We will begin at the beginning. This course will teach the Greek not of modern Greece, nor of the bible, nor of Homer, but of the late fifth century B.C. in the form used by Plato at Athens. Greek, like most languages, exists in many dialects, and if more than 300 years intervene, the language may look quite different. We will read some of these in the second and third years. There is no lab for this course.
All instruction is in English.
Greek was the lingua franca of the ancient world, like English is now, like French was before that. It was the language of commerce, law, literature, and art for most of the Mediterranean world for 1000 years. The study of Greek and Latin was, until the beginning of this century, the mark of a truly educated person. You have chosen the most elegant, if not the easiest, foreign language to study. You will also be graded for attendance and class participation.