It is hard to overestimate the importance of the Classical World. In countless ways the civilisations of Greece and Rome have influenced our world. Art and architecture, literature and theatre, politics and philosophy are some of the many areas where the formative power of the ancient world can be found. The GCSE course provides an opportunity to learn about these civilisations in their historical setting and to explore the similarities and differences between then and now. Pupils study some of the great works of ancient literature in translation and have the chance to understand them and form a personal response to them. The course consists of three examined modules and one coursework module. In each of these there is a wide choice of topics and we aim at achieving a balance between Greece and Rome; between literary and historical; between textual and visual.
Follow the adventures of the great hero Odysseus as he battles mythical monsters and strives to return home after the Trojan War. Experience the drama, the passion and the beauty of the Tragedy of Medea, a play by Euripides exploring themes of power, violence and sexual jealousy. Relive the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the last days of Pompeii. Explore Greek mythology and the daily life of the Athenians through the medium of vase painting. Run in the footrace in the Olympic Games. Dig deep into the archaeology of Roman Britain. Investigate the live of the maddest Emperor of them all –Nero. This will give an idea of the range of topics we study. The course gives an overview of a very significant era of the world’s history and is both challenging and full of interest. The formal title of the course is AQA GCSE Classical Civilisation 4020. Every year we offer a variety of trips both locally and further afield to Italy, Greece or somewhere even more exotic (Egypt at Easter 2011); we also attend plays, lectures and workshops.
Sixth Form
“ . . . . the glory that was Greece
And the grandeur that was Rome.”
An inquiring mind and a willingness to immerse oneself in the civilisation of the past are the qualities necessary for success in Classical Civilisation: in return this course should be a rewarding one for you if you choose to take it as it links well with a variety of academic interests.
The specification is split between the study of Greek and Roman literature (all read in English), which allows us to dip into the famous stories of the ancient world, the study of the visual remains of ancient Greece, especially its art and architecture, and the study of the societies and social units familiar to the Greeks and Romans.
This course does not require you to have any previous knowledge of either GCSE Classical Civilisation or Latin. Classical Civilisation can be combined well with Philosophy of Religion, Art, History, English, Geography, Politics, Theatre Studies, French and Spanish and should not simply be seen as the preserve of those who have studied the ancient languages.
Currently we follow the AQA specification. Exam questions test a balanced combination of factual knowledge and evaluative skills, both historical and literary. All exams come in the Summer terms. There is no coursework. The topics we currently study are:
AS
· Unit Civ1A - Greek Architecture and Sculpture: a study of the beautiful and fascinating sculpture and architecture of Archaic and Classical Greece. In this module you will relive the glory of Archaic and Classical Greece, studying a variety of sculptures and temples including the magnificent Parthenon in Athens and the great Temple of Zeus at Olympia. This visual topic combines elements of history of art with Greek social history and artistic appreciation to form a refreshingly different and interesting unit of study.
· Unit Civ2A - Homer, The Iliad (selections): a literary study on the famous story of the great warrior Achilles and his role in the battle for Troy, as enshrined in the glorious epic poetry of Homer. How accurate was Brad Pitt’s portrayal of Achilles? This classic tale lives on and on!
A2
· Unit Civ3D – Augustus and the Foundation of the Principate – an investigation of how a new Imperial system of government for Rome emerged from the chaos following the death of Julius Caesar and the ensuing bloody civil wars. Augustus claimed to have found Rome a city built from brick and left it a city built from marble. How justified was this claim? Did Augustus’ wife Livia pave the way for her son Tiberius to succeed Augustus by means of murder and character assassination?
· Unit Civ4B - Alexander the Great: an in-depth study of the career and achievements of arguably the greatest general who ever lived. How did Alexander conquer the mighty Persian Empire? Did he really believe himself to be the son of the god Zeus?
A typical lesson will involve reading or studying a primary source (an extract of literature or an image of Greek sculpture, for example), followed by a teacher-led discussion. Often we will turn the spotlight back from the ancient world and onto our own world to reassess the nature of our modern societies and values. We make good use of the excellent resources both locally and further afield and trips are regularly organised to London to visit museums and to attend lectures or theatrical productions. In the future, trips for Sixth Form Classicists are planned to complement the trips already offered to those taking the classical subjects at GCSE.
Classical Civilisation is a popular degree course in many Universities - either standing alone or in combination with Archaeology and Anthropology. Even a top university such as Oxford offers a degree course in Ancient and Modern History, for which neither Greek nor Latin is a prerequisite. Many of the current Upper Sixth group of Classicists intend reading Classics at University next year.
Study of the Classics is an excellent grounding in the skills required for a wide variety of professions. Well known public figures who have found the study of classics a valuable training before going to high achievement in other fields include: J.K.Rowling (best-selling author of the Harry Potter series), Susan Greenfield (who presented the series Brainstory on BBC2), Sir Anthony Cleaver (ex-Chairman of IBM, Head of UK Atomic Energy Authority) and Sir Jeremy Morse (ex-Chairman, Lloyds Bank).
Greek
GCSE
The Classics Department offers a ‘Short Course’ GCSE in Classical Greek outside the normal timetable, using activity slots, to academically able members of the IV, LV and UV Forms. The Short Course GCSE is qualitatively equal to the full GCSE but is designed to contain less content, thereby making it ideal for pupils such as ours who are endeavouring to reach this level outside the timetable. Pupils do have the opportunity to read some of the great authors and works that have come down to us from the Greeks – Herodotus, Demosthenes, Homer, Euripides et al. This course is perfect for pupils who are aiming for top universities in any discipline and wish to challenge themselves intellectually and actively demonstrate their academic ambition and self-motivation.
AS Level – a two-year course
In what is a very exciting development for the Classics Department, Classical Greek has returned to the Sixth Form curriculum for the first time in many years. Classical Greek is one of the more challenging and rewarding courses open to Sixth Form pupils. This is an ideal preparation for candidates with aspirations towards the top universities in any discipline as it provides a benchmark of academic achievement and aspiration. A Level Classical Greek is an elite subject embarked on by only a few hundred pupils every year.
As we are offering this course as a two-year AS course, you will take two modules in the course of the Sixth Form. The first, Classical Greek Verse and Prose Literature, will be taken at the end of the Lower Sixth. This module involves the study of two texts in Classical Greek. The prose text will be Lysias’s speech against Eratosthenes. In this speech, Lysias (one of the great Athenian orators of the 5th and 4th centuries BC) defends his client Euphiletos, who is accused of murdering Eratosthenes. This speech provides a fascinating insight into the politics, social customs and morals of late 5th century BC Athens, and Lysias is important for his influence on the development of rhetoric. The verse text will be a short section of Homer’s great epic “The Iliad” [16. 632-861], wherein the Trojan hero Hector is engaged in a life or death struggle with Patrocles, the Greek hero. In the Upper Sixth the emphasis will move more firmly towards language work and you will take the second module, Classical Greek Language.
In general, classes tend to be small and informal, providing a lively and mature forum for discussion and debate. We encourage you to aim for a high standard of written expression and argument, as well as a sensitive and perceptive interpretation of literature, history and culture, and a sophisticated understanding of language and idiom.
Latin
The study of Latin remains a bed-rock for many contemporary subjects, both linguistic and cultural. The department pursues both strands of the subject in Lower School teaching.
Fourth Form
In the Fourth Form pupils follow the Cambridge Latin Course Book III. The course philosophy is based on learning Latin by the continuous reading of entertaining stories, which means that learning grammar can be straightforward and enjoyable! Interspersed with the stories are short, clear grammar exercises and also interesting sections on the history, society and culture of the Roman world. Besides developing a linguistic competence, one of our key aims is for pupils to appreciate the differences and similarities between the Romans and ourselves.
GCSE
On the GCSE course, we use the Cambridge Latin Course Book IV and past exam papers to hone language skills. We study Roman literature in the original Latin, such as the poetry of Horace, Catullus, Ovid and Virgil and selections of prose from Pliny, Sallust, Cicero, and Tacitus. We may read about subjects as diverse as the eruption of Mt Vesuvius, the rebellion of Boudicca, the last stand of the druids, the murder of the Empress Messalina or the love affairs of the poet Catullus. These activities combine well to develop sophisticated literary, historical and linguistic skills in our pupils.
There is no coursework. The GCSE exam itself comprises papers testing unseen translation, unseen comprehension, as well as the candidate’s knowledge and understanding of prose and verse set texts – there is also the opportunity to focus on key aspects of Roman Life, History and Culture. The course in general is intellectually very stimulating, often challenging but always rewarding, and helps develop extremely important ‘thinking’ skills in our pupils. Every year we offer a variety of trips both locally and further afield to Italy or Greece; we also attend plays, lectures and workshops
Sixth Form
This challenging but rewarding course offers you the chance to transform the linguistic, historical and literary competences developed at GCSE Latin into something approaching a mastery at AS and A2. This is done in the main by the continuous reading of Latin literature and the close analysis of both the text and the society which produced it, from both ancient and modern perspectives.
We follow the OCR AS and A2 courses. There is no coursework and all exams take place in the Summer Terms. If you choose this course, you sit the following exams:
AS
· Unit L1 – Latin Language 1: unseen translation.
· Unit L2 – Latin Verse and Prose Literature: evaluative questions based on your knowledge and understanding of literary texts (from a choice of poetry, letters, oratory, history and philosophy).
A2
· Unit L3 Latin Verse: A prescribed Verse set text and unseen Latin Verse tested by comprehension and translation.
· Unit L4 Latin Prose: A prescribed Prose set text and unseen Latin Prose tested by comprehension and translation.
In general classes tend to be small, informal and provide a lively and mature forum for discussion and debate. A typical week’s work will involve unseen translation and more advanced grammar work; reading, annotating and discussing the set text; composing an essay or other piece of criticism; appraising the ancient world and looking at modern parallels and differences. We encourage you to aim for a high standard of written expression and argument, as well as a sensitive and perceptive interpretation of literature, history and culture, and a sophisticated understanding of language and idiom.
All these are skills very highly sought-after, not only by university tutors, but also by employers in a wide range of fields, such as law, consultancy, industry, the Civil Service and Foreign Office, journalism, teaching, academia, and any profession which requires skilled readers, writers and communicators who can organise their thoughts clearly and express themselves well in writing. Well known public figures who have found the study of classics a valuable training before going to high achievement in other fields include: J.K.Rowling (best-selling author of the Harry Potter series), Susan Greenfield (who presented the series Brainstory on BBC2), Sir Anthony Cleaver (ex-Chairman of IBM, Head of UK Atomic Energy Authority) and Sir Jeremy Morse (ex-Chairman, Lloyds Bank).
A Level Latin is a natural choice for those with Oxbridge aspirations and during the A Level course there are many opportunities to attend lectures or other events in Oxford and Cambridge. There is a very active Sixth Form Classics Society, which is pupil-led and which organises a wide range of academic and social activities each term.
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