Classics Reunion

St Hilda’s has a long and proud tradition of embracing changes in the profile and educational background of students keen to study Classical subjects, whether in supporting women’s education during times when the Classical languages were viewed as more of a male preserve; in our long standing commitment to offering places to students for Course II as well as ab initio single languages; or indeed in our encouragement for students of Ancient and Modern History and Classical Archaeology to take up or develop their Classical languages if they so wish.

In recent years, changes within the British school system – not only restricted access to Latin and Greek at school level, but also the removal of the requirement to study a foreign language to GCSE – have reduced incoming students’ preparedness to tackle the exacting linguistic demands of the Classics course. We offer support within College to supplement the teaching offered by the Classics Faculty at Mods level, and (where appropriate) continue to help students as they work through Greats. However, our teaching resources are limited, and the majority of the Fellows’ time is needed for tutorials in literature and history.

Several other colleges in Oxford have been fortunate enough to establish specialist language teaching posts in order to meet the increasing need to support students with the learning and consolidation of Greek and Latin. Our ambition is to create a similar, fully funded, position, in order to support the Classical Fellows in their continuing commitment to keep Classics as a subject available to all those with the drive, passion, and intellectual commitment to study the ancient world, regardless of their background. A figure such as a linguistically focused early career academic or alternatively a recent school-teacher with considerable experience in delivering both ab initio and more advanced language extension would enable us to underpin and greatly enhance our support for all our Classics students in a way that offered stability and continuity. To endow such a position would cost in the region of £1,000,000.

We recently celebrated 50 years of Classics at St Hilda’s for our longstanding tutor in Greek language and literature and now Senior Research Fellow, Dr Emily Kearns. We have also commemorated the extraordinary life and career of emeritus fellow in Ancient History, Dr Barbara Levick. Both of these monumental figures in the history of Classics at St Hilda’s showed exceptional commitment to inclusivity, and to the delivery of language tuition and support as the critical ingredient in enabling participation. Dr Kearns’ care and attention for students who arrived with little or no prior knowledge of Latin and Greek was legendary. Dr Levick was the sole Classics tutor when she was appointed, teaching not only her own specialism of Ancient History, but also Languages and Literature as the ‘Mods don’.

We invite you to support us in realising our vision for the study of Classical languages at St Hilda’s by underpinning high-quality and stable teaching provision for the future.

- Dr Rebecca Armstrong

- Professor Katherine Clarke

Registration is free, but we gratefully welcome donations to the Classical Language Teaching Fund to underpin the future of Classical language learning at St Hilda’s.