This course is to study Classical Greek. The great epic of Homer, the Greek tragedy, the history of Herodotus, the philosophy of Plato, Aristotle, and the mathematics of Euclid were all written in Classical Greek. We will learn 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 differeces 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 influence on later European civilization. By learning Classical Greek, we aim to obtain knowledge not only of the language but also of the Greek ideology.
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 messages are; they have not become obsolete, but keep on having fresh impact still now, even though they were written more than 2800 years ago.
Classical Greek
✔ Specialist skills | ✔ Intercultural skills | ✔ Communication skills | ✔ Critical thinking skills | Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
Grammatical explanations are given at class, and exercises are required as homework assignments.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
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Class 1 | Imperatives, Indirect speeches | Memorize the conjugation of imperatives. Understand the use of indirect speeches. |
Class 2 | Verbal adjectives. Negatives | Understand the use of verbal adjectives. Understand the use of negatives. |
Class 3 | Readings (Aesop Fables, Principia of Euclid) | Practice to read the original texts. |
Class 4 | Readings (The King Oedipus) | Practice to read the original texts. |
Class 5 | Readings、The Iliad of Homer (1) | Practice to read the original texts. |
Class 6 | Readings、 The Iliad of Homer (2) | Practice to read the original texts. |
Class 7 | Readings The Iliad of Homer (3) | Practice to read the original texts. |
Class 8 | Examination |
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
M. Tanaka and C. Matsdaira, GIrisiago Nyuumon, Revised, Iwanami, 2012
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Examination(70%), home assignments(30%)
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