Oxford University

1. Oxford University is one of the two oldest and most respected universities in the UK. It is situated 100 km of London in the city of Oxford.

2. The University’s origins can be traced to the early 12th century. It was modelled on the University of Paris, with initial faculties of theology, law, medicine and liberal arts.

3. Oxford is a collegiate university. It consists of about 35 separate colleges. Colleges are self-governing institutions consisting of a head and fellows. Each has its own hall, chapel, library, and endowments.

4. The university has 16 faculties including medieval and modern European languages and literature, agricultural science, social studies and others.

5. The usual course for a bachelor’s degree is 3 years, but in classics and chemistry it is four. Final examination takes place in June, and students are classified. No further examination is required for a master’s degree, which is taken on the payment of the necessary fees seven years after matriculation.

6. Oxford houses the Bodleian Library and the Ashmolean Museum. The Oxford University Press, established in 1478, is one of the largest and most prestigious university publishers in the world.

7. Oxford University is considered to give a very high standard of education, and is known to be a difficult place for students to be accepted to study in. Oxford University graduates often become powerful and successful members of British society, and many of the leading people in professions such as law, politics, and the civil service have traditionally been “Oxford-educated”, though this is beginning to change. Oxford and Cambridge Universities are sometimes criticized for the fact that about half their students come from public schools (expensive private schools), even though most British children do not attend these schools. Some people also think of Oxford and Cambridge colleges as too old-fashioned, traditional, and elitist, and regard them as not really understanding how ordinary people think and live.

Notes:

1. a collegiate university [kэ’li:dζэt] – университет, объединяющий несколько самостоятельных колледжей

2. a fellow – член совета колледжа

3. matriculation [mэ,trikju’leiòn] – зачисление в университет

4. the Bodleian Library [‘bodliэn] – Бодлианская библиотека Оксфордского университета; вторая по значению в Великобритании после Британской библиотеки (British Library); имеет около 5 млн. томов; основана в 1598 г.; названа по имени основателя Томаса Бодли (Thomas Bodley)

5. the Ashmolean Museum [æò’mэuliэn] – музей Ашмола; музей и библиотека древней истории, изящных искусств и археологии при Оксфордском университете; основан в 1683 г.; назван по имени основателя Элиаса Ашмола (Elias Ashmole)

11. Ask your groupmates about Text 9C and let them answer these questions.

1. Where is Oxford University situated?

2. When was Oxford University established?

3. How many colleges does it consist of?

4. What are Oxford University colleges like?

5. What colleges does the University have?

6. What is the system of degrees at the University?

7. Why is Oxford University considered to be prestigious?

8. What do Oxford graduates become?

9. What are Oxford and Cambridge Universities often criticized for?

10. What does the term “Oxford-educated” mean?

12. Consider the following statements.

1. Oxford University is a collegiate one.

How do you understand it? Can you express your opinion on the above?

2. Oxford University is considered to give a very high standard of education.

Do you agree? Can you give your reasons?

3. Oxford University graduates often become powerful and successful

members of British society, though this is beginning to change.

Do you agree to that? What is really meant?

13. Discuss pros and cons of the fact that some people think that Oxford and Cambridge Universities are too old-fashioned, traditional, and elitist.

Here are some useful expressions for the supporters:

The point I’m making is…; it is generally felt…; I’m bound to say …; I’m inclined to point out…; everyone knows that …, etc.

Some useful expressions for the opponents:

That’s not the point…; I think it’s absurd to…; anyone can see…; the facts just don’t support…, etc.

14. Retell Text 9C.

15. Make up a story about higher education of Great Britain based on the information given in the above Texts.

SPEAKING

DIALOGUE 1

Talking of higher education of Britain

A.:What kinds of higher educational institutions are there in Great Britain?

B.: There are universities and colleges of higher education.

A.: What are the oldest and best-known universities in Great Britain?

B.: The oldest and best-known universities in Great Britain are Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

A.: What can you say about other universities of Great Britain?

B.: All other universities are fairly new.

A.: Which is the biggest of the new universities?

B.: The biggest of them is London University.

A.: What is London University made up of?

B.: London University is made up of a great variety of colleges and other institutions including medical schools.

A.: What educational establishment usually has both faculties and departments?

B.: A university has.

A.: What are the common faculties?

B.: The most common faculties are arts, law, medicine, science, and theology.

A.:What does the department include?

B.: The department includes engineering, economics, commerce, agriculture, music, and technology.

16. Memorize and reproduce Dialogue 1 as a model.

17. Make up dialogues of your own using Dialogue 1 as a model.

Situations: You meet your friend who graduated from one of the Universities in Great Britain and talk to him about:

a) the University he went to;

b) what he liked and disliked about higher education of Great Britain;

c) the difference between higher education of Great Britain and that of Russia.

DIALOGUE 2

Talking of Oxford University

John: Who is that scholarly-looking man who walked past and smiled at you? Surely he isn’t an undergraduate.

Pete: No, that’s my tutor.

John: What is a tutor?

Pete: The tutorial system is one of the ways in which Oxford and Cambridge differ from all the other English universities. Every student has a tutor and as soon as you come to Oxford one of the first things you do is to go to see your tutor. He, more or less, plans your work, suggests the books you should read and sets work for you to do, for example an essay to write. Each week you go to him in his room, perhaps with two or three other students, and he discusses with you the work that you have done, criticizes in detail your essay and sets you the next week’s work.

John: Does the tutor also give lectures?

Pete: Yes, he may.

John: But aren’t lectures given by professors?

Pete: Yes, though professors don’t give a great many lectures. They are often appointed not so much to do teaching work as to carry on research in their particular subjects.

John: Can you go to any lecture you like, no matter whether it is by a tutor or professor of your college or not?

Pete: Yes. Lectures are organized not by the colleges but by the university, and so any member of the university may attend, for all students are members of the college and of the university. The result is that where you get a famous professor, you will often find that his lecture-room is crowded; a dull professor may have only a handful of students.

John: You said that lectures were organized by the university. Where is the University?

Pete: It must seem rather strange to you but there isn’t really any university at Oxford as there is, for example, at Manchester or Bristol or Edinburgh. Oxford (like Cambridge) is a collection of colleges, each self-governing and independent. “The University” is merely an administrative body that organizes lectures, arranges examinations, gives degrees, etc.

John: What do you want to do when you leave Oxford?

Pete: What I should like more than anything else would be to start a school in Oxford for teaching English to foreign students.

John: Well, I wish you like.

Pete: Thanks, John. But let’s walk on again; you’ve hardly seen any of the colleges yet.

18. Memorize and reproduce Dialogue 2.

19. Fill in the missing remarks of the dialogue.

Anton: Hello, Mark. I’d like to ask you some questions about higher education in Britain.

Mark: Oh, I’ll do it with great pleasure.

Anton: Who are lectures given by?

Mark: ….

Anton: Who are the students’ studies supervised by?

Mark: ….

Anton: What are advanced students engaged in?

Mark: ….

Anton: What degree may a student proceed to after three years of study?

Mark: ….

Anton: What other degrees can a student get after a few years more at the university?

Mark: ….

Anton: Is the education in the universities and colleges free of charge?

Mark: ….

Anton: Thank you very much.

DIALOGUE 3

Talking of proctors and “Bull-dogs” at Oxford University

John: Who is that man in the cap and gown with those two men in bowler hats behind him? Is he a tutor?

Pete: No, he’s a proctor. And the two men behind him are “bull-dogs”. The proctor’s job is to keep discipline, to see that students aren’t out after midnight, or aren’t driving a car without having first received permission from the proctor.

John: What punishment can the proctor give?

Pete: Students can be fined a sum of money, or, for a very serious offence, they can be expelled.

John: And the “bull-dogs”, what are they for?

Pete: They are to catch the student if he tries to run away before his name can be taken.

John: Oh, I see. Thanks a lot.

20. Memorize and reproduce Dialogue 3.

21. Make up and act dialogues considering the following assignments.

1. Your groupmate asks you about student life in Oxford or Cambridge.

2. You explain the functions of the following members of the university teaching staff: a lecturer, a reader, a tutor, a professor.

LISTENING

22. Listen to the Text “Universities” about higher education in Britain.

a) Answer the questions that follow.

1. Are British universities open to everyone?

2. How is it possible to get a place at a British university?

3. Is the number of students on a particular course limited?

4. Why are drop-out and failure rates low?

5. What is the negative side of the system of higher education in Britain?

6. Why have the numbers of school-leavers who went on to university doubled over the last 20 years?

7. What do all universities in Britain differ in?

8. What are the most prestigious universities?

9. How do students make their choices about the university to go to?

10. How do students pay for their study?

11. Are British universities popular with overseas students?

12. What does the Erasmus programme arrange?

13. Are all universities in Britain equal on status?

b) Read Tapescript 9A of the Text. Look up the words you do not know in your dictionary.

c) Retell the story about higher education in Britain.

d) Tell your groupmates about Cambridge University based on the information collected.

23. Listen to the text “Modern Universities”.

The difference of modern universities from Oxford and Cambridge	Faculties of modern universities	The University of Stirling	The University of Sussex	The University of York	The features of modern universities

a) Fill in the chart.

b) Check your answers with your groupmates.

c) Read Tapescript 9B of the Text. Look up the words you do not know in your dictionary.

d) Retell the story.

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