Classics in Our World:
English Words from Ancient Greece
Our classical past has enriched Western Culture, and many languages. Many of us are unaware of the classical background of English words we use today. Part of our exploration of ancient Greece this semester will be to expand our understanding of our own language via the etymologies of its vocabulary.
To this end, students in CLST 1003 will delight one another with explanations of CLASSICS IN OUR WORLD. Most of these words are to be found in a good English dictionary, and on the Internet in the "Words and Phrases Glossary" of Oxford's "Classical Mythology" website: (http://www.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780195397703/student/glossaries/main/?view=usa). If you don't find what you want online, you should consult a big English dictionary, and/or go to Mullins Library. There are several works in Mullins Library that can give you the lowdown on all the mythology you need. There are a bunch in Reference, and a bunch on the shelves. If you want resources in Mullins Library, you can see them here: (http://www.uark.edu/campus-resources/dlevine/Bibliography.html). A good online reference source for Greek myths, with illustrations, is theoi.com: (http://www.theoi.com/).
Students will work in groups of two, and will receive their assignments in the first week of class.
Student presentations will involve:
1) Writing the word or phrase on the board in the Roman alphabet immediately before class begins,
2) Writing the relevant original word(s) IN GREEK LETTERS (upper and lower case) on the board immediately before class begins, and
3) BRIEFLY (in 2-3 minutes) explaining the classical figure, concept, myth, god, or idea associated with the words.
4) [Please inform your professor at least two days before your presentation what you have found.]
Note: In addition, students must bring an image to accompany their presentation. This may be online, on a memory storage device, or a hard-copy image. We will have a document camera to project from any paper image you bring.
Please check the list and note the days on which you will make your presentations. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO PREPARE YOUR PRESENTATION.
The professor encourages students to refer to our course texts and other original sources whenever possible when giving reports, so check out the indices of your texts when preparing your presentation. For example, if you get the word AMAZON, you will find a cool story about them in your Herodotus text, in book 4. Ditto on "rich as Croesus" (book 1). If you get "Electra Complex", you will do well to refer to Aeschylus' play LIBATION BEARERS, which is in our ORESTEIA text. If you get CloudCucooLand, be sure to refer to Aristophanes' Birds. Show us how well-read you are!
GRADING: Grades will be based on:
1. Accuracy of Information (Be sure to tell the truth);
2. Clarity and Concision of Presentation (Make sure that your report is succinct and understandable),
3. Connection with the class (Be sure that your voice is loud enough, that you make eye contact, and show that you care about your subject),
4. Proper Greek spelling and letter forms (This is why I want you to check with me before your presentation -- so I don't have to correct your work in class).
5. (and most importantly) Contacting the Professor AT LEAST two days before class to let him know what you have found, so he can check your work before your presentation. Failure to do this will have a negative effect on the grade.
The Professor will make assignments during the first week of class. When you get your assignments, LOOK THEM UP RIGHT AWAY. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. Many of you will have questions that I can answer, but not if you contact me just before your report is due.
Illustration: Columbia University Library, with names of Homer, Herodotus, Sophocles, Plato, Aristotle, Demosthenes, Cicero and Vergil on the Ionic Frieze.
Students will check the following list and note the days on which they will give presentations.
Wednesday September 04
Pyrrhic Victory : Justin Burrow
Platonic Love: Andrea Anderson
Monday September 09
titan, titanic : Mitchell Baker, Justin Bates
amazon : Courtney Beam
Wednesday SEPTEMBER 11
ambrosia, ambrosial: David Bell, Caitlyn Berry
stygian : Rachel Best, John Bohannon
Monday SEPTEMBER 16
Athenaeum : Jake Breslau
apple of discord : Olivia Brown, Anna Buckley
Wednesday SEPTEMBER 18
nestor : Valerie Straub, Collin Caley
cassandra : Erin Campbell, Amanda Campo
Monday SEPTEMBER 23
boustrophedon : Sebastian Carnazzo, Justin Cooper
chimera : Bailey Cunningham, William Dalton
Wednesday SEPTEMBER 25
chaos : Peyton Davis, Gerrit Deboer
demon : Jerry Dillard, Dakota Dixon
Monday SEPTEMBER 30
The Socratic Method : Joshua Dodson, Justin Dollman
echo : Collin Dudine, Beau Eaves
Wednesday October 02
Honors Students Meet.
Monday OCTOBER 07
In-Class Odyssey Essays.
Wednesday OCTOBER 09
Ganymede (astronomy): Brandon Elston, Christopher Evans
gorgon, gorgonian, gorgonize : Tyler Evatt, Samuel Mayhall
Monday OCTOBER 14
hector (as a verb, as a noun) : Caroline Fox
panic : Robert Grigg, Joy, Groncki
Wednesday OCTOBER 16
academe, academy : Megan Guinn, Kiera N. McManness
Electra complex : Carol Harper, Elizabeth Hernandez
Monday October 21: FALL BREAK
Wednesday OCTOBER 23
solon : Victoria Godfrey, John Hoganson
nemesis : William Holt, Taylor Howell
Monday OCTOBER 28
laconic : Abigail Jobst, Zachary Johnson
lethe, lethargy, lethargic : Morgan Keaton, William Yaeger
Wednesday OCTOBER 30
mausoleum : Sean Kincade, Bridgette Kremer
hymen, hymneal : Christopher Lail, Andre Lamas
Monday November 04
mentor : Laylah Leon, Sean Lincoln
Midas' ass's ears/Midas touch/the golden touch : Jamie Luther, Marisa Mackey
Wednesday NOVEMBER 06
psephology/psephologist : Jesus Magana, Jordan Hoelzeman
draconian : Megan McPherson, Michaela Mertz
Monday NOVEMBER 11
symposium : Cort Murdoch, Jacob McCrary
narcissus, narcissism, narcissist : Erin O'Brien, Michaela Parks
Wednesday NOVEMBER 13
nympholepsy/nympholept : Christopher Perry, Valeria Pierola Suzuki
The motto of the United States Postal Service: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." (Hint: Herodotus Histories 8.98) : Hannah Piper, Megan Price
Monday NOVEMBER 18
Honors Students Meet.
Wednesday NOVEMBER 20
satyr, satyriasis, satyromaniac : Jonathan Prince, Cody Rader
Elysian Fields/Elysian/Elysium : Alice Randall, Autumn Rankin
Monday NOVEMBER 25
erotic, erotica, erotomania : Tesa Renner, Mariel Royan
Io (astronomy), Ionian : John Ryan, Roberto San Agustin
Wednesday November 27: Thanksgiving Break
Monday DECEMBER 02
harpy : Marlene Richardson, Daniel Schaffner
protean: Ulysses Talbert, Brian Stephenson
Wednesday DECEMBER 4
procrustean : Katherine Stewart, Spencer Stidman
palladium (two meanings): Allie Taylor, Alayna Swanson
hecatomb : Cameron Vincent, Jackson Waldrip
Aphrodisiac, anaphrodisiac : Leslie Wood, Regan Pelloquin
Wednesday December 11
Europa (astronomy), Europe : Elizabeth Word, Sang Wui
Nike : John A. Wooten, Iana Yegoiants
The kindly centaur Chiron holds baby Achilles, his student. Chiron's job was to teach Achilles the art of medicine, and how to be a good man. This centaur has human legs instead of horse legs, to show that he is more civilized than other centaurs. In the Iliad, Achilles had the spear that Chiron had given to Peleus, Achilles' father. (Iliad 4.219; 11.832; 16.143; 19.390)
Return to Main Page: CLST 1003.