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A History of the University in Europe: Volume 1, Universities in the Middle Ages

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Comprising a series of edited manuscripts written by a wide variety of authorities under the guidance of an European editorial board, this volume lives up to expectations as a comprehensive survey of the medieval university. Topics the volume covers include student demographics, student life at the university, university legal incorporation into a recognized institution, educational techniques, guild policies, and many others. Though the text is not written as a popular history, it nevertheless is presented in an accessible manner, and most anyone interested in the topic will find a great deal of useful information concerning the rise of the medieval institution referred to as the "university." Although today's typical university may have substantially migrated from the original aims and goals of the 12th-century University of Paris, Oxford University, or the University of Bologna, it is quite illuminating to see how so much of the original design of the medieval European university has indeed come down intact to us in the 21st century. Further, the differentiation between northern universities (such as the University of Paris, Oxford University, and Cambridge University) and southern universities (the University of Bologna is an archetypical example) is clearly depicted in the work, providing a clear description of the variegation the institution has always possessed over the centuries, not just in today's context. Serving therefore primarily as a reference work, the wealth of knowledge contained in the text makes swallowing the $60 price tag for a paperback more palatable. In this regard, I view the multi-author, edited-version approach of the text as a definite plus: at our disposal is a series of well-written works by a variety of knowledgeable authors who all share the interest in keeping this information alive and available for scholarly research. I look forward to acquiring the entire multi-volume set at some time in the future.

As a short aside, but nonetheless directly related to the subject at hand, I have often made note to myself of the complete lack of background knowledge many students have concerning the historical background of their own university-based institutions. Although it would be perhaps indefensible to argue that knowledge of the historical development of the medieval European university is a necessary prerequisite for becoming a successful graduate, it IS arguable that - particularly for those majoring in Education as a field of study - knowing this material can be illuminating in understanding issues in today's university-based context. If nothing else than presenting a description of medieval pedagogical approaches, this history can inform us of how the university as an educational system can enrich us, and how that many of the devices and techniques now in use and championed as "the latest thing" often have direct correlates from half a millennia ago. Further, issues concerning the unionization of students and of teachers, as well as the attempts at universities to manage both, can be enlightened from the hundreds of years Europe has already had to attempt such practices. This text can help bring to the forefront of our thinking issues just such as these, and is surprisingly interesting as it does so.