Advice for studying for CS 2902

Taking online classes can be challenging. I myself have taken online classes during my
undergrad and I have often forgotten to watch content on time or scrambled to get assignments
done by the due date. This document is meant to give you some advice on how to stay on top of
things and to give you some basic study strategies to make the most of your time in this course.
The following strategies are not the be-all-end-all of things, but are more of a starting point to
help you absorb and retain the information I present to you in the lectures (and the information
that is given to you in our textbook readings).

First things first:

Staying organized: the best way to stay on top of things in this class is to treat this class like a
regular in-person lecture course. CS 2902 is a 2000-level class, which means that there are two
lecture hours per week. I would advise you to schedule two 1-hour lectures during your week,
and stick to the times you picked. Find a quiet spot during your scheduled lecture time to watch
the lecture videos - just like you would if you came to a classroom for a in-person lecture. That
way you won’t get overwhelmed with the content and scramble to get through a bunch of
lectures all at once. The content of this course is not something you can cram. You need to keep
up with the readings and lectures as there are regular assessments testing your comprehension of
primary sources and your understanding of the lecture content.

Studying for this class:

Just like in an in-person lecture, you should take notes on the content. I post basic powerpoints
and it is important that you listen to the lectures and take notes on what you hear. This can be
overwhelming at first, especially if you are exposed to a new topic for the first time. However,
the more exposure you have to a topic, the better you will become at determining which elements
are the most important. Reading the assigned readings before the lectures will help you to get
introduced to new material (your textbook gives you important background information and
details for each primary source we read AND the chapters they are part of also give you more
context about Greco-Roman culture and medical thought if you need additional information).
If you notice me bringing up a certain aspect or topic continuously, there’s a pretty good sign that
this is something you should remember. You should supplement your notes with references to the
textbook and keep a running list of terms you don’t fully grasp or struggle to remember (similar
to the vocabulary list I recommend for doing the primary source readings) and make sure to
review those as you study.

It is also a good practice to review the readings again after the lectures, since you may notice
things in the reading that did not stand out as much when you first read it. As you know, the tests
and final exam will test your comprehension of the primary source material so it is important that
you know what is going on in the text AND how the text is important for our understanding of
ancient medicine. Don’t forget to use the handout on reading primary sources and consider the

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guiding questions as you work your way through it. The tests and final exam will contain
passages that are “seen” (i.e. discussed in detail in the lectures) and “unseen” in the sense that I
either just briefly mentioned them in lectures OR I have assigned them to you in the weekly
readings. As mentioned before, I expect you to have done the readings I assign, which means that
you have seen all passages and I will test your comprehension of those in the tests and final
exam. By listening to the lectures where I walk you through an analysis of a passage AND by
using the handout I provided you should be able to A) acquire the skills outlined on the syllabus
and B) have the ability to answer the comprehension questions on the tests/ final exam.

When it comes time to review the material for the tests you will have a useful study guide
containing the most important elements and topics, and you will be able to use your time more
effectively.

Make note of highlighted words:

Words are printed in bold, italics, or underlined to draw your attention to important topics, so use
that to your advantage! Whenever you see words highlighted in this way, there’s a good chance
that they are related to a key topic or concept you should be familiar with. When you see the
name of a person, try asking yourself: “who, what, where, why, when, how?” Not all these
questions can be answered in every instance, but you should be able to answer a minimum of
one. If you saw the name of a person, try to ask yourselves:

Who was X? What did they do that was important and when did they do it? Where were
they doing it and why? How did they do it?

You’ll likely find the answers to those questions on the same slide or subsequent ones.
Sometimes you can answer more of those questions as you make your way through one lecture.

Memorizing special terms and unfamiliar words:

Part of learning about a new topic is to learn new terms that go along with it. In Classics, we
often learn Greek and Latin names for things and people/ professions, and it’s not always easy to
keep track of those. Important terminology is often highlighted and you should make sure that
you are able to explain to yourselves or a friend what each term means. Many students find that
flashcards are very helpful when it comes to reviewing material.

Pay attention to the recaps in the lectures:

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