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Latin 103: First Semester Latin
Fall 2018
M-Th 11-11:50 AM / 4-4:50 PM
Instructor: Dr. Wesolowski
Office: Curtin Hall 886
E-mail:
Office Hours: TBAand by appointment
Course Description:
Latin 103 introduces the alphabet, vocabulary and grammar of classical Latin through a reading method. The goals of this course are to survey Latin syntax, morphology, and vocabulary, and to build your confidence in reading passages of Latin.
This is a four-credit course; you should plan on regularly doing more work for this course than for a three-credit course.
Texts:
Required:
Hans Ørberg. Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata. Pars I. FamiliaRomana. Focus,
2005. ISBN: 1-58510-201-6
Hans Ørberg. Exercitia Latina I. Focus, 2005. ISBN: 1-58510-212-1
Course Grammar Guide – Reader to be purchased at Clark Graphics
Optional:
Jeanne Neumann. Lingua Latina: A Companion to FamiliaRomana. Focus, 2016. – 2nd edition ISBN: 978-1-58510-809-1
Other Requirements:
You are responsible for checking your official UWM email account and D2L for additional course announcements, materials, and assignments daily. If you have questions, you must submit them through the UWM email system because of student privacy laws.
Course Evaluation
Participation/In-Class work: 15%
Attendance is mandatory. If you miss class excessively (i.e., beyond three absences) or are frequently late to class, your final course grade will be adjusted downward 0.5% for each additional absence. Being late to class is a half absence. You are considered late if you are not in your seat when instruction begins. Use your absences wisely; absences will not be “excused” except in very dire circumstances, or for official university activities. Also be aware that if you miss more than half of the class meetings leading up to an exam you will be ineligible to take the exam.
Normally every student will have a chance to respond to questions in class. You should make yourself participate and answer questions every day.
It is natural to make mistakes when learning a new language and you will not be penalized for them. However, if you are clearly not paying attention (this includes talking during class), regularly cannot answer questions or have not prepared an assigned passage, your grade will suffer. Repeated unpreparedness and inattention will negatively impact your final grade.
Note: You should bring the Lingua Latina book and Grammar Guide to class with you. Laptops, cell phones, and other electronic devices are not permitted in class.
Homework: 10%
Homework will regularly be assigned and will be due the next course meeting unless otherwise announced. Homework will sometimes be done online or sometimes written (or typed) out. Late homework will not be accepted. The lowest three homework assignments will be dropped. You will, however, be allowed one clemency assignment that you may turn in late in case you forget your notebook, do the wrong assignment, life gets in the way, etc.
Neatness on the written work is very important. Written assignments to be turned in should have the following format:
- Your name in the top right corner; staple multiple pages (no paper clips or folded corners)
- Write neatly (print, no cursive) or type all homework assignments. You must include macrons! These may be added by hand or typed using shortcut keys.
- Leave space between lines - double space your work!
- “Fill in the blank” exercises should have the word(s) that you’re filling in underlined.
Note: 3 points will be deducted from your grade on the exercise for each one of these formatting requirements that you omit.
Note also: Place your homework on the table at the front of the room when you arrive, even if you are late.
Quizzes (lowest two grades dropped): 20%
There will be quizzes at the end of each chapter focusing on the material and vocabulary we have worked with. There will also be additional pop quizzes to make sure you keep up with the work. There will be no makeups of pop quizzes; chapter quizzes should be treated like exams: no makeups without documentation of emergencies, etc. However, your two lowest quiz grades will be dropped, so a zero on a quiz missed due to illness or emergency will not harm your grade.
Two Exams: 30% and Final Exam: 25%
There will be two exams and a final exam. The exams are cumulative. Exams cannot be made up. Exceptions will be made in cases of extreme emergency, which must be properly documented. If an emergency does arise, you must contact the lecturer no later than 48 hours after the scheduled exam time. After 48 hours, no exceptions will be made. (See schedule below for dates.)
Grading Scale:A+ = 98-100B+ = 88-89C+ = 78-79D+ = 68-69F = 59 - 0
A = 93-97B = 83-87C = 73-77D = 63-67
A- = 90-92B- = 80-82C- = 70-72D- = 60=62
Classics Program Administrative Drop Policy:
Students must show evidence of participation during the first week of enrollment in the course or be subject to administrative drop. Throughout the subsequent withdrawal period, any student for whom there is no evidence of participation in the course for a period of 4 consecutive class meetings will be issued a warning of pending administrative drop from the course via email. If the student fails to respond with documentation that his/her lack of participation is due to excusable circumstances recognized by the University (hospitalization, active military service, etc.) within one week, s/he may be subject to administrative drop from the course.
Academic Misconduct:
Everything that you do in this class for a grade should be your work alone. This includes all work on examinations, quizzes, and graded written homework. Any work that appears not to be your own will receive a zero. Stay away from online translations, etc. Two violations will result in a failing grade for the course in accordance with “Group B” Sanctions. (See the website below for details.) It is your responsibility to inform yourself of the University guidelines for Academic Misconduct. For University policy on Academic Misconduct, including procedures that I must follow should a student violate the rules, see the following web page:
Other University Policies:
For policies governing participation by students with disabilities, accommodation for religious observances, academic misconduct, complaint procedures, grade appeal procedures, sexual harassment, incompletes, and financial obligation, please see the Classics bulletin board outside the offices of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, 8th floor, Curtin Hall, or the full explanation maintained by the Secretary of UWM at
As per the university regulations, for a 4 credit course you should anticipate 192 hours of work for the semester, or 12 hours a week for 16 weeks. For this course, this should roughly translate to: 4 hours of class meeting time a week; 4 hours of reading preparation a week; 3 hours of homework a week; 1 hour of studying for quizzes. Times are approximate and will differ in weeks when there are exams.
Course Schedule: NOTE! This is a best-case scenario schedule, gleaned from a mostly-foggy crystal ball. You will be notified of changes in class. Exam dates, however, are rarely moved.
Weeks 1-6: Capitula 1-5
Week 7: Exam this week.
Weeks 7-11: Capitula 6-9
Week 12: Catch up/Review; Exam this week
Weeks 12-16: Capitula 10-12; Review for exam
A final exam review session will be on Reading Day of the Fall Semester at noon.
Final Exam: TBA
For all Classics Majors and Minors: All students enrolled as majors or minors in a Classics concentration (Latin, Greek, and Classical Civilization), as well as those who would like to enroll as majors or minors, should contact the Program Coordinator, Prof. Cova () as soon as possible.
Certificate Program in Ancient Mediterranean Studies (CAMS)
UWM offers a number of interdisciplinary certificates that students can earn in addition to the usual majors and minors. The Certificate Program in Ancient Mediterranean Studies (CAMS) is designed to encourage students to pursue a serious interest in the ancient Mediterranean world in a structured way. A variety of disciplines are concerned with reconstructing various aspects of ancient civilizations, including linguistics, history, archaeology, art history, anthropology, philosophy, and literary studies. Latin 103 counts toward fulfilling the language requirement of the CAMS certificate. For more information on the CAMS program, including course requirements, faculty, and upcoming events, be sure to check our website: