A (very) brief history of Oxford Uni!!

Oxford academic explains where Oxford Uni came from and where it's heading

[@milouse35]

Wow! from where is coming all this energy. thank you for giving us the impression that this world-leading university is not totally out of reach. Gives us confidence.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

That's great to know! Many thanks.

[@allanbahati1942]

Thanks Dr.Williams! Due to your encouragement on these videos I decided to apply for a postgraduate degree there and got accepted. I’m absolutely excited. Jesus College was one of my choices, if I bump into you when I start in Michaelmas term 2021 I’d definitely like to buy you a cup of coffee to thank you for your work. You’re an asset to the university.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

You're so kind! I'd love to meet up. All best wishes for your degree!

[@allanbahati1942]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 thanks so much! Once I start I will email you to arrange, if the restrictions ease up and I am able to travel to the campus. Until then, take care and have a good summer.

[@cbwilson2398]

Your love for Oxford University is evident and much appreciated! I have a large 1948 print of the university framed and on my wall. Thank you for the reminder that Oxford has always seen itself open to all, regardless of class, and much later, regardless of ethnicity and gender.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Thank you for your kind words!

[@MrTorleon]

A very well produced pocket history of Oxford University. I perhaps would have included a mention of the founding charter, and the establishment of the University Chancellor, and perhaps more clarity regarding the early tutors being mostly drawn from the religious houses, such as ( say ) Roger Bacon, 13th Century Franciscan Monk. However, this is a splendid overview, Oxford past, to the Oxford of the future, with clear, and enthusiastic commentary, incorporating plenty of visual material along the way. As a retired Professor, now living in New Zealand, and a Merton College alumnus, I do appreciate uploads such as this - absolutely well done indeed :)

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

That's very kind of you. Thank you!

[@MrTorleon]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 You are most welcome. If I may add one or two items ( you can always edit it out ) I have never seen ' Mama Mia ' and unlikely to do so. However I do recall the making of the ground breaking British tv crime series ' Inspector Morse ' with his iconic red Jaguar ( before your time no doubt ), and the follow on ' Lewis ' Many colleges were a happy participants in the filming of these series, over many years. The series also attracted the cream of British acting, and I recall Sir John Gielgud in one episode, as the College Chancellor, playing the role with extreme enthusiasm :) For anyone interested in more Oxford history, the Bodleian Library has recently produced a book on ' The Merton College Library ' arguably the oldest functioning college library in the world. A splendid book, a pocket history of this remarkable library, easy to read, with very nice colour photographs :) Thank you once again for your interesting upload.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

@@MrTorleon I accidentally ran into a film crew for "Endeavour", the young Morse spin off. They had to use 1960s-era cars and clothing, so I probably ruined their shot!

[@MrTorleon]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Oh, how interesting. I believe Oxford University still maintains a comfortable working relationship with these film crews, a mutual respect built over many years. I remember a ' meet and greet ' back in the earlier days - I think to provide reassurance that college reputations were not at risk - but jolly good fun. As for ruining their shot - its remarkable what can be done with digital algorithms these days - to remove the unwanted :)

[@murphymanuk]

Fascinating and a presentation format that works well. Thank you.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

You’re very kind! Thank you

[@wills5918]

I really enjoyed this virtual tour format of lectorial. Thanks so much for putting the effort into it

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

You're very welcome!

[@nishthefish2861]

Just when I thought I knew so much about the history of Oxford! This was really fascinating, thank you!

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Thank you!!

[@djapfelmus0002]

Such a great tour through Oxford. I come from Vienna and want to study economics there. Thank you so much!!

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you!

[@mamaduck9370]

Thanks for the video, concise yet comprehensive and rather inspiring. 😊

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Great -- thank you!

[@MusiFav99919]

Thank very much. Amazing video and explanations. You are so passionate ! keep going

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Thank you very much! That's very kind of you to say.

[@MagentaLooks]

I CANNOT believe I get to go here. Thank you for all this amazing info!

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

You are so welcome! Thanks for your comment

[@user-nnaa67]

This was really fascinating! Thank you Dr. Williams 😊

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Thank you!

[@cararaker6066]

I love all of these Videos! It makes Oxford seem less out of reach and maybe, just maybe, I'll be admitted for the Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Master 2022-2023 :)

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Best wishes for your application

[@cuparttea]

Excellent

[@sylvialyons1781]

Thank you.I really enjoyed your use of Google earth..Happy memories of Oxford seventy years ago.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Thank you for your comment.

[@Legendaryfizz]

NICE! :D Such an informative video!

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Glad you think so!

[@ThePhilosophyPodcast]

Very interesting, I've subscribed to you...

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Wonderful, thank you!

[@eternalbyzantium262]

I applied here! Hope to ask Him questions in person! He is so incredibly eloquent and gentleman-like.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Not really! But it's kind of you to say as much!

[@eternalbyzantium262]

@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 😂

[@pauline1389]

What did you apply for? I applied to Balliol to study English !

[@eternalbyzantium262]

@@pauline1389 I applied to Jesus for Law with Law Studies in Europe!

[@eternalbyzantium262]

@@pauline1389 Good luck yeah! I pray that you manage to secure an offer 😊

[@carltonbirds]

Now I know, thank you 👍

[@madamlakwatsera5674]

Thanks

[@eljumaidilbinahmad2464]

Is there any postgraduate degree[full thesis]offered online at Oxford University?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Please see here: www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/continuing-education/online-and-distance-courses

[@eddyk2016]

Mr Williams, in your opinion whats the most pettiest college in Oxford?

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

It's hard to say, as they all have their charms! Probably on balance, Magdalen has (for me) the prettiest mix of architecture and nature.

[@gregorycolodub485]

Wasn't Mr. Heath mocked by the Beatles ( and cursed by many others) for his terrific tax policies

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

He was indeed! As was Harold Wilson on The Revolver album's "Taxman" track.

[@safayassin2189]

I think that the University of Karueein in Morocco is the oldest university in the world, the University of Bologna is the oldest in Europe.

[@JesusCollegeOxford1571]

Thanks for this. Yes, I had checked universities outside of Europe. There were many far older institutes of higher learning in present day Iraq and India, that predate Oxford by thousands of years. I think the key metric is whether they were continuously operating universities or not. This is why the University of Paris is considered by some not to be as old as Oxford, even though it was founded earlier, because it had to close during the French Revolution.

[@paws4thought449]

NB. After the Norman invasion we all become serfs until the Peasant’s revolt. So anything build in those years needs addressing

[@shadetreader]

900 years of the myth of meritocracy....

[@sparklegirl5373]

Do not use the name of the Lord your God in vain.By naming the college Jesus .

[@valeriedavidson2785]

Not only is the narrator speaking very fast but not very clearly. To a person who is not a native speaker this would be difficult to follow.

[@chikenwobodo3601]

However the Fellow had no deliberate intention to teach English to his audience, rather to educate us about the history of the University like the title describes. Also, he emphasised at the beginning that his speech would be very brief so that he could fit almost a millennium of history into a reasonable video length which is why it may appear that he is speaking at a quicker pace than a non-native speaker may be used to. But to brand his speech as 'not very clear' is completely contrary to the reality; he is distinctly a very eloquent and learned gentleman whose vernacular is second to none. If you require any further clarity, then you could also simply enable closed captions.

[@valeriedavidson2785]

@@chikenwobodo3601 I don't care how intelligent the narrator is, if he cannot speak so that even an English person has difficulty hearing it there is little point in the video.

[@chikenwobodo3601]

@@valeriedavidson2785 Very well. I didn't wish to precipitate any heated debate about the topic in any way, but I personally could understand every single word of what he said and it seemed like most other people did, represented by the fact that nobody else in the comments seemed to point out his lack of clarity. But I will gently reiterate that you could just turn on subtitles at any time if you have difficulty interpreting what he is saying; they are generally quite accurate.

[@maxryder9321]

He is speaking very clearly and at a reasonable pace? And even then, there are subtitles and the ability to slow the video down.

[@thura646]

@@valeriedavidson2785 I think you might just be slow 🤒

[@WildGamez]

Don't have interest in a university built by british colonial slave traders. I would be doing a Disservice to my heritage, cultural values and long forgotten ancestors. Btw I can easily go there (long application process tho) but because of safety and security reasons I choose not to. Ofc u dint mention that haha

[@bruno5137]

As the video explained the University was founded with Christian ethics centuries before the Atlantic slave trade, so it was not exclusively "built by colonial slave traders", and many post-colonial African leaders who have done a lot of good for their countries studied at Oxford. Just commenting to provide a bit of nuance, not everything about Oxford is automatically racist, history, as life, is complex. My Jewish ancestors were annihilated by Nazi Germany, but I am happy to appreciate modern German culture because modern Germans cannot be blamed for the actions of their dead ancestors. I just invite you to think about the issue a bit more deeply, and after doing that if you still feel the same way, more power to you.

[@WildGamez]

@@bruno5137 yes I am empathetic towards you friend. After deep reflection and evaluation, I have come to realise that the generations that are/or will attend these universities must put history into the right context. So many are ignorant and their worldviews remain insensitive towards the developing part of the world today. Certainly, the consequences of British imperialism stretch far in the forgotten corners of the world and while it may be right that today's brits are not responsible, it is still a fact that the rise of Britain in the last 200 years (including reputable educational institutions like oxford) was financed by the depridation of India and British colonies in africa/ southeast Asia. So as to not encourage ignorant patriots, I am offering my opinions. So please don't be so quick to judge mate.

[@archiebald4717]

@@WildGamez Absolute nonsense! You clearly did not listen to the history and oddly, it seems that you have not heard of the industrial revolution. As for slavery, all slaves in Africa were captured and enslaved by Africans. They then sold them to other Africans, to Arabs (for at least 2,000 years) and latterly to Europeans. This continued until the UK banned slavery and enforced that ban right along the East coast of Africa. However, the Africans continued to sell slaves to each other, where they could and continued to sell slaves to the Arabs right up to the 20th. Century.