Attendance is mandatory. More than two (2) unexcused absences will result in the lowering of your final grade by a full grade [an A becomes a B]. More than three (3) unexcused absences results in a failing grade. An unexcused absence is an absence for which you do not receive a note from the Health Center or Dean of Student's Office. Students who maintain perfect attendance will receive an extra 2.5 points on their exam average as a reward for their devotion [if your exam grades average to 85 (B), you will receive and 87.5 (B+).Class participation is mandatory. For translation sessions, participation consists of a) adequate preparation of homework assigments and your willingness and ability to demonstrate that preparation in class translations. For the seminar sessions, participation consists of adequate preparation of secondary readings; and contributions to class discussions based on secondary readings. For grammar review sessions, participation requires preparation of homework assignments and participation in class drills and exercises.
Assignments are due on the dates listed on the Assignment Calendars. No make ups will be allowed and I will accept no late assignments unless you receive an excuse from the Dean's Office. Failure to hand in an assignment on the date on which it is due will result in you receiving a "0" for that assignment.
Use Common Sense: If you are sick, do not come to class and spread your germs. Go to the health center and get [prescription] drugs. If you have a personal or family situtation that requires you to be away from class - go to the Dean's Office and attend to the problem. BUT, if you've simply forgotten to do your homework, COME TO CLASS. The single greatest cause of disasters in language courses arise from failure to attend class. It is better to attend unprepared, than to fail to attend.
Two nights a week you will be assigned a section of the Satyricon to translate in our next class meeting. These assignments vary in length according to the level at which you have registered for the course. I will assume that you have read the Preparation Page when I evaluate you class participation.
I will give three one hour in class exams and a one hour final. The exams will not be cummulative. For these exams you will translate passages we have read in class prior to the exam and asked to explain the syntax of sentences within the passages. Latin 201 students will also provide Latin translations of English sentences based on material we have covered in grammar review sessions prior to the exam. Latin 301/401 students will also provide site translations of glossed passages of Petronius we have not read in class.
Latin 201 Students:You will prepare several (depending on how many 201 students there are) reports based on a list of articles (listed on the Article Report page and available on reserve in Ladd, and if I'm lucky, electronically on the web). You must sign up for the report by Wednesday of the second week of class (September 13, 2000). The first article report will be due on Wednesday, September 20, 2000. Your report should summarize and criticize the arguments the author of the article(s) makes. Plan to spend no more than 5 to 10 minutes on these reports.
Latin 301 Students:
You will each prepare one, five page (1500 word) seminar report based on one of a list of books (listed on the Seminar Report page and available on reserve in Ladd library) that treat topics relating to the literary and cultural world of Petronius. You must sign up for which book you want to give a report by Wednesday of the second week of class (September 13, 2000). The first seminar report will be due on Wednesday, September 20, 2000.
Your report should take 10 - 15 minutes to give, depending on how quickly you speak. Your report should explain and critique the principal arguments of the book you have read, and discuss how they might help us better understand the Satyricon.
One week after you have given your report, you must hand in (or email) to me a copy of your written report (you may want to rethink your analysis based on comments in class). If you email your report to me, please do not use any formatting (bold face, etc.). If you choose not to email it, please hand it in to me on a floppy disk. I will post the report on the class web page. Information on how I evaluate the content of papers is available on the Paper Content Page. Information on formal requirements (cover page, bibliography, sanctions for typos, etc.) is available on the Paper Form Page. I will assume you have read these pages when I grade your seminar reports.
Latin 401 Students:
You will write a 10-15 page research paper on the Satyricon for this course.
Information on how I evaluate the content of papers is available on the Paper Content Page. Information on formal requirements (cover page, bibliography, sanctions for typos, etc.) is available on the Paper Form Page. I will assume you have read these pages when I grade your seminar reports.
You will "workshop" your papers in class beginning in Week 6. You must sign up for a workshop date by Friday of Week 4 (September 29, 2000). When you sign up, you must submit a working title (you can change it later) and a one paragraph thesis statement for your paper (you can change it later). On the day you workshop your paper, bring to class an outline of your paper which includes your working title, your thesis paragraph and the passages from the Satyricon and any secondary scholarship you plan to use (you can change these later). In the workshop you will explain your thesis and argument and how the passages you cite support the premise of your arguments.
We seminar members will offer you feedback, challenge your premises (in order to help you improve them), and suggest other sources of primary and secondary scholarship which might further support your argument, or which challenge your argument and which you will have to account for in your final paper. All seminar members will diligenty endeavour to support your effort to write a great paper. This means their criticisms will be offered in a constructive spirit and where you've done a bang up job, they will be delighted to congratulate you on your success.