Medieval Education: The Histor

The Latin word universitas, or university, first appeared in the Latin text of Cicero, the word meaning the whole of mankind or the human race. The word gained educational meaning when the corporation of Paris masters and students first used universitas in 1221 to define the organized society of the entire body of masters and students. But even then the meaning of university was different. Unlike today's university, the medieval universities referred to the students and masters rather than to a building or specific place. This is mainly due to the fact that the early universities did not own buildings but used rented rooms or available rooms loaned by the church as their classrooms (Previte-

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This lack of unity hurt the student body during the twelfth century when student power declined, leaving the commune in charge of hiring the professors (Hyde 312).

Many people criticized the student population and its behavior. Despite their intended purpose, all university degrees were recognized as great achievements and could lead to nonacademic careers (Binnell 3). The universities of Paris and Bologna were formed from spontaneous foundations, meaning they grew from existing schools. At times, the strains on the relationship between the students and their teachers became so great that the students would secede from the university in protest. The chancellor granted teaching licenses to students, but the society instituted the requirements a student must fulfill to gain the title of master. The faculties of arts and medicine were established during the latter half of the thirteenth century. History and social science courses were nonexistent. Its fame increased due to the famous masters the city acquired as well as its teaching of Roman Law, which was forbidden in France and England in 1219. The medieval university continues to influence the education of today's scholars.

The course of study for a medieval student was much different than that of today's student. Each university originated in one of three ways: 1) of spontaneous foundations, 2) of papal, imperial, communal, or joint foundations, or 3) paper universities, universities with foundation charters but never physically formed.

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Approximate Word count = 1697
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

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