TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Course description and aims

This course is to study Classical Greek. The great epic of Homer, the Greek tragedy, the history of Herodotus, the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, and the mathematics of Euclid were all written in Classical Greek. We will learn the Attic Greek in our class, which was used in the 6th to 4th century BC in the Attic district in Greece. With the knowledge of Attic Greek, one can also read Homer ( 8th century BC ) and New Testament (2nd century AD, written in Koine Greek), as there are not many differences between Attic and Koine Greek.
Nowadays many new words are made from Greek and/or Latin words. For example, the word "television" was invented combining a Greek word "telos"(afar) and a Latin word "video"(to see). The ancient Greek civilization had a great inflience on later European civilization. By learning Classical Greek, we aim to obtain knowledge not only of the language but also of the Greek ideology.

Student learning outcomes

By studying Classical Greek, students will be able to read Greek original texts directly, rather than in translation. They will notice how many important and valuable messages are contained in these texts. Also they will be surprised at how vivid the massages are: they have not become obsolete, but keep on having fresh　impact still now, even though they were written more than 2800 years ago.

Keywords

Classical Greek

Competencies that will be developed

Class flow

Grammatical explanations are given at the classes, and exercises are requested as homework assignments.

Course schedule/Required learning

Textbook(s)

M. Tanaka and C. Matsudaira, Girisiago Nyuumon, Revised, Iwanami, 2012

Reference books, course materials, etc.

None

Assessment criteria and methods

Examination (30%), homework assignments (30%)

Related courses

• Classical Latin

Prerequisites (i.e., required knowledge, skills, courses, etc.)

None