Latin

A-level Course

It's not all about chanting noun and verb endings: studying Latin at A-level involves enthralling history, intricate literature and subversive philosophical and political views. It is an intellectually rigorous enterprise that, through a wide variety of literature, opens up opportunities for enquiry and enlightenment. Such seminal works consider issues that remain pertinent to a young person of the 21st century: the scourge of corruption in politics, the ups and downs of romantic and sexual escapades, the grief and pain associated with death, the consequences of power.

Lower 6^th (Year 12)

OCR AS Latin H039. Both units are worth 25% of the total A-level.

• F361 Latin Language
• F362 Latin Literature: The texts for examination are currently Cicero's In Verrem II, where you will learn of the misgovernment of the Roman Senate and the provincial administration in the first century BC, and a selection of love poetry from Amores III, in which Ovid explores and exposes the intrigues of high society in Augustan Rome in his discussions and comments on love, romance, sex, fashion and violence.

Upper 6^th (Year 13)

OCR A2 Latin H439. Both units are worth 25% of the total A-level.

• F363 Latin Verse: Alongside unseen hexameters by Ovid, you will read Virgil's Aeneid IV, the tale of Dido's tragic passion for Aeneas, the consummation of their relationship, and her eventual, yet inevitable, suicide, as ordained by fate and orchestrated by the gods.
• F364 Latin Prose: As well as reading historical material by Livy, you will learn about the Great Fire of Rome and the persecution of the Christians, as recorded by Tacitus, in Annals XV, with his sharp criticisms of Nero's excesses, his fear for the future of Imperial Rome, and his nostalgia for its past glories.

Trips and Extra-curricular

All our sixth form Classicists are invited to attend lectures given by visiting speakers. For further details, please see our 13+ pages.

We arrange a full programme of trips to museums and theatrical productions, recently visiting Bath and London, and seeing Clytemnestra at The Oxford Playhouse, Racine's Britannicus at Wilton's Music Hall, and even Ben Hur LIVE at the O₂ arena. Further afield, we have always found that the sixth form classicists enjoy trips abroad and are extremely pleasant company. In 2010-2011, as separate excursions, we visited both Rome and Florence. Rome saw five days of unbroken, autumn, sunshine, as the classicists experienced all the major Classical sites in the centre of The Eternal City, and even the superb treasuries of Renaissance art in the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. In collaboration with the RS and Philosophy department, we concluded our academic year with a quick "city break" to Florence in the final week of June.

Classical Reading Competition

This year's Classical Reading Competition will take place on Tuesday 6^th March at 6pm.|
Please contact Becky Miller for further details.