The University of Oxford is located in Oxford, England and dates back to around 720 AD during the reign of King Didan. It was originally built on the grounds of Christ Church Cathedral and taken over by Anglican monks around 1120. By 1167 there were three halls of learning in Oxford. The university gained recognition from the church in 1214, attracting more scholars but also causing tensions with local townspeople. Oxford University adopted the ancient curriculum from the University of Paris which focused on the liberal arts and was governed by the church.

1. Origin Student Characteristics The University of Oxford is located in the city of Oxford, England and it is known as the oldest university in the English speaking world. The exact date in which the University of Oxford was founded is unknown but it is known to date back to 720 AD during the reign of King Didan. There are legends that suggest the university originated in 872 during the time of Alfred the Great but this remains a myth. Oxford University was built on the grounds of the Christ Church Cathedral and was later taken over by a community of Anglican monks around 1120 which was later rebuilt and dedicated to the church to St Frideswide(Petting, 2010) . Many of the scholars moved to other towns such as Cambridge leading to the formation of other universities. However it wasn’t until later years that traders in Oxford missed the custom of the students and persuaded some of them to return. At first the students lived with the townspeople or in halls and the halls were created to protect scholars from local hostility (Petting, 2010) . Enrollment and Outcomes Curriculum By the year of 1167 there were three of learning in Oxford. However, The University was given a boost for political reasons when the English king ordered all students in France to return home. During this time the current King encouraged many of the students and English scholars to leave the University of Paris and to continue their education at the University of Oxford. However it wasn’t until the year of 1214 that the first Chancellor was appointed and Oxford was recognized as a university by the Church. The recognition of Oxford University not only attracted many scholars but created friction and chaos amongst the town people. The chaos resulted to riots that caused the death of a couple of people(Lambert, 2010). The scholars brought the ancient curriculum from Paris which was under the learning of the Church of Rome. Many of the scholars and Masters were in holy orders and they played an important role in the administration of the state which was a small percentage of the literate population. The students learned from lectures until Caxton introduced the printing press to England which brought the use of books. However it wasn’t until the Middle Ages that students learned the seven liberal arts of grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and Music followed by the study the humanities(Petting, 2010) . Governance Pope Innocent IV officially granted the privilege of granting degrees to Oxford University in 1254. Many of the local townspeople were not happy that the university was in their area. At times there were struggles between the people and the university. The catholic church served as a protector . Government of the university lay in the hands of the regent masters. Their duties were to attend all meetings of the congreation, deliver lectures to the university and to follow the instructions fo the chancellor and vice chancellor. Later, the chancellor become the main governing body. Traditions Oxford University has a long tradition of having an international focus for learning and being a forum for great intellectual debate between scholars. Also, the Universities tutorial approach to teaching and learning developed a tradition of continuously having one of the lowest drop-out rates in the UK. References Pettinger, Richard “Early history of oxford university.Trejvansite, Retrieved from http://www.richardpettinger.com/oxford/early_history_of_oxford_university/(Accessed 14 June 2010). Lambert, Tim “The history of oxford university. Picture of England.Com, Retrieved from http://www.picturesofengland.com/history/oxford-university-history.html (Accesses 14 June 2010). http://www.oua.ox.ac.uk/enquiries/congandconvone.html