Course Overview

 GCSE CLASSICAL CIVILISATIONS (9-1) J199

Exam Board: OCR

Course Content and Skill Development

This course provides an opportunity to engage with the history, literature, culture and beliefs of Ancient Greece and Rome. Learners will develop the ability to think critically about the societies and values of the ancient world, evaluating a wide range of engaging source materials from over 2000 years ago. Learners do not need to have studied Ancient Civilisations in Year 8 or Year 9 to be successful in this course, as skills transferable from English, History and other subjects will serve them well.

●   Women in the Ancient World  Learners will study women from both the Greek and Roman worlds, exploring their lives in a variety of capacities, from wives and mothers to famous leaders such as Cleopatra, whilst contrasting the experience of women with that of men as an insight into everyday life in the Classical world. Students will examine the realities of life as a woman in these societies - both women who were portrayed as respectable and virtuous, and those who created more scandal. This enables discussion of how women were represented and what this reveals about ancient ideas about gender. The role of women in religion will also be examined, as an interesting and important area where women had possibly their greatest degree of parity with men. Conversely, their lack of voice in the state decision-making processes will be studied, as will the way in which this was portrayed and perceived.

●   Roman City Life  Learners will explore everyday life in Roman cities, with a particular focus on the Imperial period, and popular sites and artefacts from Rome, Ostia, Pompeii and Herculaneum. They will study a variety of aspects of Roman society; examining typical Roman housing can be an excellent way to make learning tangible and relatable for students, as can the study of education and the lives of young people in the Roman world. The Roman social system is notorious for its intrigues and politics and this, coupled with the study of the spectacle provided by Roman entertainment, provides an exciting and enjoyable course for learners. The Literature topics will give an insight into different literary styles and techniques of a range of Roman authors, as well as into interesting areas of Roman life and society.

Method of Study

●   Discussions

●   Individual work

●   Group work

●   Creative work

●   Independent research

●   Presentations

Assessment Structure

Each module is assessed with an examination of 1 hour 30 minutes at the end of Year 11.  Both papers are un-tiered, covering an ability range of 9 to 1.

Opportunities Beyond Year 11

You can study Classical Civilisations at A level and at university. Many of the skills developed in this course transfer excellently to other humanities subjects, such as History, English Literature and Geography, as well as social sciences such as Sociology and Psychology. Classics is a highly respected inter-disciplinary field of study, greatly valued by top universities and employers. Those who study it enter a wide range of professions, most notably those that require strong verbal reasoning, critical thinking and creative skills, such as law, politics, journalism, film and television, teaching, the civil service, the arts and heritage sector, and marketing and communications. Professions that require strong analytical and problem-solving skills, such as banking and financial services, consultancy and technology, are also popular with those who have studied Classics at A level and beyond.