CLASSICS

Dollar Academy is one of a diminishing number of schools committed to providing each pupil with the knowledge and the range of skills that comes with a Classical education. All pupils study Latin and Classical Studies in Forms I & II, before choosing their subjects at Standard Grade. Thereafter, Latin and Classical Studies are taught to Advanced Higher. The Academy is one of only seven schools in Scotland which also present pupils for Higher Greek. This session, we will also be presenting a number of pupils for Advanced Higher Greek.

Recognising that the subject can and should make a contribution to our pupils’ sense of citizenship in a civilised society, the Department seeks to develop and refine the skills of reading, writing, reflecting, debating, and translating. There is a strong comparative focus to all that we do, reflecting our conviction that, while the study of the Classics is worthwhile per se, it is particularly valuable when all aspects of the Greco-Roman world are compared and contrasted with our own. Results are invariably excellent. Many pupils go on to study Classics at the country’s top universities.

It is a myth that pupils who study Classics cannot find jobs. Employers hold Classicists in high regard, because of their ability to think logically, and their well-developed communication skills. Former Dollar Academy Classicists are now working successfully in Law, the Civil Service, Banking, Accountancy, and Teaching.

COURSE INFORMATION

In Forms I and II all pupils will study Latin and Classics for one period per week. In Latin pupils follow the Cambridge Latin Course, which offers a lively introduction to the Roman world, along with the elementary stages of the

Latin language. By the end of Form II pupils will have a sound linguistic basis for their study of Latin and all pupils will complete the OCR Entry Level Latin exam so that they have a certificate to endorse their hard work in Forms I and II.

In Classics, Form I pupils study a skills based course through the reading of Greek Mythology. Pupils are encouraged to compare these myths with other cultures and religions and to understand their influence and relevance in the 21st century. In Form II pupils will build on the skills gained in Form I and study the everyday lives of the Ancient Greeks and a taster of Egyptology.
 
Classical Studies

For National 5, we study life in Pompeii before the eruption of Vesuvius, and explore the wonders of Athens at the height of her power. We also study Greek literature concentrating on themes of Heroism, Fate and Free Will, Leadership, Conflict and Women in society. Pupils also complete a Controlled Assessment on a topic of their own choosing from the Greek or Roman world that concentrates on two pieces of primary evidence.

Higher Classical Studies is an eye-opening course that offers pupils the chance to compare and contrast the political systems - and the sexual politics - of the ancient and modern worlds. In addition to studying the Athenian and Roman Empires, the course offers pupils the privilege of reading some of the world’s greatest literature: two Greek tragedies, Sophocles’ Antigone and Euripides’ Medea, and one comedy, Aristophanes’ Lysistrata.

The Advanced Higher Classical Studies course concentrates on the theme of Heroes and Heroism in Greek and Roman Literature. Pupils are encouraged to study the concept of heroes and anti-heroes in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil’s Aeneid, Euripides Trojan Women and Ovid’s Heroides. The course focuses on the changing nature of heroism, morality and the hero, the hero and women and heroes as role models. Overarching this is also the perception of heroism in the ancient world and how this differs from modern ideals.

Pupils also complete a 4,000 word dissertation on a topic of their choice. This final course element allows pupils to develop the kind of confidence in researching, selecting, evaluating and presenting evidence which is vital at university level.

Latin

For National 5, we work through books III, IV and V of the Cambridge Latin Course, putting pupils in a position where their grasp of the language is significantly above the level required for the final exam. In addition, the set texts allow pupils to break free of model sentences, and to experience the riches of genuine Latin literature, including poetry by Catullus, Martial and Ovid.

Higher Latin is a challenging but rewarding course that offers pupils the opportunity to acquire a sound reading knowledge of one of the world’s greatest languages. In addition, it introduces them to two of the world’s finest writers, Cicero and Vergil.

Advanced Higher Latin allows pupils to develop further the sound language skills they have acquired at Higher, while exploring Rome’s literary and cultural achievements. In addition to studying Livy and Vergil, we trace the development of the Latin love elegy, to its eventual maturity in Ovid’s subversive, witty, Amores. Pupils also have the opportunity to write a 4,000-word dissertation on any aspect of Roman life. This final course element allows pupils to develop the kind of confidence in researching, selecting, evaluating and presenting evidence which is vital at university level.

Greek

Higher Greek is an immensely rewarding course that allows diligent pupils to acquire a good reading knowledge of one of the world's great languages. In addition to language work, pupils taking the course will study in the original Greek Book IX of the Odyssey, in which Odysseus finds himself trapped in the Cyclops' cave.