The Classics Department is one of the largest in the region, comprising four teachers and offering Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisation within the official school curriculum all the way up to A level.
CLASSICS AT WARWICK
There is a steady flow of classicists applying for places at the best universities in the country and we normally have at least one successful Oxbridge applicant per year.
The department benefits from a wide range of resources – textbooks, library books, past and practice examination material, over 100 DVDs and various ICT resources, including abundant web material and a lot of custom-built software such as the software marketed by JProgs. Staff readily share resources they produce and there is a systematised bank on our network of home-made resources.
Course Specification – A Level: OCR is the current specification for all disciplines.
Classical Civilisation
Component 1 (40%) – The World of the Hero: you will study Homer’s Iliad or Odyssey, as well as Vergil’s Aeneid. You will develop a sophisticated level of knowledge of the epics, the way in which they were composed, and the religious, cultural and social values and beliefs of their societies. Homer was considered by the Greeks themselves to be a foundation of Greek culture, standing at the beginning of the Western literary canon. This component provides the opportunity to appreciate the lasting legacy of the Homeric world and to explore its values. The epics of Homer, with their heroes, gods and exciting narratives, have been in continuous study since their conception, and remain popular with learners and teachers today. Vergil’s Aeneid is a landmark in Western literature. Drawing inspiration from Homer, as well as his own cultural and political context, Vergil explored what it was to be a Roman hero and created a work which has proven enduringly popular.
Component 2 (30%) – Imperial Image: the idea of a politician ‘spinning’ their public image is one which is very familiar from contemporary media; and so this exploration of a Roman politician and his successful propaganda campaign is both relevant and engaging. Augustus Caesar was, through careful management of public opinion, able to convince a society that was fundamentally anti-monarchical to turn away from its old values and accept one-man rule. Through an examination of the sources of the period, this component allows learners to examine the ways in which Augustus conveyed his personal brand to all social classes. Topics are broken-down by aspects of his public image; this will allow learners to assess the effectiveness of each strand of his self-presentation, as well as the effectiveness of his public image as a whole.
Component 3 (30%) – Greek Religion: religion was an essential part of Greek identity, permeating all strata of society and all aspects of an individual’s life. Religion could be connected to the household, life in the city or life in the countryside; moreover politics and religion were intertwined to the extent that political decisions were sometimes made on the basis of divine intervention. Religion was also an important tool for the creation of identities, as well as of competition between Greek states. Studying the practicalities of religious ritual, and the role it played, alongside the functions and layout of famous temple complexes, will make this component tangible and help develop a sense of the central role religion played in the life of everyday people. Learners will also explore the nature of the gods and their relationship with mortals. Also included are the very different role of Mystery Cults, and the tensions caused by the rise of philosophical thinking.
Greek
Unit 1 – unseen translation: of a prose and verse author
Unit 2 – prose composition; translation of an English passage (of approximately 100 words)
Unit 3 – prose literature; study of the work of one great author (or possibly two, each of half the length)
Unit 4 – verse literature; as prose literature. Usual choices include the great epic poet Homer, tragedians such as Sophocles and Euripides and the comic playwright Aristophanes
Latin
Unit 1 – unseen translation: of a prose and verse author
Unit 2 – prose composition; translation of an English passage (of approximately 100 words)
Unit 3 – prose literature; study of the work of one great author (or possibly two, each of half the length)
Unit 4 – verse literature; as prose literature. Usual choices include the great epic poet Vergil and various Roman love poets
