The Latin word universitas, or university, first appeared in the Latin text of Cicero, the word meaning the whole of mankind or the human race. The word gained educational meaning when the corporation of Paris masters and students first used universitas in 1221 to define the organized society of the entire body of masters and students. But even then the meaning of university was different. Unlike today's university, the medieval universities referred to the students and masters rather than to a building or specific place. This is mainly due to the fact that the early universities did not own buildings but used rented rooms or available rooms loaned by the church as their classrooms (Previte-

Gabriel, Astrik L. "Universities." Middle Ages

Information gathered from various sources indicates that the life of the medieval student, seemingly rough, primitive, and violent, was surprisingly fundamentally similar to the life of today's students. Many students sent letters home to their parents begging them for "assistance." Letters from disapproving parents have also been found which expressed the parents' frustration with their underachieving sons (Thompson and Johnson 735). Again like today, medieval universities granted funds to poorer students allowing them the privilege of higher education. Medieval students also ranged significantly in age, from as young as fifteen to as old as twenty or twenty-five years of age (Dahmus 569).

The importance of this medieval invention is beyond measure. The university has substantially aided in the heightening of civilization and has become an educational icon of the twentieth century. The medieval university continues to influence the education of today's scholars. As said by the late Professor Haskins, today's universities, like medieval universities, "are still associations of masters and scholars leading the common life of learning" (qtd. in Dahmus 571). In conclusion, both the medieval and modern university represent the most powerful influences upon the intellectual life of their times.

Bologna had been known as a center for legal studies during the second half of the twelfth century. Its fame increased due to the famous masters the city acquired as well as its teaching of Roman Law, which was forbidden in France and England in 1219. The university also offered lectures on practical sciences, such as the art of composition (Gabriel 284).

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Approximate Word count = 1697
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)