A Comparison between Oxford University and Cambridge University文档格式.docx
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与此同时,它们在发展过程、框架结构、教学重点方面也有着不同之处。
牛津大学和剑桥大学是两所世界一流的大学,它们因此成为世界各地的年青人所向往的理想大学。
这两所大学将继续保持它们在将来高等教育界的显著地位。
【关键词】牛津大学;
剑桥大学;
比较;
相同点;
不同点
【Abstract】OxfordUniversityandCambridgeUniversityintheUnitedKingdomaretwoworld-famousuniversities,theydifferfromotheruniversitiesintheUnitedKingdom,buttheythemselveshavemuchincommoninhistory,organizationalmakeup,andteachingstyle.Meanwhile,theyalsohavesomedifferencesindevelopment,framework,andeducationalfocus.Astwoofthefirst-classuniversitiesintheworld,OxfordUniversityandCambridgeUniversityhavebecometheidealuniversitiesthatmanyyoungpeopleallovertheworldyearntoenter.Thetwouniversitieswillkeepthemselvesintheforegroundofhighereducationinthefuture.
【Keywords】OxfordUniversity;
CambridgeUniversity;
Comparison;
Similarity;
Difference
0Introduction
OxfordUniversityandCambridgeUniversityintheUnitedKingdomaretwoworld-famousuniversities.Astwooftheoldestuniversitiesintheworld,theyhaveexistedforeighttoninecenturies.OxfordUniversityiswell-knownforitsacademicachievementsinallsubjects,especiallyinartssubjects.Asaninternationallyrenownedcenterforteachingandresearch,OxfordUniversityattractsstudentsandscholarsfromallovertheworld,withalmostaquarterofitsstudentsfromothercountries.CambridgeUniversityisoneofthelargestuniversitiesintheUnitedKingdom.Itsreputationforoutstandingacademicachievementsisknownworld-wideandreflectstheintellectualachievementsofitsstaffandstudents,andtheworld-classoriginalresearchescarriedoutbyitsstaff.Astwoinstitutionsofhighereducationandresearchinawiderangeoffields,OxfordUniversityandCambridgeUniversityresembleeachotherinhistory,organizationalmakeupandteachingstyle,suchasvariousfinancialsources,beautifullandscapes,excellentstudyingenvironment,andhighacademicstatus.Meanwhile,theyalsodifferfromeachotherindevelopment,framework,andeducationalfocus.
1SimilaritiesbetweenOxfordUniversityandCambridgeUniversity
1.1SimilaritiesinHistory
BothOxfordUniversityandCambridgeUniversityarehistoricinstitutionsofhighereducation.OxfordUniversityandCambridgeUniversitywerefoundedinthe12thcenturyandin1209respectively.Thelonghistoryisoneofthereasonswhybothofthemhaveaworld-widereputation.TheyhavehelpedtotrainmanyimportantpersonswithoutstandingabilitiesfortheUnitedKingdomandevenforthewholeworld.Duetoitslonghistory,thecityofOxfordispopularwithtouristsbecauseofthesplendidmedievalbuildingsatOxfordUniversity. 1.2SimilaritiesinOrganizationalMakeup
Besidesthesimilarityinlonghistory,OxfordUniversityandCambridgeUniversityresembleeachotherinorganizationalmakeup.Thetwouniversitieshavetheirowndistinctiveorganizationalmakeup.ItisdifficulttounderstandthestructuresofOxfordUniversityandCambridgeUniversityunlessonehasfirstunderstoodthenatureandfunctionsoftheircolleges.AtpresentOxfordUniversityhas39colleges,andCambridgeUniversityhas31colleges.“Theyhavenoresemblancewhateverwiththeinstitutionswhicharealsocalled‘colleges’inAmericanuniversities”(Wu,p.78).AllofthecollegesatbothOxfordUniversityandCambridgeUniversityareparallelandequalinstitutions,andnoneofthemisconnectedwithanyparticularfieldofstudyorwithanyparticularstageinastudent’seducation.Nomatterwhatsubjectsastudentintendstostudy,heorshemaystudyatanyofthecolleges,andwillremainamemberofthesamecollegeuntilheorshehasgraduated.Eachcollegehasachapel,adining-hall,someteachingbuildingsandsomeresidentialbuildings,thoughtheresidentialbuildingsareingeneralonlylargeenoughtoaccommodateabouthalfofthetotalstudents.Eachstudentspendspartofhisorheruniversitylifelivinginlodgingsoutsidehisorheruniversity.
1.3SimilaritiesinTeachingStyle
OxfordUniversityandCambridgeUniversityhavecharacteristicteachingstyle.Partoftheteachingisbymeansofthelecturesorganizedbythecolleges,andastudentmayattendanyofthelectures.AtOxfordUniversityandCambridgeUniversity,“Theteachersarecommonlycalled‘dons’”(Wang,p.63).Eachweekadongivesoneortwolecturesonasubjectthatisrelatedtohisorherownfieldofstudy.Atthebeginningofeachtermalistispublishedtoshowallthelecturestobegivenwithineachfacultyduringtheterm.Everystudentcanchoosewhichlecturesheorshewillattend,thoughhisorherowncollegetutorwilltellhimorherwhichlecturesarelikelytobemostrelevant.Attendanceatthelecturesisnotcompulsory,andnorecordofattendanceiskept.
Apartfromthelectures,theteachingisbymeansofthetutorialsystem,whichhasbeenoneofthechieffoundationsofthegreatnessofOxfordUniversityandCambridgeUniversity.Thetutorialsystemisorganizedbythecolleges.EachFellowinacollegeisatutorinhisorherownfieldofstudytotheundergraduateswhoarestudyingtherelatedsubject.Eachstudentgoestohisorhertutor’sofficeonceaweekanddiscusseswiththetutortheessaythatheorshehasread.Astudentdoesnotlearnfromonlyhisorherowntutorinhisorherowncollegeforhisorherentiretutorial.“ThesystemofteachingpracticedatOxfordUniversity,withitstendencytoavoidsetcourses,probablyencouragesindependentthoughtandjudgment”(Wang,p.74).ThesameistrueofCambridgeUniversity. 2DifferencesbetweenOxfordUniversityandCambridgeUniversity
2.1DifferencesinDevelopment
OxfordUniversityisahistoricinstitution.Thereisnoexactdateofitsfoundation,butteachinginsomeformexistedatOxfordin1096.OxfordUniversityhasdevelopedrapidlysince1167whenHenryII,theKingofEnglandfrom1154to1189,bannedtheBritishstudentsfromattendingtheUniversityofParis.OxfordUniversityplayedaleadingacademicroleintheVictorianera.ThepeoplewhotookpartinOxfordMovementledbyJohnHenryNewmanbrokeawayfromtheAnglicanChurchinthe1840s.Twentyyearslater,thefirstmuseumbuiltatOxfordUniversitywasthesiteofthefamousdebatebetweenBishopWilberforceandThomasHuxley,thechampionofevolution.
CambridgeUniversitytracesitshistorybackto1209whenagroupofOxfordscholarswhohadfelttiredoftheconstantstrifethatcharacterizedtheirrelationshipwiththeburghersofOxfordappearedinthetownofCambridgetofoundanewuniversity.Inthe16thcentury,somechangeswerereflectedinthecurriculum.“HenryVIII,KingofEngland,issuedaseriesofinjunctionstotheUniversityin1536,suppressingtheFacultyofCanonLawandforbiddingthestudyofscholasticphilosophy.Thestudyofcanonlawdeclined,andtheGreekandLatinclassics,mathematicsandBiblicalstudiescametothefore”(Ward,p.123).However,thesituationwasimprovedlater.
Inthe17thcentury,mathematicscametodominatethestudiesinCambridgeUniversityandtheterm“Tripos”wasusedtoindicatetheexaminationinmathematics.However,atthebeginningofthe19thcentury,“Tripos”wasusedtoindicatethefinalhonorsdegreeexaminationinanysubjectatCambridgeUniversity.Someadditionswereslowlymadetothestaplemathematicalcurriculum.AnexaminationforthedegreeofBachelorofLawsfirstappearedin1816.In1843avoluntaryexaminationcouldbetakenintheologywhichwastodevelopintoatheologicalTripos.CambridgeUniversitycontinuestochangeinresponsetothechallengesitfaces.
2.2DifferencesintheFrameworkofColleges,StaffandStudents
AtpresentOxfordUniversityhas39colleges.Threeofthemareforonlyfemalestudents,andtheresttakebothmaleandfemalestudents.CambridgeUniversityhas31colleges.Oneofthemisforonlymalestudents,twoareforonlyfemalestudents,andtheremaining28takebothmaleandfemalestudents.ThemostfamouscollegesofOxfordUniversityandCambridgeUniversityoriginatedearlyandareallunique.“InOxford,thebestknowncollegesare:
ChristChurch,foundedin1546,withitslargefrontquadrangleanditsfamouschapel;
MagdalenCollege,foundedin1458,withitstallbell-towerintheperpendicularstyleonwhichthechapelchoirsingsatdawnonMayDay;
AllSoulsCollege,foundedin1437,whichisuniqueinhavingnoundergraduatesbutonlyFellows;
andNewCollege,foundedin1397,withitsfinechapelandwell-knownchoir”(Brooke,p.98). ThetotalnumberoftheteachersatOxfordUniversityisover1,000.ThecurrentacademicstaffatOxfordUniversityincludes76FellowsoftheRoyalSocietyand105FellowsoftheBritishAcademy.Afurther97EmeritusandHonoraryCollegeFellowsarealsoFellowsoftheBritishAcademy,and142EmeritusandHonoraryCollegeFellowsareFellowsoftheRoyalSociety.ThetotalnumberofthestudentsatOxfordUniversityisjustover16,100.Therearealmost5,000postgraduatestudents,andaround3,000ofthemarestudyingintheartsandhumanitiesfaculties.Therestareundergraduates.Almostaquarterofthestudentsarefromothercountries,includingthecountriesintheEuropeanUnion.Morethan130nationalitiesarerepresentedamongthestudentbody(SunDingguo,p.56).
AtpresentCambridgeUniversityhasmorethan1,000teachers,includingprofessors,associateprofessorsandlecturers.Besides,ithasmorethan1,000visitingscholars.ThetotalnumberofthestudentsatCambridgeUniversityismo