Readings in the History of Education: Mediaeval Universities

by Arthur O. Norton

V

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREES IN ARTS

In general, the candidate for the A.B. degree must have taken part as "respondent" or "opponent" (see p. 115) in a prescribed number of disputations, and must have "heard" the lectures on certain prescribed books before taking his examination for the degree. (This examination seems, in some cases, to have been little more than a certification by a committee of Masters that the student had fulfilled the foregoing requirements.) The candidate for the degree of A.M. must have completed further prescribed books and disputations, and must have "read," i.e., lectured upon, some book or books which he had previously "heard," before taking his examination for the License (to teach everywhere). No general statement can be given as to the required number of disputations; the practice differed at various times and places. The Statutes of Leipzig required during the fifteenth century six "ordinary" and six "extraordinary" responses from the prospective Bachelor. The prospective Master was required to declare that he had been present at thirty ordinary Bachelors' disputations, and had argued in each one "if he had been able to get the opportunity to argue." The candidate for the License at Paris, in 1366, must have attended disputations throughout one "grand Ordinary," and must have "responded" twice. At Oxford the youth must have taken part in disputations for a year as "general sophister," and must have "responded" at least once, before taking the A.B. or before "Determination," which was the equivalent of the A.B. Prospective masters must have responded at least twice.[70]

The following lists of prescribed books give a good idea of mediaeval requirements (aside from disputations) for the degrees of A.B. and A.M., at various times and places. The reader will note at once the predominance of Aristotle, and the variations in requirements for the degrees. Many similar lists might be cited from the records of other universities; but they would give little additional information as regards the degrees in Arts.

1. List of Books Prescribed for the Degrees of A.B. and A.M. at Paris, 1254.

The following list from the Statutes of 1254 does not separate the books into the groups required for each degree, but indicates the total requirement for both.

{Introduction to the Categories of Aristotle
{ (Isagoge), Porphyry.
(1) The "Old" Logic {Categories, and On Interpretation,
{ Aristotle.
{Divisions, and Topics except Bk. IV,
{ Boethius.

{Prior and Posterior Analytics, Aristotle.
(2) The "New" Logic {Sophistical Refutations, "
{Topics, "

(3) Moral Philosophy: Ethics, 4 Bks., "
{Physics, Aristotle.
{On the Heavens and the Earth, "
{Meteorics, "
{On Animals, "
{" the Soul, "
(4) Natural Philosophy {" Generation, "
{" Sense and Sensible Things, "
{" Sleep and Waking, "
{" Memory and Recollection, "
{" Life and Death, "
{" Plants, " (?)

(5) Metaphysics: Metaphysics, "

{On the Six Principles, Gilbert de la Porrée
{Barbarismus (Bk. 3, Larger Grammar),
{ Donatus.
(6) Other Books {Grammar (Major and Minor), Priscian.
{On Causes, Costa Ben Luca.
{On the Differences of Spirit and Soul
{ (another translation of On Causes).[71]

An interesting part of the Statute of 1254 relates to the length of time to be given to the various books, or groups of books, prescribed. The entire Old Logic is to be read in about six months (October 1-March 25); the New Logic and Priscian's Grammar in the same length of time; the Physics, the Metaphysics and On Animals, together, in somewhat more than eight months (October 1-June 25); the four books of the Ethics, alone, in six weeks; On Life and Death is to be completed in one week, and several of the other treatises in the same group are to be read in periods varying from two to five weeks. Knowledge of these facts renders the list as a whole considerably less imposing than it might otherwise appear.

2. Books required at Paris in 1366. In this and all the following examples the books are by Aristotle unless otherwise specified.

For the A.B.:
(1) Grammar: Doctrinale, Alexander da Villa Dei.
(2) Logic: The Old and the New Logic, as above.
(3) Natural Philosophy: On the Soul.

For the License to teach everywhere:
(1) Natural Philosophy: Physics; On the Heavens and the
Earth; On Generation and Corruption; Parva Naturalia (see
p. 143); On Mechanics.
(2) Mathematics: "Some books"; probably the treatises required
at Leipzig in 1410. (See p. 140).
(3) Politics.
(4) Rhetoric.

For the A.M.: (1) Ethics. (2) Meteorics (3 Bks.).[72]

3. Books required at Oxford, 1267: For the A.B. (Determination):

(1) Logic: The Old and the New Logic (see p. 140), and On the Six Principles. (2) Either Grammar (selections from Donatus and Priscian), or Natural Philosophy (Physics, On the Soul, and On Generation and Corruption).[73]

For the A.B. in (?) 1408.
(1) Logic: The Old and the New Logic in "cursory," or extraordinary,
lectures, given by Bachelors; Introduction, Porphyry: On the
Six Principles, Gilbert de la Porrée; Sophistical Refutations.
(2) Grammar; Barbarismus, Donatus.
(3) Mathematics: Arithmetic; Computus ecclesiasticus (Method
of finding Easter); On the Sphere, Sacrobosco.[74]

4. Books required at Leipzig for the Degree of A.B. in 1410.[75]

(1) Grammar; Priscian (the last two books). [2 months.] {Tractatus (Summulae), Petrus Hispanus. [2-1/2-3 months.] (2) Logic {The "Old" Logic (see Paris, 1254). [3-4 months.] {The "New" " except Topics. [6-1/2-7 months.] (3) Nat'l Philosophy {Physics. [6-9 months.] {On the Soul. [7 weeks-2 months.] (4) Mathematics; On the Material Sphere (Sacrobosco). [5-6 weeks.]

5. Books required at Leipzig for the Degree of A.M. in 1410.

(1) Logic {Logic of Heytisbury.
{Topics, Aristotle. [3-4 months.]
(2) Moral and {Ethics. [6-9 " ]
Practical {Politics. [4-9 " ]
Philosophy {Economics. [3 weeks.]
{On the Heavens and the Earth. [3-1/2-4
{ months.]
{On Generation and Destruction. [7
{ weeks-2 months.]
(3) Natural Philosophy {Meteorics. [3-1/2-4 months.]
{Parva Naturalia (i.e., the books on
{ Sense and Sensible Things, Sleep and
{ Waking, Memory and Recollection,
{ Longevity and Shortlivedness). [2-1/2-3
{ months.]
(4) Metaphysics: Metaphysics. [5-9 months.]
{Astronomy: Theory of the Planets
{ (Gerard of Cremona). [5-6 weeks.]
{Geometry: Euclid. [5-9 months.]
{Arithmetic: Common Arithmetic (Sacrobosco).
(5) Mathematics { [3 weeks-1 month.]
{Music: Music (John de Muris). [3
{ weeks-1 month.]
{Optics: Common Perspective (John
{ of Pisa). [3-3-1/2 months.][76]

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 70: Statutes of 1431.]

[Footnote 71: Chart. Univ. Paris., I, No. 246.]

[Footnote 72: Rashdall, I, p. 436.]

[Footnote 73: Munimenta Acad. Oxon., I, pp. 35-36.]

[Footnote 74: Munimenta Acad. Oxon., I, pp. 242-243.]

[Footnote 75: The figures in brackets indicate the time to be given to each book, or group of books. The data are from Zarncke, Statutenbücher der Univ. Leipzig., 311-312.]

[Footnote 76: For the requirements in 1519 see p. 134.]