Taster Materials for Classical Studies

The resources below are divided into

• things that will help you prepare for language study
• extracts from Open University study materials and
• free-standing study materials.

Preparatory online language resources

Getting started on Classical Latin
This OpenLearn unit (10 hours) prepares you for the kind of learning that takes place on a classical language course like Reading Classical Latin (A297). It gives you a taster of what is involved in the very early stages of learning Latin and offers you the opportunity to put in some early practice.

Interactive Latin
This lets you quiz yourself on noun, verb and adjective endings. This was designed to support students' revision for Reading Classical Latin (A297) and the words you will meet are key vocabulary items which feature in most beginner's courses. If you are about to start Continuing Classical Latin (A397) you may find it provides some useful consolidation practice.

Continuing Classical Latin (A397)
This OpenLearn unit gives you the opportunity to hear a discussion of the development of the Latin language. The approximate study time is around 4 hours.

A397 Continuing Classical Latin Preparatory Booklet
The booklet will be sent to you as part of the course material, but if you would like it before you register, download it as a PDF file [340 KB] following the link above. If you would prefer a printed copy, please send an A4, self-addressed envelope marked ‘A397 preparation’ to the A397 Curriculum Manager, The Faculty of Arts, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA. No postage is required.

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Introducing Ancient Greek
This site will help you prepare for a Beginner's Ancient Greek course such as Reading Classical Greek: language and literature (A275). You can review the letters of the alphabet, listen to the sounds of the alphabet, recognise the letters, memorise the sequence of letters, use letters to form words and use words to form simple sentences.

The Reading Greek Vocabulary Tester set up by Eton College in collaboration with the Open University is a useful tool for helping to consolidate your knowledge of relevant vocabulary.

Reading Classical Greek (A275)
This website links to interactive quizzes designed for students studying Ancient Greek using the Reading Greek series of textbooks (JACT/Cambridge University Press).  The quizzes allow you to test yourself on the grammar you meet at different stages of the course. You can also watch a brief video introduction to A275 Reading Classical Greek: language and literature by the course chair, Dr James Robson.

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Extracts from Open University study materials

The Arts past and present (AA100)

• There are 4 albums of audio visual content on The Diva (study week 8), Ireland - heritage and collective identity (study week 15), the Benin bronzes (study week 18) and Mosaics from Brading Villa on the Isle of Wight (study week 28). If this content doesn't display on your tablet device try these alternative versions: The Diva, Ireland - heritage and collective identity , the Benin Bronzes and Mosaics.
• The OpenLearn unit on Christopher Marlowe's play Doctor Faustus is from Book 1, Reputations, which you would study in week 3 (15 hours).

Voices and texts (A150)

• There is an OpenLearn unit on Speeches and speech-making which helps you understand some fundamental aspects of rhetoric (1 hour).

Making sense of things: an introduction to material culture (A151)

• An introduction to material culture on OpenLearn asks Why study things? Or put another way, what can we learn from objects that we can’t find out from the reading of texts? (2 hours).
• There are 2 albums of audio visual content on Exploring Greek vases: Track 1 Encountering a Greek Vase, Track 2 Greek vases in the museum and Repatriation and returning remains: Track 1 Encountering a body; Track 2 Torres Strait remains and Track 3 Objections to repatriation. If this content doesn't display on your tablet device try these alternative versions: Exploring Greek vases and Repatriation and returning remains

Exploring the Classical World (A219)

• Introducing the Classical world on OpenLearn aims to get you started by introducing you to the sources upon which you can build your knowledge and understanding (20 hours).
• There are albums on the following topics: Buildings of ancient Rome; Exploring the classical world; Greek Theatre; Learning from human remains: Seianti's skeleton; Power and people in ancient Rome; Roman funerary monuments; the Acroplois and the Parthenon; and the Graeco-Roman city of Paestum. If this content doesn't display on your tablet device try the alternative OU podcasts versions (search for a219).

World Archaeology (A251)

• The World Archaeology album features audio tracks on Origins of Agriculture, Differentiating Cities, Defining a City, The Characteristics of Empire, Monumental and Residential , Archaeology: an Overview, Pompeii and the Roman Empire, The Development of Society, The methodology of archaeology, The theories of human development, What is a city?, The definition of an Empire. If this content doesn't display on your tablet device try these alternative versions on OU podcasts (search for a251).
• The OpenLearn unit The African diaspora: An archaeological perspective explores why the African diaspora is a contentious episode which has been traditionally under-represented and highlights the ways in which archaeology can contribute to this fast-growing field of study.
• The history of the world: Four landmarks explores four key landmarks in our history. This uses specially recorded clips from the BBC series Andrew Marr's History of the World and features key insights from OU academics.

Myth in the Greek and Roman worlds (A330)

• The course information website features a Google Earth map showing some of the major sites discussed in ‘Myth in the Greek and Roman Worlds’.
• Four albums of audio visual content: A tribute to the world of myth: Ovid and Holkham Hall; Myth at the heart of the Roman Empire; Myth in the Greek and Roman Worlds: the Temple of Diana at Nemi and Pygmalion meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. These are also available in OU podcasts versions (A tribute to the world of myth: Ovid and Holkham Hall; Myth at the heart of the Roman Empire; Myth in the Greek and Roman Worlds: the Temple of Diana at Nemi and Pygmalion meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
  

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Free-standing study materials

The Ancient Olympics: Bridging Past and Present

• The Ancient Olympics: Bridging past and present was part of an OU outreach programme in the run up to the London 2012 Olympics, overseen by Dr Aarón Alzola Romero of the Department of Classical Studies. The site allows users to engage with the history and heritage of the Olympics experientially, through audio, animations, interactive maps and images.  The content, which was written in collaboration with various external institutions, is freely available under a Creative Commons licence.