Background
The modern university comes from that of the High Medieval Ages. (Spielvogel, 259). In fact even the name university came from the latin word universitas and it meant corporation or guild. (Spielvogel, 259).
The Origins of Universities
Originally the only form of school was in a monastic community. The monks would teach the individuals, but the curriculum would be religion based. These monastic school were the number one form of learning in the 9th century, but early in the 11th century they were outdone by cathedral schools.
The new cathedral schools were, like the monastic schools, intensely focused on the spirituals aspect of learning and didn't emphasize any worldly curriculums. This form of religious study was soon insufficient and students came seeking the worldly curriculums that the cathedral schools didn't provide. This need sparked the rise of the university.
The first university arose in 1108 in Bologna Italy when a group of students, who were all studying independently, banned together for protection. This group soon morphed into a single unit of students who were all taught at the same time and subsequently morphed into the first university. The University of Bologna did not, however, receive a not e of authenticity and a charter until 1158 sent by the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who drowned in a harmless stream on his way to Jerusalem on the 3rd crusade. Other universities began to appear in Paris and England such as Oxford, Cambridge and the University of Paris.
The teachers in these early medieval universities were held to strict rules including being fined for being late to a class or beginning a lecture late. Aside from getting fined for being late to class the life of a normal teacher in the Medieval Ages was pretty strange. For starters they had to teach all of their classes in latin. They also were instructed to teach only the seven liberal arts. The liberal arts were divided into two groups the trivium and the quadrivium. The trivium consisted of grammar, rhetoric, and logic. The quadrivium consisted of arithmetic, music, astronomy and geometry. The teachers also taught three advanced courses which included theology, medicine and law.
The students who attended the universities received one of three different majors. They could receive an A.B. degree, artium baccalaureus or bachelor of arts, which gave the students a license to teach any of the liberal arts. The student could receive an A.M. degree, artium magister or master of arts, which also gave the student a license to teach, but better qualified the student for the job. The last degree was the advanced degree and to earn this degree the student had to study either law, theology or medicine for ten years after studying the liberal arts. The advanced degree entitled the student to teach any of the three previously listed classes.
The key similarity between Medieval universities and the Medieval World itself was the theme of violence. One example of violence in universities was in the case of a certain college professor who was fired for stabbing one too many of his colleagues in faculty meetings. (Spielvogel, 262). Aside from the violence in the university the school itself did in fact accomplish it goal of teaching the community.
The new cathedral schools were, like the monastic schools, intensely focused on the spirituals aspect of learning and didn't emphasize any worldly curriculums. This form of religious study was soon insufficient and students came seeking the worldly curriculums that the cathedral schools didn't provide. This need sparked the rise of the university.
The first university arose in 1108 in Bologna Italy when a group of students, who were all studying independently, banned together for protection. This group soon morphed into a single unit of students who were all taught at the same time and subsequently morphed into the first university. The University of Bologna did not, however, receive a not e of authenticity and a charter until 1158 sent by the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who drowned in a harmless stream on his way to Jerusalem on the 3rd crusade. Other universities began to appear in Paris and England such as Oxford, Cambridge and the University of Paris.
The teachers in these early medieval universities were held to strict rules including being fined for being late to a class or beginning a lecture late. Aside from getting fined for being late to class the life of a normal teacher in the Medieval Ages was pretty strange. For starters they had to teach all of their classes in latin. They also were instructed to teach only the seven liberal arts. The liberal arts were divided into two groups the trivium and the quadrivium. The trivium consisted of grammar, rhetoric, and logic. The quadrivium consisted of arithmetic, music, astronomy and geometry. The teachers also taught three advanced courses which included theology, medicine and law.
The students who attended the universities received one of three different majors. They could receive an A.B. degree, artium baccalaureus or bachelor of arts, which gave the students a license to teach any of the liberal arts. The student could receive an A.M. degree, artium magister or master of arts, which also gave the student a license to teach, but better qualified the student for the job. The last degree was the advanced degree and to earn this degree the student had to study either law, theology or medicine for ten years after studying the liberal arts. The advanced degree entitled the student to teach any of the three previously listed classes.
The key similarity between Medieval universities and the Medieval World itself was the theme of violence. One example of violence in universities was in the case of a certain college professor who was fired for stabbing one too many of his colleagues in faculty meetings. (Spielvogel, 262). Aside from the violence in the university the school itself did in fact accomplish it goal of teaching the community.