Classics

We are all already Classicists, however much (or little) we think we know about the Greeks and Romans.  We can never come to Classics as complete strangers.  There is no other foreign culture that is so much part of our history.

Mary Beard and John Henderson

The traditions of Ancient Greece and Rome have played an important role in the development of Western beliefs, literature and civilisation, while remaining remarkably different from our own society in a number of ways.  At Channing, we have a thriving Classics department. We offer three  Classical disciplines up to A Level: Latin, Ancient Greek and Classical Civilisation.  Girls studying classical subjects achieve excellent results and it is rewarding that many of them continue their classical studies at university.

Year 10 Latin students visit Aquae Sulis in Bath

KS3 curriculum

All girls in Years 7, 8 and 9 study Latin. We use the Cambridge Latin Course, which introduces aspects of Latin language through stories set in various locations in the Roman World. We move from Pompeii and the eruption of Vesuvius to the back waters of Roman Britain, then to the exotic port city of Alexandria in Roman Egypt and finally we reach Rome itself, the magnificent capital of the Mediterranean.
Latin at this stage gives girls an understanding of the structure of language and provides a sound basis for the study of Romance languages such as French, Spanish and Italian. It encourages them to make comparisons with their own language and they learn that many English words are derived from Latin. 

GCSE Latin: OCR

This course builds on the many aspects of Latin language already covered in the first three years.  We continue to use the Cambridge Latin Course and gradually progress to reading Latin authors themselves, including Horace, Ovid and Tacitus. There is no coursework for GCSE Latin. Instead, a unique opportunity is given to explore topics such as Entertainment, the City of Rome and Roman Women. 
Latin at GCSE is an enjoyable and challenging subject, which combines both linguistic and historical elements throughout the two-year course.

GCSE Classical Greek: OCR

This is an ab initio course, as girls choosing to study Greek will start the course from scratch and complete it within two years. Using the Athenaze textbook, they will develop competence in the Classical Greek language and will be able to read and respond to literature in Classical Greek such as the Histories of Herodotus or Homer's Iliad. This is a subject that will appeal to able linguists who have enjoyed studying Latin.

Year 11 in Greece

GCSE Classical Civilisation: OCR

At  GCSE there are four written topics which look at both the society of the Greeks and Romans and their literature.  Among the literature topics you will read the Odyssey in English, a poem written more than 2,000 years ago, which tells the story of Odysseus and his adventures on the way home from the Trojan War, and two remarkable plays by Sophocles.  The civilisation topics include the Olympic Games, looking at its origins and comparing the events that took place then to today's events, the Greek Theatre and its plays, and Greek Religion. A fifth topic may be assessed either by an examination or as a piece of coursework.

A Level Latin and Greek

Both the AS and A2 courses combine linguistic knowledge with the study of literature. Understanding of these two aspects of Classical languages will already have been acquired at GCSE, and girls are able to build on this to gain wider and deeper access to the literature and civilisation of Rome and Athens, and through them, of our cultural heritage. Girls broaden their experience of Classical writers, acquire a more sophisticated understanding of the way ideas and emotions are expressed, and appreciate the subtlety of the Greek and Latin languages. The texts studied vary enormously and may include Ovid's Metamorphoses, a vast collection of stories from myths and legends, Virgil's great epic, The Aeneid or the Histories of Tacitus.

A Level Classical Civilisation

Classical Civilisation encompasses the history, literature and culture of the ancient Greeks and Romans, from the time of the Minoan civilisations of Crete through to the fall of the Roman Empire, a span of 3,000 years. It is a subject of great intrinsic interest and value and lies at the roots of the literature and culture of our own times. At AS and A2, girls focus on the Classical Period of Ancient Greece and Augustan Rome.
Classical Civilisation can be chosen whether or not it was studied at GCSE, so it is suitable if girls are looking for the challenge of a new subject or if they are wanting to delve deeper into a subject that already interests them. We study a range of topics that include Epic and Tragic literature,  and Art and Architecture, looking also at the social and historical context in which these works were created. All the topics provide a stimulus for interesting discussions on issues which are still relevant today; the role of women in society, democracy and racial awareness are a few examples.

Beyond the Classroom

The Classics Department at Channing certainly makes the most of being in London, and we give the girls the every opportunity to extend their studies with visits to the British Museum, the Roman galleries at the Museum of London, productions of Greek drama, both in the original language and in translation, lectures and study days.  We have welcomed visitors to the school, ranging from an archaeologist to a troop of Roman soldiers. Trips abroad to both Italy and Greece really help to enthuse girls when they can experience first hand either the magic of the sanctuary at Delphi, the splendour of the Roman Forum or the remains of Pompeii.  In 2007, girls in Year 12 have attended a study day on Love in the Ancient World at Cambridge University and the Year 10 Latin group enjoyed a day in Bath finding out about life in Aquae Sulis.

Going potty about Classics