Study at PSC

Year One: In their first year, students will study a range of Greek topics:

• Homer’s Odyssey: How Odysseus, the man whose clever idea of the Wooden Horse saw the Greeks defeat the mighty Troy, returned to his home in Ithaca. On the way he encountered fearsome obstacles including the one-eyed Cyclops and the magical Circe, losing all his men in the process. And when he did reach home, he found over one hundred suitors attempting to win over his beautiful wife, Penelope. What could our hero do in the face of such insurmountable odds? One of the earliest examples of Western literature, the Odyssey is a tale of adventure and revenge, set in the mythical realm of the Homeric hero.
• Greek Art - C6th-4th BC was a period of great change in the Greek world and this is reflected in the art which was produced. Students will have the opportunity to engage with a wide range of visual art produced during this period:
  • Freestanding sculpture - covering the Archaic and Classical periods, students will explore the development of free-standing statues and how life was first breathed into marble and bronze.
  • Architectural sculpture - how the Greeks of this same period used sculpture to decorate their important religious and political buildings
  • Vase painting: the depiction of mythology and everyday life, incorporating examples of the Black Figure and Red Figure techniques.

At the end of the first year, there will be an exam on these two units.

Year Two : In their second year, students will study aspects of the Roman world, namely:

• Virgil’s Aeneid: The national epic of Rome, the Aeneid tells of how Aeneas led the defeated survivors of Troy to their promised land in Italy. He too faced formidable obstacles, not least a year-long dalliance with the charismatic Dido, before finally reaching Italy, but on arrival faced a deadly war to secure his people’s destiny and to set in motion what one day would become the Roman race.
• Politics of the Late Republic: C1st BC was one of the most turbulent periods of any people’s history. After learning about how the system of government we call the Roman Republic came into being and assumed control of the Mediterranean, students will study how men like Cato, Cicero and Caesar ultimately oversaw its collapse and paved the way for the introduction of Augustus and the subsequent emperors of Rome.

At the end of their second year, students will take three exams, one on a combination of their work on the Odyssey and the Aeneid and one each on Greek Art and the Politics of the Late Republic.

We use teacher-led discussion, with students being actively encouraged to contribute ideas. In the Literature-oriented topics, we study each text in a modern prose translation so students do not need to know the ancient languages, whilst in Art we use visual resources extensively. In all topics students are given specially prepared reading material to complement their study. Students work as a class, in small groups and individually, researching, asking critical questions, making connections and comparisons and drawing conclusions. We place great emphasis on students’ taking responsibility for their own workload.

During the course, students are required to complete a series of formal written assignments covering all areas of the specification. These assignments are aimed at giving students practice in the skills needed to succeed in the exams. Students will also undertake a series of short tests and other less formal exercises to assess their understanding of the material. Where appropriate, students’ work is assessed according to guidelines provided by the subject examiners.

Sharing many of the skills needed for success in subjects such as English Literature or History, Classical Civilisation is widely accepted for university entrance in many areas and admired by many potential employers.

Each student receives a series of essential reading material, which is studied in depth. Students may require additional notes for which they may be asked to pay a small charge to cover photocopying costs. Students are expected to provide their own copies of some of the set texts as specified at the start of the course, together with materials for note-taking and essay writing. The College has a Student Support Fund for those students who have difficulty meeting these costs.  

Traditionally we have run a trip to visit the Cast Gallery of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford which contains exact replicas of many of the statues and other sculpture studied. We have also regularly offered upper sixth students the opportunity to visit some of the key classical sites in Greece to support their work in the Art unit (most recently at easter 2024) and hope to continue to run similar trips in future.  The cost of such a trip would be dependent on various factors, but is likely to be in the region of £1,000.