Medieval university
The first European universities were established in Italy and France in the Middle Ages for the study of law, medicine, and theology. Before that, similar institutions already existed in the Islamic world, notably in Cairo. The most important Asian university was Nalanda, in Bihar, India, where the second century Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna was based.
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2 Curriculum 3 List of medieval universities 4 External link |
With the increasing professionalization of society during the 12th and 13th centuries, a similar demand grew for professional clergy. Prior to the 12th century, the intellectual life of Europe had been relegated to monasteries, which was mostly concerned with the study of the liturgy and prayer; very few monasteries could boast true intellectuals. Following the Gregorian Reform's emphasis on canon law and the study of the sacraments, bishops formed cathedral schools to train the clergy in canon law, but also in the more secular aspects of church administration, including logic and disputation for use in preaching and theological discussion, and accounting to more effectively control finances.
Learning became essential to advancing in the ecclesiastical hierarchy, and teachers attracted prestige as well. However, demand quickly outstripped the capacity of cathedral schools, which were essentially run by one teacher. On top of that, tensions rose between the students of cathedral schools and burghers in smaller towns. So, cathedral schools migrated to large cities, like Paris and Bologna.
The predecessor of the modern university found its roots in Paris, especially under the guidance of Peter Abelard, who wrote Sic et Non (Latin "yes or no"), which collected texts for university study. Dissatisfied with tensions between burghers and students and the censorship of leading intellectuals by the Church, Abelard and others formed the Universitas, modeled on the medieval guild, a large-scale, self-regulating, permanent institution of higher education.
By the 13th century, almost half of the highest offices in the Church were occupied by degreed masters (abbots, archbishops, cardinals), and over one-third of the second-highest offices were occupied by masters. In addition, some of the greatest theologians of the High Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas and Robert Grosseteste, were products of the medieval university.
The development of the medieval university coincided with the widespread reintroduction of Aristotle from Byzantine and Jewish scholars and the decline in popularity of Platonism and Neoplatonism in favor of Aristotelian thought.
University studies took approximately 10 years, depending on the field of study. The first eight years taught the student logic, dialectic, and the liberal arts, after which he received a bachelor's degree. Then the student would choose a specific faculty – law, medicine, or theology – in which to pursue the master's degree (which was the highest degree). Theology was the most prestigious area of study, and the most difficult (often taking substantially more than ten years to complete), for the whole medieval period. The basic textbook for university study was the Sentences (Quattuor libri sententarium) of Peter Lombard; theology students and masters were required to write extensive commentaries on this text as part of their curriculum. As a result, much of medieval thought in philosophy and theology can be found in scholastic textual commentary.
List of medieval universities, in order of foundation:
See also: List of oldest universities in continuous operation
History
Curriculum
List of medieval universities
Please add other medieval and older universities to this listExternal link