Latin

Why study Latin?

‘Latin is the maths of the humanities but Latin also has something that Mathematics does not and this is the history and mythology of the ancient world. Latin is maths with goddesses and gladiators and flying horses or flying children.’ So says Llewelyn Morgan, Professor of Classics at Oxford.

Latin is a historically significant language that is embedded in many modern languages. Its study not only gives important insights and shortcuts to other languages but also leads to a greater understanding of how language works. Most importantly, Latin gives pupils the chance to experience the literature and culture and society of the ancient Romans. Fundamentally, the study of a classical language trains the mind, developing skills of critical thought, memory and close analysis, as well as an appreciation of the beauty and power of language. Linguistic skills lie at the heart of the course, since it is through a deep understanding of the workings of a language that true intellectual contact can be made with people of the past. Through the different genres of classical texts, pupils examine ideas and artistry within their historical, political and cultural contexts. At the end of the Sixth Form, they truly learn exactly what it is that the Romans did for us!

Course content

The A Level course builds on the GCSE, giving pupils a more sophisticated understanding of the language. This enables further study of prose and verse literature, through which they gain a deeper understanding of the life and culture of the ancient world. There are separate papers in language and literature. For the language component, both prose and verse authors are studied (Livy and Ovid). For the literature, we study two from Cicero, Tacitus and Livy as our prose authors and two from Virgil, Catullus and Ovid as our verse authors.

Will I enjoy it?

Of course. Pupils build on their GCSE knowledge to get up close and personal with Latin authors, finding out so much about how they led their lives, whom they mixed with, and what they thought of their political leaders. It is often surprising how similar the daily trials and tribulations of an ancient Roman are to what we face today. It is a challenging subject, but highly rewarding and it complements many other subjects, whether with its gritty determination to demand grammatical rigour or the frequent examples of the inspiration it provided authors, playwrights and poets of later years. Carol Ann Duffy, Shakespeare, The Hunger Games – all of them took inspiration from the Romans (who in turn were inspired by the Greeks). What better way to make a university application stand out than by having an A Level in a classical language?

What else should I consider?

Latin complements almost every other subject, from the sciences through any modern language to Theatre Studies, English and Religious Studies. It is highly valued by universities and can be useful to pupils intending to study courses such as Medicine, Law, Modern Languages, English Literature or Language, and Classics.

Recent pupils have gone on to study Classics at Oxford and other degrees such as Ancient History, Art, Classical Literature, Medicine and Theology at Edinburgh, Newcastle, Durham, Exeter and Falmouth. Pupils need to have studied the GCSE in order to take Latin at A Level.

Assessment

Examination Board: OCR Specification code H443

Four end-of-course examinations: • Unseen Translation: 100 marks / 1 hour 45 minutes / 33% • Comprehension: 50 marks / 1 hour 15 minutes / 17% • Prose Literature: 75 marks / 2 hours / 25% • Verse Literature: 75 marks / 2 hours / 25%

Who can give me more information? Mrs Blewitt

s.blewitt@sherborne.com