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.
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.
Classical Greek
✔ Specialist skills | ✔ Intercultural skills | ✔ Communication skills | ✔ Critical thinking skills | Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
Grammatical explanations are given at the classes, and exercises are requested as homework assignments.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
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Class 1 | Conjugation of verbs (aorist, present and past perfect, indicative, active) | Memorize the conjugation of verbs (aorist, present and past perfect, indicative, active) |
Class 2 | Deictic pronouns, Mi-verbs | Memorize declension of deictic pronouns, Mi-verbs |
Class 3 | Accents of enclitic, Relative Pronouns, Indefinite Pronouns | Understand the accents of enclitic and relative pronouns |
Class 4 | Conjugation of verbs (indicative, middle), Personal pronouns | Memorize conjugation of verbs (indicative, middle) Personal pronouns |
Class 5 | Conjugation of verbs (aorist, indicative, active), Third declension of nouns | Memorize conjugation of verbs (aorist, indicative, active) and third declension of nouns |
Class 6 | Contracted verbs (1), Contracted verbs (2) | Memorize the conjugation of contracted verbs(1)(2) |
Class 7 | Conjugation of verbs (perfect passive), Adjectives | Memorize the conjugation of perfect passive and declention of adjectives. |
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. Matsudaira, Girisiago Nyuumon, Revised, Iwanami, 2012
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Examination (30%), homework assignments (30%)
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