WESTERN SEMINARY

Portland, Oregon

 

NTS 501: Functional Foundations of Greek I

Fall Semester 2003 (3 hours + 1 lab hour)

Marc Cortez, Instructor

 

Syllabus

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

For students who choose not to develop the skill to read and translate the New Testament in Greek, Western Seminary offers the functional language track. It is designed to give students the practical ability to access the original Greek through the Bible Works computer program and other contemporary reference tools. In the first semester students will develop a foundational Greek vocabulary, an understanding of the structure of the language and essentials of Greek grammar along with learning the Bible Works computer program and other reference tools.

 

TEXT BOOKS

Bible Works 5.0

William D. Mounce, Basics of Biblical Greek

Daniel G. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics

 

COURSE GOALS

A.     The student will be able to understand and translate biblical texts using sound hermeneutical principles and the biblical languages.

    1. The student will know the basic structure, grammar, and syntax of Greek.
    2. The student will be competent in the essential skills of using Greek grammar and syntax to understand and translate biblical texts.
    3. The student will be able to use effectively the best print and electronic tools.

 

B.     The student will maintain an attitude of humbleness to the text of Scripture as a deeper appreciation for the Bible is developed.

 

C.     The student will demonstrate a greater confidence in his/her ability to study the Bible and apply its truths in today’s world.

 

CONTACTING ME

Office Hours: Wednesday and Friday (9:30am-12:00pm; 1:30pm-4:00pm)

Western: (503) 517-1870; 1-800-547-4546

Email: mcortez@westernseminary.edu

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

A.     Participation

 

Since this is a language class, regular participation in class exercises is crucial to the student’s success. Students will be expected to come to class prepared to discuss any reading or lessons due for that day and to participate in any class exercises.  (0 hours)

 

B.     Reading Assignments

 

Each week, the student is responsible to read thoroughly the assigned readings indicated on the course schedule, as well as any additional readings assigned by the instructor, prior to the class during which those readings will be discussed. (25 hours)

 

C.     Memorization

 

The student will memorize approximately ten vocabulary words per week. The student will also memorize several basic paradigms for Greek verbs and nouns. There will be quizzes on both memory and grammar at the beginning of most class sessions. (20 hours)

 

D.     Bible Works.

 

The student will either read sections from the instruction manual or watch the appropriate training video in order to become familiar with the basics of the program. The student will be expected to use the Bible Works program to complete assignments and be able to accomplish various basic tasks without referring to the instruction manual or help file. The student’s familiarity with the Bible Works program will be assessed during the two main exams. (5 hours)

 

E.      Lessons

 

The student will complete 11 lessons covering various grammatical, syntactical, and exegetical issues. The lessons are sequential and will thus build on the knowledge and skills gained in previous lessons. The final lesson will incorporate elements from the entire semester and will be weighted more heavily in the final grade. (37 hours)

 

F.      Examinations

 

Two examinations will be given as indicated on the course schedule. The final exam will be cumulative and will cover all grammar, syntax, and vocabulary addressed up to that point. (10  hours)

 

COURSE POLICIES

A.     The final grade will be determined as follows (percentages are approximate):

 

Participation            5%

Reading                 20%

Quizzes                 20%

Lessons                 40%

Examinations         15%

 

B.     Western’s grading scale is A+ = 99-100%, A = 95-98%, A- = 93-94%, B+ = 92-21%, B = 90-88%, B- = 87-86%, C+ = 85-84%, C = 83-81%, C- = 80-79%, D+ = 78-77%, D = 76-74%, D- = 73-70%.

 

C.     Arrangements can be made for students needed to take quizzes and exams on alternate dates or who need to hand in assignment on days other than indicated by the course schedule but such arrangements need to be made at least one week prior to the date on which they are due. Otherwise late work will be reduced one half a letter grade per class day and one full letter grade per weekend up to a maximum deduction of two letter grades. Unless you qualify for an incomplete as defined in the catalog, all assignments must be turned in by 5:00 PM, December 13.

 

COURSE SCHEDULE

Readings are indicated by the first letter of the author’s last name the required chapter(s) or page numbers in the assignment column and need to be completed before the date on which they will be discussed. Assignments in italics are the names of videos on the Bible Works “demo” CD. All lessons are due on the date indicated unless prior arrangements have been made. Additional readings or assignments may be incorporated into the course schedule as the semester progresses. The course schedule is only a guideline and will be adjusted as necessary during the course of the semester.

 

Sep. 8

Intro, Greek language, alphabet, and intro to nouns

 

 

Sep. 15

Nouns, definite article, and BW overview

M 5-7; Lesson 1; “An Overview of the User Interface”

Sep. 22

Intro to verbs, present tense, and BW overview

M 15-16, 18, 20; Lesson 2;

“The Results Window”

Sep. 29

Prepositions, adjectives, 3rd declension nouns, and BW searches

M 8-10; Lesson 3, “Power User Mode (1)”

Oct. 6

Relative Pronouns, pronouns, autoj, contract verbs, future tense, BW searches

M 11-14, 17, 19; Lesson 4; “Power User Mode (2 & 3)”

Oct. 13

Imperfect tense, BW morphological searches

Exam 1; M 21; Lesson 5; “Doing Greek & Hebrew Searches”

Oct. 20

Aorist tense, BW word list manager & copying

M 22-24; Lesson 6

Oct. 27

Perfect tense and participles; BW tools

M 25-30; Lesson 7

Nov. 3

Participles and moods; BW Advanced Search Engine

M 31; Lesson 8

Nov. 10

Infinitive and imperative; BW options

M 32-33; Lesson 9; “The Options Dialog”

Nov. 17

Conjunctions & Review

Lesson 10

Nov. 24

Syntax: The Cases and the article

Exam 2

Dec. 1

Syntax: Adjectives, pronouns, and prepositions

Wallace

Dec. 8

Syntax: Verbs

Wallace

Dec. 15

Syntax: Infinitives & Participles

Wallace

Dec. 4

Syntax: The Article, Adjectives, Pronouns

Wallace

Dec. 6

Syntax: Prepositions, Voice, Mood

Wallace

Dec. 11

Syntax: Tense, Infinitives, Participles

Wallace

Dec. 13

Syntax: Clauses

Lesson 11

 

READING & TIME SPENT REPORT

 

Name______________________________________  Box_________

 

Please use the following sheet to indicate the completion of the assigned reading as well as to indicate the amount of time that you spent preparing for that class. Your grade will not reflect the number of hours that you have spent on the class. If there was no reading assigned for a given day, simply put a line through that day. Otherwise, indicated whether you completed the reading for that day by placing an “X” in the appropriate box. If you did not complete the reading for that day, simply leave it blank.

 

Due Date

On Time

Late

# Hours

Sep. 4

 

 

 

Sep. 6

 

 

 

Sep. 11

 

 

 

Sep. 13

 

 

 

Sep. 18

 

 

 

Sep. 20

 

 

 

Sep. 25

 

 

 

Sep. 27

 

 

 

Oct. 2

 

 

 

Oct. 4

 

 

 

Oct. 9

 

 

 

Oct. 11

 

 

 

Oct. 16

 

 

 

Oct. 18

 

 

 

Oct. 23

 

 

 

Oct. 25

 

 

 

Oct. 30

 

 

 

Nov. 1

 

 

 

Nov. 6

 

 

 

Nov. 8

 

 

 

Nov. 13

 

 

 

Nov. 15

 

 

 

Nov. 20

 

 

 

Nov. 22

 

 

 

Nov. 27

 

 

 

Nov. 29

 

 

 

Dec. 4

 

 

 

Dec. 6

 

 

 

Dec. 11

 

 

 

Dec. 13

 

 

 

Totals