GREEK 101 A: Introductory Greek

Autumn 2023
Meeting:
MTWThF 1:30pm - 2:20pm
SLN:
16132
Section Type:
Lecture
Instructor:
Syllabus Description (from Canvas):

Prof. Alexander Hollmann

M-F 1.30-2.20 Smith 107

Office hours (in-person or via Zoom): T 3-4 and by appointment

Denny Hall M (= Mezzanine) 262E

 

Welcome to the first course in a year-long sequence designed to introduce students to Ancient Greek (Classical and koine).

By the end of the course you will be able to:

-read and translate simple selections from ancient Greek authors and compose simple sentences in Greek.

-think more about literary, historical, and cultural context of ancient Greek texts

-analyze and explain ancient Greek grammar and syntax

-analyze and explain ancient Greek鈥檚 influence on and connection to other languages and literatures

By the end of the sequence (Greek 101, 102, 103 or Greek 300, Greek 103) you equip yourself to read any Greek author. In our second-year courses (Greek 304, 305, 306, 307) students read selections of Xenophon (306), Plato (307), Homer (307), and biblical texts (304).

 

Required textbooks:

Anne Groton, From Alpha to Omega (4th ed.)

Anne Groton and James May, 46 Stories in Classical Greek

Recommended for extra practice:

Jennifer Starkey and John Bruss, From Alpha to Omega: Ancillary Exercises

 

Course grade components:

Homework: 35% (Submit via Canvas. Note course policies below)

Quizzes: 35% (Submit via Canvas. Note course policies below)

Final exam: 20% (Submit via Canvas, due 12/15. Note course policies below)

Participation: 10% (Note course policies below)

Course policies:

Homework: On days homework is due, please come to class having completed this to the best of your abilities and with questions about parts you didn鈥檛 understand or found difficult. We will generally go through most of the work together in class. You should make any necessary corrections to your work in class and then submit this via the provided link on Canvas by the end of the following day. If you are unable to do so, please let me know. I鈥檓 generally happy to grant extensions for illness or personal reasons but you need to request this in a timely fashion. I assign homework a grade based on satisfactory completion and performance.

Quizzes: These generally occur every two weeks on a Friday and are take home, open book style. You are allowed to consult your notes, Powerpoint presentations, and the textbook but should not discuss or share your answers with other students in the class. All the information you will need to complete the quiz is in the Powerpoint presentations and your textbook. Please do not attempt to find answers online. Quizzes are generally released on Canvas on Friday morning at 9am (sometimes earlier) and are due by 5 pm the following Monday. Submission is via Canvas. If you are unable to submit on time, please let me know. I鈥檓 generally happy to grant extensions for illness or personal reasons, but you need to request this in a timely fashion.

Participation: This assumes regular attendance in class but is assessed rather in terms of engagement with the class. This might be shown through interactions (constructive involvement in discussion, translation, questions, comments, curiosity about the material) both inside and outside of class. I try to call on all students in class and create an open and supportive atmosphere where students are comfortable responding even if they feel they do not have an answer or the 鈥渞ight鈥 answer. If you experience anxiety feel free to say 鈥淐an I pass on that one, please?鈥 or let me know outside class.

 

Chart used to convert percentages to GPA .

 

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW鈥檚 policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at . Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the .

 

Schedule (NB subject to change with notice: this version 9/27/2023)

 

Reading and homework is meant to be completed on the day assigned: e.g. 鈥淢 Oct. 3 Read pp. 9-11, Homework Ex A.1-8鈥 means you should come to class on that day having read pp. 9-11 and having attempted Ex A.1-8. You only need to submit homework if that is specifically requested and a submission link included. Submission can be made with corrections after class.

 

Week 1: Lessons 1,2

Before start of classes, please try to .

W Sept. 27  Introduction. Alphabet. Read pp. 1-6. Powerpoint .

Th Sept. 28  HW: A.1-24 (just copy the names to practice writing in Greek and then rewrite the names with English letters, e.g. 螤慰蟽蔚喂未峥段 Poseid艒n, don't worry about dividing into syllables). Submit .

F Sept. 29  Further work on reading and writing in Greek. Introduction to Accent (pp. 9-11, but don鈥檛 attempt to absorb all of this, and don鈥檛 panic, we will work on this gradually over the term!).

 

Week 2: Lessons 3,4

M Oct. 2 蠅-verbs. Read pp. 13-19, concentrate on sections 20-24. HW: take any two verbs other than 蟺伪喂未蔚蠉蠅 and generate and write down in Greek all possible forms introduced in this lesson (pres. indic. act. in all persons, s. and pl.; imperatives 2nd and 3rd person s. and pl.; infinitive). Submit . Powerpoint shown in class is .

T Oct. 3 蠅-verbs cont鈥檇. HW: G to E p. 20 nos 1,4,6,7,10; E to G nos 1,4. Submit .  We may look at this .

W Oct. 4 1st declension fem. nouns, part 1. Read pp. 21-25. Powerpoint shown in class is

Th Oct. 5 HW: take noun 峒愊喂蟽蟿慰位萎 and give all possible forms, s. and pl.; p. 26 G to E nos 6,7,8,9; E to G no. 1. Submit .

F Oct. 6 Quiz 1 (on quiz days class will not meet. Quiz is released  on Friday morning, students submit by the following Monday, 5 pm)

 

Week 3: Lessons 5,6

M Oct. 9 Lesson 5. First declension fem. nouns, part 2. Read pp. 27鈥29. Handout of Greek passages with forms of 峒纬慰蟻维 . Powerpoint summarizing what we did in class .

T Oct. 10 Lesson 6. 惟-verbs: future active indicative and infinitive. Read pp. 31鈥34. Homework: take nouns 胃蔚蟻维蟺伪喂谓伪 and 魏位委谓畏 from p.28 and give all forms. Lesson 5 p. 29 G to E sentences 5-10. E to G: 4. Submit .

W Oct. 11 Lesson 6. Homework: take any verb (except 蟺伪喂未蔚峤幌) from the list on p. 32 or introduced on p. 33 and give all forms of future active indicative plus future active infinitive. Lesson 6 p. 34 Gr.-Eng. sentences 1鈥5, Eng.-Gr. sentence  3. Bring to class, but no submission needed. Powerpoint about future active indicative .

Th Oct. 12 Prepare reading Lesson 5 p. 30 "A Fowl Plan Backfires". 

F Oct. 13 Prepare reading Lesson 6 p. 35 "Old Habits Never Die". Submit a translation . We looked at a (On the nature of animals, 15.11).

 

Week 4: Lessons 7,8

M Oct. 16 Lesson 7. Second declension masc. nouns. Read pp. 37鈥39. Powerpoint .

Note: T-Th classes this week will be taught by Prof. Olga Levaniouk while I am out of town - you'll like her!

T Oct. 17 Homework: choose any 2nd decl. noun on p. 39 (except 峒勎轿赶佅壪慰蟼  or 胃蔚峤瓜) and produce all possible forms. p. 40 Gr.-Eng. sentences 1鈥5, Eng.-Gr. sentence 2. Submit .

W Oct. 18 Lesson 8. Second declension neuter nouns, 1st/2nd decl. adjectives. Read pp. 43鈥48. Powerpoint .

Th Oct. 19 Homework: translate Lesson 7 reading 鈥淔leeting Joys and Fleeing Fish鈥, p. 40. English translation . Lesson 8 Gr.-Eng. sentences p. 48 1,2,5,7,9,10, Eng.-Gr. sentence 1. Answers . No submission required.

F Oct. 20 Quiz 2 . Reminder: we do not meet on quiz days.

 

Week 5: Lessons 9,10,11

M Oct. 23  Lesson 9 First declension masc. nouns., substantives. Read pp. 51鈥54. Powerpoint .

T Oct. 24 Homework: Gr.-Eng. sentences p. 54 1,5,6,7,10. Eng.-Gr. sentence 1. Submit . We looked at this .

W Oct. 25 Lesson 10 惟-verbs imperfect active indicative. Read pp. 57鈥60. Powerpoint

Th Oct. 26 Homework: Prepare a translation of 鈥淎sinine Behavior鈥 p. 55. In class: Worksheet on this passage and handout on particles 渭苇谓 and 未苇 and 慰峤栁. 

F Oct. 27 Lesson 11 惟-verbs middle and passive, prepositions. Read 搂18 in Lesson 3, p. 13-16, esp. 鈥淰oice鈥 (p. 14). Powerpoint . We may look at some readings

 

Week 6: Lesson 11 cont'd, Lesson 12

M Oct. 30 Homework:  Gr.-Eng. sentences p. 68鈥69 1鈥10 (pay special attention to vocab. notes on p. 68 for special meanings some of these verbs have in the middle voice), p. 69 Eng.-Gr. sentences 2. Submit .

T Oct. 31 Homework: Prepare a translation of 鈥淎n Ill-Fated Frog鈥 p. 70. Worksheet on this reading plus passage from Aristophanes Frogs .

W Nov. 1 Lesson 12 蔚峒拔坚椒, enclitics. Read pp. 71鈥74 (don鈥檛 panic re enclitics on pp. 73鈥74, we will take this gradually). Powerpoint .

Th Nov. 2 Homework: Gr.-Eng. p.75 1,2,3,4,7,8,9. Submit .

F Nov. 3 Quiz 3  We do not meet on quiz days.

 

Week 7: Lesson 13

M Nov. 6 Demonstratives. Read pp. 77鈥79. Powerpoint .

T Nov. 7 Homework: p. 80 1,4,5,6,7,9,10. Submit .

W Nov. 8 Homework: prepare reading p. 76 鈥淎 Sheepish Mistake鈥

Th Nov. 9 Homework: prepare reading p. 81 鈥淪ticking Together鈥. Submit . is the text broken up into sentences. is the Plutarch passage on the 海角网 峥ノ参次课 or fasces.

F Nov. 10 NO CLASS: Veterans Day

 

Week 8: Lessons 14,15

M Nov. 13 Personal Pronouns. Read pp. 83鈥85. Powerpoint .

T Nov. 14 Homework: Gr.-Eng. p. 85 1鈥8; Eng.-Gr. p. 86 2. Submit . To work on pronouns and 伪峤愊勏屜 we will look at some cool passages from  and .

W Nov. 15 Contract Verbs. Read pp. 87鈥92. Powerpoint .

Th Nov. 16 Homework:  prepare p. 93 Gr.鈥揈ng. 2鈥7, 9 for class.

F Nov. 17 Quiz 4. Submit .

 

Week 9: Lessons 16

M Nov. 20 Third Declension: Stop, Liquid, and Nasal Stems. Read pp. 95鈥98. Powerpoint presentation .

T Nov. 21 Homework: take the nouns 谓峤晃, 谓蠀魏蟿峤瓜 (f.) 鈥榥ight鈥 and 峒愇幌峤废, 峒愇幌峤肺次肯 (f.) 鈥榟ope鈥 and produce all possible forms. Gr.-Eng. p. 98 sentences 1,2,6,7,8,9. Submit .

W Nov. 22 There will be no class today in anticipation of holiday departures

Th Nov. 23 NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Day

F Nov. 24 NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break

 

Week 10: Lesson 17

M Nov. 27 Third declension cont鈥檇: sigma stems and adjectives. Read pp. 101-104. Powerpoint .

T Nov. 28 Decline fully the noun 纬苇谓慰蟼, 纬苇谓慰蠀蟼 (n.) 鈥渃lass, type鈥. Homework: p.104 1,3,4,7,9. Submit .

W Nov. 29 Prepare reading p.99 鈥淲here To Draw the Lion鈥. We looked at some additional material .

Th Nov. 30 Prepare reading p.106 鈥淥utfoxed鈥. Submit .

F Dec. 1 Quiz 5 .

 

Week 11: Review and reading

M Dec. 4 Review of lessons 3-7. Worksheet . Answers . of some poems by Sappho.

T Dec. 5 Review of lessons 8-10. Worksheet . Answers .

W Dec. 6 Review of lessons 11-13. Worksheet . We looked at a .

Th Dec. 7 Review of lessons 14-17. Worksheet .

Fr. Dec. 8 Reading.

 

Exam Week

M Dec. 11 Take-home final

F Dec. 15  Submit take-home final by 5.00pm

 

 

Catalog Description:
An intensive study of grammar, with reading and writing of simple Attic prose. First in a sequence of three. Course overlaps with: GREEK 300. Offered: A.
GE Requirements Met:
Arts and Humanities (A&H)
Credits:
5.0
Status:
Active
Last updated:
April 17, 2026 - 1:42 am