新编大学英语（第三版）综合教程 4浙江财经大学编Unit7Culture Studies.ppt

University2.Top10Universityintheworld.3.WhytheChineseareflockingtoU.S.colleges

1.University

A?university?isan?institution?of?highereducation?and?research?whichgrants?academicdegrees?inavarietyofsubjectsandprovidesboth?undergraduateeducation?and?postgraduateeducation.Theworduniversityisderivedfromthe?Latin?universitasmagistrorumetscholarium,whichroughlymeanscommunityofteachersand?scholars.Overview

TheoriginalLatinworduniversitasrefersingeneraltoanumberofpersonsassociatedintoonebody,asociety,company,community,guild,corporation,etc.Atthetimeoftheemergenceofurbantownlifeandmedievalguilds,specialisedassociationsofstudentsandteacherswithcollectivelegalrightsusuallyguaranteedbychartersissuedbyprinces,prelates,orthetownsinwhichtheywerelocatedcametobedenominatedbythisgeneralterm.Definition

Likeotherguilds,theywereself-regulatinganddeterminedthequalificationsoftheirmembers.TheoriginalLatinwordreferredtodegree-grantinginstitutionsoflearninginWesternandCentralEurope,wherethisformoflegalorganisationwasprevalent,andfromwheretheinstitutionspreadaroundtheworld.Fornon-relatededucationalinstitutionsofantiquitywhichdidnotstandinthetraditionoftheuniversityandtowhichthetermisonlylooselyandretrospectivelyapplied,seeancienthigher-learninginstitutions.

Animportantideainthedefinitionofauniversityisthenotionofacademicfreedom.Thefirstdocumentaryevidenceofthiscomesfromearlyinthelifeofthefirstuniversity.TheUniversityofBolognaadoptedanacademiccharter,theConstitutioHabita,in1158or1155,whichguaranteedtherightofatravelingscholartounhinderedpassageintheinterestsofeducation.Todaythisisclaimedastheoriginofacademicfreedom.Academicfreedom

Thisisnowwidelyrecognisedinternationally—on18September1988430universityrectorssignedtheMagna