Latin is taught to Years 7 and 8 in the Prep School and throughout the Senior School and Sixth Form (Years 9 to 13) and Classical Civilisation is taught in the Sixth Form.
"Know yourself" - in the Classics Department we see this as the aim of everything we do. The Classical subjects and languages, Latin, Greek, Classical Civilisation may at first sight look a little daunting but we firmly believe that the study of Classics gives students a unique insight into a world that has passed but which has shaped our own and enriches our understanding of the present. Ancient ideas about philosophy, politics, religion, history, maths, science form the bedrock of so much of Western understanding of the world around us; by tapping into that world we learn as much about ourselves as we do about mankind in general. Further, the rigorous and challenging study of the Classical languages gives the student the chance to understand the workings of our own and other modern languages. This is in addition to the benefits and pleasures of being able to read for oneself, without translation, some of the classics of Western literature in the original language.
The aims of the Department fall under two simple, yet extremely important, elements. Firstly, that all students learn what they are being taught and, secondly, that they enjoy that learning experience. These aims are achieved by:
The main aim of a GCSE Latin course is to acquire an understanding of some of the elements of classical civilisation, literature and language which have had a profound influence on modern societies. In so doing, a wide range of issues will be considered and questions, aesthetic, ethical, linguistic, political, religious and social will be tackled. This is a course designed to fire the imagination and stretch the brightest pupils, as well as challenge those of all abilities. To study Latin for GCSE, a pupil needs to have had at least a year’s experience of the language and shown some ability for it.
We use a range of teaching approaches through which students can enrich their learning and knowledge of Latin and the Roman world, develop certain skills of analysis and strengthen their own use of the English language. These approaches include teacher led sessions (with a wide array of ICT resources), paired and group work and sessions geared towards independent learning.
The GCSE breaks down into three key component parts: Language (30%), Literature (50%) and Coursework (20%. Language is tested in the examination in one paper (30% of marks) through unseen and comprehension questions. A Defined Vocabulary List accompanies this which sets out all the words that will arise in this paper and students will receive this well in advance. There is no English into Latin translation. Literature is tested in the examination (50% of marks) in two papers (one for verse and one for prose) and students will be asked questions relating to the literary style, plot development and historical context. There are no essays and examiners only ask for direct translations of the set text in the verse paper. The coursework element (20% of marks) is completed in the Remove (Year 10) and focuses on one of the topics covered in the Roman World section, such as public entertainment, the Roman army, the city of Rome, women in Roman society, Roman Britain and Roman religion.
Candidates must have studied GCSE Latin. The course will help candidates to acquire some understanding of the culture, politics and social life of Rome at significant periods in history, whilst studying elements of the language and literature of the Classical World. Seen as a prestige subject, Latin is both a challenging language but also an immensely rewarding one. Through a good linguistic base, some of the world’s greatest literature becomes accessible to pupils and a knowledge of the civilisation upon which much of our own is based. Other A level subjects which go well with Latin are English, other languages, Mathematics, History and Classical Civilisation.
In the Lower Sixth, the pupils will continue to improve their basic linguistic skills. This will enable them to tackle the unseen paper effectively at the end of the year. They will also study a set text, most likely to be a book from The Aeneid. Alongside this, work will be done on Augustan Rome in order to put The Aeneid into context. For the A2 year, pupils will continue with their linguistic work but will also study another set text. This will be chosen by the teacher and pupils together. At some stage during their two year programme, it is hoped that a trip will take place to Italy or another Classical region which should enable the pupils to broaden their knowledge and gain greater enjoyment from what they are studying.
Classical Civilisation investigates the World of Ancient Greece and Rome through its literature, art and architecture. Students may have studied some Classics earlier at school in the form of Greek and Roman mythology or may have had no background in the Classics.
There are no formal entry requirements but it is recommended that students have a B in GCSE English Literature because, even though no prior knowledge of Latin or Greek is required and the texts are studied in translation, the course involves mostly studying works of literature. Of course no prior knowledge of art and architecture is required. All students have to have is an open mind and willingness to learn.
Classics fits in well with a whole range of other A levels at Hurstpierpoint College, including English, Theatre Studies, History, and Art & Design. In addition, scientists will enjoy it for its own sake as a fourth subject to broaden their horizons.
The course is full of mythology, legend, war, death, betrayal, crazed women, art, temples and, of course, many insights into the culture that brought us such things as: literature, maths, science, architecture, philosophy, democracy, sculpture.
The great epics - Virgil’s Iliad and Homer’s Odyssey - were composed in around 800 BC and are the earliest surviving pieces of Western literature. Whereas the Iliad describes the anger of Achilles and his subsequent revenge upon Hector in the 9th year of the Trojan War, the Odyssey takes you to the end of the war and the homeward wanderings of the Greek hero, Odysseus. Having left the battle field of Troy, Odysseus sails home (dogged by shipwrecks, a mutinous crew, a witch, a cyclops, cannibals, the Sirens and a hateful goddess) only to find his wife being wooed by other men. Virgil’s Aeneid by contrast, written 800 years later, is a story of love versus duty, the story of how one man is forced to leave the burning wreckage of Troy and found a new city and a new race: Rome.
Euripides and Sophocles were two of the 3 great Greek tragedians of the 5th century BC (along with Aeschylus). Within these plays expect to find the rejected advances of a step-mother to her son and his subsequent death at the hands of his own father, a king, dressed as a woman in disguise, torn apart by his own mother in a frenzied rage and a mother who killed her children, her husband’s lover and even her husband’s lover’s father. Her motivation? Jealousy. Sex and death pervade these plays and through the writers’ dramatic skill we catch a glimpse of the ancient society bound tenuously by these 2 foundations of morality. Everywhere mortals struggle in a world dominated by the overwhelming power of the gods, who have all the clues and give none of the answers away.
Greek Art and Architecture – Vase-paintings, sculptures and architecture.
Through Athenian vase-painting we examine primarily the content, style and development of the paintings. We investigate why they used well-known mythological stories (such as the 12 Labours of Heracles) as the subject-matter for their vases and also how they developed their paintings from a simple “snap-shot” picture (like a photograph) to a more complex and subtle iconography. As for architecture, we examine both the growth of temples in the ancient culture and their subsequent development, the reason why they built them where they did and also how they built them.
The exams take place in June of each year and students are required to answer one question (from 2) and one essay (from 2) per exam – each exam is 1½ hours.
Classic Civilisation is well regarded by Universities and many run highly respected courses in Classical Studies or Ancient History if students decide take their studies further.
07 February 2012