What is Classical Civilisation?
Classical Civilisation is a wide-ranging and stimulating 'A' level. The main areas of study are the Greek and Roman civilisations from the 5th century BC to the 1st century AD; the course explores and encourages understanding of these ancient cultures from the historical, literary, artistic and social points of view. The wide range of material from mythology and the Trojan War to the Roman Emperors should attract the interest and curiosity of anyone with an interest in the past and how it relates to the present.
This subject allows the student, with no prior knowledge of the ancient world, to explore it from translations of the classical writers, from documents and from visual evidence. Studying these cultures involves bridging a gap of over 2000 years and putting oneself into the shoes of the ancients, working out how those peoples lived and worked, what they wrote and what they read, what they saw at the theatre, in the temples and the public buildings of their towns and cities. This requires imagination and students should also be prepared to read widely and to develop their powers of written expression in order to be able to produce the level of responses required by the examiners. Students find that the intrinsic interest of the material justifies the work necessary to master it.
What other subjects go well with Classical Civilisation?
The wide scope of the Classical Civilisation A level means that it combines well with any Arts subject and even with Sciences, where it can provide a contrast by the very different subject matter.
What will I gain from studying the subject?
The subject encourages various skills ranging from reading original source material, formulating one's own opinions and evaluating these in comparison to views put forward by modern writers and scholars. These skills form a sound basis for those needed at university where students need to undertake individual research and reach reasoned conclusions. Classical Civilisation is also an interesting subject for its own sake and for one's general knowledge; the rewards will last the rest of one's life.
Do I have an aptitude for the subject?
It is not necessary to have studied Classical Civilisation for GCSE but it would certainly be useful. For this subject a student must be prepared to read various types of text (eg narrative poetry, plays) for comprehension and discussion. In addition there would be some extra reading of modern commentaries and discussions. Therefore a liking for reading is desirable.
An aptitude in English expression and in essay writing are also desirable, though the latter is taught together with answering context questions to a higher level specifically for this subject.