Greek or Media Studies!

[Loopyloulou]

I'd always assumed that almost no state schools offer Ancient Greek (and I'm not aware of any which have it in their curriculum) because it is difficult, and there is no desire to reach up there. Certainly it is the most difficult subject I've ever studied (mind, languages are not my strength) - even the alphabet (itself a Greek word) is like a secret code. And I've never met anyone who has mastered the accents (did you, sj355?).

It is a real pity though. I still remember the sheer thrill and relief I felt when first reading Xenophon's retreating army's thankful calls of "Θάλασσα, θάλασσα!" - a real event of 2,400 years ago. And no matter what your views none can deny the sheer wonder of "εν αÏ

[Tree]

What's wonderful about your post loopyloulou is your obvious passion and fondness for the subject you were clearly engaged and excited my feeling is that it's that passion engagement and excitement that education can bring to kids that is crucial not the subject it would be equally wonderful to me if it was media studies or philsophy or car mechanics or quantum mechanics (one of my passions) that had stirred you so much and i'm sure that if it was offered and taught by interested teachers at comps it would be enjoyed. Do you think it would be possible to study the best parts of it as part of say a philosphy/ethics/linguistics GCSE course or does it have to be studied as it is?

[Loopyloulou]

I'm with you to a point Tree, but honestly, can you really imagine anyone ever being passionate about Media Studies? Maybe it is that intrinsic lack of passion, engagement and excitement which makes the results so poor.

Sadly I think Ancient Greek is too demanding to be taught successfully as part of something else.

[Tree]

to be honest i have no idea what media studies actually is just that everyone slags it but i believe that you can be passionate about anything i have been to lectures on the statistics of fluid flow in rocks (which on the face of it doesn't sound to exciting and not my subject) but was expressed so enthusastically that i was captivated by it. i really believe its the passion not the subject thats important. I'm interested in what you say about ancient greek maybe state children could be offered options at the local indie to study it if thay want and the indie kids could come to the comp to learn motor mechanics?

[Loopyloulou]

i have been to lectures on the statistics of fluid flow in rocks (which on the face of it doesn't sound to exciting and not my subject) but was expressed so enthusastically that i was captivated by it.

That reminds me of a mathematics lecture I went to at a leading university a couple of years ago. It was being given by a Dutch professor and entitled "Escher and the Droste Effect" - I was expecting it to be dull as dishwater, but in fact it was hilarious. "Escher" was the artist and "Droste" the chocolate of those names ( http://escherdroste.math.leidenuniv.nl/ ... menu=intro - try the animations)

maybe state children could be offered options at the local indie to study it if thay want and the indie kids could come to the comp to learn motor mechanics?

...let's not get carried away now

[Tree]

http://escherdroste.math.leidenuniv.nl/ ... menu=intro

Hay thats really cool maybe it should be part of media studies

I think some indie kids maylike to get their hands on a head gasket

[Rob Clark]

Let me start off by saying that I don’t think Media Studies is appropriate at GCSE level.

That said, it most certainly can be both a fascinating and intellectually rigorous discipline. Both my English degrees contained elements of media studies, with Dr Ros Coward at Reading and Dr Len Masterman at Nottingham who were brilliant at teaching semiotics (ironically from a Greek word for an interpreter of signs), the study of which included Plato and Aristotle.

Anyway, blah blah blah I could bore you all with more detail but my point is there’s nothing inherently silly about media studies – as with so much else it’s all about the quality of teaching…

[sj355]

I'd always assumed that almost no state schools offer Ancient Greek (and I'm not aware of any which have it in their curriculum) because it is difficult, and there is no desire to reach up there. Certainly it is the most difficult subject I've ever studied (mind, languages are not my strength) - even the alphabet (itself a Greek word) is like a secret code. And I've never met anyone who has mastered the accents (did you, sj355?).

The accents (τόνοι - as we refer to them) used in Ancient Greek were used more or less in an identical manner in Modern Greek so it was really no big deal mastering them - and I most certainly did in both the ancient and the modern version. Then at some point in the late seventies someone (correctly) pointed out that the accents in Ancient Greek were only useful because the were used to assist foreigners to properly speak the language. Given that Modern Greek was no longer an international language there was not much point in still using such a complicated system. As a result in the middle of my secondary education we had to learn a simpler "accents" system which took me years to get used to as my hand would automatcially move to add the classical accents

[Loopyloulou]

..so it seems that "dumbing down" was around even in the 70's.

[londonbloke]

Media Studies is, to some extent, covered in English Language GCSE. My first hand observation in (comprehensive) schools is that the quality of certain MS topics is actually higher in English.

English Language and Literature GCSEs really are the best GCSEs available in Media Studies in most schools. It's just that they are harder to get and include some exams. A GCSE equivalent in MS can be obtained without doing a single exam.

As for Grade A*, most MS students are encouraged to take MS precisely because they are unlikely to get a high grade in a traditional subject.

Ancient Greek? A wonderful subject to study, but almost imposssible to fit into most schools given the demands of the National Curriculum. And which Governors/Heads would risk Ancient Greek when so many students struggle with Modern English?

Even in the academically elite schools where it's likely to be available, Ancient Greek is mainly studied by the very best linguists or by ardent classicists so, by definition, commonly yields A* grades.