The place of Liberal studies in Universities

In all its institutional forms, education at the tertiary level has a strong vocational emphasis. Whether it is recognised or not, the complex relationship between theory and practice has a crucial bearing on the questions of how the various vocational curricula should be designed and what kinds of institutional arrangement are most appropriate for their conduct. Historically, the tertiary institution affected by the widest range of issues in the accommodation of theoretical and practical knowledge has been the university. The first universities took shape in Europe during the twelfth century. The terms 'universitas' and 'collegium' referred to the medieval guilds or unions of merchants, artisans, etc. Thus, the associations of scholars and students that formed for educational purposes were also referred to by these terms.By the thirteenth century the term was applied to inst i tut ions of learning in which there was at least one of the major faculties(theology,law,medicine)as well as the liberal arts, a large number of masters, and a body of students drawn from a wide geographical area. While contemporary universities maintain some continuity with their medieval origins, their character has changed in a number of substantial ways. One of the most significant developments was the shift of priority in German universities during the nineteenth century from teaching to research. Apart from the change to the status of teaching (particularly at the undergraduate level), the focus on research led to a proliferation of areas of knowledge and increasingly specialised interests on the part of academics. The fragmentation had a direct effect on liberal education; its nature and its relationship to specialised academic work as well as professional training became more problematical. The research focus also had a fragmenting effect on the university as a coherent institution. Academics were often more closely associated with fellow specialists wherever they were located rather than with academic colleagues in the same university.