The Curious Classicist Series
N.B. The pricing is not inclusive of VAT - this will be added at checkout.
Course Overview
Many of our younger students are avid readers of the Percy Jackson books, or may have enjoyed learning about some of the Greek myths: Theseus slaying the Minotaur or Hera trying to kill baby Heracles. Few, however, have the opportunity at school to delve into an exploration of the wider classical world before GCSE (or equivalent). This course is designed to open students’ eyes to some of the exciting realms of Classical study: they will explore:
Session 1: Mythology and History
Looking at the story of Troy and Romulus & Remus at how to deal with the ambiguity of fact and fiction in the Classics. Students will look at a variety of archaeological and literary evidence to answer the question of ‘Did the Trojan War really happen?’ and ‘Were Romulus and Remus real?’
Session 2: Magic in the Ancient World
It would be easy to think that the stereotypical witch, who is green, has a warty face, a broomstick and a black cat as a relatively new character in society’s conscience. However, the witch is the combination of thousands of years of complicated social and religious politics. This session will look at the development of magic and the witch through the ancient world and how it has affected our understanding of the marginalised green figure!
Session 3: Dinner Time!
A closer look at some of the more out there ancient recipes, as well as a look at how dinner was used in Roman society to communicate with the dead and to make a variety of terrifying political messages.
Session 4: The Wider Ancient World
This session would look at the less known, far corners of the Roman empire to explore the mixing of Eastern and Western ideas, by looking at a mixture of physical and literary evidence.
Goals
By giving our young minds an early insight into the wonders of the classical world, we aim to heighten students’ cultural and historical understanding, whilst also honing their analytical and critical discussion skills. Our courses aim to get students investigating, examining and unravelling in a highly interactive 1-1 setting where they can voice their ideas in communication with a subject expert.
Our Primary Host
Rowan is a qualified teacher and has extensive experience teaching in secondary schools, including Sydenham High School (GDST) and Dulwich College. Prior to this, she graduated with a 2.i degree in Classics from Durham University, and secured a place on the University of Cambridge's PGCE in Latin with Classics course, achieving an MEd (Researching Practice in Secondary Education) from the university. Rowan is fantastic with younger students and excited about inspiring a younger generation of classicists.
* Should our primary host be fully booked, we have a range of other wonderful Oxbridge-educated classicists to customise a course for your child. Contact us in advance if you would like further details of our hosts.
Logistics
On booking, we will introduce you to the course host to schedule sessions at mutually convenient times
Classes run online
Session materials are provided between classes for the student to further delve into their investigative study
