Course Description : This course is the first course of a year-long sequence designed to give students the ability to read and interpret Koine (or Hellenistic) Greek. Such ability is essential for students who wish to understand the New Testament, the Septuagint (and “Old Greek”), other Jewish literature, early Christian literature, and other Mediterranean literature. The fall and winter quarters of this course are devoted to giving the student the ability to read Greek at a basic level. These quarters will include a survey of Greek grammar and the development of a basic Greek vocabulary. The spring quarter will primarily be devoted to the reading and exegesis of Greek texts and will further develop the student’s vocabulary and the student’s understanding of Greek grammar.

Croy, N. Clayton. A Primer of Biblical Greek. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 2011. (ISBN-13: 978-0802867339)

The following books will not be used during the Fall Quarter, but they are inordinately useful for reading and interpreting Greek texts and developing competency in reading Greek.

Danker, Frederick W., Walter Bauer, and William Arndt. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature . 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001. (ISBN-13: 978-0226039336)

Danker, Frederick W. and Kathryn Krug. The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament . Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2009. (ISBN-13: 978-0226136158)

Nestle, Eberhard, Erwin Nestle, Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, Bruce M. Metzger, and Universität Münster. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28 Aufl., Stuttgart 2012. (ISBN-13: 978-1619700307 )

Van Voorst, Robert E. Building Your New Testament Greek Vocabulary . Resources for Biblical Study. 3rd ed. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2001. (ISBN-13: 978-0884140429)

Course Outcomes: Students should possess the following competencies when they complete this year-long sequence:

Degree Learning Goals: Please take some time to look over the Professional Degree Learning Goals (MDiv, MASC, MAPSC) and the Academic Degree Learning Goals (MTS, MA).

Incompletes: If incompletes are allowed in this course, see the Master's Student Handbook for Policies and Procedures.

Pass/Fail: Masters students wishing to take the class pass/fail should discuss this with the instructor by the second class session.

Academic Integrity and Community Covenant: All students are expected to abide by Iliff’s statement on Academic Integrity, as published in the Masters Student Handbook, or the Joint PhD Statement on Academic Honesty, as published in the Joint PhD Student Handbook, as appropriate. All participants in this class are expected to be familiar with Iliff’s Community Covenant.

Accommodations: Iliff engages in a collaborative effort with students with disabilities to reasonably accommodate student needs. Students are encouraged to contact their assigned advisor to initiate the process of requesting accommodations. The advising center can be contacted at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303-765-1146.

Writing Lab: Grammar and organization are important for all written assignments. Additional help is available from the Iliff Writing Lab, which is available for students of any level who need help beginning an assignment, organizing thoughts, or reviewing a final draft.

Inclusive Language: It is expected that all course participants will use inclusive language in speaking and writing, and will use terms that do not create barriers to classroom community.

1. Actively read through the first 17 chapters of Croy’s A Primer of Basic Greek.
We will work through the first 17 chapters of Croy’s grammar by covering approximately two chapters per week. The chapters are not generally long, and you would do well to review them a second time after you read through them once.

2. Complete enough exercises to make yourself comfortable with the syntax and vocabulary of each chapter and be able to translate them without your notes.
In the past, I have recommended that students do at least eight exercises every chapter. Frequently, I have had students complete all of the exercises for most chapters (excluding the English-to-Greek composition exercises, although some did these as well). The better you know and understand the exercises from the New Testament and the Septuagint, the better you will know the material that each chapter covers. I want you to know however many exercises you choose well enough to translate them without the aid of your notes. Consequently, I expect you to make a short video of yourself reading five or more exercises from every chapter without any translation aids. If you forget a word, you can look it up in the back of your book. Please, though, do not write in your book! I am looking for evidence of progress, not perfection, in your translations!

3. Participate in group reading and exegetical exercises.
Throughout the quarter, we will have the opportunity to meet together to read Greek in Google Hangouts. If your schedule permits, join us as you are able. If your schedule does not permit, consider translating a biblical passage in that week’s discussion area. In addition, we will have occasion to discussion related to Greek exegesis. I expect you to contribute substantively to these discussions.

4. Submit an informal learning agreement (approximately one half of a page to a page) by the end of week 2.
Too often, instructors limit how students learn based upon their own pedagogical predispositions. Several studies have noted, however, that people learn languages in different ways. What may work for one person may not work for another. In this learning agreement, please identify (1) how you expect this class to contribute to the goals you have for taking the course, (2) what concrete actions you plan to take to meet these goals, and (3) the grade you hope to receive at the end of this course. Your goals should be attainable with reasonable effort. After you and I read Greek together privately for the second time, we can discuss how you have met, not met, or surpassed your goals and whether you feel you have earned the grade you set out to attain. In the majority of cases, you will receive the grade you feel you have earned. If I see major discrepancies between the grade you feel you have earned and your overall grasp of the material, we will enter into negotiation.

5. Read with me twice throughout the quarter privately (once in the middle of the quarter and once before the end of the quarter), so that we can identify your strengths and weaknesses in order to direct your energies more efficiently.
These are not examinations per se. Rather, they allow us to assess your progress and deficiencies together in order to determine how you might reach your long term goal to know Greek.

6. Develop a substantial vocabulary (in order to wean you as soon as possible from relying too heavily on a lexicon!).
All students will be expected to know the vocabulary Croy presents in the first 17 chapters of his Primer. Some students want to achieve even greater proficiency in Greek. The best way to prepare for intermediate Greek is to develop a substantial Greek vocabulary. In modern languages, first year students will generally attain a working vocabulary of 1500-2000 words. Unfortunately, ancient language instructors often have rather lower expectations. After a student knows 2000 words, that student can generally start to guess the meaning of unknown vocabulary words with a fairly high degree of accuracy. Students who want to read Greek at an intermediate level one day should focus on building their vocabulary as much as possible.

Date	Day	Details
Sep 16, 2015	Wed	The Alphabet, Pronunciation, and Diphthongs	due by 05:59AM
Sep 18, 2015	Fri	Accentuation, Punctuation, and the Septuagint	due by 05:59AM
Sep 30, 2015	Wed	Reading Groups #1	due by 05:59AM
Oct 04, 2015	Sun	Exegetical Discussion #1: Debate regarding the Genitive Case	due by 05:59AM
Oct 15, 2015	Thu	Reading Groups #2	due by 05:59AM
Oct 18, 2015	Sun	Exegetical Discussion #2	due by 05:59AM
Oct 24, 2015	Sat	Reading Groups #3	due by 05:59AM
Nov 01, 2015	Sun	Exegetical Discussion #3: ἐπιούσιος	due by 05:59AM
Nov 12, 2015	Thu	Reading Groups #4	due by 06:59AM
Nov 15, 2015	Sun	Exegetical Discussion #4	due by 06:59AM

IST2035-1OL-FA15 - Greek I

Greek I