HUMANITIES A-Level For 16-19 Year Olds

A Level Ancient History

COURSE OVERVIEW

Ancient history investigates Ancient Rome and Greece. From the campaigns of Alexander the Great to Julius Caesar’s assassination, you will come face-to-face with history’s biggest winners and greatest losers.

EXAMINATION BOARD: OCR

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

Grade 5 in GCSE English Language or English Literature. You do not need to have studied history before.

Why study A Level Ancient History at Blackpool Sixth?

The study of classics through ancient history is well respected by universities and employers and combines with a wide range of subjects. Recent educational visits have included Athens and Rome. We also have regular visits from top academics and TV historians.

How will I be taught?

A wide range of teaching and learning styles are used including discussion and debate, group work, paired work, e-learning, and independent research.

Teacher expertise

We have a very experienced teaching team for ancient history with both teachers having examined for the exam board. One of our teachers, Peter Wright, was awarded TES 'Outstanding Teacher of the Year 2015’.

What skills will I develop?

Written and oral communication
Evaluation
Analysis and critical thinking
Cultural understanding
This is a broad subject which combines well with many other courses.

How will I be assessed?

100

Exam

50% Paper One - Republic and Empire
50% Paper Two - Macedon and the Greek World

What will you study and other information about A Level Ancient History

First Year

Module One – Collapse of the Roman Republic:

Investigate the collapse of the Roman Republic through the eyes of the Romans themselves. Learn about the life and wars of famous Romans such as Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar. Explore the key events leading to the rise of Rome’s first emperor, Augustus Caesar. This is one of the bloodiest periods of Roman history. Investigate how Rome fell into civil war, how Caesar was assassinated, and how a young man named Octavian finally killed the Republic.

Module Two – The Julio-Claudian Emperors:

Learn about the man who destroyed the Republic and became Rome’s first ‘emperor’, Octavian – rebranded, Augustus. Investigate how Augustus manipulated the Romans to create the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Use the works of Roman writers to analyse the motives and policies of the first Roman Emperors. Was Augustus the greatest ever Emperor? Was Tiberius a paranoid and cruel ruler? Was Caligula insane? Did Nero live up to his reputation as a blood-soaked tyrant?

Module Three – Greeks and Barbarians:

Travel back to a time before Rome to study the world of Classical Greece. Use one of the first historians, Herodotus, to find out how the Greeks resisted a Persian invasion so large that its armies ‘drank rivers dry’. Analyse Athens in the aftermath of the Persian Wars and how she high-jacked an anti-Persian alliance into her own Athenian Empire. Investigate the volatile nature of Athenian politics where political ‘spin’, manipulation and control was part of the world’s first democracy. Finally, assess how tensions and friction with her rival city-state Sparta escalated into a brutal and bloody twenty-seven-year war.

Module Four – Alexander the Great: Liberator or tyrant? Hero or murderer?

Investigate a period of ancient history when a young king conquered all before him. Follow Alexander’s conquests and his most famous military victories. Examine his generous and noble but ruthless character. Learn about his ambition to outdo his father’s achievements, his belief in his own divinity and why he murdered his best friend. Battles, executions, conquests and ambition…there is only one ‘Alexandros’.
Equipment and Financial contributions

No purchases are required for this course.

Students may wish to purchase the complete copies of the ancient texts, although online booklets with all specification content are supplied. Complete copies of the ancient texts are available in class should a student wish to borrow one.
Field trips, projects and employability opportunities

We regularly run a visit to either Athens or Rome in the Upper Sixth. Local visits have included Chester, Liverpool University / Egyptology department, and London. We also have links with Oxford North archaeology and organise work experience placements. We also organise for university lecturers to visit and speak on aspects of the course.

Where does it lead?

Ancient history prepares you for a wide range of university courses as it develops your skills of evaluation, analysis, and critical thinking. Courses include ancient/modern history, archeology, and English literature. Ancient history is also a very strong supporting subject for many university courses due to the high regard it is held in. The skills developed allow students to follow careers in teaching, tourism and heritage, journalism, local government, and management. Each year students progress to the top universities including Oxford and Cambridge.