General expectations

By Sunday night and on the morning before each Wednesday and Friday class, students do the assigned reading in our texbook and/or in our Xenophon text, take notes, and complete homework exercises. There will usually be some homework to be turned in via email; if so, it will be handed back, with corrections and point totals, at the beginning of the next class.

Class time is spent reviewing homework, reviewing Xenophon, learning new material, and completing exercises to reinforce that material. Exercises might be completed individually or (where appropriate) in collaboration with peers. Solutions to readings and exercises are revealed in class and students grade their responses and tally up their points. Additional discussion and lecture may precede or follow.

All class members are expected to participate fully in each session and to work diligently and (during collaboration) respectfully with their peers. Students may use the textbook and written notes, but no other outside resources (especially the internet) without the permission of the instructor.

Assignments are detailed in advance on Prof. Curley's CG 210 Blog. In addition, each blog post is sent automatically to your Skidmore email. You are responsible for checking the blog and/or making sure emailed posts are being sent to your inbox (as opposed to your junk/spam folder).

One of our two exams occupies an entire class period; the other takes place during the exam period. On all exams students work on their own.

All work is subject to the standards of the Skidmore College Honor Code, and the following statement applies to every assignment, exercise, and test in CG 210:

"I have not witnessed any wrongdoing, nor have I personally violated any conditions of the Skidmore Honor Code while taking this examination."

Earning points

Homework exercises (30%)

Sunday assignments are due by 11:00 p.m. Wednesday and Friday assignments are due by 8:00 a.m. (You may, of course, submit any of them earlier.) Your answers to the exercises should sent to Prof. Curley as a PDF attachment to an email — not as a Word document, not in the body of the email itself. Late assignments or those formatted incorrectly are not acceptable. PRO TIP: make sure your document shows your name and the current date.

Each sentence or problem is generally worth 0-3 points, depending on the correctness of your answer.

Correctness	Points
total	3
high to maximal	2
medium to high	1
low to none	0

Prof. Curley corrects and/or annotates your responses as appropriate. When completing your homework, you may collaborate with teamates, classmates, and tutors — provided that you are actively involved in the process.

In-class exercises (25%)

In large part, these resemble your homework exercises and are desgined to reinforce recent material. Sometimes you will be required to work on your own; at other times you may consult with your peers as you see fit. Solutions will be provided in class and you are responsible for grading your efforts and tallying your points on your own personal totals sheet.

We will devote more and more time over the course of the semester to reading selections from Xenophon's Anabasis. These readings will require you to read the Greek ahead of time and then to explain it in class, for which you will earn additional points.

When you read Xenophon, avoid writing out a translation (you won't be allowed to read from it — though small notes on points of grammar and vocabulary are permissable). Rather, train yourself to be able to parse and unpack the Greek with each reading.

Exams (30%)

The two exams are more or less of equal value, emphasize the material covered to date, and resemble both homework and in-class exercises. In addition, they feature passages for extended translation and to read aloud. Your exam grade will be based on the total number of exam points you earn this semester. See the Calendar page for exact dates.

Vocabulary quizzes (15%)

At the beginning of each Wednesday class, students take a 20-minute vocabulary quiz. The quiz provides English definitions; you supply the complete Greek vocabulary entry. The points you earn throughout the term will comprise your quiz grade.

To prepare for each quiz, you should review regularly the vocabulary in Groton's textbook, whether consulting the flashcards on Quizlet, the customizable word lists at The Bridge, or making your own cards and lists.

If you've never used Quizlet before, or need a refresher, please watch the Using Quizlet video for a complete demonstration of how the vocabulary exercises and tests work. The video was made for my Elementary Latin class, but the principles are exactly the same.

Other important policies

Attendance

Attendance at all sessions is mandatory. You are allowed ONE unexcused absence (due to illness or some other emergency). Other absences must be excused before class; late excuses will not be accepted.

Academic Integrity

Skidmore's Academic Integrity Handbook (p. 6) defines plagiarism as "copying, paraphrasing, or imitating another person's ideas, information, data, words, descriptions, choice of evidence, structure of argument, and so on." It does not matter whether that person's work appears in print or on the web. Cases of plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional, will be referred to the Office of Academic Advising for appropriate sanctions.

Laptops/Tablets/Phones

Unless you require a laptop or tablet as a special accommodation (such as for a DISABILITY, below), laptops and tablets should not be used during class. Likewise, phones should be silenced and stored away.

If a laptop or other device is determined to be essential to your learning, you will be asked to fill out and sign an agreement form that defines appropriate in-class use.

Disability

If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need academic accommodation, you must formally request accommodation from Meg Hegener, Coordinator for Student Access Services. You will also need to provide documentation that verifies the existence of a disability and supports your request. For further information, please call 580-8150 or stop by the office of Student Academic Services in Starbuck Center

Trigger warning

The material of Classical Studies, is often violent and explicit. Please be prepared for material that might make you or your peers uncomfortable. If you have concerns about our readings, exercises, or discussions, please bring them to my attention.

Title IX Statement

Skidmore College considers sexual and gender-based misconduct to be one of the most serious violations of the values and standards of the College. Unwelcome sexual contact of any form is a violation of students’ personal integrity and their right to a safe environment and therefore violates Skidmore’s values. Sexual and gender-based misconduct is also prohibited by federal regulations.

Skidmore College faculty are committed to supporting our students and upholding gender equity laws as outlined by Title IX. If a student chooses to confide in a member of Skidmore’s faculty or staff regarding an issue of sexual or gender-based misconduct, that faculty or staff member is obligated to tell Skidmore’s Title IX Deputy Coordinator.

The Title IX Deputy Coordinator will assist the student in connecting with all possible resources for support and reporting both on and off campus. Identities and details will be shared only with those who need to know to support the student and to address the situation through the college’s processes. If the student wishes to confide in a confidential resource, The Counseling Center Staff, Health Services, and Victim Advocates are all options available.

More information can be found at https://www.skidmore.edu/sgbm/ or by contacting the Title IX Deputy Coordinator.