GREK UN1121

Learned all of the basics of Ancient Greek

A lot of complicated concepts made simple by the instructor.

Greek! A lot of Greek. A whole textbook worth of Greek, in fact. But also, how languages work.

A lot! The class is 3 days a week, and there are 20 chapters in the Hansen & Quinn. You have a drill on the forms and vocab of one chapter every other class (20%), then a hw (10 sentences) due for the other classes (20%). Then there is a quiz for every 2 chapters (20%). Two midterms (20%), one final (20%).

This is an intensive course, so HEAVY. Vocabulary, grammatical forms, at least 10 sentences to translate a night, occasional English-to-Greek translations, a quiz a week, a reasonable midterm, and a final on the last day of class. Fortunately, Pedro understands that the workload is very nearly impossible, and he does an excellent job of accomodating the inevitable missteps while still keeping the class moving forward.

Pretty Heavy: Homework from Grammatical Exercises in the textbook to be handed in every class; 2 quizzes every week; 2 midterms, 1 presentation at the end of the semester, cumulative (and very difficult) final.

We learned almost all of Mastronarde's textbook in rapid fire, and began to have a grasp on effectively translating. Professor Golab was excellent at explaining the nuances behind some of the forms that were unmentioned in the textbook, which massively helped ease confusion. I learned how to dissect sentences and parse their verbs effectively and quickly. Golab also allowed for creativity in our translations- obviously with the general meaning and aspects of the sentence kept intact- and being able to aim for more literary translations became a highlight of this class for me.

I approached this course with no previous knowledge of Ancient Greek, and left with a relatively complete grasp of its grammar. I was amazed at how much Greek I could learn in a semester, and feel prepared for higher-level language and translation courses.

Everything in Mastronarde's Introduction to Attic Greek.

Some of the reviews here are really quite unfair. Yes, the workload of Intensive Elementary Ancient Greek is insane--that is why it is called "Intensive". It should be expected. You should only take this class if you have some reason to need to learn Ancient Greek in one semester (starting classics late, double major, or premed perhaps) and if you have the time to commit to learning the material. The class covers two semesters of Greek in one semester, without any more class time than the regular elementary class, so you really need to commit the outside time to studying for the material. You cannot slack off because everything is cummulative and the material only gets harder as the course progresses. It does feel masochistic at times, but if you really love Greek it will pay off. Quite simply, if you devote the time to study you will do well and if you don't, you won't. Professor Dickey presents the material very clearly and her expectations/course workload are very straightforward. She is very approachable if you ever need help and even gives you her weekend number if you need help in this course. Furthermore, she always accepts extra homework sentences for extra credit. This class is insane, but if you must take it, I entirely recommend Professor Dickey.