Latin 201
 
Intermediate Latin I
Fall 2008

INSTRUCTOR: Robert W. Cape, Jr., Professor of Classics
OFFICE:     AD 310       PHONE: x2241       MAIL: 61653       EMAIL: rcape@austincollege.edu
OFFICE HOURS: 3:00-4:00 MWF, & by appointment or just dropping by.

REQUIRED TEXTS:
  • Maurice Balm and James Morwood. Oxford Latin Course, Part III. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
  • Robert W. Cape, Jr., Internet Workbook for the Oxford Latin Course (1999-2003)   [http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/cml/rcape/latin/index.html]
    • RECOMMENDED TEXTS:
  • R. E. Prior and J. Wohlberg. 501 Latin Verbs. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron's Educational, 1995.
  • D. P. Simpson. Cassell's Latin Dictionary. New York: Macmillan, 1977 [1959].

    PURPOSE AND GOALS:

    Latin 201 is third in the sequence of elementary and intermediate language courses and builds on the skills you developed in Latin 102. Our goals are to enhance our ability to read Latin with precision and understanding, and to appreciate Latin as a transmitter of ideas and culture. Since learning a language provides the foundation for understanding a culture, we will discuss many aspects of Roman life and society in the context of our readings.

    The goals for this course are broad and represent processes rather than endpoints in an educational curriculum. In order to realize them in a manner appropriate to the first intermediate Latin course, you will be challenged to develop and demonstrate the following skills, abilities and knowledge:

    1. knowledge of all noun declensions and major pronouns, and solid understanding of the main of functions of cases, with and without prepositions;
    2. knowledge of all regular adjective forms, and understanding of adjective usage and the principle of agreement;
    3. knowledge of verb forms in all tenses, active and passive voice, indicative, subjunctive, and infinitive moods, in the regular conjugations and irregular conjugations, such as sum and volo. Understanding of the functions of person, number, tense, voice, and mood, and the main uses of verbs;
    4. ability to read consistently with good understanding simple connected texts dealing with a variety of basic issues in Roman society. Such texts are beginning to become more linguistically complex and may even be lightly adapted versions of ancient texts. Sentences will involve simple and complex subordination and will impart basic information about which the reader has to make minimal suppositions;
    5. ability to write simple fixed expressions and limited memorized material and some recombinations thereof;
    6. knowledge about Roman culture at the time of Augustus.

    Undoubtedly you will achieve these objectives at your own level, depending on your commitment and the amount of time and energy you dedicate to learning the material. The instructor is committed to helping you learn and will be glad to meet you to review, to do additional exercises, and to help you develop the skills and techniques that work best for you to learn Latin.

    As you can see, you will learn more in Latin 201 than, simply, Latin grammar and how to translate. If you are joining the course after taking Latin at another college or from a high school where grammar/translation was emphasized, please be sure to contact the instructor early in the course so he can help you make the transition to the reading/comprehension emphasis we employ.

    Attendance and Participation:

    Latin 201 is a performance class and regular attendance is required of all students. You are expected to be prepared for and to participate actively in every class. Likewise, you have the right to expect that the instructor will be present and prepared for class. Lack of preparation is no excuse for not attending class. Since learning a language is a sequential process and any class sessions or homework missed can seriously affect future performance, only three (3) absences will be allowed. Each absence after the third will lower the total grade by three (3) percentage points. With seven (7) absences you may be dropped from the course.

    Assignments and Grading:

    Homework assignments are given daily for the next day's class. These are to be completed prior to the class meeting and will be the basis for that day's participation. In addition, about once a week there will be a written homework assignment to be turned in at the beginning of class. You are responsible for finding out what the homework assignment is if you have missed a class. Homework, quizzes and exams missed during an absence cannot be made up except under exceptional circumstances.

    A short, 10 minute quiz will be given every week. These quizzes are meant to help you review material recently covered and serve as diagnostic instruments to indicate how well you are progressing in discrete areas of grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension. The midterm and final are comprehensive exams which measure your total progress at specific points in the course. The midterm will be given during the sixth or seventh week of class; the exact date will be announced at least two weeks in advance. The final will be given at the regularly scheduled time, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Thursday, December 11. The midterm and final may include "take-home" sections.

    Grade percentages:
    weekly quizzes 35%
    written homework 10%
    attendance and participation 15%
    midterm 20%
    final 20%

    Austin College's Standards of Academic Integrity are assumed to apply to your work for this course. The Academic Integrity Policy can be found in the "Student Conduct" section of The Austin College Environment. All work must be your own. Infringments of the Academic Integrity Policy may result in failing grades on assignments, a low or failing grade for the course, or instructor initiated withdrawal from the course.

    Access to grades and some assignments will be available through Austin College's Moodle [http://moodle.austincollege.edu/]

    [Bob Cape's Homepage] [Classical and Modern Languages] 
    Robert W. Cape, Jr., Professor of Classics
Classical & Modern Languages
900 N. Grand Avenue, Suite 61653
Sherman, TX 75090-4440
phone: (903) 813-2241  fax: (903) 813-2011
    Mail comments to rcape@austincollege.edu