A2 Latin

AS/A2 LATIN

OCR (1 year)

Course Content

There are two units making up the AS course.

Unit L1: Latin Language

In this unit, students will be looking to increase their familiarity with, and confidence in, the Latin language. In particular they will cover a range of more complex sentence constructions than at GCSE, together with a wider vocabulary. The exam will comprise two questions:

• Translating from Latin into English a passage taken from a mainstream Roman prose author which the examiner would not have expected you to have seen before â€" this is what everybody but the exam board calls an â€-unseen', just like the unseen in the GCSE paper only a bit harder!
• Then…..either translating from English into Latin a shorter passage taken from the prose author studied as part of the â€-Literature' unit (see below); or translating five sentences from English into Latin â€" we have no idea as yet how difficult or long these sentences might be, but we would hope to cover enough material to enable you to consider this option in your exam, should you wish.

Unit L2: Latin Verse and Prose Literature

In this unit students will study two Latin texts:

• Cicero: In Catilinam I.1-19 - the opening to Cicero's blistering attack on the aristocratic would-be ruler of Rome, Catilina. In addition to covering what the Latin means (and, just as important, why), students will also be looking at its historical and political context - in short, just why did Cicero come to be making this attack.
• Ovid: Metamorphoses VIII. 6 -121/125-235- a selection from Ovid's elegant and beautifully crafted poetical reworkings of some of the great stories of Greek myth, including the tragic tale of Daedalus and Icarus. Again you will study what the Latin means (and why) as well as what makes this some of the greatest poetry in the Latin language.

The exam will comprise two questions, each comprising a passage or passages from each author studied and a series of sub-questions based thereon, including a short essay.

Students interested in taking the AS course need to be aware that, whilst we would like to be in a position to offer A2 Latin from September 2011, we would not be in a position to confirm this either way until after the start of the AS course. That said,we are currently running an A2 Latin class for the year 2009-2010. If this were not feasible in 2010-2011, students doing Latin at AS but not Classical Civilisation would be able to join the A2 Classical Civilisation course during their second year and study for a combined full A level designated â€OEClassics†.

The A2 Latin course would consist of two units and would mostbe along the following lines:

A2 Level

Unit L3: Latin Verse

This unit would comprise a detailed study of a verse set text, namely a selection from Book 1 of Virgil's Aeneid (plus the rest in translation).

The exam would comprise two questions:

• Section A: A series of comprehension questions based on a passage taken from the set text, together with an essay.
• Section B: About 10 or so lines of verse unseen, (taken this time from Ovid) together with some comprehension questions based on this passage and including two lines of scansion.

Unit L4: Latin Prose

This unit would be just like Unit L3 … but instead of â€-verse' read â€-prose'. The set textfor September 2010 will be taken from Livy, whilst the unseen in Section B would come from Caesar.

Methods of Teaching

Students will work as a class, in small groups and individually. The â€OELanguage†aspects of the course will mainly be delivered, particularly at first, using a didactic approach â€" in short, we will look to explain how the language works, not just what particular words mean. Increasingly as they become confident in the language, students will be helped to produce their own translations of â€OEunseen†passages, whilst there should also be some scope for translating English into Latin. The â€OELiterature†aspects will comprise a mixture of didactic to ensure students understand the texts, but also teacher-led discussion of them as pieces of literature rather than as a chunk of a foreign language for translation. Here students will be actively encouraged to offer their own personal responses to the material. We place great emphasis on students' taking responsibility for their own workload.

Methods and Patterns of Assessment

Latin is not the easiest subject a student can choose in that there aren't too many convenient short cuts. It does require a good power of recall and loads of discipline as grammar and vocabulary are committed to memory. There will be regular exercises to test this â€" think Hermione Granger! Further, students will practice the type of questions they will face in each of the units; where appropriate, such questions will be assessed according to the guidelines laid down by A level subject examiners.

Financial Implications

Each student will be provided with essential reading material to support their study, either on paper or by way of the subject intranet. We also hope to be able to lend students essential grammar books and lexicons for use whilst on the course. In addition to their own materials for note-taking, tackling unseens and essay writing, students will be expected to provide their own copies of the set texts (plus they may wish to acquire translations of the whole work) â€" these are not always the cheapest, although we will aim to use â€OEvalue for money†editions where possible. Students looking to extend their reading in the subject will be welcome to borrow through College a range of texts and commentaries. Subject to their taking place, students of Latin would be invited to join the Classical Civilisation trips to Italy or Greece â€" these would be of particular interest to students looking to take a Classicsâ€'oriented course at university. Such trips cost in the region of £650. The college has a Student Support Fund which is available to help students in financial difficulty.

Career Possibilities

Latin is widely accepted (and in some cases positively admired) for university entrance whether or not students continue their studies in it or related subjects. Further, studying the subject at AS only is no longer a bar to studying a full Classics degree at any university in the UK offering a Classics course. Whilst there are few, if any, careers which will enable students to make direct use of their Latin, the skills and disciplines needed to succeed in the subject are widely admired by a diverse range of potential employers.