Here is the latest instalment in a series of letters from one of our Classical Studies PhD graduates, Paul Jackson, who now lives in Provence, sharing more news on his ongoing project on ‘Classical Dumas’. We love keeping in touch with our graduates, and would welcome other letters like this from our OU Classical Studies alumni. You can email us on [email protected]

It’s been little over a year since I last wrote to you all. In my last letter, I announced the publication of the first volume of the first edition of my Classical Dumas Series, Isaac Laquedem: A Tale of the Wandering Jew (Volume I: The Wandering Jew). Well, since then, the other three volumes have been published in monthly instalments: The Son of God, The Passion of the Christ, and Apollonius of Tyana, all in paperback, hardback, and eBook formats, and all with introductory material from Professor Lisa R. Lampert-Weissig (Katzin Endowed Chair of Jewish Civilisations at the University of California San Diego) and illustrations from the Le Vasseur and Vizetelly editions as well as from Pierre Dupont’s La Légende de Juif Errant. Then, swiftly following on from these, came the second edition in the series, Acte: A Tale of Greece and Rome, in all three formats as well, and with extensive notes from Edward Forman (Professor Emeritus, University of Bristol) and illustrations from the Le Vasseur, Typois Voutyra, and Michel Lévy Frères editions. And now, as of October 1, the third edition in the series is available, initially in paperback format but with hardback and eBook versions to follow, The Memoirs of Horace: A Tale of Rome, which comes with an introduction from Marco Fucecchi (Associate Professor of Latin Language and Literature at the University of Udine) and illustrations from Bartolomeo Pinelli’s Istoria Romana.

This was a work that first came out in 1860, so, towards the end of Dumas’s life, and, as so often, en feuilleton, this time in Le Siècle. Incredibly, it only made it into book format in 2006 through Les Belles Lettres, and it has never been translated into English. Until now! This despite the fact that it was very highly regarded amongst Dumas’s peers at the time, admired by the painter Delacroix, no less. In The Memoirs of Horace, Dumas makes us imagine that he has found a long-lost manuscript in the Vatican Library, the autobiography of the Roman poet, in which way he can assume the mask of the poet and bring to life the characters and events of the first century BC: Sulla, Marius, Pompey, Julius Caesar, Catiline, Cicero, Crassus, Octavian, and Agrippa; the crossing of the Rubicon, Pharsalus, Actium, and the deaths of Antony and Cleopatra. Drawing again from a wide range of source material, the great storyteller also introduces us to daily life in Rome, the food and wine, the literature and philosophy, and the games, all in vivid detail. The paperback, including all four volumes of the original, runs to almost 700 pages, so there is plenty there to keep you going, and through it, we are once again able to come to a much deeper appreciation of the great French author.

The Memoirs of Horace

In addition, over this past year, I have also been trying to promote the Classical Dumas Series as best I can, presenting a paper late last year for the Democritus University of Thrace as part of their EPEL / WoPoLiS: Classical Voices Now! Emerging International Research Voices series, From Homer to the Musketeers: The Reception of Greek Literature in the Works of Alexandre Dumas, and indeed, this was subsequently adapted into an article for the Ad Familiares journal, From Homer to the Musketeers; and I also presented a paper at this year’s Classical Association UK Conference held at Manchester Metropolitan University and Manchester University, From Virgil to the Musketeers: The Reception of Latin Literature in the Works of Alexandre Dumas.

The next edition in the Classical Dumas Series will be my translation of Dumas’s biography, Octavian Augustus: Another Tale of Rome, but before that, I am taking a little step away in order to complete a separate, collaborative project, an illustrated selection of translated poems from the young Provençal writer Marcel Pagnol. Do keep yourself updated about this and the Classical Dumas Series on my website, www.paultmjackson.com, but for now, as I hear a baby starting to cry,  Valete!, and Vive Dumas!

In this report, OU Classical Studies student Ryan tells us all about his recent experience on the prestigious course run by the British School at Athens.

This summer, I was accepted onto the British School at Athens Undergraduate Course, studying the archaeology and topography of Greece. I spent three weeks travelling around mainland Greece and the Peloponnese with like-minded students who shared my passion for the subject.

At the Open University, I was introduced to Classical Studies, the study of the ancient world. Before my second year, I never even knew a subject such as this existed, if only in the world of Donna Tartt. Having always had a deep love for the ancient Greek and Roman world, I was drawn towards Classical Studies, rather than studying History. Choosing it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Sometimes, not knowing is the best way we find what we have been looking for.

Ryan and the serpent column at Delphi

For my final year, my tutor was Julia Tomas. She went beyond my preconceptions of what a tutor could be. In her, I found a real passion for the subject. I was no longer simply learning; rather, we were all sharing this story, this world, together. I can firmly say that I had never experienced such engaging teaching before, where opinions were shared freely and ideas were welcomed. It was Julia who encouraged me to apply for the summer school.

This in itself was rather daunting. I had never travelled by myself, let alone had the confidence to apply for such a prestigious and highly competitive course. But, truth be told, I got in! I managed to secure a place among twenty-seven other students. I was later told that no one from the Open University had ever attended a course like this before.

I had never experienced university teaching in this way. I had studied extensively through books, articles and online materials, but suddenly found myself standing at the very sites I had previously only encountered through photographs and academic texts. Even more importantly, I was able to discuss them in depth with tutors while standing within the landscapes and monuments we were studying. I became something of a sponge, absorbing as much of the knowledge, insight and enthusiasm of our tutors as possible.

In the first week, we visited the Acropolis, seeing the Parthenon in all its grandeur. Seeing it on a screen or in a book had never done it justice. The scale of it completely blew me away. It reminded me of where I was, but most importantly, why it meant so much to me to finally see it. Because I was part of the BSA, we had special access to areas that regular tourists could not enter, including inside the Parthenon itself. It was something I never thought I would experience.

Temple of Poseidon, Sounion

Having studied Delphi in my second year, I was already excited to visit, particularly because of my interest in Greek theatre and ancient religious and cult practices. However, nothing quite prepared me for actually walking along the Sacred Way, passing the treasuries and eventually reaching the sanctuary where the Pythia delivered her prophecies. Experiencing the landscape in person gave me a completely different understanding of the site and its importance.

Perhaps unexpectedly, one of the major highlights of the course was discovering Bronze Age Greece and the Mycenaeans, an area I previously knew very little about. Our lectures on burial practices and Tholos tombs sparked a fascination that grew when we visited Mycenae and Tiryns. We discussed Heinrich Schliemann and how preconceived ideas can influence archaeological interpretation, which encouraged me to develop ideas of my own. At Mycenae, I suggested to Rachel, one of our tutors, that the form of Mycenaean Tholos tombs could perhaps be connected to the shape of boar-tusk helmets. She described the idea as inspired and one of the best interpretations she had heard on the subject. It was an incredibly encouraging moment and gave me much greater confidence in my ability to develop and communicate archaeological ideas.

The site that fuelled my personal interests most was Mystras. An old Byzantine settlement and once the home of Constantine XI, it was particularly exciting for me. Outside of my studies, I have a deep interest in Byzantine history, and visiting Mystras made me eager to explore the subject even further.

The theatre at Epidauros

Before this course, I never imagined I would have the opportunity to experience Greece in this way, nor that three weeks of visiting archaeological sites and discussing ideas with tutors would leave me wanting to pursue a PhD. I do not yet know what my research would focus on, but the experience has given me the confidence and desire to continue studying and, hopefully, one day undertake a PhD of my own.

This course has taught me to value opportunity. I had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful people, some of whom I can now call friends, and tutors whom I hope to keep in contact with. I am incredibly grateful to the Hellenic Society for their generosity, which helped make this trip possible, and to the British School at Athens for choosing me to take part. And, of course, I would like to thank the Open University and more importantly my tutor, Julia Tomas, for their knowledge, encouragement and continued support throughout my studies.

Votive offerings in the Archaeological Museum at Olympia

We are delighted to be able to offer three fully-funded scholarships for our MA in Classical Studies:

• One scholarship will be awarded through an open competition, on the basis of the academic excellence of the applicant.
• Two scholarships, generously funded by the A.G. Leventis Foundation, will be awarded to a UK schoolteacher who intends to introduce or develop the provision of Classical Civilisation in the curriculum of the school where they work.

The Open University’s MA in Classical Studies:

The MA in Classical Studies at the Open University focuses on the question ‘How do we know what we know about the ancient world?’ It is designed both to introduce you to key concepts and themes in Classical Studies and to allow you to explore some of these in more depth. Over the course of the two modules that make up the qualification, it gradually builds up your knowledge and the skills you need to explore ancient visual and written material, while also training you to become an independent researcher. This is the ideal qualification for anyone who wants to know more about the ancient world and the ways in which we can approach it as researchers. It also offers an excellent starting-point for those wishing to teach classical subjects in secondary school. It is a two-year qualification requiring approximately 16 hours of study time a week, which means that it can be completed alongside employment, and it is taught entirely online. No specific prior knowledge is assumed, and there is no requirement to have studied Latin or Ancient Greek, but an undergraduate degree in a cognate discipline is recommended as a basis. By consultation other arrangements can sometimes be made if you do not hold a degree in such a discipline. This usually involves preparatory reading. Further information about the MA is available on the OU website, and on our departmental website.

The scholarship covers full fees for the MA. In addition, the Leventis scholarships come with a small bursary designed to help recipients acquire and develop resources for teaching Classical Studies or related subjects in their school.

Developing Classical Studies in Schools:

Schoolteachers applying for one of the Leventis scholarships may be interested in the panel discussion at a recent Advocating Classics Education event at the Open University, in which  representatives of the ACE project, Classics for All, and a teacher with recent experience of developing Classical Studies provision in a state secondary school shared their experiences and offered guidance and advice. The full discussion is available online here.

How to apply:

To apply for the scholarship, please complete the MA-scholarship-application-form-2019 and send it to [email protected]. With the form you should also send:

• a separate curriculum vitae (CV) of no more than two pages;
• a copy of your latest degree certificate;
• a transcript of your degree that makes clear the level of your academic achievement;
• the name of an academic referee who would be prepared to support your application if you are shortlisted (this should be someone who has taught you or worked with you);
• a statement from your headteacher indicating that they are willing to support your plans to develop Classical Civilisation, if you are applying for the Leventis scholarship.

The application form includes a section for a personal statement.

• Applicants for the Leventis scholarship should use this section to outline their teaching experience to date and to provide a clear indication of the way in which they propose to develop the provision of Classical Civilisation in their school. The successful applicant will be selected on the basis of this statement, and on academic excellence in their studies to date.
• Applicants for the open competition scholarship should use the personal statement to give an account of their prior experience of studying the ancient world, and to explain why they want to study for the MA in Classical Studies at the OU.

The scholarships will not be awarded to students receiving full funding from other funding bodies. It is not necessary to register for the MA degree before making this application.

The Open University promotes diversity in education and we welcome applications from all sections of the community. If it would help to have the application in an alternative format please contact [email protected].

The deadline for applications is 4pm on Monday 10th June and we intend to inform all applicants of the outcome by early July.

Informal enquiries can be made to Joanna Paul ([email protected]).

We’re sorry to announce that our planned ACE (Advocating Classics Education) live-streamed event has been postponed, due to ongoing industrial action by the Universities and Colleges Union. Watch this space for details of a rescheduled event! Please direct any queries to [email protected] or [email protected].