What is the course about?

Classical civilisation is the study of the language, literature, art and history of the ancient world. It is a fascinating subject that is unique and held in high regard by universities and employers. Studying classics provides us with an insight into many important philosophical issues and also it is vital in understanding how western societies have developed in the modern world. Classics equips students with a wide set of transferable skills and it creates very open minded individuals. We focus on Greco-Roman culture, politics and social life at significant periods in these two great civilisations’ histories. Classics is the foundation of all the humanities subjects and you cannot fully understand western civilisation, culture and history until you have some grasp of the roots of it all. This course requires a high degree of literacy and a grade 6 in English Language is therefore required.

Course content

• Virgil’s Aeneid
• Homer’s Odyssey
• Early history of the Roman Empire and reign of emperor Augustus 
• Analysis of Greek art and architecture and what it tells us about Ancient Greek society 

Assessment

• 2 x 1 hour 45 minutes written papers
• 1 x 2 hour 20 minutes written paper

Career pathways

Museums and heritage foundations are key employers that relate to the specifics of the subject. However, classics is relevant to a wide range of occupations such as research, teaching, information management, heritage, law, journalism, public relations, finance, consultancy, media and publishing and management. An A Level in Classical Civilisation shows both employers and universities that you have collected a range of diverse skills. Classics requires literary and artistic analysis as well as an understanding of many social factors. As such it is a highly employable subject and as a ‘third’ A Level can really upgrade a UCAS application for any subject pathway.

Entry criteria

Minimum of grade 6 in GCSE English Language or English Literature. There is no need to have studied classics or Latin previously, as there is no language requirement in the course and only English translations will be used.