Latin 380M Women in the Roman World – Fall
2018 – Starks, Binghamton University SUNY
Requirements, Grading, Assignment Descriptions, and other Essentials
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you buy a good, comprehensive dictionary, if you do
not already have one. The Oxford Desk Dictionary is a good basic dictionary,
better than the paperbacks, for quick reference. You should consider getting
one of the two Latin dictionaries that include citations for usage by
particular Latin authors, Cassell's Latin Dictionary
(the hardback, not the paperback) or the Oxford Elementary Latin Dictionary by
Lewis (of Lewis and Short).
Course Requirements and Rules:
Exams: 2 term exams on material covered prior to that
point in class. Seen passages for translation will appear on these along with
content and style questions.
Oral Report + Discussion Leading Session:
1) Each
student will deliver 1 oral report as follows:
Choose
and read a modern scholarly article or chapter in a book on subject matter
related to womenÕs lives in the Roman world and report to the class on the
author's argument, evidence, and conclusions, NOT on the student's opinion of
whether s/he agreed with the author. You may use any of the databases available
through the library under Classical Studies, but the most useful will be LÕAnnee Philologique – IÕll
show you how to use this. Handouts or powerpoints are
recommended for report, but not required. These reports will be 10-15 minutes
or less, fairly STRICTLY OBSERVED on the dates marked on the syllabus. KNOW how
to summarize. A double-spaced page of average font takes most readers 2.5
minutes to read, so bullet-point style notes inevitably cause most people to
run over.
2) Each student
will lead class discussion once on VergilÕs Aeneid. Discussion leading will entail direction of questions and
problems in the text, not necessarily conclusions or extensive outside
research. This is not as much a presentation as a teaching moment. You should
plan to lead discussion for a minimum of 40 minutes, but you may have as much
time as you like within the parameters of that class period. I will act as a
participant in these discussions and bring up ideas along the way, but I will
work hard not to interfere with your direction for class.
These oral presentations are designed to help improve your
oral and writing skills and allow you ample opportunity to improve and expand
your oral presentation methods, and writing for that oral/aural context, an
important skill for anyone who may present public material at a conference, in
a business meeting, or as a teacher. You may use any combination of
audio-visual aids that might best suit you, or you may experiment with
different methods each time you present. Reports can be interactive, not just
lectures. You may design projects that include your fellow-students, so long as
you keep them informed of what you are doing. Feel free to consult with me
about your needs for the classroom presentations and approaches you would like
to try. If you plan to use A-V be sure you have practiced with it before the
time of your presentation. It will eat into your time.
Class Participation: ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED. You will receive a daily
grade for participation in class that suggests your level of preparation on
material covered (A, B, C, D or 0) and your involvement in class activities.
Participation includes questions, exchange of ideas, and responses to directed or general questions from the instructor or other
discussion leader. An absence from class for ANY REASON must be counted as a 0
since you cannot participate if you are absent. Two (2) absences will be
dropped, no questions asked, at the end of the term allowing 1 week of class
days for illness, family matters, etc. In general, I do not distinguish between
excused and unexcused absences for purposes of daily participation grades, but
PLEASE always contact me by email or phone before class if you MUST be absent
on a given day. If absence should be unavoidable, we could probably assess your
preparation of material through other means, and in any case, I want to know
when and why you need to miss class.
Final Epigraphy
Project:
Grade Distribution:
50% = Average of Two Term Exams
15% = Final Epigraphy Project
10% = Reports: 5% Aeneid
Discussion Leading; 5% Article Report
25% = Participation/Preparation
I must insist on a firm grade scale as
follows: 97-100 A+, 93-96 A, 90-92 A-, 87-89 B+, 83-86 B, 80-82 B- and so on
for each grade tier I especially reserve the right to consider borderline
grades as falling on either side of the divide that seems most appropriate
given all grading circumstances (i.e., a 92.5 or even a 92.9 cannot
automatically be assumed to round up, though I may decide that a student's
overall performance may warrant such rounding). Consult me about your progress
in seemingly nebulous areas such as class participation, etc.
Other Expectations:
You
are reminded that your IN-CLASS time per week is 3 hours, and that you receive
4 credit hours for the work you do in this course. Credit hours awarded
recognize the rigor of your coursework inside
AND OUTSIDE the classroom. Your reading, writing, translation, oral
presentation preparation, and critical thinking should amount to at least triple the amount of time you spend
INSIDE the classroom, on average an additional 9-10 hours per week. That means
you are expected to fulfill a minimum average of 12-13 hours of work per
course, per week.
Suggestions for Success:
1) ALL written work to be turned in
for a grade must be pledged with an affirmation of your adherence to the
Student Academic Honesty Code as described at this
site.
2) Make sure that you regularly consult your binghamton.edu
email and MyCourses, as these are the most efficient
ways for me to disseminate information to everyone enrolled in this class.
3) My only real pet peeves in classroom demeanor are cell
phones and other devices used to access social networking sites (turn them
off), chronic tardiness, sleeping in class, and not informing me and others
affected if you have a schedule problem.
4) I guess the next closest thing to a peeve is my
frustration with being unable to read the minds of completely silent
students. Part of the joy of studying Latin at a more advanced level is
sharing what you think about it - whether good or bad. There's always something
that deserves discussion, and the whole class can benefit from your insights.
And (this is the lesson I've had to learn over time), if you're a natural
talker, know when to balance your contribution with that of those around you.
Be sensitive to the silences that sometimes occur - someone may be thinking
deeply. I have toyed with the idea of using other media to help out those who
are more inclined to silence, but I continue to believe that oral human
communication is a most valuable gift and tool for all aspects of modern life,
just as it was for the even more orally oriented cultures of the ancient world.
5) Keep on your syllabus. This class will allow little time
for catching up if you fall behind. The syllabus daily assignments are a
guide and a goal. If you find yourself unable to get through the assigned
readings and exercises, let's discuss it as a group or individually - work with
others, divide the load and then make sure you teach each other. I prefer to
have a plan, and try to find the best way to get there. CHECK YOUR SYLLABUS
FREQUENTLY FOR ANY CHANGES I MAY NEED TO MAKE ALONG THE WAY.
6) Bring all the appropriate books and/or printouts, or a
computer with electronic file of online texts each day they are required by the
syllabus – NOTE THE TEXTBOOK PROVISO ABOVE. DO NOT bring your written
translations into class with you and read from them (I had to be broken from
this habit first term freshman year by being called down in class. It worked).
Show that you understand what you read or that you have questions about what
you read, and don't mark up your original texts too badly - keep it clean. Make
vocabulary and grammar notes while you read, and you can bring that to class
with you if necessary. Rereading through an assignment shortly after leaving
class is the absolute best way to see if you really understood what was going
on with the changes suggested there. Nothing is worse than recalling the
incorrect interpretation that you worked so hard on before class better than
the corrected interpretation or deeper interpretation that you take away after
class simply because you spent so much more time on the former and not enough
time on the latter.
____ * Binghamton U Classics Department Corollary to Starks Suggestion 6: You
have probably figured out that someone else has already translated many
passages you are translating for class. There are two useful and honorable ways
to use someone elseÕs translation:
a) Read the entire work in English, including the parts we donÕt cover in
class, to have a fuller understanding of the context for your passages.
b) After working on a translation on your own, with all the help that
dictionaries, commentaries, grammars, and your own good sense can provide, if
you get stuck on a sentence, you may refer to a translation to get a sense of
what the sentence says and to get unstuck. Then you must put away the
translation and translate the sentence yourself to guarantee that you
understand the grammar and syntax, especially since most translations are not
written to help you get through the assignment. Ideally, you will not use
someone elseÕs translation at all. But I would much rather you do so very
occasionally than have you get frustrated or spend a whole evening on one
sentence.
7) Extra Credit
- fuhgedaboutit!! (Someone burned me long ago abusing
extra credit. I'm afraid there is no antidote for my allergic reaction to
requests for extra credit). On the other hand, you get personal extra credit
for every thing you learn above and beyond the call of absolute duty, so look
at the bigger picture.
8) Final Grades are an assessment of your whole performance.
I like to create many components to a grade as an evaluation of a complete
student. I tend not to curve (unless something is clearly wrong with the
grading apparatus) in order to preserve my overall sense of student performance
and aptitude for the assignment of the more important final grade. I do
consider improvements in problem areas as part of what shows your increased
aptitude.
9) Enjoy learning Latin. Let's make our time in class
productive, but also, as often as possible, interesting, enjoyable and thought-
provoking. We will talk frequently about the way Romans (and sometimes Greeks)
thought and lived to try to understand what they are saying to us. We will not
sit in a dull translation session 2 days per week. We will change exercises and
engage in discussion of ideas often.
Pursuant to this end, please feel free within reason
to bring coffee or other legal stimulants for our meetings - This is the Great
State of New York, not Washington or Colorado, and I did say, LEGAL and
STIMULANTS; that said, New York does allow some surprising freedoms they do
not! Some of them, we may discuss, though not practice! ;) - we
will agree to meet in locations other than the room when weather and lesson
needs permit - Latin and Greek schools often met in a stoa/basilica
or under a tree, in the open air - we should do no less, though the need for
internet may bind us to the room rather frequently.
10) One day there may be a suggestion 10, but right now, I don't
have one and there were 9 Muses, so we will leave an ennead of sage Starks
suggestions for student success - maybe suggestion 10 should be to practice
saying that 10 times fast.