Monmouth College:  Fall 2008

CLAS-225-01 Scientific Terminology, 2 credits

TTH 9:30-10:20, WH 102

Instructor:  Dr. Wine, office WH 16, x2332; office hours:  MWF 11:00-11:30

 

Course Description: 

This course examines Greek and Latin word elements in a variety of scientific language contexts, including medicine, biology, chemistry, and physics. It also considers ways to use technical dictionaries and Greek and Latin roots of the English language to understand and use scientific terminology. The course enables students to become more conscious of words and their history and to increase their English vocabulary through their study of how words are formed, learning Latin and Greek elements in English words, and practice using a dictionary effectively.

Texts:

Ayers, Donald M. Bioscientific Terminology: Words from Latin and Greek Stems. Tucson: University of Arizona press, 1956.

Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. 20th ed. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company, 2005.

Class Goals, Format, and Evaluation:

 

Weekly quizzes and daily homework count as 50% of the final grade. A midterm and a final exam count as the other 50% of the final grade.

 

Quizzes may be made up within two weeks for half credit. Quizzes taken on time may be corrected for half credit on points lost.

 

Participation in class doesn’t require all correct answers, but does require attendance and responding to questions.

 

Grading scale:  A (100-91), B (90-80), C (79-68), D (67-57).

 

Schedule:  The following schedule shows when material will be covered in class.  The instructor may make modifications announced in class, however, as necessary, based on class needs and preferences; it is the student’s responsibility to be aware of changes made in class.

 

Week 1. LATIN bases, prefixes,

Tue, Aug 26.    introduction: combining forms

Thu, Aug 28.  diagnostic exam; 21-23

 

Week 2. Latin suffixes

Tue, Sept 2.     24-26

Thu, Sept 4.     quiz

 

Week 3. more Latin suffixes

Tue, Sep 9.      27-29

Thu, Sep 11.    quiz

 

Week 4. even more Latin suffixes

Mon, Sep 15.  7:30, Morgan Room: “Roman Gladiators”

Tue, Sep 16.    30-32

Thu, Sep 18.    quiz

 

Week 5. Latin verb suffixes and nouns

Tue, Sep 23.    33-36

Thu, Sep 25.    quiz

    

Week 6. Latin nouns and adjectives

Tue, Sep 30.    37-40

Thu, Oct 2.       quiz

 

Week 7.

Tue, Oct 7.       review                        

Thu, Oct 9.       midterm

Sat, Oct 11.     1:00, Augustana College: “Oscar Broneer, World-Class Archaeologist”

    

Week 8. GREEK bases, prefixes, alphabet

Tue, Oct 14.     Fall Break

Thu, Oct 16.    1-2

 (or 23?). 7:30, Morgan Room:  “Return of ‘Elgin Marbles’”

 

Week 9. Greek suffixes

Tue, Oct 21.     3-5

Thu, Oct 23.     quiz

            4:00: “Classical Cartoon Art”

 

Week 10. more Greek suffixes

Tue, Oct 28.     6-8

Thu, Oct 30.     quiz

 

Week 11. Greek noun-forming, diminutive, and verb-forming suffixes

Tue, Nov 4.      9-12

Thu, Nov 6.      quiz

 

 

 

Week 12. Greek plurals and words from mythology

Mon, Nov 10.  7:30, Morgan Room: “Identity and Practice of Archaeology”

Tue, Nov 11. 13-15

Thu, Nov 13.    quiz

 

Week 13. changes of meanings and in forms

Tue, Nov 18.     17-20

Thu, Nov 20.    quiz

Thurs, Nov 20. 7:30, Morgan Room: “Archaeology in Romania

 

Week 14.

Tue, Nov 25.      review

Thu, Nov 27.      Thanksgiving

Week 15

Tue, Dec 2.        review

Thu, Dec 4.        quiz

 

Week 16

Tues., Dec. 9.    review

 

Final Exam:  Monday, December 15, 1:00

 

Honesty and Plagiarism:

Students are encouraged to do their homework together (identical work which is submitted should be acknowledged). All other classwork, especially quizzes and exams, must be the student’s own work. Plagiarism, i.e., copying someone else’s work without giving credit, is to be avoided. Such copying--from a book, another classmate’s paper, or any other source--is dishonest. Any student submitting plagiarized work will receive a failing grade for that assignment. If two papers with identical or nearly identical work are submitted by different students, both papers will receive a failing grade.