Universities

[Anonymouse]

This is a little bit of a history lesson but I figure if this is the stuff I'm learning in my Medieval history course, I might as well share it with you folks.

Universities, as we know it, are entirely a medieval creation, in that it never became an institution until the middle ages. During the revival of learning that took place in Medieval society, the universty as we know it formed. In the ancient world, they weren't really universities, but more along the lines of "centers for learning". The universities which we know of now are based on the medieval model entirely. "University" was a name given to a guild. There was a university in which the students were a guild, and a university in which the teachers were a guild of their own.

And more or less, these universities would organize themselves around some discipline. The first university was probably in Salerno, Italy, organizeding around medicine, as medical knowledge came from the Arab world during the crusades. And then you had others, such as in Paris, based on theology.

And as with everything a university degree ensured money to be made. Education was free because the Church deemed that knowledge comes from God alone and shouldn't be charged, contrary to nowadays. Women, however, were not allowed to study. But overall there were new opportunities for those learned certain things about beaurocracy. Morever, it was a training ground for new beaurocracies, involving formalized knowledge. It was to shape those that were to be later incorporated into the lay and eccelsiastical beaurocracies.

The question now is, how much do the universities of today, differ from the universities of that day. and how much are they the same?

[anileve]

Interesting, I haven't really thought of this, aah the glory of political science and history major. And I believe that you somewhat partially answered your question. There is the obvious coed education that didn't exist, as you have pointed out women were prohibited the privileges of education. Education is obviously no longer free, yet one can receive various aids from the governments and other programs. I was also under the impression that Greeks were the first ones to come up with the concept, Academies?

Also you didn't mention the fascinating transcendence of the code of dress for students “cap and gown” to the modern day graduation uniform. The goal of institutionalizing the knowledge in an organized framework is still preserved, as well as the emphasis on the importance of a degree. I am running out of fuel for now. How did I do, acceptable presentation or does it lack a factual platform?

[Anonymouse]

Originally posted by anileve Interesting, I haven't really thought of this, aah the glory of political science and history major. And I believe that you somewhat partially answered your question. There is the obvious coed education that didn't exist, as you have pointed out women were prohibited the privileges of education. Education is obviously no longer free, yet one can receive various aids from the governments and other programs. I was also under the impression that Greeks were the first ones to come up with the concept, Academies?

Also you didn't mention the fascinating transcendence of the code of dress for students “cap and gown” to the modern day graduation uniform. The goal of institutionalizing the knowledge in an organized framework is still preserved, as well as the emphasis on the importance of a degree. I am running out of fuel for now. How did I do, acceptable presentation or does it lack a factual platform?

The ancient world didn't have what we know as "university", rather obscure "centers of learning" with a few followers and such. Compared to learning in the ancient world, it became an institutional reality only in the Medieval times. The origin of the earliest universities are obscure, so like I said the best we know is they had "centers of learning" with a few followers and such, i.e. Socrates and Plato, etc. But as far as universities becoming an institutionalized reality, with degrees, and so forth, it was Medieval society. I'm getting redundant. Your add ons about the cap and gown are quite lucid and may I add that still the universities do act in training tomorrows beaurocracy. But even with "grants" from the government, how many actually qualify and how many don't?