Classical Civilisation

Why study this subject?

Students have the opportunity to acquire a sophisticated level of knowledge and understanding of the classical world. The course off ers you the chance to study elements of the literature, visual/material culture and thought of the classical world; get an understanding of their social, historical, and cultural contexts.

A Level classical civilisation will help you to understand the legacy of ancient Greeks and Romans. From women in the ancient world, to the study of religious beliefs and ancient acts of intolerance, classical civilisation involves interesting discussions that are directly relevant to today’s world.

At St Dunstan’s you will explore the antiquity being guided by the teachers who are seriously enthusiastic about their subject. Should you wish, you will be able to teach yourself classical Greek during Forder time. Studying classical civilisation at A Level can be especially useful. Students not only acquire specific knowledge, but also important transferable skills such as analysing sources and developing independent, critical, and evaluative approaches. They learn to formulate and support an argument and gain a valuable understanding of cultures vastly different to their own. Classics qualifications are naturally particularly valued by classics departments in universities.

An A Level qualification in classical civilisation can support university-level study of classics, drama, English, history, history of art, philosophy and politics, however, information from UCAS shows that students who studied classical civilisation went on to study in such diverse disciplines as medicine, veterinary science and chemistry and recently classics and theology at Cambridge.

Course Overview

Course content

• Component 1: The World of the Hero - This is a compulsory component comprising of an in-depth study Homer’s Iliad and Virgil’s Aeneid.
• Component Group 2: Culture and the Arts - Greek Theatre (21)
• Component Group 3: Beliefs and Ideas - Politics of the Late Republic (33) Assessment OCR’s A Level in classical civilisation consists of three written examinations that are externally assessed.

Entry Requirements

(I)GCSE classical civilisation is desirable, but not necessary to study this A Level. Students are expected to have achieved at least a grade 7 in their most relevant (I)GCSE subjects – classical civilisation, if taken, or alternatively English or history, for example