Oxford University

The University of Oxford has 38 colleges and six halls of residence. Oxford is one of the top ten Universities in the world. Oxford was founded in the 11 th century and is the oldest university in the UK.

It really began to grow when the University of Paris expelled all foreign students in 1167 and English students returned to England.

The most important courses at first were Theology and Latin, because most students wanted to join the church, but Law soon became important too. By the 16 th century, there were more students of law theology.

In 1209, a famous event took place. Two students were hanged for attacking a woman in the town. Many students and lecturers believed they were innocent, and they were angry that they decided to leave Oxford and start a new university in Cambridge.

For a long time, Oxford was male- only university. Women could attend lectures from about 1880 but it was only in 1920 that Oxford awarded degrees to female students for the first time. Oxford appointed its first female professor in 1948. Fourteen percent of full – time undergraduate students come from overseas and 63 % of full –time postgraduate students are international students. Oxford uses the tutorial method of teaching as well as lectures. Students really enjoy talking to their lecturers in their rooms with a coffee! Twenty- five Prime Ministers and 86 Archbishops of Canterbury attended Oxford. Many famous writers, such as Oscar Wild and J.R.R. Tolkein( author of the Lord of the Rings) also went to Oxford. Among scientists, we can mention Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins and Tim Berners- Lee, the inventor of the Internet.

You can visit many wonderful buildings in Oxford, such as Ashmolean Museum. It has a large collection of paintings, including works by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso and Turner. Another museum you can visit is the Natural History Museum. Tgere, you can see a complete Tyrannosaurus Rex and thousands of other fossils and animal remains.

The Times Good University Guide 2008 says that Oxford is the top university in the UK while Cambridge is in the second place. Oxford is first in English, Politics, Physiological Sciences, Fine Art, Business Sudies, Materials technology, Middle Easternand African Studies, Music, Philosophy, and also Education and Linguistics which it shares first with Cambridge, Oxford comes second after Cambridge in seventeen other subjects.

Post-reading task

Answer the questions:

1. When was Oxford founded?

2. How many colleges are there at Oxford?

3. Why did many English students begin to come to Oxford?

4. When did Oxford allow women to study?

5. Does Oxford have more students from the UK or from abroad?

6Where can you see works of art at Oxford?

Vocabulary:

Look for these words in the text and match them to the correct definition. Try this without using a dictionary.

Theology — a first degree student or course

To expel— remains of ancient animals in stone 

To hang — things you study at school or university

A lecture — a writer of literature, such as novels or poetry

A lecturer— f very experienced university teacher and researcher

A tutorial — the study of foreign and religious ideas

Undergraduate — a class at university with a large number of students

Postgraduate — to order someone to leave and not retain

WRITING

You should write at least 250 words.

Write about 

1. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about universities. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

2. UNIVERSITIES: Make a poster about top universities. Show your work to your group mates in the next lesson.

Tasks for self-study

Read the text and answer the questions below the text.

The Almaty State University named after Abai.

In 2003 the Almaty State University (ASU) named after Abai celebrated its 75^th anniversary. ASU is a classical higher education institution that gives its graduates fundamental educational and scientific training and a high level of general and professional culture. The university has 10 departments that prepare highly qualified specialists in 94 specializations. The university offers instruction in the following languages: Kazakh, Russian, English, German, French, Arabic, Turkish, Chinese, Korean, Farsi, Uigur, etc. ASU successfully implements a multilevel system of higher education, which varies according to duration and level of training and includes educational and professional programs for secondary specialized education, higher and additional higher education, and retraining of specialists.

13 000 undergraduate students and 650 graduate and post-graduate students and university-fellows study at ASU named after Abai. Over one thousand of instructors work in 69 sub-faculties. They include 208 with doctorate degrees, 550 senior lecturers, 40 members and corresponding members of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the International Academy of Sciences of the Higher School. During the past 5 years 33 doctorate and 69 graduate theses were defended by university’s instructors.

During 2001, the university’s instructors presented 62 papers at international conferences in U.S.A., France, Germany, Czech Republic, Japan, Holland, India and CIS countries. 34 papers were presented at republic-wide conferences. 11 and 15 works correspondingly were exhibited at international and republic-wide exhibitions. 63 monographs and 45 books were published, 6 certificates of authorship were received.The president of the country, N.A.Nazarbaev referred to the role of the Kazakhstan's oldest higher education institution as the “leader of university education in the country”. The following are honorary professors of ASU named after Abai: President of Ukraine, L.D.Kuchma; President of Belarus, A.G.Lukashenko; President of Mongolia, N.Bagabandi; President of Georgia, E.A.Shevardnadze; President of International Academy of Sciences of the Higher School V.E. Shukshunov, and others.

Electronic textbooks, educational software and laboratory workshops on various subjects are created at the university. 27 modern computer classes with Internet access are functioning. ASU has specialized language auditoriums. There are 3 ultramodern language laboratories for 90 seats – a gift of the Japanese Embassy – and language laboratories for teaching French, Turkish, German, English, Arabic and Korean languages. Embassies of foreign countries provided educational literature and study methods, video and audio materials, videotape recorders, television sets, tape recorders and other equipment. There are 920 550 books in the library.

The university maintains contact with 35 higher education institutions of U.S.A., Germany, Holland, Russia, Austria, France, Italy, Turkey, Japan, South Korea and other countries. Its instructors and staff are involved in implementing projects of Tacis and Tempus, United States Information Agency, United States International Cooperation Agency, and Asian Development Bank. During the last school year approximately 70 students and 40 instructors travelled abroad. Over 200 foreign citizens study at ASU. The president of the university, Tokmukhamed Sadykov is a corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Higher School. He is a major organizer of the educational system and initiator of implementation of the best international educational standards in the Kazakhstani higher school. Today, in the beginning of the 21^st century, the Almaty State University named after Abai maintains its high status of Kazakhstan's first higher education institution, carrying on and multiplying its renowned traditions.

1.qualified квалифицированный

2. to offer предлагать

3. to implement выполнять

4. retraining переподготовка

5. undergraduate выпускник

6. papers статья, диссертация

7. exhibition выставка

8.to publish опубликовывать

9.workshops семинар

10.to create создавать

11. to specialize специализироваться

12. embassy посольство

13. equipment оборудование

14. approximately приблизительно

15. to carry on выполнять

16. to maintain поддерживать

1. to multiply умножать

1. scientific научный

2. anniversary годовщина