In class we talked about universitas and how they played a part in the development of education in ancient Europe. I looked at a similar transformation in education in ancient China. Surprisingly, there were some similarities between the two. I am willing to bet, based on what I found, that many other civilizations underwent similar transformations.
If we recall from Dr. Peterson’s lecture, there are three characteristics of universitas that make them unique:
1. 1. The first were founded spontaneously, not formally as we see today
2. 2. Urban phenomena
3. 3. The first universities didn’t have campuses. Universitas referred to a group of people, teachers, etc…not mortar, buildings, and libraries.
Although not identical, shu yuan represents the same idea of taking responsibility for education and knowledge. Like universitas, shu yuans had students from all over the country. A difference that exists between them though is the end goal in mind. Universitas were established to further professional education and to offer training in four major fields: theology, law, medicine, philosophy; they “emerged to meet the overwhelming need to provide for the training of lawyers, schoolmasters and clerics to fill the ranks of the increasingly sophisticated administrations of both church and state.” Shu yuans, however, were aimed at “the moral transformation of oneself without regard to any practical concern”. Both look to serve a higher purpose in human development, but they take different approaches. What approaches have you seen in different civilizations to learning?
Relating this to my life, I feel that I have experienced a little bit of the shu yuan and a little bit of the universita in my life. At BYU, I am receiving my universita education: math 113, civ 201, psych 211, etc. I am learning, with students from all over the world, about core topics that will provide me with a basis to receive a professional job. My mission, on the other hand, provided me with my shu yuan education. I experienced a greater moral transformation and gained more spiritual knowledge in those two years than I will at any other point in my life. I have found that different institutions are created for different educational purposes and often times we get experience in many different ones. What examples of different types of education have you seen in your lives that have come from different institutions?
I feel like I am getting a shu yuan education here at BYU on top of my universita education. We are not only being taught things we need to know that are of the world, but also things that are not. I really like this about our college, and it's a great balance.
ReplyDeleteYeah we truly are getting a mantic education here as well as a sophic. I think BYU does find a great balance between the two in its teacher's styles and techniques. Like Dr. Peterson said, teachers aren't going to just bare their testimony every time to teach a concept, but they can find ways to teach with the spirit that no other university's professors could.
ReplyDeleteI think the main thing that I find nice about BYU's particular combination of these types of learning is that we don't have to exclude anything just because it isn't 'accepted.' We can use any truth in discussion and in learning.
ReplyDeleteI definitely like the mantic mixed in with the sophic at BYU. How awesome is it that we are allowed to begin each class with a prayer?! How awesome is it that we are allowed to reference the Book of Mormon and all the other scriptures we have?! And how awesome is it that our professors are allowed to ask us to recite something like King Benjamin's speech?!?!?! Haha, I love all of it! Like Sam said, we can use all truth. Public schools can't use religious truth and other private, religous schools avoid using scientific truth. But at BYU, we are blessed to have it all and learn the importance of including it all!
ReplyDeleteEven before BYU, I had a lot of different types of learning experiences. Of course there was school-public school-and church, which we've discussed quite a bit here. But I also would go to events at the public library as a kid, and that was another different type of learning experience: secular but not evaluated, more pure because it was learning for the sake of learning. Music lessons, trips to museums, and visits to historical sites also provided other types of learning experiences.
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