Classical Subjects

H A Killick, BA, ARCM, MPhil (Head of Department) 

J S Hall, BA

It is possible to study four modules of Latin, or Greek, or Classical Civilisation, or Ancient History, or any combination of the above, under the general umbrella of Classics. Interested students should talk to the Head of Department in good time in order to work out what combination of modules they wish to take and how that fits in with the options of other Classics students.

LATIN
LATIN is for those who have enjoyed the GCSE course and reached a good standard. We use the OCR course, so candidates will study translation and comprehension passages and four set texts. The prescribed texts change every three years, but this will give you an idea of the range on offer: recently a Sixth Form group studied selections from Tacitus Annals Book 1 (mutiny among the Roman legions in the North) and from Ovid’s daringly explicit poems entitled Amores; and they then moved on to a fine law-court speech of Cicero and the close of book 12 of Virgil’s mighty epic the Aeneid.

Latin is interesting in its own right, with the chance to study some of the world’s greatest literature in the original language; it is an excellent accompaniment to History, English and Modern Languages; and it trains the mind for Law and other disciplines where you need to express yourself clearly and to see to the heart of an argument.

In the past few years five pupils have started Greek from scratch alongside their Latin studies.


GREEK
GREEK is for those who are doing well in Latin and have a real interest in the Ancient World. It is similar in grammatical structure to Latin, but it has interesting differences and advantages. Once the letters have been learnt progress is fast, and students can enjoy passages from real Greek authors within the first few weeks. It is a lighter, more musical language than Latin; and there will be memorable moments reading Homer’s Odyssey, or a Greek Tragedy, or stories from the historians Herodotus and Thucydides.
Recently students doing Latin A-level have coped very successfully with Greek GCSE in the Lower Sixth year and AS Level in the Upper Sixth; and in some cases this has enabled them to go on to read Classics at Oxbridge or elsewhere.

CLASSICAL CIVILISATION

WHO?
This course is open to anyone with an interest in the Greeks and the Romans.  It helps to have taken a GCSE in Latin or Classics, but it is not essential.

WHAT?
We study four topics over two years, probably including Homer (the Odyssey and parts of the Iliad), Greek and Roman Comedy (plays of Aristophanes, Menander and Plautus), Roman Epic (Virgil’s Aeneid) and Roman Satire.  There are modular exams each summer consisting of two 1½ hour papers at AS Level and two 1½ hour papers at A2 Level;  in each, candidates answer one context question (questions on a passage from a set text) and one essay question.


WHY?
The Greeks and Romans produced some of the world’s greatest literature, and modern society owes an enormous debt to them.  Classical Civilisation is a fascinating subject in its own right;  it combines well with History, English and Languages;  and it can be an excellent foil to the Sciences.  Experience shows that Classics can open a wide variety of doors in higher education and the job market.

ANCIENT HISTORY
This course includes different options:

Greek – Athens or Sparta

Rome – the Republic, the Empire, Roman Britain

The approach is to study original sources and evaluate different historians and historical evidence.

 


 

Go back

Made By Better