The German university has had a major influence on the development of the modern university. The German university particularly had an influence on the structure of American higher education, including specific influence on graduate schools (Master degrees and beyond). This evolution was noticed through the implementation of the German model of education as a tool for constructing American universities. An example of some of the schools that implemented the German model are: the John Hopkins University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Chicago, (Fallon 1980). The John Hopkins University will be covered in more detail as the paper progresses.

In approximately 1386 the Heidelberg University was founded in Heidelberg, Germany making it the oldest university in Germany (“History of”). Other universities were founded before the Heidelberg University, but are now no longer located in Germany- such as the Charles University in Prague, which is now located in the Czech Republic. Throughout the creation of these universities a revolutionary system of learning was created that involved the continuation of research and the questioning of others’ ideas. This system differed greatly from the previous approach to learning through scholasticism. Scholasticism involved “the process of adopting someone else’s knowledge as your own after reading it”, rather than producing your own (Jackson January 17, 2013). Up until the end of high school, students are still traditionally taught through the scholastic model in the American school system. In contrast, the “dynamic” model of learning was first introduced to higher education through the creation of the group of universities collectively known as the German University. This model of learning “involved reading someone else’s beliefs and writing and questioning them, rather than adopting them” (Jackson January 17, 2013).

Scholasticism was a mainly flat, and one-dimensional form of learning because instructors and other educators were mostly acting as distributors of textbooks to their students, rather than trying to continue expanding their own knowledge as well as their students’ knowledge. For example, in an 8th grade English course students may be taught how to argue a point, but may also have to adopt a position that is not their own or even based on their own beliefs. However, once a student is challenged to form their own opinion and grow upon the knowledge of others through research, rather than simply regurgitating the information from others, this may be difficult if they have not learned how to do this. In the German model this would be improved when the students collaborated with professors for research which would allow both groups to expand their own knowledge and intentionally placed an emphasis on the use of research (McClelland 1980). By the late 19th century and the early 20th century, the German University was among the most admired in the world. One of the reasons for this involves the success that graduates and professors of the university were able to achieve. Graduates from the German University commanded the modernization of the German lands and moved directly from the lecture hall to the government bureaus or other professional offices (McClelland 1980). The German University was envied because of: “its internationally famous professors (many of whom counted among the great discoverers, scientists, and theorists of the age); its thorough critical training of students; its research-oriented teaching methods in seminars and institutes; its academic freedom, dignified spirit, and colorful folklore” (McClelland 1980). Another one of the reasons for its envy was the university’s inclusion of rather impressive libraries and laboratories. After achieving high levels of envy, scrutiny, and emulation around the globe, Germany’s descent into Hitler’s era reminded Germans and others of “the fragility of the achievements of the human spirit” (McClelland 1980).

The German university system also had a significant place in the history of Germany which was unusual for the 19th and 20th centuries; the impact of the German universities on the society was much deeper than that of the American or British universities. This was due partially to the graduates holding positions of power and having a part in modernizing the German lands, and also because the men that shaped its cultural and scientific life were closet to universities than in most other parts of Europe. It was in Germany that scientific investigation moved out of the academies of science and into the universities, which begun a process that is still present today (McClelland 1980).The German universities served as the breeding ground for a peculiar social stratum (McClelland 1980). This meant that the universities served as a recruiting pool for both cultural and administrative elites. “The universities also served as shelters for the emerging political and social doctrines of the nineteenth century: German professors and students were on the forefront of national oppositional leadership before 1848, just as they were to become leaders in nationalist agitation before and during the First World War.” The universities’ monopoly over access to the professions was also much stronger that in America or Britain and more exclusive than the other universities in much of Europe (McClelland 1980). In informal ways, too, the German universities played an important role in national life.

For example, the universities were among the few places in a provincial country where the young could transcend the limits of the society and gain an introduction to cosmopolitan thought patterns and lifestyles (McClelland 1980). The friendships and connections that were made at the university, both between students and teachers as well as among students, were often invaluable in a country where regional, class, religious, and other social distinctions tended to discourage change and mobility. For this reason, the university was often called the “republic of letters”. This republic was of the utmost importance in a country having so few liberal institutions (McClelland 1980). Finally, the German universities were a brilliant and successful example of adaptation of a medieval European institution to the demands of the age of expansion of the nineteenth century. The German universities were also the first in the world to become objects of a state science and educational policy which makes them wonderful resources for the evolution of universities everywhere (McClelland 1980).

The Johns Hopkins University was founded in 1876 and is located in Baltimore, Maryland. The mission of the university involves a strong focus on research and the integration of research between students and professors (“The Johns”). The first president of the university, Daniel Coit Gilman, believed that teaching and research were interdependent (“The Johns”). This meant that one area could not succeed if the other area failed or was not at the same standard. Alternatively, both research and teaching had to be prominent in the curriculum in order to try and ensure this. (“The Johns”). Leading to the research university system as it exists today, Gilman’s philosophy toward the modern university’s potential success at both teaching and research was implemented at other institutions that attracted Johns Hopkins-trained scholars (“The Johns”).

After more than 130 years, Johns Hopkins is still a world leader in teaching and research (“The Johns”). This is because eminent professors mentor top students in: the arts and music, the humanities, the social and natural sciences, engineering, and many other fields (“The Johns”). In addition to mentoring students, those same faculty members, and their research colleagues at the Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, have won more federal research and development funding than any other university (“The Johns”). While not providing immediate proof of the success of the German model towards higher education, a few other universities also started to model their university after the German model.

One of these universities is the University of Michigan. The University of Michigan was started in 1817. It was one of the first public universities in the nation (Peckham). It continues to be one of the most distinguished universities in the United States since its founding and a leader in higher education. The University of Michigan is a high quality research university and is one of only a limited number of public institutions that is consistently ranked as one of the best in the country (Peckham). Michigan’s teaching and research staff continue to be among the most excellent in the country. Furthermore, they are considered to be one of the top five faculties in the nation (Peckham). Michigan teaching and research staff have included an astronaut, distinguished world authorities and Pulitzer prize winners, as well as many other distinguished positions (Peckham). Michigan receives more than $374 million dollars in research expenditures annually, making it the largest research expenditure of any university in the country (Peckham). Michigan has a diverse collection of research activities which makes research a major contributor of Michigan’s capacity for growth and development. Their research activities vary from medical to social to cultural types of research (Peckham). In addition, through their teachers, Michigan students are often among the first to learn about the applications of the research findings. The University of Michigan’s quality faculty and prestigious research institutes contribute to the rich environment where students learn and challenge themselves through interacting with people from all over the world, as well as learning about the various cultures and ideas associated with those people (Peckham). This is important because it helps to illustrate the benefits and success of utilizing the German model of education in today’s universities.

The German model of education helped to transfer the higher education system from mostly regurgitating previous information without questioning it into a much more successful system. This was through transitioning to a “dynamic” model in which knowledge is questioned and researched further rather than being adopted as the “truth” without ever seeking proof. While the traditional university of medieval and early modern Europe (and originally much of America), was poorly integrated into society, the German universities sought to change this and made it an integrated part of society. The university now serves as a critical and beneficial element of all societies. Universities have often been required to have two almost contradictory things: to be supported by society, as well as to be left alone by it. Whether merely a teaching institution, as the university has been throughout much of history, or to be a research center as well, the integration of support from society and isolation is critical (McClelland 1980). The need for support has at times been minimal, as in the Middle Ages, but it has grown to be a crucial matter in modern societies, and was already significant by the eighteenth century.

While the success and prestige of both The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Michigan do not expressly illustrate the success of the German model of higher education, they do help to demonstrate where utilizing the German model has been successful. In modern universities research has grown to be a crucial element of the university experience and to serve as extremely beneficial to the society. The “scholastic” model of regurgitating information and calling that “knowledge” while still present in both Kindergarten through high school education, as while as in community colleges, may eventually be phased out to transition to a “dynamic” model of learning through research.

However, this is not entirely likely to occur until many years in the future or at all. Yet, the transition to a “dynamic” model for community colleges may occur as various societies begin to understand the benefits that such a model of learning has on creating outstanding graduates that go on to benefit society in major ways. Although not all graduates go on to be among the best members of society always, evidence of the successes of graduates from a “dynamic” model of education were observed in the earliest German universities. These benefits included working in government offices, and were first observed in the German universities and continue to be observed in modern society. The German model of higher education would have been phased out and replaced with a newer model if the success of utilizing such a model was not evident in modern societies. The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Michigan are just two examples among many that illustrate the importance of forming the modern university on a model such as the German model of higher education.

20-Jan-2013 11:01

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