSON	Wiley Publishing, Inc.	9780025225800
An Elementary Latin Dictionary	C.T. LEWIS	Oxford University Press	0199102058

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Quizzes	During the first four weeks of the course, four quizzes will be administered each Thursday at the beginning of class in order to spot check student progress in Latin grammar.	25%
Classwork, homework, and overall participation	Daily homework and classroom assignments will be reviewed and overall student progress assessed. (Hint: if the student actually "works", then one can expect a high grade for this assignment of the assessment method. The operative word here is "works"!)	25%
Mid-Term Exam	The mid-term exam will be "take-home" distributed at the end of the class period on Thursday, 11 June 2015 and due at the beginning of class on the following Monday, 15 June 2015. It will consist of a body of Latin text to be both parsed and translated. Use of "grammar sheets" and the lexicons is required.	25%
Final Exam	The final exam will be administered in class on Friday, 26 June 2015. It will consist of parsing of a given text followed by the translation from Latin into English of said text.	25%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course (95%-100% A; 90%-94% A-).
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments (87%-89% B+; 83%-86% B; 80%-82% B-).
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings. (77%-79% C+; 73%-76% C; 70%-72% C-)
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail. (60%-69% D)
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant (59% F).

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until Friday, 26 June 2015.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

1 Introduction: pp. xv-xiv Ovid: pp. xxiv-xxvi (reading)

C. I: pp.1-5 (reading)

2 C. I: pp. 1-5 (review) C. II: 11-15 (reading)

Exercises: pp. 6-7

3 C. II: pp. 11-15 (review) Exercises: pp. 16-17

Civis Romanus 1

4 Quiz: I-II C. III: pp.19-23 (translation)

Exercises (correction)

5 C. III: pp. 19-23 (review) C. IV: pp. 27-32 (translation)

Exercises: pp. 23-24

6 C. IV: pp. 27-32 (review) C. V: pp. 37-40 (translation)

Exercises: pp. 32-34

7 C. V: pp. 37-40 (review) Exercises: pp. 40-42

Civis Romanus 2

8 Quiz: III-V C. VI: pp. 45-48 (translation)

Exercises (correction)

9 C. VI: pp. 45-48 (review) C. VII: pp. 53-56 (translation)

Exercises: pp. 49-50

10 C. VII: 53-56 (review) C. VIII: 61-64 (translation)

Exercises: pp. 56-58

11 C. VIII: 61-64 (review) C. IX: 69-74 (translation)

Exercises: 65-66

12 C. IX: 69-74 (review) Exercises: 74-76

Civis Romanus 3

13 General Review: I-VII Civis Romanus 4

Exercises (correction)

14 MIDTERM EXAM C. X: 79-82 (translation)

15 C. X: 79-82 (review) Exercises: 82-83

Civis Romanus 5

16 Quiz: VIII-X C. XI: 87-92 (translation)

Exercises (correction)

17 C. XI: 87-92 (review) C. XII: 97-100 (translation)

Exercises: 92-94

18 C. XII: 97-100 (review) C. XIII: 105-110 (translation)

19 C. XIII: 105-110 (review) C. XIV: 115-119 (translation)

20 C. XIV: 115-119 (review) Exercises: 119-121

Civis Romanus 6

21 Quiz: XII-XIV C. XV: 123-127 (translation)

Exercises (correction)

22 C. XV: 123-127 (review) C. XVI: 131-134 (translation)

23 C. XVI 131-134 (review) Exercises: 134-136

Civis Romanus 7

24 Drill on the declensions of nouns Civis Romanus 8

Exercises (correction)

25 Drill on the principal parts of verbs Civis Romanus 9

CR 8 (correction)

26 Civis Romanus 10-11 Civis Romanus 12

CR 9 (correction)

27 General Review 1 Civis Romanus 13

CR 12 (correction)

28 General Review 2 Civis Romanus 14

CR 13 (correction)

29 FINAL EXAM