Year 13 – Classical Civilisation

Head of Subject: Mr C Bromley

Intended Outcomes

All learners will study literary material from both Greece and Rome, and their surrounding worlds, focusing on reflections of the World of the Hero in Virgil’s Aeneid and the conceptualisation of love and relationships in the works of prominent authors Plato, Sappho, Ovid and Seneca. Skills will focus on a chronological and contextual understanding of these modules, with emphasis on forming critical judgements about a variety of aspects of Classical antiquity from appropriate evidence.  

  • Course Implementation

    World of the Hero – Virgil’s Aeneid 

    An in-depth study of Virgil’s Aeneid, using focused passages to assess literary techniques and composition, characterisation and themes, and the social, cultural and religious context of this epic. Students will be assessed using small-scale knowledge comprehension and retention questions on the prescribed books of the epic, with a variety of other questions modelled on the OCR exam papers, ranging from [10] mark literary source questions to [20] and [30] mark thematic questions, where the quality of longer written response will be judged. 

    Love and Relationships – Plato 

    This module focuses on the in-depth study of various works from Plato, such as Symposium, Phaedrus, Charmides, Laws and Republic, to understand his ideas about love, desire, sex, homoeroticism, the nature of good and bad conduct and the contextual understanding of his contemporary audience in 5th Century Athens. Students will be assessed using small-scale knowledge comprehension and retention questions on the work and life of Plato, with a variety of other questions modelled on the OCR exam papers, ranging from [16] to [30] mark thematic questions, where the quality of longer written response will be judged. 

    Love and Relationships – Seneca 

    This module focuses on the in-depth study of various works from Seneca, such as Letters on Morality, On Benefits, On Anger, On Marriage, On the Shortness of Life, various Consolations and Phaedra, to understand his ideas about love, desire, sex, homoeroticism, the nature of good and bad conduct and the contextual understanding of his contemporary audience in 1st Century CE Rome. Students will be assessed using small-scale knowledge comprehension and retention questions on the work and life of Seneca, with a variety of other questions modelled on the OCR exam papers, ranging from [16] to [30] mark thematic questions, where the quality of longer written response will be judged. 

    Love and Relationships – Sappho 

    This module focuses on the in-depth study of the fragmented work of Sappho, assessing her use of language, literary devices, themes, motifs, mythology and humour, to understand her ideas about love, desire, sex, homoeroticism, the nature of good and bad conduct and the contextual understanding of her contemporary audience in 6th Century BCE Lesbos. Students will be assessed using small-scale knowledge comprehension and retention questions on the work and life of Sappho, in addition to [10] mark prescribed literary source questions, and [16] to [30] mark thematic questions, where the quality of longer written response will be judged. 

    Love and Relationships – Ovid 

    This module focuses on the in-depth study of the third book of Ovid’s Ars Amatoria, assessing his use of language, literary devices, didactic style, themes, motifs, mythology and humour, to understand his ideas about love, desire, sex, homoeroticism, the nature of good and bad conduct and the contextual understanding of his contemporary audience in 1st Century BCE Rome. Students will be assessed using small-scale knowledge comprehension and retention questions on the work and life of Ovid, in addition to [10] mark prescribed literary source questions, and [16] to [30] mark thematic questions, where the quality of longer written response will be judged. 

Learning Impact

At the mid-point of Year 13 study, students will sit two separate mock exams; the first section will centre on the World of the Hero, with emphasis on the comparative elements of this component, between Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid. The second mock exam will focus on Love and Relationships and assess student knowledge and skills across all four authors and their respective contexts, using prescribed literary sources as the foundation for a variety of OCR approved questions. This will be reported to parent/carers through the relevant data drop and Parents’ Evenings, with half-termly communication of end-of-module assessment data for students who are under-performing or exceeding expectations. 

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