The University of Oxford : a history / L.W.B. Brockliss.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brockliss, L. W. B., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

University of Oxford--History.

University of Oxford.

History.

Physical Description:

xl, 871 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2016.

Summary:

This fresh and readable account gives a complete history of the University of Oxford, from its beginnings in the eleventh century to the present day. Written by one of the leading authorities on the history of universities internationally, it traces Oxford's improbable rise from provincial backwater to one of the world's leading centres of research and teaching. Laurence Brockliss sees Oxfords history as one of discontinuity as much as continuity, describing it in four distinct parts. First he explores Oxford as "The Catholic University' in the centuries before the Reformation, when it was principally a clerical studium serving the needs of the Western church. Then as 'The Anglican University', in the years from 1534 to 1845 when Oxford was confessionally closed to other religions, it trained the next generation of ministers of the Church of England, and acted as a finishing school for the sons of the gentry and the well-to-do. After 1845 'The Imperial University' saw the emergence over the following century of a new Oxford-a university which was still elitist but now non-confessional; became open to women as well as men; took students from all round the Empire; and was held together at least until 1914 by a novel concept of Christian service. The final part, 'The World University', takes the story forward from 1945 to the present day, and describes Oxfords development as a modern meritocratic and secular university with an ever-growing commitment to high-quality academic research. Throughout the book, Oxford's history is placed in the wider context of the history of higher education in the UK, Europe, and the world. This helps to show how singular Oxford's evolution has been: a story not of entitlement but of hard work, difficult decisions, and a creative use of limited resources and advantages to keep its destiny in its own hands. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I The Catholic University: c.1100-1534

Introduction: The First Universities 3

1 Foundation and Institutionalization 11

A The Creation of Oxford 11

B Organization 19

C Consolidation, 1350-1530 23

2 A University of Clerics 31

A The Scholars 31

B Student Life 39

C Careers 46

3 Community Living: Halls, Convents, and Colleges 56

A Halls 56

B The Mendicant Convents 60

C The Early Colleges 62

D The Later Colleges 75

E The Decline of the Halls 83

4 Teaching and Learning 86

A The Curriculum 86

B The Paris Inheritance, Scotus, and Ockham 94

C Mertonians, Mathematicians, and Roger Bacon 103

D Wyclif 109

E The Fifteenth Century: Reorientation and the Challenge of Humanism 115

Conclusion: The Coming of the Reformation 124

Part II The Anglican University: 1534-1845

Introduction: The Age of Confessionalism 131

5 The University and the Colleges 143

A Governance 143

B Outside Interference 150

C Patterns of Attendance 158

D Urban Footprints 166

E A Mecca for Tourists and Celebrities 181

6 Church and State 184

A Catholics and Protestants 184

B Protestant Quarrels 192

C The Anglican Seminary 205

D Noetics, 'Drys', and Tractarians 215

7 Students and Teachers 225

A The Junior Members 225

B The Curriculum 234

C Lecturers 239

D Tutors 249

E Undergraduate Life 261

F The Costs of Study 271

8 Masters and Learning 275

A The Higher Faculties 275

B The Fellows 280

C A Don's Life 286

D Libraries 295

E Oxford and the Republic of Letters 303

F The University Press 317

Conclusion: English Exceptionalism 323

Part III The Imperial University: 1845-1945

Introduction: Reform and Resurrection 333

9 A Century of Reform 347

A The First Steps Down the Road 347

B The 1850 Commission 349

C The 1854 Act and its Consequences 354

D The 1871 Act, the Cleveland Commission, and the Selborne Commission 361

E Extension, the Foundation of Keble, and the Women Question 368

F The Diversification of the Curriculum 378

G Curzon and the Asquith Commission 385

10 Undergraduates and their Education 396

A Rationale 396

B Recruitment and Distribution 406

C The College System 413

D Undergraduate Careers 424

E Ultimate Sacrifice 430

11 Oxford Life 438

A An Expensive Education 438

B Accommodation and Buildings 440

C An Undergraduate's Day 450

D Behaviour and Discipline 463

E Dons 469

F College Families 473

12 Towards the Research University 479

A Learning, Scholarship, and Research 479

B Resources 487

C The Humanities 495

D The Sciences 505

E The University Press and Research 514

F The Second World War 520

Conclusion: Oxford in Context 528

Part IV The World University: 1945-2015

Introduction: Higher Education in Britain since 1945 541

13 External Pressures and Internal Responses 557

A The Post-War Era 557

B The Franks Report and its Aftermath 564

C Access 571

D The North Report 578

E Restructuring the Collegiate University 588

F The Hood Coda 594

G Rebalancing the Finances 600

14 Students, Staff, and Research 605

A Undergraduates 605

B Postgraduates 614

C The Academic Staff 619

D Institutes, Schools, Centres, and Units 626

E The Non-Academic Staff 630

F Buildings 634

G Research 644

H Outreach 656

15 The Oxford Experience 662

A Student Support 662

B Student Emancipation 667

C Forms of Study 675

D Student Life 681

E A Revolution in Manners 687

F Careers 696

G The Dons 702

H Town and Gown 708

Conclusion: Future Prospects 718.

ISBN:

9780199243563

0199243565

OCLC:

951153793