University of Aldesey

The University of Aldesey

Coat of Arms of the University of Aldesey
Latin: Universitas Aldesiensis
Other name	The Chancellour, Masters and Scholars of the University at Aldesey
Motto	Omnia pro Domino
Motto in English	All be unto the Lord
Type	Corporation by prescription
Established	c. 8th century as a monastic school c. 1256 as a university
Religious affiliation	Church of Nortend
Endowment	~ £101,200,000
Chancellor	The Rt Rev'd Dr William Laseby, Bishop of Chepingstow
Vice-Chancellor	The Rt Rev'd Dr Martin Hazel, Vicar-General of Chepingstow
Rector	The Rt W'shipful Dr Thomas Matthew
Students	~ 9,400
Location	Aldesey , Narland , Great Nortend
Language	English, Latin
Colors	Light blue   and white
Sports	Boating, hunting

The University of Aldesey, formally The Chancellour, Masters and Scholars of the University at Aldesey, is one of the three universities in Great Nortend located in the town of Aldesey, in Narland. It is the eldest university and the second largest after the University of Limmes in Great Nortend. It grew as a monastic school attached to Aldesey Abbey from the 8th century, and developed into a collegiate university during the 12th and 13th centuries.

It is built upon two large natural islands in the River Lither, Upper and Lower Eyote, which have over the centuries has been nearly fully covered by the buildings of the university, with the town of Aldesey developing on the banks of the river.

Governance

The River Lither at Dumcourt Bridge.

The University as a body is distinct from its sixteen constituent colleges. Each of the sixteen colleges are independent and responsible for the lodging, education and nourishment of its students. Students are admitted to a college through the process of Matriculation, when they formally become members of the University. Henceforth, they are bound by the University's statutes and regulations. For example, students, when in public, are required to at all times wear the gowns of their status. The University's statutes, regulations and ordinances are enforced by the University's Proctors, police, and student beadles, who have the power to fine and confine, and in extreme cases, to rusticate or ban (expel).

The formal council body of the University is known as the Great Congregation, comprised of all masters of the University, who are those students with a Master of Arts or were otherwise a Doctor of Letters, Science, Music, Laws, Physic or Divinity. It is considered the sovereign body of the University. It has a role in determining University's statutes and regulations, subject to the assent of the Chancellour, as well as academic matters such as examinations, rustication, matriculation, the curriculum and lectures, as well as granting graces, dispensations and degrees.

The Congregation, with its large size, meets normally every three years, and delegates its powers to the smaller Minor Congregation, or Convocation of Regent Masters, who have power over academic matters, however cannot pass statutes. Statutes are deliberated upon by the Convocation, and if agreed to, referred back to the entire Congregation, which can accept it or reject it at the triennial meetings or by postal ballots.

Faculties

As with the other two Erbonian universities, the University of Aldesey retains the four faculties of the mediaeval university tradition, being the Faculties of Arts, Physic, Laws and Divinity. Since the reforms of the 18th century, each faculty is more relevant to their respective professions—the sciences and humanities, the practice of medicine and law, and of holy orders respectively—than the more wholly academic approach favoured thitherto.

All students enter the university in the Faculty of Arts, excepting monks and friars who are admitted straight into the Faculty of Divinity. The form and curriculum for the Bachelor and Master of Arts is explained hereinafter.

Bachelor and Master of Arts

Form

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree is the only undergraduate degree awarded by the University of Aldesey. The Bachelor of Arts is awarded after the Grammaticales, the Responsiones and nowdays, a subsequent Determinationes. The Grammaticales examination is taken at the end of the first year. It principally tests the student's grasp of the first year course. Thereupon, the freshman becomes a sophist.

Upon completion of his second year, the sophist sits the Responsiones examinations. Responsiones include written papers and a a short oral viva voce examination de quaestione respondens before a panel of masters, who vote whether to permit the student to determine. Provided that the papers are passed, this given pro forma. The sophist thereby becomes a questionist.

At the end of the third year, the questionist may 'sue' for his 'Bachelor of Arts' after completing his Determinationes during Lent. The determinations involve written examinations and oral viva voce disputations. Thereby, the questionist becomes a Bachelor of Arts.

The Master of Arts (M.A.) is the degree which is usually taken by Bachelors of Arts who continue on to study in for a graduate degree, such as a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Laws or Bachelor of Divinity. After completing his bachelor's degree if he will continue in his studies, or if he has excelled himself even if not, the Bachelor of Arts will be presented to his masters, who cast a vote de scientia et moribus.

If the student is studying for a higher degree, he then must pass his three annual Quodlibetica examinations conducted by their degree faculty involving disputations and papers. After three years, or immediately after the vote de scientia et moribus, worthy candidates are licensed, receiving the licentia docendi by the Chancellour of the University, the Bishop of Chepingstow (who also happens to be the Lord High Chancellour), and take an oath inter alia to incept within five years.

A Master of Arts takes a seven years to attain in residence (“twenty-one terms after Matriculation”). By the 19th century, the Bachelor of Arts only took three years to attain and the Master of Arts reduced to a formality. However, inception still occurs at the end of the student's seventh year (“twenty-first term after Matriculation”). On the day before Inceptio, the licentiate takes part in a disputation known as 'Vesperies' in the evening before Vespers. At Inceptio the next day, the licentiate formally becomes a 'Master of Arts' at the beginning of an Inception Mass, after which he gives a brief lecture known as his Principium.

Curriculum

The curriculum for the Bachelor of Arts at the University of Aldesey involves attendance at lectures and participation in tutorials. Most lectures run over a course of two or three terms, but some are only for one term. Teaching is in the form of lectures taken by regent masters, supplemented with weekly tutorials consisting of disputations (debates) and declamations (essays). Lectures for undergraduates are given by regent masters and involve exposition and instruction of the subject matter, as well as questions and discussion. After the mandatory first year lectures, sophists must choose their own lectures to attend.

• Mandated: Philosophy (Ethics, Metaphysics and Logic), Ancient History (Greek, Roman, Biblical) and Modern History (Mediaeval, Renaissance, New).

• Electives: Theology, History, Architecture, Philology, English, Ancient Languages, Modern Languages, Politics, Jurisprudence, Economics, Music, Mathematics and Science.

Each elective involves eight lectures each, meaning sophists may choose up to two full electives. It is possible to choose one full elective and two half electives as well. Each elective may lead to a further higher degree. For example, a B.A. in Theology leads to a Bachelor of Divinity, a B.A. in Jurisprudence leads to a Bachelor of Laws, a B.A. in Science may lead to a Bachelor of Physic, whilst a B.A. in Modern Languages leads to a Bachelor of Letters.

Students

Students at the University of Aldesey are either undergraduates, bachelors or masters. Undergraduates are graded into seven ranks: noblemen; gentlemen; exhibitioner; commoners; battelers; and servitors. Most colleges have abolished servitors, however some still retain the rank. Different ranks of undergraduates are entitled to different academic gowns and hats which mark their status. Students are required to wear the gown of their status whenever they are in public, unless otherwise dispensed with or engaging in exempted activities (such as physical exercise). Noblemen and gentlemen are ineligible to receive scholarships or exhibitions.

International students

The University accepts international students from all around the world. Not all colleges accept international students, notably the colleges restricted to the alumni of certain schools. There are approximately 230 international undergraduate students at the University, as of 2018.

Colleges and Halls

The University has sixteen colleges and five halls, the former of which is a permanent independent corporate body, whereas the latter is operated as a personal concern. The sixteen colleges are listed below, their associated common school in brackets.

• All Saint's College
• Bailmorden College
• Buckgate College (St Arnold's School)
• Christ's College
• Cholstave College (Allord College)
• Dryard College
• Flemey College (Flemey School)
• Holy Ghost College
• Mancourt College
• Old College (Martinhall School)
• Prince's College
• Staithey College
• St Lucy's College (Siel College)
• St Peter ad Vincula College
• West College
• Wistfin College (Chepingstow School)

Academics

The academic dress of a Master of Arts sans cap. Note the hood has slipped.

Teaching in all four universities is undertaken by the regent masters, doctors and professours of the University.

After incepting as a Master of Arts, a person is by statute required to lecture at the University as a magister regens for a minimum of two years, as well as determine weekly for one term. Nearly all regent masters have a post-graduate degree either in the Faculty of Arts or in a higher faculty, given the required six years before inception. The duties of a regent master include delivering lectures to undergraduate students, determining, attending Convocation, looking after students, and otherwise assisting with the peace and good order of the University. Though regency is theoretically required of all bachelors incepting as masters, it is generally dispensed with unless the master wishes to teach.

A doctor is a master who possesses a doctorate in a faculty. They have the responsibility of teaching those reading for a doctorate, or a bachelor's degree in the higher faculties.

All regent masters and doctors of the University are also attached to a college and are known as fellows. They form the governing body of a college, under their warden, master &c.

A professour is a fellow who has been given a chair in a specific field by a college or the University or, in the case of Professours Regius, by the Crown. They are required to deliver a certain number of lectures annually.

Higher Faculties

The academic gown of a Doctor of Letters.

The higher faculties include that of Laws, Physic and Divinity, in which the University admits students into the degrees of Bachelor of Laws, Doctor of Laws, Bachelor of Physic, Doctor of Physic, Bachelor of Divinity and Doctor of Divinity. By ancient statute all students in higher faculties must have taken the degree of Master of Arts first before graduating with their higher degree.

A student after gaining his licentia, is able to declare his intention to study in the higher faculties. He then will begin a course of study in the higher faculty for three years, making a total of six years of study. Given that the Master of Arts is granted after licensing six years after Matriculation, the student may thus gain his higher bachelor's degree shortly after he incepts as Master of Arts.

There is a widely prevailing idea that education at University should be for academic and scholastic purposes only, and not necessarily to provide a means of gaining professional skills. Despite this, a bachelor degree in laws, physic and divinity are normally needed for admission into the specific professions of a barrister, physician and clergyman respectively. Furthermore, doctors of the civil courts of course must read for the Doctorate of Laws and bishops generally require a Doctorate of Divinity.

Faculty of Arts

Further study in the Faculty of Arts is also possible, with there being a split between the 'letters' school, the music school, and the science school. Each school is split into a number of different fields.

Letters

• Ancient Languages (Latin, Ancient Greek, Ancient Hebrew &c.)
• Archaeology
• Classics
• Economics
• History
• Linguistics
• Modern Languages (French, German, Dutch, Erebian, Arabic &c.)
• Metaphysics
• Rhetoric
• Social Philosophy

Music

• Sacred Music
• Secular Music

Science

• Astronomy
• Botany
• Chemistry
• Geology
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Physiology
• Zoology

Examinations

Before admission to any degree, a student is required to partake in several examinations, not all of which are academically relevant. For the progression of an artist to the grade of Master of Arts, the following examinations are usual :

The first examinations are known as the Generales, which are taken at the end of the Fifth Form. It is a generalist examination which leads to the Exhibitiones, which are examinations taken at the end of the Sixth Form to prove scholastic competence and entitlement to an exhibition. This is the examination which is the principal basis for admission to matriculation. However, neither examination is compulsory, and colleges may admit students at their discretion. All students must ordinarily be ordained as clerks before matriculation, though this may be waived as well.

The third examinations are taken at the end of the first year, and is known as the Minores. These are written examinations.

At the end of the second year, the now sophist takes the Responsiones where he must satisfy three regent masters of his choice, de questione respondens in a public viva voce question-and-answer format in Latin, on the topics covered, along with sitting ordinary written papers. The oral questions have generally become a formality, and the questions asked often come from books of Responsion questions and their prescribed answers. Upon completion, the regent masters vote de scientia et moribus whether to permit the student to determine.

The final examination for the Bachelor of Arts degree is the Determinationes. It has two parts, one being a public debate or disputation on a matter in Latin, and the latter being a written examination in English. The public debate is between two undergraduate students.