Unit 3. The UK Higher Learning Schools

Before You Read

 

I. Study the cultural note on British higher education.

Redbrick universities – «Краснокирпичные» университеты (разговорное название университетов, появившихся в XIX–начале XX вв.; частично субсидируются местными органами власти; имеют курсы подготовки специалистов для местной промышленности);

College of Education – педагогический колледж (трехгодичный педагогический институт; в 1965 г. такие колледжи получили статус университета; готовят учителей для общих начальных школ и средних школ);

grant – стипендия (обыкн. выплачивается студентам из средств государственного бюджета или местных органов власти);

sandwich course – курсы «сандвич» (для работающих; обычно при техническом колледже, где занятия чередуются с работой на предприятии; курсы платные);

general degree – степень бакалавра без отличия по двум или трем дисциплинам (присуждается после сдачи выпускных экзаменов по облегченной программе в университете);

honours degree – степень бакалавра с отличием (присуждается после сдачи выпускных экзаменов по усложненной программе в университете).

II. Scan the text and render it into Russian using the references given below and the cultural notes.

 

British Universities

 

There is no single, universally accepted definition of what a university should be like. British universities are different. In 1960 there were only 23 British universities. Today there are over 90. They can be roughly divided into the following groups.

Oxford and Cambridge (Oxbridge): The two intellectual eyes of Britain date from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Scholars were studying in these ancient universities in the early thirteenth century. Since that time Oxford and Cambridge have continued to grow, but until the nineteenth century they were the only universities in England, and they offered no place to girls.

Four universities were founded in Scotland before Scotland and England were united: St. Andrews (1411), Glasgow (1450), Aberdeen (1494) and Edinburgh (1583).

The Redbrick (civic) Universities: In this group are listed all universities founded between 1850 and 1930. These include London, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and Birmingham. They were called “redbrick”, because that was the favourite building material of the time, but they are rarely referred to as "Redbrick" today.

The New Universities: During the late 1960s and early 1970s some 20 “new” universities were set up. Sometimes they are called “concrete and glass” universities. Among them are the universities of Sussex, York, East Anglia and some others. They quickly became popular because of their modern approach to university courses.

The academic year consists of 3 terms: October – December, January – March, April – June (total: thirty weeks). The typical academic programme for university students in Great Britain is composed of a varying number of courses or subjects within a field of specialisation. The academic activities for each subject fall into three types: lectures, at which attendance is not always compulsory, tutorials and examinations. These three categories provide the means by which students prepare themselves in specialised fields of knowledge.

The college system at Oxford and Cambridge is unlike that of any other university. The university is like a federation of colleges. In order to enter the university, a student must first apply to a college and become a member of the university through the college. The colleges are not connected with any particular study and are governed by twenty to thirty “Fellows”. Fellows of a college are tutors (teachers, often called “dons”). They teach their own subject to those students in the college who are studying it, and they are responsible for their progress. The university arranges the courses, the lectures, and the examinations, and awards the degrees. Most dons give one or two lectures a week which students from any college may attend. No lectures are compulsory and tutors usually advise their students which lectures they should go to. Each college has its own completely separate living quarters, its own dining hall and its own chapel. Cambridge and Oxford both have two women's colleges. Today most of the colleges are co-educational.

The University of London could also be called a kind of federation of colleges, but the system is entirely different. The largest of the London colleges are like universities in themselves, having many different faculties and departments. Others specialise in certain subjects, for example, the London School of Economics and Political Science or the Imperial College of Science and Technology. All arrange their own lectures and classes, but the university organises the examinations and awards degrees.

While Oxbridge Universities are divided into colleges, the Redbrick Universities are divided into various faculties, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Social and Economic studies, etc., the number and type differing from university to university. The teaching is organised in departments and is based on a set of lecturers. The head of the department is usually a Professor. The Lecturer is the main teaching grade throughout the university world.

At most universities an honours degree is taken in one main subject and one subsidiary, or secondary, subject. A general degree is taken in a variety of subjects, but carries less weight than an honours degree. If students pass their final exam, they get a degree marked first, second or third class. Some universities divide their second class into 2(1) or 2(2). Oxford offers a fourth class. Few students get first class degrees, so these are a valuable qualification for a job. Students with any class of degree become Bachelors of Arts or Science, and can put B.A. or B.Sc. after their name. If they want to go a step further and become Master of Arts or Science, they have to write an original paper, or thesis, on some subject. Oxford and Cambridge graduates have a rather unfair privilege. They can buy their M.A.s and M.Sc.s for a small sum of money. All they have to do is wait for a few years before applying. If students wish to become academics and perhaps teach in a university, then they will work for a higher degree, a Doctor of Philosophy – a Ph.D. For this they will have to carry out some important research work.

However, universities have never had a monopoly on higher learning. In Britain, full-time higher education also takes place outside the universities. Colleges of Education provide two-year courses in teacher education or sometimes three years if the graduate specializes in some particular subject.

There are about thirty Polytechnics which, like the universities, offer first and higher degrees. Some of them offer full-time and sand­wich courses. In 1992 the majority of British polytechnics, that offered a wide range of subjects and many had close links with industry and commerce in their local area, were also incorporated into universities.

 

References

Oxford – Оксфорд (главный город графства Оксфордшир, Англия; известен своим университетом);

Cambridge – Кембридж (главный город графства Кембриджшир, Англия; известен своим университетом);

St. Andrews– Сент-Андрус (при­морский город-курорт в графстве Файф, Шотландия, где расположен старейший университет);

Glasgow – Глазго (крупный промышленный центр и порт Шотландии; третий по численности населения город в Великобритании);

Aberdeen – Абердин (порт на Север­ном море в Шотландии);

Edinburgh – Эдинбург (столица Шотландии; крупный промышленный центр);

Manchester – Манчестер (крупный промышленный центр в графстве Ланкашир, Англия);

Leeds – Лидс (крупный промышленный центр в графстве Йоркшир, Англия);

Liverpool – Ливерпуль (крупный промышленный центр и порт в графстве Ланкашир, Англия);

Sheffield–Шеффилд (крупный центр тяжелой промышленности в Англии);

Birmingham – Бирмингем (крупный промышленный центр в графстве Уорикшир, Англия; второй по численности населения город в Великобритании);

Sussex – Суссекс (графство на юго-востоке Англии);

York– Йорк (важный транспортный узел на севере Англии; сохранил планировку средневекового крепостного города);

East Anglia – Восточная Англия (район Англии к востоку от Лондона; включает графства Кембриджшир, Эссекс, Норфолк и Суффолк).

After You Read

I. Complete the table about the types of British university degrees.

First degree		On completion of a three-year course
Higher degrees
	Doctor of Philosophy

II. Answer the questions about the text.

 

1. What are four types of universities in the UK?

2. What do Oxford and Cambridge have in common?

3. What is a tutorial system? How does it work?

4. How many terms does the academic year include?

5. What facts prove elitism of Oxbridge graduates?

6. How do other universities differ from Oxbridge?

7. What traditions of Oxford and Cambridge can you speak about?

8. What education do British Polytechnics provide?

9. What does a sand­wich course mean?

 

III. Are the statements true or false?

 

1. The colleges of Oxford and Cambridge are essentially residential institutions and they mainly use a tutorial method which brings the tutor into close and personal contact with the student.

2. The two terms into which the British University year is divided are roughly twenty weeks.

3. British universities greatly differ from each other in date of foundation, size, history, tradition, general organization, methods of instruction, way of student life.

4. Degree-level courses are offered by universities, polytechnics and colleges of higher education.

5. Bachelor of Arts is the commonest degree awarded by a British university.

 

IV. Match the education terms on the left to their definitions on the right.

 

1) lecturer a) a teacher who directs the studies of a number of students;

2) PhD b) a person who gives lectures, esp. at a University or college;

3) college c) a university degree of a very high rank, above MA or MSc;

4) tutor d) a body of teachers and students forming a separate part of

certain universities;

5) department e) a college of higher education similar to a university,

providing training in many subjects;

6) polytechnic f) any of the important branches of a faculty.

V. Work in small groups and discuss the following questions. Remember to use the expressions introducing your point of view and asking questions (see the annex).

 

1. What are the main differences between university courses in Britain and Russia?

2. Is elitism in education a problem of only British system of education? What about your country?

3. Discuss the system of certificates and diplomas in both countries.

 

VI. a) Suggest Russian correspondences to the English proverbs. Explain their meaning.

 

1. A little learning is a dangerous thing.

2. Better untaught than ill taught.

3. To know everything is to know nothing.

4. The wish is the father to the thought.

5. Money spent on the brain is never spent in vain.

 

b) Learn the proverbs and illustrate one of them using a real situation.

 

VII. Find out additional information on interesting facts of British students’ life including their academic and extracurricular activities, prepare a report to deliver in class.