[lit-ideas] Mark Edmundson, The Oxonian

From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 10:04:09 -0400 (EDT)


On 20-Aug-13, at 2:48 AM, David Ritchie wrote:

"Many of  the  
things ... I used to complain about ... have taken over my own  small 
island..."
 
It may do to compare the wiki entry for 'academic major' with its  
corresponding 'British' one:
 
Excerpts below, slightly adapted.
 
Cheers,
 
Speranza
 

"The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading  
scheme for undergraduate degrees (bachelor's degrees and integrated master's  
degrees) in the United Kingdom."
 
"Grade point averages (GPAs) are NOT comparable to the British  
undergraduate degree classes."
 
-- That was striking to read, since, as my aunt likes to say,  
"Tautologically, EVERYTHING is comparable to something else".
 
In England, it all started in the 16th century, when the (then) Regius  
Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge implemented norm  
referencing to distinguish the top 25% of candidates, the next 50%, and the  
bottom 
25%.
 
"God would like that", he murmured.
 
 
In 1818, the classification system, as currently used in the United  
Kingdom, was developed.
 
Honours was then a means to recognise individuals who demonstrated depth of 
 knowledge or originality, as opposed to relative achievement in 
examination  conditions.
 
"We are NOT using the word 'honour' the way the Romans did" -- but they  
were ("Do not multiply senses beyond necessity".
 
The practice of degree classification has been criticised for unduly  
stigmatising students and unreflective of a graduate's success or potential for 
 
success in life -- if not death.
 
"There are, obviously, variations, in such a small island -- but cfr.  
Ireland, formerly, "minor Britain", as opposed to "major" or "greater Britain"  
-- between universities: in Scotland, honours are usually reserved only for  
courses that last four years or more.
 
As a consequence of this, in Scotland, it is possible to start university a 
 year younger than in the rest of the United Kingdom as the Scottish 
Highers  exams are often taken at age 17, not 18, so Scottish students often 
end a 
 four-year course at the same age as a student from elsewhere in the UK 
taking a  three-year course, assuming no gap years.
 
This is supposed to make Scottish students, in the common parlance,  
'smarter', and one of the reasons why Kate Middleton studied in Scotland.
 
At the Universities of Oxford and (mimetically) Cambridge, unlike other  
universities, honours classes apply to examinations, not degrees. 
 
At Oxford, where examinations are split between Prelims for the first part  
and Honour Moderations for the second part, the results of the Final Honour 
 School are generally applied to the overall degree.
 
 
Informally, the first-class honours degree is referred to as a "Geoff"  
(obviously, after Geoff Hurst) or a "Damien" (obviously after Damien  Hirst).
 
 
 
Oxford award first-class honours with particular distinction, known as  a a 
"Congratulatory First".
 
The upper second-class honours is sometime informally known as a  "Billy" 
(obviously after the wrestler Billy Gunn), or, in Oxford, an "Attila" --  
after an obscure opera by Verdi. 
 
The lower second-class honors degree is often referred to as a "Desmond"  
(obviously after Desmond Tutu).
 
The third-class honours degree is referred to as a "Thora" (after a song by 
 Maybrick) or "Douglas" (after Douglas Hurd.). However, in conversation  it 
may also be known as a 'Vorderman' (after Carol Vorderman -- not an  
actress). 
 
 
Note that, in Scotland, an Ordinary degree is not a failed honours degree,  
as in Oxford.
 
A "double first" at Oxford refers to first-class honours in two subjects in 
 the same set of examinations, usually the Literae Humaniores (called "a 
Grice")  and Mathematics Final Honour Schools.
 
At Oxford, the term "double first" can signify that a candidate has  
achieved First Class Honours in both subjects of a Joint Honours degree, or in  
both sets of examinations of a doubly-classified degree.
 
"English major", in Oxford, has therefore various interpretations.
 
Cheers,
 
Speranza
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[lit-ideas] Mark Edmundson, The Oxonian

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