Difference between revisions of "University of Oxford" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Category:Universities and Colleges]]
 
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{{coor title d|51.761147|N|1.253386|W|type:landmark}}
 
 
{{Infobox University-Jen
 
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|name            = University of Oxford
 
|name            = University of Oxford
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|image = [[Image:OUCOAcolourCopyrightKaihsuTai.png|150 px]]
 
|image = [[Image:OUCOAcolourCopyrightKaihsuTai.png|150 px]]
 
|motto          = Dominus Illuminatio Mea<br/>"The Lord is my Light"
 
|motto          = Dominus Illuminatio Mea<br/>"The Lord is my Light"
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|established    = Unknown, teaching existed since 1096<ref name="Oxford">{{cite web |url=http://www.ox.ac.uk/aboutoxford/history.shtml |title=A Brief History of the University |publisher=Oxford University |accessdate=2007-06-05}}</ref>
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|established    = Unknown, teaching existed since 1096<ref name="Oxford">Oxford University, [http://www.ox.ac.uk/aboutoxford/history.shtml A Brief History of the University.] Retrieved June 5, 2007.</ref>
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|endowment      = £3.6 billion (inc. colleges)<ref name="Observer">{{cite web |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2010586,00.html |title=Biillion-pound boost for British universities |work=Observer article |accessdate=2007-02-11}}</ref>
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|endowment      = £3.6 billion (inc. colleges)<ref name="Observer">''Observer,'' [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2010586,00.html Biillion-pound boost for British universities.] Retrieved February 11, 2007.</ref>
 
|chancellor      = The Rt Hon. [[Chris Patten|Lord Patten of Barnes]]
 
|chancellor      = The Rt Hon. [[Chris Patten|Lord Patten of Barnes]]
 
|vice_chancellor = [[John Hood|Dr John Hood]]
 
|vice_chancellor = [[John Hood|Dr John Hood]]
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The '''University of Oxford''' (usually abbreviated as '''Oxon.''' for [[Post-nominal letters|post-nominals]]), located in the city of [[Oxford]], [[England]], is the [[List of oldest universities in continuous operation|oldest university]] in the [[Anglosphere|English-speaking world]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ox.ac.uk/aboutoxford/|title=About Oxford University|publisher=Oxford University|accessdate=2006-07-02}}</ref>
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The '''University of Oxford''' (usually abbreviated as '''Oxon.''' for [[Post-nominal letters|post-nominals]]), located in the city of [[Oxford]], [[England]], is the oldest university in the [[Anglosphere|English-speaking world]]. It is also regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions. The University has 38 independent colleges, and six permanent private halls.
  
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The university traces its roots back to at least the end of the [[11th century]], although the exact date of foundation remains unclear. This dating would make its duration now equal to 900 years, comparable to [[Plato's academy#The original Academy|Plato's Academy]] (ca. 400 B.C.E. - 529 C.E.). After a dispute between students and townsfolk broke out in 1209, some of the academics at Oxford fled north-east to the town of [[Cambridge]], where the [[University of Cambridge]] was founded. The two universities have since had a long history of competition with each other. (See [[Oxbridge rivalry]].)
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The university traces its roots back to at least the end of the eleventh century, although the exact date of foundation remains unclear. After a dispute between students and townsfolk broke out in 1209, some of the academics at Oxford fled north-east to the town of [[Cambridge, England|Cambridge]], where the [[University of Cambridge]] was founded. The two universities, often jointly referred to by the portmanteau term "Oxbridge," have had a long history of academic and athletic rivalry although there are also many links and much cooperation. Their similarities in having a collegiate structure and a tutorial system has set them apart from other educational institutions. Both provide an intensity, depth and breadth of education suitable for people who go on to reach the top of their professions. In this way, they serve society by providing outstanding leadership. Admissions are based almost exclusively on academic achievement and intellectual promise as the university aims to educate the students who can best benefit from an intensive education. Spiritual, moral, cultural and social education is also an important dimension of the Oxbridge experience which is why students have to be resident in a college for all or most of the term. For many centuries the colleges, and hence the university, were all male institutions. This has changed first with the founding of women's colleges and later by making other colleges mixed. Now there are approximately an equal number of men and women. About half the student body come from independent schools and half from state schools.
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{{toc}}
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The University of Oxford is a member of the [[Russell Group of Universities|Russell Group]] of research-led [[British universities]], the [[Coimbra Group]] (a network of leading European universities), the [[League of European Research Universities]], and is also a core member of the [[Europaeum]]. Academically, Oxford is consistently [[Academic Ranking of World Universities|ranked]] in the world's top ten universities.<ref>Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2007), [http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2007/ARWU2007_Top100.htm Academic Ranking of World Universities 2007.] Retrieved October 23, 2007</ref> For more than a century, it has served as the home of the prestigious [[Rhodes Scholarship]], which brings highly accomplished students from a number of countries to study at Oxford as postgraduates; these students often return to their home countries to pursue leadership positions in academia, business, or politics.
  
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The University of Oxford is a member of the [[Russell Group of Universities|Russell Group]] of research-led [[British universities]], the [[Coimbra Group]] (a network of leading European universities), the [[League of European Research Universities]], and is also a core member of the [[Europaeum]]. Oxford is often ranked among the world's top-5 universities.
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==Mission and reputation==
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==History==
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Oxford has no definitive mission statement per se, but the Chancellor of the college reminds visitors that, "Oxford was the first University in the English-speaking world. Our aim is to remain at the forefront of centers of learning, teaching, and research."<ref name=welcome>The University of Oxford (2007), [http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/introducing_oxford/ Welcome from the Chancellor.] Retrieved October 22, 2007.</ref> 
  
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The school is dedicated to maintaining its long standing tradition of excellence, through its unique methods of tutorial and supervision style education.<ref name=welcome/> Oxford's reputation is, in fact, long and prestigious; it is often cited by educational sources as one of the top schools, both within England, and the world at large. The ''Times Good University Guide'' has named Oxford the best university in the UK since 2003.<ref name= "EducationGuardian 2005">''The Guardian,'' [http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2005/table/0,,-5163901,00.html Education Guardian 2005.] Retrieved July 31, 2006.</ref> In 2006, Oxford was rated 3rd (after [[Harvard]] and [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]]) in the ''THES—QS World University Rankings.''<ref>Topuniversities.com (2006), THES—QS World University Rankings.</ref> In the ''Academic Ranking of World Universities,'' Oxford achieved 9th place in 2003, 8th in 2004, and 10th in 2005, 2006, and 2007.<ref>Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2005), [http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2007/ARWU2007_Top100.htm Academic Ranking of World Universities 2007.] Retrieved October 23, 2007.</ref>
  
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The town of Oxford was already an important centre of learning by the end of the 12th century. Teachers from [[Continental Europe|mainland Europe]] and other scholars settled there, and lectures are known to have been delivered by as early as 1096. The expulsion of foreigners from the [[University of Paris]] in 1167 caused many English scholars to return from France and settle in Oxford. The historian [[Gerald of Wales]] lectured to the scholars in 1188, and the first foreign scholar, [[Emo of Friesland]] arrived in 1190. The head of the University was named a [[chancellor]] from 1201, and the masters were recognised as a ''universitas'' or corporation in 1231. The students associated together, on the basis of geographical origins, into two “nations,” representing the North (including the Scots) and the South (including the Irish and the Welsh). In later centuries, geographical origins continued to influence many students' affiliations when membership of a [[Colleges of the University of Oxford|college]] or [[Permanent Private Hall|hall]] became customary in Oxford. Members of many [[religious order]]s, including [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]], [[Franciscan]]s, [[Carmelites]], and [[Augustinians]], settled in Oxford in the mid-[[13th century]], gained influence, and maintained houses for students. At about the same time, private benefactors established colleges to serve as self-contained scholarly communities. Among the earliest were [[John de Balliol]], father of the future [[John of Scotland|King of Scots]]; [[Balliol College, Oxford|Balliol College]] bears his name. Another founder, [[Walter de Merton]], a [[Lord Chancellor|chancellor]] of England and afterwards [[Bishop of Rochester]], devised a series of regulations for college life; [[Merton College, Oxford|Merton College]] thereby became the model for such establishments at Oxford as well as at the [[University of Cambridge]]. Thereafter, an increasing number of students forsook living in halls and religious houses in favour of living at colleges.
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However, such a reputation does have its downside. For much of its history, the University of Oxford remained the preserve of a social elite. Though the university strove to change this in recent years, Oxford's admissions policy has continued to attract considerable public controversy. Though the University puts enormous efforts into attracting working-class students, Oxbridge entrance remains a central focus for many private and selective-state schools, and the under-representation of comprehensive school pupils remains a point of controversy.<ref>Telegraph.co.uk (2006), [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=BLOGDETAIL&grid=F11&blog=yourview&xml=/news/2006/07/27/ublview27.xml Should Oxford discriminate in favor of state school students?] Retrieved October 23, 2007. </ref>
  
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The new learning of the [[Renaissance]] greatly influenced Oxford from the late [[15th century]] onward. Among university scholars of the period were [[William Grocyn]], who contributed to the revival of the [[Greek language]], and [[John Colet]], the noted [[Biblical Theology|biblical scholar]]. With the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]] and the breaking of ties with the [[Roman Catholic Church]], the method of teaching at the university was transformed from the medieval [[Scholasticism|Scholastic method]] to Renaissance education, although institutions associated with the university suffered loss of land and revenues. In 1636 [[Chancellor (education)|Chancellor]] [[William Laud]], [[archbishop of Canterbury]], codified the university statutes; these to a large extent remained the university's governing regulations until the mid-[[19th century]]. Laud was also responsible for the granting of a charter securing privileges for the [[Oxford University Press|university press]], and he made significant contributions to the [[Bodleian Library]], the main library of the university.
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==History==
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The town of Oxford was already an important center of learning by the end of the twelfth century. Teachers from [[Continental Europe|mainland Europe]] and other scholars settled there, and lectures are known to have been delivered by as early as 1096. The expulsion of foreigners from the [[University of Paris]] in 1167, caused many English scholars to return from France and settle in Oxford. The historian [[Gerald of Wales]] lectured to the scholars in 1188, and the first foreign scholar, [[Emo of Friesland]], arrived in 1190. The head of the University was named a [[chancellor]] from 1201, and the masters were recognized as a ''universitas,'' or corporation, in 1231. The students associated together, on the basis of geographical origins, into two “nations,” representing the North (including the Scots) and the South (including the Irish and the Welsh). In later centuries, geographical origins continued to influence many students' affiliations when membership of a [[Colleges of the University of Oxford|college]] or [[Permanent Private Hall|hall]] became customary in Oxford. Members of many [[religious order]]s, including [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]], [[Franciscan]]s, [[Carmelite]]s, and [[Augustinian]]s, settled in Oxford in the mid-thirteenth century, gained influence, and maintained houses for students. At about the same time, private benefactors established colleges to serve as self-contained scholarly communities. Among the earliest were [[John de Balliol]], father of the future [[John of Scotland|King of Scots]]; [[Balliol College, Oxford|Balliol College]] bears his name.<ref>Richard Tames, ''A Traveler's History of Oxford'' (New York: Interlink, 2002, ISBN 1566564670).</ref>
  
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The university was a centre of the [[Cavalier|Royalist]] Party during the [[English Civil War]] (1642–1649), while the town favoured the opposing [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]] cause. Soldier-statesman [[Oliver Cromwell]], chancellor of the university from 1650 to 1657, was responsible for preventing both Oxford and Cambridge from being closed down by the Puritans, who viewed university education as dangerous to religious beliefs. From the mid-18th century onward, however, the University of Oxford took little part in political conflicts.
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Another founder, [[Walter de Merton]], a [[Lord Chancellor|chancellor]] of England and afterwards [[Bishop of Rochester]], devised a series of regulations for college life; [[Merton College, Oxford|Merton College]] thereby became the model for such establishments at Oxford as well as at the [[University of Cambridge]]. Thereafter, an increasing number of students forsook living in halls and religious houses in favor of living at colleges.
  
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Administrative reforms during the 19th century included the replacement of oral examinations with written entrance tests, greater tolerance for [[English Dissenters|religious dissent]], and the establishment of four colleges for women. Women have been eligible to be full members of the university and have been entitled to take degrees since 1920. Although Oxford's emphasis traditionally had been on classical knowledge, its curriculum expanded in the course of the 19th century and now attaches equal importance to [[Science|scientific]] and [[Medicine|medical]] studies.
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The new learning of the [[Renaissance]] greatly influenced Oxford from the late [[fifteenth century]] onward. Among university scholars of the period were [[William Grocyn]], who contributed to the revival of the [[Greek language]], and [[John Colet]], the noted [[Biblical Theology|biblical scholar]]. With the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]] and the breaking of ties with the [[Roman Catholic Church]], the method of teaching at the university was transformed from the medieval [[Scholasticism|Scholastic method]] to Renaissance education, although institutions associated with the university suffered loss of land and revenues. In 1636, [[Chancellor (education)|Chancellor]] [[William Laud]], [[archbishop of Canterbury]], codified the university statutes; these to a large extent remained the university's governing regulations until the mid-nineteenth century. Laud was also responsible for the granting of a charter securing privileges for the [[Oxford University Press|university press]], and he made significant contributions to the [[Bodleian Library]], the main library of the university.
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[[Image:John Speed's map of Oxford, 1605..jpg|thumb|300px|A map of Oxford, 1605.]]
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The university was a center of the [[Cavalier|Royalist]] Party during the [[English Civil War]] (1642–1649), while the town favored the opposing [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]] cause. Soldier-statesman [[Oliver Cromwell]], chancellor of the university from 1650 to 1657, was responsible for preventing both Oxford and Cambridge from being closed down by the Puritans, who viewed university education as dangerous to religious beliefs. From the mid-eighteenth century onward, however, the University of Oxford took little part in political conflicts.
  
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The list of distinguished scholars at the University of Oxford is long and includes many who have made major contributions to [[Politics of the United Kingdom|British politics]], the sciences, medicine, and literature. Since its foundation in 1823, the [[Oxford Union]], a private club devoted to formal debating and other social activities, has numbered among its members many of Britain's most noted political leaders.
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Administrative reforms during the nineteenth century included the replacement of oral examinations with written entrance tests, greater tolerance for [[English Dissenters|religious dissent]], and the establishment of four colleges for women. Women have been eligible to be full members of the university and have been entitled to take degrees since 1920. Although Oxford's emphasis traditionally had been on classical knowledge, its curriculum expanded in the course of the nineteenth century and now attaches equal importance to [[Science|scientific]] and [[Medicine|medical]] studies.
  
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==Organisation==
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The list of distinguished scholars at the University of Oxford is long and includes many who have made major contributions to [[Politics of the United Kingdom|British politics]], the sciences, medicine, and literature. More than forty [[Nobel Prize|Nobel]] laureates and more than fifty world leaders have been affiliated with the University of Oxford. Since its foundation in 1823, the [[Oxford Union]], a private club devoted to formal debating and other social activities, has numbered among its members many of Britain's most noted political leaders.
  
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There are 39 [[colleges of Oxford University]] and 7 [[Permanent Private Hall]]s, each with its own internal structure and activities. The university's formal head is the chancellor, usually a distinguished politician, elected for life by the members of [[Convocation]], a body comprising all graduates of the university. The [[Vice-Chancellor|vice-chancellor]], who holds office for four years, is the head of the university's executive. In addition to Convocation, the other bodies that conduct university business are the [[Congregation (university)|Ancient House of Congregation]], which confers degrees; the [[University Council]], which formulates university policy; and the Congregation of the University, which discusses and pronounces on policies proposed by the University Council.
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==Facilities==
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[[Image:Radcliffe Camera (2005).jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Radcliffe Camera]], built 1737-1749, holds books from the [[Bodleian Library]]'s English and History collections.]]
  
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The university itself conducts examinations and confers degrees. The passing of two sets of examinations is a prerequisite for a [[Undergraduate degree|first degree]]. The first set of examinations, called either [[Honour Moderations]] ("Mods" and "Honour Mods") or [[Prelims|Preliminary Examinations]] ("Prelims"), are usually held at the end of the first year (or after five terms in the case of Classics). The second set of examinations, the [[Final examination|Final Honour School]] ("Finals"), is held at the end of the undergraduate course. Successful candidates receive first-, upper or lower second-, or third-class honours based on their performance in Finals. Research degrees at the master's and doctoral level are conferred in all subjects studied at graduate level at the university.
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===Libraries===
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Oxford’s central research library is the [[Bodleian Library|Bodleian]], founded in 1598 by [[Sir Thomas Bodley]]. With over 8 million volumes housed on 117 miles of shelving, it is the second-largest library in the UK, after the [[British Library]]. It is a [[legal deposit library]], which means that it is entitled to request a free copy of every book published in the UK. As such, its collection grows at a rate of over three miles of shelving every year.<ref name=library>''Oxford University Gazzette'' (2005), [http://www.ox.ac.uk/gazette/2005-6/supps/1_4743.htm A University Library for the Twenty-first Century.] Retrieved October 23, 2007.</ref> Its main central site is comprised of the [[Radcliffe Camera]], the Old Schools Quadrangle, the [[Clarendon Building]], and the New Bodleian Building. A tunnel underneath [[Broad Street, Oxford|Broad St]] connects the buildings. There are plans to build a new book depository in Osney Mead, and to remodel the New Bodleian building to better showcase the library’s various treasures (which include a Shakespeare [[First Folio]] and a [[Gutenberg Bible]]) as well as temporary exhibitions.<ref name=library/> Several other libraries, such as the [[Radcliffe Science Library]] and the [[Oriental Institute Library]] also fall within the Bodleian Group’s remit.
  
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The heads of [[Colleges of the University of Oxford|Oxford colleges]] are known by various titles, according to the college, including warden, provost, principal, president, rector or master. Undergraduate discipline is supervised by two university proctors, elected annually on a rotating basis from two of the colleges. Teaching members of the colleges (fellows and tutors) are collectively and familiarly known as dons (though the term is rarely used by members of the university itself). In addition to residential and dining facilities, the colleges provide social, cultural, and recreational activities for their members.
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As well as the Bodleian, there are a number of other specialized libraries in Oxford, such as the [[Sackler Library]] which holds classical collections. In addition, most academic departments maintain their own library, as do all colleges. The University’s entire collection is cataloged by the [[OLIS|Oxford Libraries Information System]], though with such a huge collection, this is an ongoing task. Oxford University Library Services, the head of which is Bodley’s Librarian, is the governing administrative body responsible for libraries in Oxford. The Bodleian is currently engaged in a mass-digitization project with [[Google]].<ref>Bodleian Library (2006), Oxford-Google Digitization Programme.</ref>
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[[Image:Pitt-rivers-m2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Pitt Rivers Museum]] interior]]
  
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Formal instruction is available for undergraduates in the form of [[lecture]]s organised on a departmental basis. In addition, each undergraduate works with one or more college [[tutorial|tutors]], who are responsible for overseeing the student's academic progress. Since 1902, students from the [[United States]], the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] countries, and from certain other countries have been able to study at Oxford under [[Rhodes Scholarship]]s, established by the [[British Empire|British colonial]] statesman [[Cecil John Rhodes]].
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===Museums===
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Oxford maintains a number of [[museum]]s and galleries, in addition to its libraries. The [[Ashmolean Museum]], founded in 1683, is the oldest museum in the UK, and the oldest university museum in the world.<ref>University of Oxford—Ashmolean Museum (2005), [http://www.ashmolean.org/about/historyandfuture About the Museum: History & Future.] Retrieved October 22, 2007.</ref> It holds significant collections of art and [[archaeology]], including works by [[Michaelangelo]], [[da Vinci]], [[J. M. W. Turner|Turner]], and [[Pablo Picasso|Picasso]], as well as treasures such as the [[Parian Chronicle|Parian Marble]] and the [[Alfred Jewel]]. The Ashmolean is currently undertaking a £60m redevelopment,<ref>University of Oxford—Ashmolean Museum (2005), [http://www.ashmolean.org/transforming/ Transforming the Ashmolean.] Retrieved October 23, 2007.</ref> which will double the display space as well as provide new facilities.
  
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==Governance and administration==
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The [[Oxford University Museum of Natural History|Museum of Natural History]] holds the University’s anatomical and natural history specimens. It is housed in a large neo-Gothic building in the University’s Science Area. Among its collection are the skeletons of a ''[[Tyrannosaurus rex]]'' and [[triceratops]], and the most complete remains of a [[dodo]] found anywhere in the world. It also hosts the [[Charles Simonyi|Simonyi]] Professorship of the Public Understanding of Science.
  
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The main legislative body of the University is [[Congregation (university)|Congregation]], the assembly of all academics who teach in the University. Another body, [[Convocation]], encompassing all the graduates of Oxford, was formerly the main legislative body of the University, and until 1949 elected the two [[University constituency|Members of Parliament for the University]]. Convocation now has very limited functions: the main one is to elect the (largely symbolic) [[Chancellor (education)|Chancellor]] of the University, most recently in 2003 with the election of [[Christopher Patten]]. Convocation also elects the [[Oxford Professor of Poetry|Professor of Poetry]].
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[[Image:Oxford Botanic Garden in Autumn 2004.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Autumn in the Walled Garden of the [[Oxford Botanic Garden|Botanic Garden]]]]Adjoining the Museum of Natural History is the [[Pitt Rivers Museum]], founded in 1884, which displays the University’s archaeological and anthropological collections, currently holding over 500,000 items. It recently built a new research annexe; its staff have been involved with the teaching of anthropology at Oxford since its foundation, when as part of his donation General [[Augustus Pitt Rivers]] stipulated that the University establish a lectureship in anthropology.
  
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The executive body of the University is the [[University Council]], which consists of the [[Vice-Chancellor]], [[John Hood|Dr John Hood]] (succeeding [[Colin Lucas|Sir Colin Lucas]]), heads of departments and other members elected by Congregation in addition to observers from the Student Union. Until 1969, the statutes also provided for an Ancient House of Congregation, which somehow survived the university reforms in the 19th century and was summoned for the sole purpose of granting degrees. Since then degrees have been granted by Congregation, but as late as 1994 these were still being announced in the Gazette as meetings of the Ancient House.
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The [[Museum of the History of Science, Oxford|Museum of the History of Science]] is housed on Broad St in the world’s oldest-surviving purpose-built museum building.<ref>Museum of the History of Science, Oxford (2006), [http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/about/index.htm?text Overview.] Retrieved October 23, 2007.</ref> It contains 15,000 artifacts, from antiquity to the twentieth century, representing almost all aspects of the [[history of science]]. In the Faculty of Music on [[St Aldate’s, Oxford|St Aldate’s]] is the [[Bate Collection]] of Musical Instruments, a collection mostly comprising of instruments from Western classical music, from the medieval period onwards. The [[Oxford Botanic Garden|Botanic Garden]] is the oldest botanic garden in the UK, and the third-oldest scientific garden in the world. It contains representatives from over 90 percent of the world’s higher plant families. [[Christ Church Picture Gallery]] holds a collection of over 200 [[old master]] paintings.
  
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==Academic year==
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===Buildings and parks===
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The academic year is divided into 3 [[Academic term|terms]], determined by Regulations[http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/examregs/03-00_REGULATIONS_ON_THE_NUMBER_AND_LENGTH_OF_TERMS.shtml].
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In addition to the museums and library, the University of Oxford is also compromised of several historical buildings and locations:
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[[Michaelmas term|Michaelmas Term]] lasts from October to December; [[Hilary term|Hilary Term]] from January to March; and [[Trinity term|Trinity Term]] from April to July.
 
  
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Within these terms, Council determines for each year eight week periods called Full Terms,
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*[http://www.sheldon.ox.ac.uk/ Sheldonian Theatre]
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during which undergraduate teaching takes place.
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*[http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/england/oxford/wren/tomtower.html/ Tom Tower]
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These terms are amongst the shortest of any British university, and the workload during each term is therefore intense.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Undergraduates are also expected to prepare heavily in the three vacations (known as the [[Christmas]], [[Easter]] and Long Vacations).
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*[http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/oxfordtour/panohtml/universitychurchradcliffesq.htm/ Radcliffe Camera]
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*[http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/oxfordtour/panohtml/universitychurchradcliffesq.htm/ University Church of St Mary the Virgin]
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*[http://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/index.php/ Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford]
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*[http://www.parks.ox.ac.uk/ Oxford University Parks]
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*[http://www.botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk/ Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum]
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*[http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/ Rhodes Trust the centre of the [[Rhodes Scholarship]
  
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Internally at least, the dates in the term are often referred to by a number in reference to the start of each full term, thus the first week of any full term is called '1st week' and the last is '8th week'. The numbering of the weeks continues up to the end of the term, and begins again with negative numbering from the beginning of the succeeding term, through `minus first week` and  'noughth week', which precedes '1st week'.
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==Programs==
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===Central governance===
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[[Image:Hepworth Achaean.jpg|thumb|left|300px|[[St Catherine's College, Oxford|St Catherine's College]], founded in 1962, is the youngest undergraduate college]]
  
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==Admission==
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The university's formal head is the [[List of Chancellors of the University of Oxford|Chancellor]] (currently [[Lord Patten of Barnes|Lord Patten]]), though as with most British universities, the Chancellor is a titular figure, rather than someone involved with the day-to-day running of the university. Elected by the members of [[Convocation]], a body comprising all graduates of the university, the Chancellor holds office until death.  
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The admission process for undergraduates is undertaken by individual colleges, working with each other to ensure that the best students gain a place at the University regardless of whether they are accepted by their preferred college. The colleges have recently signed up to what they call a "common framework" outlining the principles and procedures they observe. The University claims that selection is based on achieved and predicted exam results; candidate submitted written work; interviews, which are held between applicants and college tutors; and, in some subjects, written admission tests prior to interview. However there is much controversy that the selection process has an element of class bias with working class students being under represented. <ref> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/764141.stm </ref> <ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/764767.stm </ref> <ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=BLOGDETAIL&grid=F11&blog=yourview&xml=/news/2006/07/27/ublview27.xml </ref> <ref> http://www.durham21.co.uk/archive/archive.asp?ID=999 </ref> <ref> http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1175796,00.html </ref> <ref> </ref>Indeed, the University (under government pressure) now puts enormous efforts into attracting working-class students, however Oxbridge entrance remains a central focus for many top level private schools and state schools pupils are still under-represented in the student body.
 
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Personal statements and school references are also considered. Because of the high volume of applications and the direct involvement of the faculty in admissions, students are not permitted to apply to both Oxford and Cambridge in the same year, with the exception of applicants for Organ Scholarships and those applying to read for a second undergraduate degree.  
 
  
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<!— Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:Oxford University Colleges-All Souls quad.jpg|thumb|245px|left|[[All Souls College]] quad]] —>
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The Vice-Chancellor is the de facto head of the University. Five Pro-Vice-Chancellors have specific responsibilities for Education; Research; Planning and Resources; Development and External Affairs; and Personnel and Equal Opportunities. The University Council is the executive policy-forming body, which consists of the Vice-Chancellor as well as heads of departments and other members elected by Congregation, in addition to observers from the Student Union. [[Congregation (university)|Congregation]], the "parliament of the dons," comprises over 3,700 members of the University’s academic and administrative staff, and has ultimate responsibility for legislative matters: It discusses and pronounces on policies proposed by the University Council. Oxford and Cambridge (which is similarly structured) are unique for this democratic form of governance.
  
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For graduate students, admission is by the relevant department, and then by a college.
+
Two university proctors, who are elected annually on a rotating basis from two of the colleges, supervise undergraduate discipline. The collection of University Professors is called the Statutory Professors of the University of Oxford. They are particularly influential in the running of the graduate programs within the University. Examples of Statutory Professors include the Chichele Professorships, the Drummond Professor of Political Economy, and so forth. The various academic faculties, departments, and institutes are organized into four divisions, each with their own Head and elected board. They are the Humanities Division; the Social Sciences Division; the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division; and the Medical Sciences Division.
  
−
Students who apply from [[state school]]s and colleges have a comparable acceptance rate (26% of applicants accepted in 2005) to those from [[independent school]]s (32% of applicants accepted).<ref>[www.ox.ac.uk/gazette/2005-6/supps/adstats05.pdf Admissions Statistics 2005], University of Oxford Gazette, 2006. Accessed 25 March 2007.</ref> However, only about half of applications come from the state sector,<ref>[www.ox.ac.uk/gazette/2005-6/supps/adstats05.pdf Admissions Statistics 2005], University of Oxford Gazette, 2006. Accessed 25 March 2007.</ref> and Oxford University funds many initiatives to attract applicants from this sector, including the Oxford Access Scheme, Target Schools, and the FE Access Initiative.<ref>[http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/liaison/ Working with Schools and Colleges], University of Oxford Gazette, 2006. Accessed 25 March 2007.</ref>  Many colleges also run their own access schemes and offer financial support.  Oxford has introduced a university-wide means-tested bursary scheme effective from 2006, the Oxford Opportunity Bursaries, to offer financial support to those in need.
+
===Teaching and degrees===
 +
Undergraduate teaching is centered upon the tutorial, where one to three students spend an hour with a teacher discussing their week’s work, usually an essay (arts) or problem sheet (sciences). Students usually have around two tutorials a week. These tutorials are complemented by lectures, classes, and seminars, which are organized on a departmental basis. Graduate students undertaking taught degrees are usually instructed through classes and seminars, though naturally there is more focus upon individual research.
  
−
Students successful in early examinations are rewarded with [[scholarship]]s and [[Exhibition (scholarship)|exhibition]]s, normally the result of a long-standing endowment, although when tuition fees were first abolished the amounts of money available became purely nominal: many larger funded bursaries are available on the basis of need for current and prospective students.
+
The university itself is responsible for conducting examinations and conferring degrees. The passing of two sets of examinations is a prerequisite for a first degree. The first set of examinations, called either Honor Moderations ("Mods" and "Honor Mods") or Preliminary Examinations ("Prelims"), are usually held at the end of the first year (or after five terms in the case of Classics). The second set of examinations, the Final Honor School ("Finals"), is held at the end of the undergraduate course. Successful candidates receive first, second, or third-class honors based on their performance in Finals. Research degrees at the master's and doctoral level are conferred in all subjects studied at graduate level at the university.
−
 
 
−
"Closed" scholarships, which were accessible only to candidates who fitted specific conditions such as coming from specific schools, exist now only in name. Scholars, and exhibitioners in some colleges, are entitled to wear a more voluminous undergraduate gown; "commoners" (originally those who had to pay for their "commons," or food and lodging) being restricted to a short sleeveless garment. The term "scholar" in relation to Oxbridge, therefore, had a specific meaning as well as the more general meaning of someone of outstanding academic ability. In previous times, there were "noblemen commoners" and "gentlemen commoners," but these ranks were abolished in the 19th century.
 
−
Until 1866 one had to belong to [[Church of England|the Church of England]] to receive the [[Bachelor of Arts|BA degree]] from Oxford, and "dissenters" were only permitted to receive the MA in 1871. Knowledge of Ancient Greek was required until 1920, and Latin until 1960. Women were admitted to degrees in 1920.
 
−
 
 
−
==Degrees==
 
−
{{main|Degrees of the University of Oxford}}
 
−
The system of [[academic degree]]s in the University is very confusing to those not familiar with it. This is not merely due to the fact that many degree titles date from the [[Middle Ages]], but also because, in recent years, many changes have been haphazardly introduced. Notably, the initials for the [[Doctor of Philosophy]] degree are DPhil rather than PhD.
 
−
 
 
−
==Reputation==
 
−
For the 5th consecutive year Oxford has been placed best in the United Kingdom in the ''Times Good University Guide'' (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 (''sic'')), while [[The Sunday Times (UK)|The Sunday Times]] has placed the University of Cambridge first from 1997 to 2005.
 
−
 
 
−
In the subject tables, Oxford's Physiological Sciences course is ranked first of 48 'Anatomy and Physiology' courses. Art and design, [[Business|Business Studies]], Materials technology, [[Middle East]]ern and [[African studies|African Studies]], Music, Philosophy, and Politics, are also first and Education and Linguistics are first equal with Cambridge. Oxford comes second after Cambridge in a further seventeen subjects, and second after Durham in English. The University then takes three third-places and an equal-third, as well as a fourth, fifth, and equal-sixth place in one subject each.<ref name = "Times Good University Guide">{{cite web
 
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| year = 2006
 
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| url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,716,00.html
 
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| title = Times Good University Guide
 
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| publisher = [[The Times]]
 
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| accessdate = 2006-07-29
 
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−
Oxford topped the ''[[The Guardian|Guardian]]'' league table in 2005<ref name = "EducationGuardian 2005">{{cite web
 
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| year = 2005
 
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| title = EducationGuardian 2005
 
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</ref>, 2006<ref name = "EducationGuardian 2006">{{cite web
 
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| year = 2006
 
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| month =
 
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| url = http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2006/story/0,,1765251,00.html
 
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| title = Oxford tops Guardian rankings again
 
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| publisher = [[The Guardian]]
 
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, and 2007. In the subject tables for institutions in tariff-band 6 (universities whose prospective students are expected to score 400 or more tariff points) Oxford took first place for Anatomy and Physiology, Anthropology, Biosciences, Business and [[Management|Management Studies]], Earth and [[Oceanography|Marine Sciences]], Economics, Law, Materials and Mineral Engineering, [[Modern language|Modern Languages]], Music, Politics, Psychology, and Sociology. Oxford came second to Cambridge in Archaeology, Classics, English, History, [[History of art|History of Art]], Mathematics, Philosophy, Theology and [[Religious studies|Religious Studies]]. Oxford came second to Aberdeen in General Engineering, and third in Art and Design, General Engineering and Physics; fourth place in Chemistry and Medicine; sixth place in Computer Science and IT.<ref name = "EducationGuardian 2006 Subject Tables">{{cite web
 
−
| year = 2006
 
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| url = http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2006/0,,1595180,00.html
 
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| title = EducationGuardian 2006 Subject Tables
 
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| publisher = [[The Guardian]]
 
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| accessdate = 2006-07-31
 
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</ref>
 
  
−
Internationally, Oxford was rated 3rd (after [[Harvard]] and [[Cambridge]]) in the ''[[THES - QS World University Rankings]]<ref>[http://www.topuniversities.com/worlduniversityrankings/]  &mdash; A 2006 ranking from the ''[[THES - QS]]'' of the world’s research universities.</ref> 2006. In the ''[[Academic Ranking of World Universities]]'' Oxford achieved 9th place in 2003, 8th in 2004, and 10th in 2005 and 2006.<ref name = "Academic Ranking of World Universities">{{cite web
+
==Colleges==
−
| year = 2005
+
[[Image:Magdalen-may-morning-2007-panorama.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Magdalen College, Oxford|Magdalen College]] on [[May Morning]], 2007.]]
−
| month = 12 August
+
There are 39 [[colleges of the University of Oxford]] and seven [[Permanent Private Hall]]s, each with its own internal structure and activities. Colleges have responsibility for admitting undergraduates and organizing their tuition; for graduates, this responsibility falls upon the departments. All students and many of the academics are attached to colleges, where they live, eat and socialise. It is also the place where students receive one on one teaching sessions, known as tutorials. Each college appoints its own teaching staff and fellows in each subject; decides which students to admit, in accordance with University regulations and is responsible for the domestic arrangements and welfare of its own undergraduates, graduates, post-doctoral researchers, and staff in general. Colleges admit students to study a wide variety of subjects. This is deliberate as it means that students to meet, talk to and make friends with people from different disciplines thus broadening their education. A graduate remains a member of his or her college for life.
−
| url = http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/ranking.htm
 
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| title = Academic Ranking of World Universities
 
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| format =
 
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| publisher = Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
 
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| accessdate = 2006-07-31
 
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</ref>
 
  
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Oxford is one of four UK universities that belong to the [[Coimbra Group]], one of four UK universities that belong to the [[League of European Research Universities]], and one of three UK universities that belong to both. It is the only UK university to belong to the [[Europaeum]] group.
+
The heads of Oxford colleges are known by various titles, according to the college, including warden, provost, principal, president, rector, or master. The colleges join together as the Conference of Colleges to discuss policy and to deal with the central University administration. Teaching members of the colleges (fellows and tutors) are collectively and familiarly known as dons (though the term is rarely used by members of the university itself).
  
−
==Notable alumni==
+
Many University of Oxford colleges host overseas students (primarily from [[United States|American]] universities) enrolled in [[study abroad]] programs during the summer months.
−
<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:Oxfordskylinedawn.jpg|right|frame|Oxford's 'Dreaming Spires' at sunset]] —>
 
  
−
{{Main|List of Oxford University people}}
+
[[Oxford University Department for Continuing Education]] caters mainly for mature and part-time students.
  
−
There are many famous Oxonians, as alumni of the University are known.
+
==Student life==
 +
[[Image:2002-oxbridge-boat-race.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Exhausted crews just after the finish of the 2002 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.]]
 +
Beyond the prestige involved with attending the University of Oxford, students are able to enjoy a host of activities. There various clubs and societies are listed below:
  
−
Oxford has had a role in educating four [[British monarch|British]], and at least eight foreign [[monarch|kings]], 47 [[Nobel prize|Nobel prize-winners]], 3 [[Fields medal]]lists, 25 [[British Prime Minister]]s, 28 foreign [[president]]s and [[prime minister]]s, 7 [[saint]]s, 86 [[archbishop]]s, 18 [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinals]], and 1 [[pope]]. 7 of [[List of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom|the last 11 British Prime Ministers]] have been Oxford graduates.
+
*[http://www.ousu.org/ Oxford University Student Union]
 +
*[http://www.oxfordstudent.com/ Oxford Union Society] (debating society)
 +
*[http://www.ouds.org/ Oxford University Dramatic Society]
 +
*[http://www.oubc.rowing.org.uk/new/home.jsp/ Oxford University Boat Club] (rowing club participating in [[the Boat Race]])
 +
*[http://www.ourfc.org/ Oxford University RFC] (rugby club participating in [[the Varsity Match]])
 +
*[http://www.ouafc.com/ Oxford University A.F.C.] (association football club)
 +
*[http://www.oup.co.uk/ Oxford University Press] (world's largest university press)
 +
*[http://www.oxideradio.co.uk/ Oxide Radio] ([[Campus radio|Student radio]] station)
 +
*''[http://www.isismagazine.org.uk/ Isis magazine]'' (Student publication)
 +
*''[http://www.cherwell.org/ Cherwell (newspaper)]'' (Student publication)
 +
*''[http://www.oxfordstudent.com/ The Oxford Student]'' (Student publication)
  
−
Amongst the University's old members are many widely influential scientists, artists and other prominent figures. Contemporary scientists include [[Stephen Hawking]], [[Richard Dawkins]] and Nobel prize-winner [[Anthony James Leggett]], and [[Tim Berners-Lee]], co-inventor of the [[World Wide Web]]. Actors [[Hugh Grant]], [[Kate Beckinsale]], Caroline Ferguson, [[Dudley Moore]], Marie Barnes, [[Michael Palin]], Dorian Lipman, [[Terry Jones]] and [[Richard Burton]] studied at the University, as did film-maker [[Ken Loach]]. [[T. E. Lawrence]] was both a student and a don at Oxford, while other illustrious members have ranged from the explorer, courtier, and man of letters [[Walter Raleigh|Sir Walter Raleigh]] to the media magnate [[Rupert Murdoch]]. The founder of [[Methodism]], [[John Wesley]], studied at Christ Church and was elected a fellow of [[Lincoln College, Oxford|Lincoln College]]. The Burmese Democracy Activist and [[List of Nobel laureates|Nobel Laureate]] [[Aung San Suu Kyi]] was a student of St Hugh's College, Oxford.
+
==Traditions==
 +
[[Image:Students Oxford University.jpg|thumb|250px|Students in subfusc outside Examination Schools. Note variety of gowns such as the Commoners' gown and the Graduate Student gown.]]
 +
The University of Oxford has a long tradition of [[academic dress]], and a visitor to Oxford during term will see academic dress worn on a regular basis.
  
−
Amongst the long list of writers associated with Oxford are [[Evelyn Waugh]], [[Lewis Carroll]], [[Aldous Huxley]], [[Oscar Wilde]], [[C.S. Lewis]], [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Graham Greene]], [[Phillip Pullman]], [[Vikram Seth]] and [[Plum Sykes]], the poets [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]], [[John Donne]], [[A. E. Housman]], [[W. H. Auden]], and [[Philip Larkin]], and [[Poet Laureate|Poets Laureate]] [[Thomas Warton]], [[Henry James Pye]], [[Robert Southey]], [[Robert Bridges]], [[Cecil Day-Lewis]], [[John Betjeman|Sir John Betjeman]], and [[Andrew Motion]].
+
====''Clerical-type'' gowns====
 +
* [[Scholar]]'s gown
 +
* BA gown
 +
* MA gown
 +
* Doctors' full dress gown
 +
* Doctors' convocation habit
 +
* Proctors' dress gown
  
−
More complete information on famous senior and junior members of the University can be found in the individual [[Colleges of Oxford University|college]] articles (an individual may be associated with two or more colleges, as an undergraduate, postgraduate, and/or member of staff).
+
The ''clerical-type'' gown has no collar, but instead has the voluminous material of its back and sleeves gathered into a yoke. All of the above have open bell-shaped sleeves, with the exception of the MA gown and the Doctors' convocation habit. The MA gown has long closed sleeves with arm slits just above the elbow and a crescent-shaped cut at the foot of the sleeve, forming two forward-facing points. The Doctors' convocation habit is sleeveless.<ref>G.W. Shaw, ''Academical Dress of British and Irish Universities'' (Chichester: Philmore & Co. Ltd, 1995, ISBN 085033974X).</ref>
  
−
==Other students in Oxford==
+
====''Lay-type'' gowns====
−
Many University of Oxford colleges host overseas students (primarily from [[United States|American]] universities) enrolled in [[study abroad]] programmes during the summer months.
+
* Commoners' gown
 +
* Graduate students' gown
 +
* Higher faculties bachelors' and masters' laced gown
 +
* Doctors' undress laced gown
 +
* Chancellor's gold laced gown
  
−
Oxford's other principal higher education institutions are [[Ruskin College, Oxford]], an [[adult education]] college, which, although not part of the University of Oxford, has close links with it, [[Oxford Brookes University]] and the old Lady Spencer Churchill teaching college.  
+
The ''lay-type'' gown derives from a garment fashionable in [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabethan]] times. It is less voluminous than the ''clerical-type'' gown, and has a flap collar and long closed sleeves with arm slits just above the elbow, except for the Commoners' gown, which is sleeveless.
  
−
There are other higher and [[further education]] institutions in Oxford, including various independent "colleges," not associated with either of the universities. These institutions vary considerably in the standard of teaching they provide.
+
Gowns of the same basic shape are worn by [[solicitor]]s, [[Queen's Counsel]], court ushers, the [[Speaker of the British House of Commons|Speaker of the House of Commons]], the [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]], and the [[Lord Chancellor]].
  
−
==Institutions==
+
===Hoods===
−
Well-known organisations and institutions officially connected with the University include:
+
[[Image:Academic dress Oxford walking.jpg|thumb|300px|MA hoods seen from rear.]]
−
[[Image:UniChurchOxford20040124CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg|thumb|300px|University Church of St Mary the Virgin]]
+
Hoods in Oxford are of three shapes. Doctors (except Doctors of Clinical Psychology) and Bachelors of Divinity wear hoods in the ''Oxford full shape,'' scarlet in the case of doctors and black in the case of Bachelors of Divinity. All other hoods can be either in the ''Burgon shape'' or the ''Oxford simple shape,'' though some are traditionally made in one shape or the other.
  
−
[[Image:Worc College - MKung Personal.jpg|thumb|300px|Worcester College, Backs of medieval cottages]]
+
Generally, hoods are worn by graduates whenever ''[[subfusc]]'' is worn, but sometimes they are worn with an ordinary tie, such as by a lecturer at a public lecture.
  
−
===Libraries===
+
===Academic caps===
−
*[[Bodleian Library]]
+
Men wear a [[mortarboard]] (also known as a ''square'' or trencher cap), which is not worn indoors, except by the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, and Proctors. When meeting the Vice-Chancellor, Proctors, or other senior official of the university in the street, it is traditional for a man to touch or raise his cap. In practice, few people now wear their caps, and instead carry their caps on occasions where caps are required.
−
*[[Hooke Library]]
 
−
*[[Sackler Library]]
 
−
*[[Radcliffe Science Library]]
 
  
−
:''See also:'' [[:Category:Libraries in Oxford]]
+
Women may choose between the mortarboard or the ''soft cap''. The soft cap is not removed indoors, although the mortarboard may now be removed or left on indoors at the wearer's discretion.
  
−
===Museums===
+
Doctors in the lay faculties (those except Divinity and Philosophy) wear [[Tudor bonnet]]s, which are round and made of velvet.
−
*[[Ashmolean Museum]] (art and history museum)
 
−
*[[Pitt Rivers Museum]] (anthropology and archaeology museum)
 
−
*[[Oxford University Museum of Natural History]]
 
−
*[[Museum of the History of Science, Oxford|Museum of the History of Science]]
 
  
−
:''See also:'' [[:Category:Museums in Oxford]]
+
=== ''Subfusc''===
 +
''Subfusc'' comes from the [[Latin language|Latin]] for "of a dark/dusky color," and refers to the clothes worn with full academic dress in Oxford. Generally, this means, for men:
  
−
===Constituent colleges and halls===
+
*Dark suit
−
:''See:'' [[Colleges of the University of Oxford]]
+
*Black socks and shoes
 +
*White shirt and collar
 +
*White bow tie
  
−
===Departments===
+
For women:
−
:''See:'' [[:Category:Departments of the University of Oxford]]
 
  
−
===Clubs and societies===
+
*White blouse
−
*[[Oxford University Student Union]]
+
*Black tie
−
*[[Oxford Union Society]] (debating society)
+
*Black skirt or trousers
−
*[[Oxford University Dramatic Society]]
+
*Black stockings or tights
−
*[[Oxford University Boat Club]] (rowing club participating in [[the Boat Race]])
+
*Black shoes
−
*[[Oxford University RFC]] (rugby club participating in [[the Varsity Match]])
+
*Dark coat (if desired)
−
*[[Oxford University A.F.C.]] (association football club)
 
−
:''See also:''
 
−
*[[:Category:Oxford student societies]]
 
−
*[[:Category:Oxford student sports clubs]]
 
  
−
===Media===
+
In addition, doctors in the higher faculties and senior university officials wear bands, such as those worn with [[court dress|legal court dress]].
−
*[[Oxford University Press]] (world's largest university press)
 
−
*Oxide Radio ([[Campus radio|Student radio]] station) <!--article deleted per AfD —>
 
−
*''[[Isis magazine|Isis]]'' (Student publication)
 
−
*''[[Cherwell (newspaper)|Cherwell]]'' (Student publication)
 
−
*''[[The Oxford Student]]'' (Student publication)
 
  
−
===Buildings and parks===
+
Members of Her Majesty's [[Armed force|Forces]] may wear their service [[uniform]] with gown and hood (for graduates) in place of ''subfusc''. On occasion, uniform swords may be worn. Persons in [[Holy Orders]] may wear clerical dress instead of ''subfusc''.
−
*[[Sheldonian Theatre]]
 
−
*[[Tom Tower]]
 
−
*[[Radcliffe Camera]]
 
−
*[[University Church of St Mary the Virgin]]
 
−
*[[Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford]]
 
−
*[[Oxford University Parks]]
 
−
*[[University of Oxford Botanic Garden|Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum]]
 
−
*[http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/ Rhodes Trust], the centre of the [[Rhodes Scholarship]]
 
  
−
:''See also:''
+
''Subfusc'' is worn at university [[matriculation]], at university examinations and degree ceremonies and at [[Encaenia]]. During exams, candidates often also wear a [[carnation]] in their buttonholes: White for the first exam, pink thereafter, and red for the final exam of the run. Although this system has differed over time, this is the one currently advised by the University and its Colleges.
−
*[[:Category:Buildings and structures in Oxford]]
 
−
*[[:Category:Churches in Oxford]]
 
−
*[[:Category:Parks and open spaces in Oxford]]
 
  
−
==Oxford in literature and other media==<!-- This section is linked from [[Oxford]] —>
+
===Formal Hall===
−
Oxford University is the setting for numerous works of fiction. Quickly becoming part of the cultural imagination, Oxford was mentioned in fiction as early as 1400 when [[Chaucer]] in his ''[[Canterbury Tales]]'' referred to a "Clerk [student] of Oxenford": "For him was levere have at his beddes heed/ Twenty bookes, clad in blak or reed,/ of Aristotle and his philosophie/ Than robes riche, or fithele, or gay sautrie." As of 1989, more than 533 Oxford-based novels had been identified, and the number continues to rise. Literary works include:
+
'''Formal Hall''' or '''Formal Meal''' is the traditional meal held at some of the older [[university|universities]] in the [[United Kingdom]] at which students dress in [[formal attire]] and often [[academic dress|gown]]s to dine. The nature of Formals varies widely between the colleges and halls that hold them. In some colleges, Formals may be held every night, and are simply a second sitting of hall at which gowns are worn and grace is read. In other colleges, Formals may be special events to which guests from outside the college are invited.
  
−
*''[[Gaudy Night]]'', a [[Lord Peter Wimsey]] mystery by [[Dorothy L. Sayers]] (who was herself a graduate of [[Somerville College, Oxford|Somerville]]).
+
The wearing of [[Academic dress|gowns]] at formals is compulsory at some colleges and various other traditions are usually observed, including [[grace (prayer)|grace]] said in [[Latin]] or [[English language|English]]. The wearing of gowns may sometimes constitute the only dress code; in other cases, formal wear (for example, a [[Suit (clothes)|lounge suit]] for men or equivalent for women) is required in addition to, or instead of, the gown.
−
*''[[Brideshead Revisited]]'' by [[Evelyn Waugh]].
 
−
*''[[A Staircase in Surrey]]'', a quintet of novels by [[J. I. M. Stewart]].
 
−
*A series of [[whodunnit]]s by [[Veronica Stallwood]], including ''Oxford Blue'', ''Oxford Exit'', etc.
 
−
*The ''[[His Dark Materials]]'' trilogy of [[Philip Pullman]] (alternative reality)
 
−
*The ''[[Inspector Morse]]'' series by [[Colin Dexter]] is set in Oxford and frequently refers to the University (although most of the college names are fictional).
 
−
*''[[An Instance of the Fingerpost]]'' by [[Iain Pears]]
 
−
*''[[Where the Rivers Meet]]'', a trilogy of novels by [[John Wain]]
 
−
*''[[Tom Brown at Oxford]]'', by [[Thomas Hughes]]
 
−
*''[[Zuleika Dobson]]'', by [[Max Beerbohm]]
 
−
*''[[Jill (novel)|Jill]]'', by [[Philip Larkin]]
 
−
*''[[Doomsday Book (novel)|Doomsday Book]]'', ''[[To Say Nothing of the Dog]]'', and the short story ''[[Firewatch]]'', by [[Connie Willis]]
 
−
*''[[Accident (novel)|Accident]]'', by [[Nicholas Mosley]]; the novel served as the basis for the film of the same name, which is mentioned below
 
  
−
Fictional universities based on Oxford include [[Terry Pratchett|Terry Pratchett's]] [[Unseen University]], J.K.Rowling's "Hogwarts"{{Fact|date=April 2007}} and "Christminster" in [[Thomas Hardy]]'s ''[[Jude the Obscure]]''.
+
Almost all Oxford formal halls include a [[High Table]], exclusively for the [[Senior Common Room]] of the college and their guests, with students eating at the lower tables. The high table is often raised above the floor level of the hall. A few of the more modern colleges, for example Linacre College and Wolfson College, have discontinued (or never had) this practice, in order to promote equality between fellows and students.
  
−
For a list of fictional colleges of Oxford University, see [[List of Fictional Oxford Colleges|fictional Oxford colleges]].
+
There may be one or more [[after dinner speaker]]s at the end of the dinner or even between courses if it is a special occasion.
  
−
Many poets have also been inspired by the University:
+
==Notable alumni==
 +
There are many famous Oxonians, as alumni of the University are known:
  
−
*''The Oxford Sausage'' was an [[anthology]] published in 1764 and edited by [[Thomas Warton]]. ''The Glamour of Oxford'' (1911) is a collection of verse and prose edited by [[William Angus Knight]], and another anthology — Seccombe and Scott's ''In Praise of Oxford'' (1912) — spans two volumes. More recent compilations include ''Oxford and Oxfordshire in Verse'' (1983) and ''Oxford in Verse'' (1999) (''see'' 'Further Reading').
+
Oxford has had a role in educating four [[British monarch|British]] and at least eight foreign [[monarch|kings]], 56 [[Nobel prize|Nobel prize-winners]], three [[Fields medal]]lists, three [[Academy Award|Oscar]] winners, 25 [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British Prime Minister]]s, 28 foreign [[president]]s and [[prime minister]]s, seven [[saint]]s, 86 [[archbishop]]s, 18 [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinals]], and one [[Papacy|pope]]. Eight of the last 12 British Prime Ministers have been Oxford graduates. All four Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom who served between 1880 and 1905—[[William Ewart Gladstone|Gladstone]], [[Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury|Lord Salisbury]], [[Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery|Lord Rosebery]], and [[Arthur Balfour|Balfour]]—were educated at Eton and then at Christ Church.
−
*'Duns Scotus' Oxford' is one of [[Gerard Manley Hopkins]]' better-known poems.
 
  
−
Films set in the University include:
+
[[T. E. Lawrence]] was both a student and a don at Oxford, while other illustrious members have ranged from the explorer, courtier, and man of letters [[Walter Raleigh|Sir Walter Raleigh]] to the [[mass media|media]] magnate [[Rupert Murdoch]]. The founder of [[Methodism]], [[John Wesley]], studied at Christ Church and was elected a fellow of [[Lincoln College, Oxford|Lincoln College]]. The Burmese Democracy Activist and Nobel Laureate [[Aung San Suu Kyi]] was a student of St Hugh's College, Oxford.
  
−
*''[[A Yank at Oxford]]'' (1938), starring [[Robert Taylor (actor)|Robert Taylor]] and [[Vivien Leigh]]
+
Amongst the long list of writers associated with Oxford are [[Evelyn Waugh]], [[Lewis Carroll]], [[Aldous Huxley]], [[Oscar Wilde]], [[C. S. Lewis]], [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Graham Greene]], [[Phillip Pullman]], [[Vikram Seth]], and [[Plum Sykes]], the poets [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]], [[John Donne]], [[A. E. Housman]], [[W. H. Auden]], and [[Philip Larkin]], and [[Poet Laureate|Poets Laureate]] [[Thomas Warton]], [[Henry James Pye]], [[Robert Southey]], [[Robert Bridges]], [[Cecil Day-Lewis]], Sir [[John Betjeman]], and [[Andrew Motion]].
−
*''[[A Chump at Oxford]]'' (1940) starring [[Stan Laurel]] and [[Oliver Hardy]]
 
−
*''[[Accident (movie)]]'' (1967), film about an Oxford don, co-written by [[Harold Pinter]]
 
−
*''[[Alba Pagana|May Morning]]'' (1970), a critique of [[Mores|social mores]] in early 1970s Oxford
 
−
*''[[Incense for the Damned]]'' (1972), starring [[Peter Cushing]], [[Patrick Macnee]] and [[Edward Woodward]] (based on the novel ''[[Doctors Wear Scarlet]]'' by [[Simon Raven]])
 
−
*''[[Brideshead Revisited]]'' (1981), based on [[Evelyn Waugh|Waugh's]] novel; a [[Miniseries|mini-series]] enormously popular in Britain and America, the film has sometimes been seen as drawing unwanted attention to Oxford's stereotypical reputation as a playground of the [[Social class|upper classes]]. It stars [[Jeremy Irons]], and most college shots are of [[Christ Church College|Christ Church]] and [[Hertford College|Hertford]].
 
−
*''[[Oxford Blues]]'' (1984), starring [[Rob Lowe]], [[Ally Sheedy]] and [[Amanda Pays]]
 
−
*''[[American Friends]]'' (1991), starring [[Michael Palin]]
 
−
*''[[Shadowlands]]'' (1993), starring [[Anthony Hopkins]] and [[Debra Winger]], about the life of [[C. S. Lewis]]
 
−
*''[[The Madness of King George]]'' (1994), with [[Nigel Hawthorne]]
 
−
*''[[Tom & Viv]]'' (1994), a film which explores the troubled relationship between [[T. S. Eliot]] (played by [[Willem Dafoe]]) and his mentally ill wife [[Vivienne Haigh-Wood]] ([[Miranda Richardson]])
 
−
*''[[True Blue (film)|True Blue]]'' (1996), about the mutiny at the time of the Oxford-Cambridge [[Boat Race]] of 1987
 
−
*''[[Tomorrow Never Dies]]'' (1997), a [[James Bond]] sequel starring [[Pierce Brosnan]] (Bond returns to Oxford to brush up on his Danish.)
 
−
*''[[The Saint (film)|The Saint]]'' (1997), film starring [[Val Kilmer]] as the sleuth [[Simon Templar]]
 
−
*''[[Wilde (movie)|Wilde]]'' (1997), film about the outlandish playwright starring [[Stephen Fry]], [[Jude Law]] and [[Vanessa Redgrave]]
 
−
*''[[The Red Violin]]'' (1998), the violin arrives in Oxford after being given to an English lord
 
−
*''[[Iris (2001 film)|Iris]]'' (2001), starring [[Judi Dench]], [[Jim Broadbent]] and [[Kate Winslet]], about the life of [[Iris Murdoch]]
 
−
*''[[Van Wilder 2: Rise of the Taj|National Lampoon's Van Wilder 2: Rise of Taj]]'' (2006), under the name of "Camford"
 
−
*''[[What A Girl Wants (movie)|What A Girl Wants]]'' (2003), movie about a vivacious teenager called Daphne who goes to visit her father in London, only to learn he is a lord. In the end she attends The University of Oxford just like her father.
 
−
*''[[The Oxford Murders (film)]]'' (2007) starring [[Elijah Wood]] and [[John Hurt]].
 
−
*''[[Blue Blood (film)]]'' (2007)
 
  
−
This list does not include movies in which university buildings appeared as a backdrop but were not depicted as Oxford University, such as the [[Harry Potter (films)|Harry Potter]] movies and the earlier [[Young Sherlock Holmes]].
+
Scientists include [[Stephen Hawking]], [[Richard Dawkins]], and Nobel prize-winner [[Anthony James Leggett]], and [[Tim Berners-Lee]], co-inventor of the [[World Wide Web]].  
  
−
For a more exhaustive list, see: [[Books associated with Oxford]].
+
Actors [[Hugh Grant]], [[Kate Beckinsale]], [[Dudley Moore]], [[Michael Palin]], and [[Terry Jones]] were undergraduates at the University, as were [[Academy Award|Oscar]] winner [[Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck]] and filmmaker [[Ken Loach]].
  
−
==References==
+
==Notes==
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
  
−
==Further reading==
+
==References==
−
[[Image:OxUniChainedbookBod.jpg|thumb|250px|right|A chained book in the Bodleian Library; few ancient manuscripts remain chained today.]]
+
*Brooke, Christopher, and Roger Highfield. ''Oxford and Cambridge.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. ISBN 0521301394.
−
*Annan, Noel, ''The Dons: Mentors, Eccentrics and Geniuses'' [[HarperCollins]] (London, 1999)
+
*Catto, Jeremy (ed.). ''The History of the University of Oxford.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. ISBN 978-0199510122.
−
*Batson, Judy G., ''Oxford in Fiction'', Garland (New York, 1989).
+
*De-la-Noy, Michael. ''Exploring Oxford.'' London: Trafalgar Square, 1992. ISBN 978-0747203865.
−
*Betjeman, John, ''An Oxford University Chest'', Miles (London, 1938).
+
*Feiler, Bruce. ''Looking for Class: Days and Nights at Oxford and Cambridge.'' New York: Perennial, 2004. ISBN 006052703X.
−
*Brooke, Christopher and Roger Highfield, ''Oxford and Cambridge'', [[Cambridge University Press]] (Cambridge, 1988).
+
*Hibbert, Christopher. ''The Encyclopaedia of Oxford.'' Papermac, 1992. ISBN 978-0333486146.
−
*Casson, Hugh, ''Hugh Casson's Oxford'', Phaidon (London, 1988).
+
*Kerr, Alex (ed.). ''The Burgon Society Annual 2004.'' The Burgon Society, 2005. ISBN 0954411064.
−
*Catto, Jeremy (ed.), ''The History of the University of Oxford'', Oxford University Press (Oxford, 1994).
+
*Miles, Jebb. ''The Colleges of Oxford.'' London: Constable, 1992. ISBN 978-0094691803.
−
*De-la-Noy, Michael, ''Exploring Oxford'', Headline (London, 1991).
+
*Morris, Jan. ''The Oxford Book of Oxford.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN 0192804073.
−
*Dougill, John, ''Oxford in English Literature'', [[University of Michigan]] Press (Ann Arbor, 1998).
+
*Seccombe, Thomas, and H. Scott (eds.). ''In Praise of Oxford.'' London: Constable, 1912.
−
*Feiler, Bruce, ''Looking for Class: Days and Nights at Oxford and Cambridge'', Perennial (New York, 2004).
+
*Shaw, G.W. ''Academical Dress of British and Irish Universities.'' Chichester: Philmore & Co. Ltd, 1995. ISBN 085033974X.
−
*Fraser, Antonia (ed.), ''Oxford and Oxfordshire in Verse'', Penguin (London, 1983).
+
*Snow, Peter. ''Oxford Observed.'' London: John Murray, 1992. ISBN 978-0719547072.
−
*Knight, William (ed.), ''The Glamour of Oxford'', Blackwell (New York, 1911).
+
*Tames, Richard. ''A Traveler's History of Oxford.'' New York: Interlink, 2002. ISBN 1566564670.
−
*Pursglove, Glyn and Alistair Ricketts (eds.), ''Oxford in Verse'', Perpetua (Oxford, 1999).
+
*Venables, D.R., and R.E. Clifford. ''Academic Dress of the University of Oxford.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0952163004.
−
*Hibbert, Christopher, ''The Encyclopaedia of Oxford'', Macmillan (Basingstoke, 1988).
 
−
*Horan, David, ''Cities of the Imagination: Oxford'', Signal (Oxford, 2002).
 
−
*Miles, Jebb, ''The Colleges of Oxford'', Constable (London, 1992).
 
−
*Morris, Jan, ''Oxford'', Faber and Faber/OUP (London, 1965/2001).
 
−
*Morris, Jan, ''The Oxford Book of Oxford'', Oxford Univ. Press (Oxford, 2002).
 
−
*Pursglove, G. and A. Ricketts (eds.), ''Oxford in Verse'', Perpetua (Oxford, 1999).
 
−
*Seccombe, Thomas and H. Scott (eds.), ''In Praise of Oxford'' (2 vols.), Constable (London, 1912).
 
−
*Snow, Peter, ''Oxford Observed'', [[John Murray (publisher)|John Murray]] (London, 1991).
 
−
*Tames, Richard, ''A Traveller's History of Oxford'', Interlink (New York, 2002).
 
−
*Thomas, Edward, ''Oxford'', Black (London, 1902).
 
−
*Tyack, Geoffrey, ''Blue Guide: Oxford and Cambridge'', Black (New York, 2004).
 
−
*Tyack, Geoffrey, ''Oxford: An Architectural Guide'', Oxford Univ. Press (Oxford, 1998).
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
  
−
==Affiliations==
+
==Gallery==
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University of Oxford is an Educational Alliance Partner of the [[Meade 4M Community]] who supports the university's Project Jetwatch program.
+
<Gallery>
 +
Image:UniChurchOxford20040124CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg|University Church of St Mary the Virgin
 +
Image:Sheldonian Theatre Oxford.jpg|The Sheldonian Theatre, built by Sir Christopher Wren between 1664-1668, hosts the University's Congregation, as well as concerts and degree ceremonies
 +
Image:Oxf-uni-mus-nh.jpg|Oxford University Museum of Natural History
 +
Image:Tom Quad, Christ Church 2004-01-21.jpg|Tom Quad, Christ Church in the snow.
 +
Image:Dphil gown.jpg|Oxford University D.Phil. graduate in Full Academic Dress
 +
Image:Oxford Matriculation 2003.jpg|Students entering the Sheldonian Theatre for their matriculation ceremony at the University of Oxford
 +
Image:The Queens' College Oxford, quad.jpg|The Queen's College, Oxford, quad.
 +
</Gallery>
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
 +
All links retrieved May 3, 2023.
  
 
*[http://www.ox.ac.uk/ University of Oxford website]
 
*[http://www.ox.ac.uk/ University of Oxford website]
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{{University of Oxford}}
 
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{{Universities in the United Kingdom}}
 
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{{International Alliance of Research Universities}}
 
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{{Coimbra Group}}
 
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{{Europaeum}}
 
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{{LERU}}
 
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{{Russell Group}}
 
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{{Credits|University_of_Oxford|140736517|}}
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{{Credits|University_of_Oxford|162430429|Academic_dress_of_the_University_of_Oxford|159446611}}

Latest revision as of 13:07, 3 May 2023


University of Oxford
OUCOAcolourCopyrightKaihsuTai.png
Latin: Universitas Oxoniensis (Arms)
Motto Dominus Illuminatio Mea
"The Lord is my Light"
Established Unknown, teaching existed since 1096[1]
Type Public
Location Oxford, England
Website http://www.ox.ac.uk/

The University of Oxford (usually abbreviated as Oxon. for post-nominals), located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. It is also regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions. The University has 38 independent colleges, and six permanent private halls.

The university traces its roots back to at least the end of the eleventh century, although the exact date of foundation remains unclear. After a dispute between students and townsfolk broke out in 1209, some of the academics at Oxford fled north-east to the town of Cambridge, where the University of Cambridge was founded. The two universities, often jointly referred to by the portmanteau term "Oxbridge," have had a long history of academic and athletic rivalry although there are also many links and much cooperation. Their similarities in having a collegiate structure and a tutorial system has set them apart from other educational institutions. Both provide an intensity, depth and breadth of education suitable for people who go on to reach the top of their professions. In this way, they serve society by providing outstanding leadership. Admissions are based almost exclusively on academic achievement and intellectual promise as the university aims to educate the students who can best benefit from an intensive education. Spiritual, moral, cultural and social education is also an important dimension of the Oxbridge experience which is why students have to be resident in a college for all or most of the term. For many centuries the colleges, and hence the university, were all male institutions. This has changed first with the founding of women's colleges and later by making other colleges mixed. Now there are approximately an equal number of men and women. About half the student body come from independent schools and half from state schools.

The University of Oxford is a member of the Russell Group of research-led British universities, the Coimbra Group (a network of leading European universities), the League of European Research Universities, and is also a core member of the Europaeum. Academically, Oxford is consistently ranked in the world's top ten universities.[2] For more than a century, it has served as the home of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, which brings highly accomplished students from a number of countries to study at Oxford as postgraduates; these students often return to their home countries to pursue leadership positions in academia, business, or politics.

Mission and reputation

Oxford has no definitive mission statement per se, but the Chancellor of the college reminds visitors that, "Oxford was the first University in the English-speaking world. Our aim is to remain at the forefront of centers of learning, teaching, and research."[3]

The school is dedicated to maintaining its long standing tradition of excellence, through its unique methods of tutorial and supervision style education.[3] Oxford's reputation is, in fact, long and prestigious; it is often cited by educational sources as one of the top schools, both within England, and the world at large. The Times Good University Guide has named Oxford the best university in the UK since 2003.[4] In 2006, Oxford was rated 3rd (after Harvard and Cambridge) in the THES—QS World University Rankings.[5] In the Academic Ranking of World Universities, Oxford achieved 9th place in 2003, 8th in 2004, and 10th in 2005, 2006, and 2007.[6]

However, such a reputation does have its downside. For much of its history, the University of Oxford remained the preserve of a social elite. Though the university strove to change this in recent years, Oxford's admissions policy has continued to attract considerable public controversy. Though the University puts enormous efforts into attracting working-class students, Oxbridge entrance remains a central focus for many private and selective-state schools, and the under-representation of comprehensive school pupils remains a point of controversy.[7]

History

The town of Oxford was already an important center of learning by the end of the twelfth century. Teachers from mainland Europe and other scholars settled there, and lectures are known to have been delivered by as early as 1096. The expulsion of foreigners from the University of Paris in 1167, caused many English scholars to return from France and settle in Oxford. The historian Gerald of Wales lectured to the scholars in 1188, and the first foreign scholar, Emo of Friesland, arrived in 1190. The head of the University was named a chancellor from 1201, and the masters were recognized as a universitas, or corporation, in 1231. The students associated together, on the basis of geographical origins, into two “nations,” representing the North (including the Scots) and the South (including the Irish and the Welsh). In later centuries, geographical origins continued to influence many students' affiliations when membership of a college or hall became customary in Oxford. Members of many religious orders, including Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites, and Augustinians, settled in Oxford in the mid-thirteenth century, gained influence, and maintained houses for students. At about the same time, private benefactors established colleges to serve as self-contained scholarly communities. Among the earliest were John de Balliol, father of the future King of Scots; Balliol College bears his name.[8]

Another founder, Walter de Merton, a chancellor of England and afterwards Bishop of Rochester, devised a series of regulations for college life; Merton College thereby became the model for such establishments at Oxford as well as at the University of Cambridge. Thereafter, an increasing number of students forsook living in halls and religious houses in favor of living at colleges.

The new learning of the Renaissance greatly influenced Oxford from the late fifteenth century onward. Among university scholars of the period were William Grocyn, who contributed to the revival of the Greek language, and John Colet, the noted biblical scholar. With the Reformation and the breaking of ties with the Roman Catholic Church, the method of teaching at the university was transformed from the medieval Scholastic method to Renaissance education, although institutions associated with the university suffered loss of land and revenues. In 1636, Chancellor William Laud, archbishop of Canterbury, codified the university statutes; these to a large extent remained the university's governing regulations until the mid-nineteenth century. Laud was also responsible for the granting of a charter securing privileges for the university press, and he made significant contributions to the Bodleian Library, the main library of the university.

A map of Oxford, 1605.

The university was a center of the Royalist Party during the English Civil War (1642–1649), while the town favored the opposing Parliamentarian cause. Soldier-statesman Oliver Cromwell, chancellor of the university from 1650 to 1657, was responsible for preventing both Oxford and Cambridge from being closed down by the Puritans, who viewed university education as dangerous to religious beliefs. From the mid-eighteenth century onward, however, the University of Oxford took little part in political conflicts.

Administrative reforms during the nineteenth century included the replacement of oral examinations with written entrance tests, greater tolerance for religious dissent, and the establishment of four colleges for women. Women have been eligible to be full members of the university and have been entitled to take degrees since 1920. Although Oxford's emphasis traditionally had been on classical knowledge, its curriculum expanded in the course of the nineteenth century and now attaches equal importance to scientific and medical studies.

The list of distinguished scholars at the University of Oxford is long and includes many who have made major contributions to British politics, the sciences, medicine, and literature. More than forty Nobel laureates and more than fifty world leaders have been affiliated with the University of Oxford. Since its foundation in 1823, the Oxford Union, a private club devoted to formal debating and other social activities, has numbered among its members many of Britain's most noted political leaders.

Facilities

The Radcliffe Camera, built 1737-1749, holds books from the Bodleian Library's English and History collections.

Libraries

Oxford’s central research library is the Bodleian, founded in 1598 by Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 8 million volumes housed on 117 miles of shelving, it is the second-largest library in the UK, after the British Library. It is a legal deposit library, which means that it is entitled to request a free copy of every book published in the UK. As such, its collection grows at a rate of over three miles of shelving every year.[9] Its main central site is comprised of the Radcliffe Camera, the Old Schools Quadrangle, the Clarendon Building, and the New Bodleian Building. A tunnel underneath Broad St connects the buildings. There are plans to build a new book depository in Osney Mead, and to remodel the New Bodleian building to better showcase the library’s various treasures (which include a Shakespeare First Folio and a Gutenberg Bible) as well as temporary exhibitions.[9] Several other libraries, such as the Radcliffe Science Library and the Oriental Institute Library also fall within the Bodleian Group’s remit.

As well as the Bodleian, there are a number of other specialized libraries in Oxford, such as the Sackler Library which holds classical collections. In addition, most academic departments maintain their own library, as do all colleges. The University’s entire collection is cataloged by the Oxford Libraries Information System, though with such a huge collection, this is an ongoing task. Oxford University Library Services, the head of which is Bodley’s Librarian, is the governing administrative body responsible for libraries in Oxford. The Bodleian is currently engaged in a mass-digitization project with Google.[10]

Pitt Rivers Museum interior

Museums

Oxford maintains a number of museums and galleries, in addition to its libraries. The Ashmolean Museum, founded in 1683, is the oldest museum in the UK, and the oldest university museum in the world.[11] It holds significant collections of art and archaeology, including works by Michaelangelo, da Vinci, Turner, and Picasso, as well as treasures such as the Parian Marble and the Alfred Jewel. The Ashmolean is currently undertaking a £60m redevelopment,[12] which will double the display space as well as provide new facilities.

The Museum of Natural History holds the University’s anatomical and natural history specimens. It is housed in a large neo-Gothic building in the University’s Science Area. Among its collection are the skeletons of a Tyrannosaurus rex and triceratops, and the most complete remains of a dodo found anywhere in the world. It also hosts the Simonyi Professorship of the Public Understanding of Science.

Autumn in the Walled Garden of the Botanic Garden

Adjoining the Museum of Natural History is the Pitt Rivers Museum, founded in 1884, which displays the University’s archaeological and anthropological collections, currently holding over 500,000 items. It recently built a new research annexe; its staff have been involved with the teaching of anthropology at Oxford since its foundation, when as part of his donation General Augustus Pitt Rivers stipulated that the University establish a lectureship in anthropology.

The Museum of the History of Science is housed on Broad St in the world’s oldest-surviving purpose-built museum building.[13] It contains 15,000 artifacts, from antiquity to the twentieth century, representing almost all aspects of the history of science. In the Faculty of Music on St Aldate’s is the Bate Collection of Musical Instruments, a collection mostly comprising of instruments from Western classical music, from the medieval period onwards. The Botanic Garden is the oldest botanic garden in the UK, and the third-oldest scientific garden in the world. It contains representatives from over 90 percent of the world’s higher plant families. Christ Church Picture Gallery holds a collection of over 200 old master paintings.

Buildings and parks

In addition to the museums and library, the University of Oxford is also compromised of several historical buildings and locations:

Programs

Central governance

St Catherine's College, founded in 1962, is the youngest undergraduate college

The university's formal head is the Chancellor (currently Lord Patten), though as with most British universities, the Chancellor is a titular figure, rather than someone involved with the day-to-day running of the university. Elected by the members of Convocation, a body comprising all graduates of the university, the Chancellor holds office until death.

The Vice-Chancellor is the de facto head of the University. Five Pro-Vice-Chancellors have specific responsibilities for Education; Research; Planning and Resources; Development and External Affairs; and Personnel and Equal Opportunities. The University Council is the executive policy-forming body, which consists of the Vice-Chancellor as well as heads of departments and other members elected by Congregation, in addition to observers from the Student Union. Congregation, the "parliament of the dons," comprises over 3,700 members of the University’s academic and administrative staff, and has ultimate responsibility for legislative matters: It discusses and pronounces on policies proposed by the University Council. Oxford and Cambridge (which is similarly structured) are unique for this democratic form of governance.

Two university proctors, who are elected annually on a rotating basis from two of the colleges, supervise undergraduate discipline. The collection of University Professors is called the Statutory Professors of the University of Oxford. They are particularly influential in the running of the graduate programs within the University. Examples of Statutory Professors include the Chichele Professorships, the Drummond Professor of Political Economy, and so forth. The various academic faculties, departments, and institutes are organized into four divisions, each with their own Head and elected board. They are the Humanities Division; the Social Sciences Division; the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division; and the Medical Sciences Division.

Teaching and degrees

Undergraduate teaching is centered upon the tutorial, where one to three students spend an hour with a teacher discussing their week’s work, usually an essay (arts) or problem sheet (sciences). Students usually have around two tutorials a week. These tutorials are complemented by lectures, classes, and seminars, which are organized on a departmental basis. Graduate students undertaking taught degrees are usually instructed through classes and seminars, though naturally there is more focus upon individual research.

The university itself is responsible for conducting examinations and conferring degrees. The passing of two sets of examinations is a prerequisite for a first degree. The first set of examinations, called either Honor Moderations ("Mods" and "Honor Mods") or Preliminary Examinations ("Prelims"), are usually held at the end of the first year (or after five terms in the case of Classics). The second set of examinations, the Final Honor School ("Finals"), is held at the end of the undergraduate course. Successful candidates receive first, second, or third-class honors based on their performance in Finals. Research degrees at the master's and doctoral level are conferred in all subjects studied at graduate level at the university.

Colleges

Magdalen College on May Morning, 2007.

There are 39 colleges of the University of Oxford and seven Permanent Private Halls, each with its own internal structure and activities. Colleges have responsibility for admitting undergraduates and organizing their tuition; for graduates, this responsibility falls upon the departments. All students and many of the academics are attached to colleges, where they live, eat and socialise. It is also the place where students receive one on one teaching sessions, known as tutorials. Each college appoints its own teaching staff and fellows in each subject; decides which students to admit, in accordance with University regulations and is responsible for the domestic arrangements and welfare of its own undergraduates, graduates, post-doctoral researchers, and staff in general. Colleges admit students to study a wide variety of subjects. This is deliberate as it means that students to meet, talk to and make friends with people from different disciplines thus broadening their education. A graduate remains a member of his or her college for life.

The heads of Oxford colleges are known by various titles, according to the college, including warden, provost, principal, president, rector, or master. The colleges join together as the Conference of Colleges to discuss policy and to deal with the central University administration. Teaching members of the colleges (fellows and tutors) are collectively and familiarly known as dons (though the term is rarely used by members of the university itself).

Many University of Oxford colleges host overseas students (primarily from American universities) enrolled in study abroad programs during the summer months.

Oxford University Department for Continuing Education caters mainly for mature and part-time students.

Student life

Exhausted crews just after the finish of the 2002 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.

Beyond the prestige involved with attending the University of Oxford, students are able to enjoy a host of activities. There various clubs and societies are listed below:

Traditions

Students in subfusc outside Examination Schools. Note variety of gowns such as the Commoners' gown and the Graduate Student gown.

The University of Oxford has a long tradition of academic dress, and a visitor to Oxford during term will see academic dress worn on a regular basis.

Clerical-type gowns

  • Scholar's gown
  • BA gown
  • MA gown
  • Doctors' full dress gown
  • Doctors' convocation habit
  • Proctors' dress gown

The clerical-type gown has no collar, but instead has the voluminous material of its back and sleeves gathered into a yoke. All of the above have open bell-shaped sleeves, with the exception of the MA gown and the Doctors' convocation habit. The MA gown has long closed sleeves with arm slits just above the elbow and a crescent-shaped cut at the foot of the sleeve, forming two forward-facing points. The Doctors' convocation habit is sleeveless.[14]

Lay-type gowns

  • Commoners' gown
  • Graduate students' gown
  • Higher faculties bachelors' and masters' laced gown
  • Doctors' undress laced gown
  • Chancellor's gold laced gown

The lay-type gown derives from a garment fashionable in Elizabethan times. It is less voluminous than the clerical-type gown, and has a flap collar and long closed sleeves with arm slits just above the elbow, except for the Commoners' gown, which is sleeveless.

Gowns of the same basic shape are worn by solicitors, Queen's Counsel, court ushers, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Lord Chancellor.

Hoods

MA hoods seen from rear.

Hoods in Oxford are of three shapes. Doctors (except Doctors of Clinical Psychology) and Bachelors of Divinity wear hoods in the Oxford full shape, scarlet in the case of doctors and black in the case of Bachelors of Divinity. All other hoods can be either in the Burgon shape or the Oxford simple shape, though some are traditionally made in one shape or the other.

Generally, hoods are worn by graduates whenever subfusc is worn, but sometimes they are worn with an ordinary tie, such as by a lecturer at a public lecture.

Academic caps

Men wear a mortarboard (also known as a square or trencher cap), which is not worn indoors, except by the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, and Proctors. When meeting the Vice-Chancellor, Proctors, or other senior official of the university in the street, it is traditional for a man to touch or raise his cap. In practice, few people now wear their caps, and instead carry their caps on occasions where caps are required.

Women may choose between the mortarboard or the soft cap. The soft cap is not removed indoors, although the mortarboard may now be removed or left on indoors at the wearer's discretion.

Doctors in the lay faculties (those except Divinity and Philosophy) wear Tudor bonnets, which are round and made of velvet.

Subfusc

Subfusc comes from the Latin for "of a dark/dusky color," and refers to the clothes worn with full academic dress in Oxford. Generally, this means, for men:

  • Dark suit
  • Black socks and shoes
  • White shirt and collar
  • White bow tie

For women:

  • White blouse
  • Black tie
  • Black skirt or trousers
  • Black stockings or tights
  • Black shoes
  • Dark coat (if desired)

In addition, doctors in the higher faculties and senior university officials wear bands, such as those worn with legal court dress.

Members of Her Majesty's Forces may wear their service uniform with gown and hood (for graduates) in place of subfusc. On occasion, uniform swords may be worn. Persons in Holy Orders may wear clerical dress instead of subfusc.

Subfusc is worn at university matriculation, at university examinations and degree ceremonies and at Encaenia. During exams, candidates often also wear a carnation in their buttonholes: White for the first exam, pink thereafter, and red for the final exam of the run. Although this system has differed over time, this is the one currently advised by the University and its Colleges.

Formal Hall

Formal Hall or Formal Meal is the traditional meal held at some of the older universities in the United Kingdom at which students dress in formal attire and often gowns to dine. The nature of Formals varies widely between the colleges and halls that hold them. In some colleges, Formals may be held every night, and are simply a second sitting of hall at which gowns are worn and grace is read. In other colleges, Formals may be special events to which guests from outside the college are invited.

The wearing of gowns at formals is compulsory at some colleges and various other traditions are usually observed, including grace said in Latin or English. The wearing of gowns may sometimes constitute the only dress code; in other cases, formal wear (for example, a lounge suit for men or equivalent for women) is required in addition to, or instead of, the gown.

Almost all Oxford formal halls include a High Table, exclusively for the Senior Common Room of the college and their guests, with students eating at the lower tables. The high table is often raised above the floor level of the hall. A few of the more modern colleges, for example Linacre College and Wolfson College, have discontinued (or never had) this practice, in order to promote equality between fellows and students.

There may be one or more after dinner speakers at the end of the dinner or even between courses if it is a special occasion.

Notable alumni

There are many famous Oxonians, as alumni of the University are known:

Oxford has had a role in educating four British and at least eight foreign kings, 56 Nobel prize-winners, three Fields medallists, three Oscar winners, 25 British Prime Ministers, 28 foreign presidents and prime ministers, seven saints, 86 archbishops, 18 cardinals, and one pope. Eight of the last 12 British Prime Ministers have been Oxford graduates. All four Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom who served between 1880 and 1905—Gladstone, Lord Salisbury, Lord Rosebery, and Balfour—were educated at Eton and then at Christ Church.

T. E. Lawrence was both a student and a don at Oxford, while other illustrious members have ranged from the explorer, courtier, and man of letters Sir Walter Raleigh to the media magnate Rupert Murdoch. The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, studied at Christ Church and was elected a fellow of Lincoln College. The Burmese Democracy Activist and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was a student of St Hugh's College, Oxford.

Amongst the long list of writers associated with Oxford are Evelyn Waugh, Lewis Carroll, Aldous Huxley, Oscar Wilde, C. S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Graham Greene, Phillip Pullman, Vikram Seth, and Plum Sykes, the poets Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Donne, A. E. Housman, W. H. Auden, and Philip Larkin, and Poets Laureate Thomas Warton, Henry James Pye, Robert Southey, Robert Bridges, Cecil Day-Lewis, Sir John Betjeman, and Andrew Motion.

Scientists include Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, and Nobel prize-winner Anthony James Leggett, and Tim Berners-Lee, co-inventor of the World Wide Web.

Actors Hugh Grant, Kate Beckinsale, Dudley Moore, Michael Palin, and Terry Jones were undergraduates at the University, as were Oscar winner Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and filmmaker Ken Loach.

Notes

  1. ↑ Oxford University, A Brief History of the University. Retrieved June 5, 2007.
  2. ↑ Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2007), Academic Ranking of World Universities 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2007
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The University of Oxford (2007), Welcome from the Chancellor. Retrieved October 22, 2007.
  4. ↑ The Guardian, Education Guardian 2005. Retrieved July 31, 2006.
  5. ↑ Topuniversities.com (2006), THES—QS World University Rankings.
  6. ↑ Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2005), Academic Ranking of World Universities 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  7. ↑ Telegraph.co.uk (2006), Should Oxford discriminate in favor of state school students? Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  8. ↑ Richard Tames, A Traveler's History of Oxford (New York: Interlink, 2002, ISBN 1566564670).
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Oxford University Gazzette (2005), A University Library for the Twenty-first Century. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  10. ↑ Bodleian Library (2006), Oxford-Google Digitization Programme.
  11. ↑ University of Oxford—Ashmolean Museum (2005), About the Museum: History & Future. Retrieved October 22, 2007.
  12. ↑ University of Oxford—Ashmolean Museum (2005), Transforming the Ashmolean. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  13. ↑ Museum of the History of Science, Oxford (2006), Overview. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  14. ↑ G.W. Shaw, Academical Dress of British and Irish Universities (Chichester: Philmore & Co. Ltd, 1995, ISBN 085033974X).

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Brooke, Christopher, and Roger Highfield. Oxford and Cambridge. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. ISBN 0521301394.
  • Catto, Jeremy (ed.). The History of the University of Oxford. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. ISBN 978-0199510122.
  • De-la-Noy, Michael. Exploring Oxford. London: Trafalgar Square, 1992. ISBN 978-0747203865.
  • Feiler, Bruce. Looking for Class: Days and Nights at Oxford and Cambridge. New York: Perennial, 2004. ISBN 006052703X.
  • Hibbert, Christopher. The Encyclopaedia of Oxford. Papermac, 1992. ISBN 978-0333486146.
  • Kerr, Alex (ed.). The Burgon Society Annual 2004. The Burgon Society, 2005. ISBN 0954411064.
  • Miles, Jebb. The Colleges of Oxford. London: Constable, 1992. ISBN 978-0094691803.
  • Morris, Jan. The Oxford Book of Oxford. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN 0192804073.
  • Seccombe, Thomas, and H. Scott (eds.). In Praise of Oxford. London: Constable, 1912.
  • Shaw, G.W. Academical Dress of British and Irish Universities. Chichester: Philmore & Co. Ltd, 1995. ISBN 085033974X.
  • Snow, Peter. Oxford Observed. London: John Murray, 1992. ISBN 978-0719547072.
  • Tames, Richard. A Traveler's History of Oxford. New York: Interlink, 2002. ISBN 1566564670.
  • Venables, D.R., and R.E. Clifford. Academic Dress of the University of Oxford. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0952163004.

Gallery

  • University Church of St Mary the Virgin

  • The Sheldonian Theatre, built by Sir Christopher Wren between 1664-1668, hosts the University's Congregation, as well as concerts and degree ceremonies

  • Oxford University Museum of Natural History

  • Tom Quad, Christ Church in the snow.

  • Oxford University D.Phil. graduate in Full Academic Dress

  • Students entering the Sheldonian Theatre for their matriculation ceremony at the University of Oxford

  • The Queen's College, Oxford, quad.

External links

All links retrieved May 3, 2023.


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