The latest addition to our online Classics Lecture Series was led by guest speaker Dr Hannah Cornwell, Associate Professor in Ancient History at the University of Birmingham. We were delighted to welcome Dr Cornwell whose thought-provoking talk titled ‘To the Letter: The Performance and Practice of Politics in the Late Republic’ gave a fascinating insight into the dynamics of power, personality, and public discourse in the Roman world.
As part of our Classics Enrichment Programme, which encourages pupils to expand their learning beyond the classroom and read and research widely, this lecture was especially valuable in deepening the knowledge and understanding of our A Level students.
Those studying the Classical Civilisation component ‘The Politics of the Late Republic’ gained essential contextual insight into the political landscape of the era whilst our Latinists, currently translating and analysing Cicero’s Pro Caelio, benefited from the broader political and rhetorical context in which Cicero was operating.
Dr Cornwell’s lecture revealed how epistolary communication in the Late Roman Republic, particularly through Cicero’s correspondence, played a vital role in the political landscape. Drawing from Cicero’s letters, she explored how these texts were not merely private communications but powerful instruments of political performance.
The lecture was attended by Loughborough Grammar School pupils and parents, alongside members of the wider secondary and higher education community from across the UK, demonstrating the far-reaching interest in and relevance of Classical studies.
Organised by Teacher of Classics, Dr M. González Rodríguez, these termly events are part of our continued commitment to celebrating and promoting Classics at Loughborough Grammar School. They aim to enrich our pupils’ understanding of the ancient world and its enduring impact on modern thought.
At GCSE level, the curriculum offers a wide-ranging course of study and pupils are provided with the opportunity to explore both Ancient Greece, with an emphasis on Athens and Sparta, and Rome thematically. The course enables pupils to respond to and engage with a wealth of literature, visual and material culture equipping them with readily transferable analytical skills.
Pupils who choose to study Classical Civilisation at A Level will develop a sophisticated level of understanding of Greek and Roman epics, the way they were composed and the religious, cultural and social values and beliefs of its societies.
Studying the subject at either GCSE and/or A Level equips pupils with important transferable skills such as analysing sources and developing independent, critical and evaluative approaches as well as a valuable understanding of cultures very different to their own.
Initiatives such as the Classics Lecture Series ensure that pupils retain a strong sense of engagement and interest with the subject and provide them with the opportunity to hear from a range of guest speakers who all have a passion for the subject.
Previous lectures in the series have included talks on Virgil’s Aeneid 2 and grief narratives as potentially therapeutic or re-traumatising, Tibullus’ poetry and Women on Trial in Cicero’s speeches. The next lecture in the series will take place in June, and details will be advertised at the beginning of Summer Term 2025.
