Classical Civilisation A-Level (2028 exam) – Term 4 (Sept. 2027)

Course Overview

This course covers the content for the OCR specifications.

This course provides the opportunity to study elements of the literature and visual culture of the ancient Greeks and Romans, and to acquire an understanding of their social, historical, and cultural contexts. The literature is read in translation.

The first year (the one-year AS-Level course) comprises two components:

1. ‘The World of the Hero’ (Homer’s Odyssey, a cornerstone text of western literature)
2. ‘Culture and the Arts’ (Ancient Greek Theatre, involving the study of comedies and tragedies by Ancient Greek playwrights, which have had a profound effect upon western literature).

The second year (for A-Level students only) comprises three components:

1. ‘The World of the Hero’ (Homer’s Odyssey, a foundational text of Greek culture; Virgil’s Aeneid, a foundational text of Roman culture)
2. ‘Culture and the Arts’ (Ancient Greek Theatre)
3. ‘The Politics of the Late Republic’.

With regard to Homer and Virgil, students develop detailed knowledge and understanding not only of the epics themselves, but also the way in which they were composed, and the religious, cultural, and social values and beliefs which underpin them.

With regard to the third component on Politics, this gives students an understanding of the late Roman Republic, a period of upheaval and conflicting views on how the Roman state should function. These conflicts eventually led to the downfall of the Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.

Course Method

Lessons involve reading and discussing the set literature, with a focus on aspects of plot, characterisation, and important themes. As well as reading the texts in translation, students will have the opportunity to study aspects of visual and material culture. There is a regular programme of written work, involving both short-answer questions and essays, to consolidate knowledge and to practise writing about texts.

Students will also be encouraged to read around these topics as much as possible through secondary reading, and to supplement their understanding by listening, for example, to Classics-related episodes of BBC Radio’s In Our Time and to Natalie Haynes stands up for the Classics.

Course Details

Term 4 comprises 14 weekly lessons. Each lesson lasts 90 minutes.

Term 4 covers ‘Culture and the Arts’. The chosen topic for study is ‘The Greek Theatre’. Students study the physical theatre space used by the Greeks to stage their dramas, and also depictions of this staging in the visual and material record. Study then moves to two tragedies of the three plays on the syllabus: Sophocles’ ‘Oedipus the King’ and Euripides’ ‘Bacchae’.

This PX Classroom is held on Fridays at 4.30pm (London time zone) starting from TBC September 2027. There will be no lesson on TBC October due to half-term. The last lesson is due to be on TBC December 2027.