Latin 380A (Passion in Ovid) - Fall 2008 – Starks, Binghamton University SUNY

Requirements, Grading, Assignment Descriptions, and other Essentials

Required Texts:

Dunmore, C. W., ed. Selections from Ovid. Focus Reprints, 1962, 2003.

Fantham, Elaine. Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Oxford Approaches to Classical Literature, 2004.

Ovid. Metamorphoses, tr. Charles Martin. Norton, 2004.

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.

Course Requirements and Rules:

Exams: 2 term exams on material covered prior to that point in class. Sight passages and seen passages for translation will both appear on these along with content, style and scansion questions.

Oral Reports:
    Each student will deliver 3 oral reports as follows:

1) A summary of content and style on one other amatory work of Ovid plus a pair from his Heroides. You need to be able to reduce these down to the essentials for your audience, especially in your search to express the variations in Ovid’s methodologies for presenting eroticism and passion in varied diction, and narrative and thematic structure.

2) Choose and read a modern scholarly article or chapter in a book on subject matter related to Ovid’s Metamorphoses 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 L’Annee Philologique – I’ll show you how to use this.

Handouts are recommended for the first two reports.

3) You will find 2 art works (ancient or modern) on the same Greek or Roman mythological character(s) from Ovid’s Metamorphoses that interests you. This should be on a theme we have not covered in the Latin readings in class. You should produce a power point containing clear images of the two art works for presentation in class, which might include offering shots of details. Then discuss in a 1.5-2 page paper how each artist conceives the story, how s/he uses images, colors, texture, fabric, body language, placement, or any other artistic methods to convey a new approach to the characters or to reflect on important elements of the myth. Remember that artists can retell the myth for quite different purposes than the ancient authors. Be sure to discuss such departures from the version you read and try to find as much information you can about what the author was trying to express through the artwork and the myth.

These reports will be 10 minutes or less 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.

    These oral presentations are designed to help improve your oral skills and allow you ample opportunity to improve and expand your oral presentation methods. 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.

Recitation: As this is a course in Latin poetry and as an advanced Latin student you should be working on your oral proficiency with the language, you will choose a passage of about 10 lines from Ovid to read to me during the last week of classes. You will not have to memorize the passage, but you should show strong awareness of proper pronunciation, the meaning of the lines, and a proper tone that conveys that meaning to a listener. I will be glad to help you with any pronunciation issues and discussion of tone. You will be allowed two opportunities to read these lines aloud to me. I will give you credit for the better of two readings, though I have found for most people, the second run is more easy-going and feels better.

Paper: Because Ovid is a core author in Latin literature, and as an advanced Latin student you need opportunities to practice scholarly and analytical writing, you will be required to write a significant term paper (c. 15-20 pages, 1.5 spacing, 12 pt Times New Roman - length is negotiable, since there are some, though few, important topics that can be dealt with in a short format, and some studies may need more than 20 pages) using Ovid’s Metamorphoses as a major part of your investigation. You will need to do significant scholarly research of a somewhat original nature, using several ancient and modern scholarly sources. You will submit a prospectus outlining your idea, the need for further investigation into this idea, and a sampling of the evidence you think warrants this investigation with a working bibliography of ancient and modern sources to be addressed. This need not be a complete examination of the idea, but a sign that you have looked into it well enough to warrant the study. This written prospectus will be submitted by the time and date on the syllabus in a hard copy format. When I have examined your prospectus, I will return it with some comments.

The final paper will be due by the end of the Exam period as noted on the syllabus. You are free to submit drafts for consideration in advance, but give me at least a week to reply.

Grade Distribution:
38% = Average of Two Term Exams
20% = Final Research Paper
17% = Reports: 5% on Ovid and Article Reports, 7% on Art Report
23% = Participation/Preparation

2% = Recitation

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.

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 Blackboard, 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 (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 the classics 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 email chat rooms 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 offers 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 each day they are required by the syllabus. Try to mark up your book as little as possible with answers, but often with extra info that helps you understand. Absolutely DO NOT bring your fully written translations into class with you and read from them (I had to be broken from this habit 1st 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. 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 else’s translation:
a) Read the entire work in English, including the parts we don’t 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 else’s 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 individual assignments (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 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 sessions - 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.
    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.