Description of the attraction
The University of Oxford (or simply Oxford) is the second oldest university in Europe (the oldest is the university in Bologna, Italy). It is impossible to name the exact date of the foundation of the university, but it is reliably known that teaching was carried out here in the XI century. The university began to grow rapidly and gain in popularity after 1167, when King Henry II banned English students from studying at the Sorbonne.
In 1209, after conflicts between students and residents of the city, some of the teachers and students moved to the city of Cambridge, where the University of Cambridge was founded. The two oldest universities in England have a lot in common, but much of the history of these educational institutions is the history of their centuries-old rivalry.
Formation of Oxford University
After the expulsion of foreign students and teachers from the Sorbonne, many scholars returned to England and settled in Oxford. Foreign colleagues soon joined them. Since 1201, the chancellor has been considered the head of the university. In the middle of the 13th century, many monastic orders established their educational institutions in Oxford.
The Renaissance has had a huge impact on Oxford, both in teaching and in content. In 1636, William Loud, Bishop of Canterbury and Chancellor of the University, approved the Charter of the University, which served unchanged until the middle of the 19th century. Then some changes were made to the Charter: oral entrance exams were replaced by written ones, four women's colleges were formed (separate education remained until the 70s of the XX century).
Oxford alumni include 40 Nobel laureates, 50 heads of government and many renowned scientists, writers, philosophers and politicians.
Tradition and structure of the university
Oxford students are historically divided into “northern” (including Scots) and “southern” (including Irish and Welsh). This affects their membership in various student associations and college assignments.
The structure of Oxford University is a federation: the university consists of 38 independent colleges and 6 so-called dormitories (halls), which do not have the status of a college and are managed by third-party organizations, in particular religious ones. The central administration is headed by the vice chancellor. The position of chancellor is rather nominal, and the chancellor does not directly participate in the daily life of the university. Academic studies - lectures, seminars, laboratory work - are conducted centrally, training programs are also coordinated for the entire university, and colleges provide a unique system of tutoring - when a personal mentor is assigned to each student. With rare exceptions, colleges do not specialize in any branch of science. The oldest colleges in Oxford are Blackfriar Hall, University College, Balliol College and Merton College. The newest is Kellogg College, founded in 1990.
Oxford has more than 100 libraries, 40 of which are part of the Bodleian Library - one of the oldest in Europe and one of the largest in the UK and the world. The university owns several museums, incl. Ashmolean Museum, Natural History Museum, Pitt Rivers Museum and Science History Museum.
Oxford honors traditions that have survived since its founding. Here you can see people in academic robes. Each college has its own colors, and students wear striped wool scarves in their college colors or sleek navy blue scarves - this shade of blue is called Oxford Blue. By tradition, much attention is paid to sports - game sports, tennis and, of course, the famous rowing in eights.
