University of Bologna
The
University of Bologna(
Italian Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is the oldest continually operating university in the world, and the second biggest university in
Italy. It is located in the city of
Bologna. Its new motto, since
2000, is
Alma mater studiorum (Latin for "fostering mother of studies"), to commemorate it as the first university that was founded in the western world, in 1088 AD. The university received a
charter from
Frederick I Barbarossa in
1158, but in the
19th century, a committee of historians led by
Giosuè Carducci traced the birth of the University back to
1088. The University celebrated its 900th anniversary in
1988, making it arguably the
longest-lived university in the Western world. The University of Bologna is
historically notable for its
teaching of
canon and
civil law.
Nowadays, the University counts more than 100,000 students in its 23
faculties. It has branch centers in
Reggio nell'Emilia,
Imola,
Ravenna,
Forlì,
Cesena and
Rimini and a branch center abroad in
Buenos Aires.
The University of Bologna was probably the first University in the western world. Its history is one of great thinkers in science and the humanities, making it an indispensable point of reference in the panorama of European culture.
The institution that we today call the University began to take shape in
Bologna at the end of the eleventh century, when masters of
Grammar,
Rhetoric and
Logic began to devote themselves to the law. In the nineteenth century a committee of historians, led by
Giosuè Carducci, attributed the birth of the University to the year
1088.
The first recorded scholars were
Pepone and
Irnerius, the latter of whom was defined by the former as "lucerna iuris". With the advice of four doctores thought to be their pupils, in
1158 Federico I promulgated the Constitutio Habita, in which the University was legally declared a place where research could develop independently from any other power.
In the 14th Century, so-called "artists" - scholars of
Medicine,
Philosophy,
Arithmetic,
Astronomy,
Logic,
Rhetoric, and
Grammar - began to collaborate with the school of jurists. In
1364, the teaching of Theology was instituted.
Dante Alighieri,
Francesco Petrarca,
Guido Guinizelli,
Cino da Pistoria,
Cecco d'Ascoli,
Re Enzo,
Salimbene da Parma and
Coluccio Salutati all studied in Bologna.
In the 15th Century Greek and Hebrew studies were instituted, and in the 16th Century those of "natural magic", that is, experimental science. The philosopher
Pietro Pomponazzi upheld the study of the laws of nature against the traditionalist position of Theology and Philosophy. A representative figure of this period was
Ulisse Aldrovandi, whose contribution ranged from pharmacopoeia to the study of animals, fossils, and marvels of nature which he collected and classified.
In the 16th Century
Gaspare Tagliacozzi completed the first studies of plastic surgery. But the golden era of Bolognese Medicine coincided with the teachings of
Marcello Malpighi in the 17th Century, employing the microscope for anatomical research.
The University's fame had spread throughout Europe and it was a destination for many illustrious guests. Famous scholars and students included
Pico della Mirandola and
Leon Battista Alberti, who devoted themselves to canonical law.
Nicolaus Copernicus began his astronomical observations while studying pontifical law.
Paracelso,
Raimundo de Pegñafort,
Albrecht Dürer, St.
Carlo Borromeo,
Torquato Tasso and
Carlo Goldoni all spent time at the University.
With the Industrial Revolution in the 18th Century, the University promoted scientific and technological development. In this period came the studies of
Luigi Galvani who, along with
Alessandro Volta,
Benjamin Franklin and
Henry Cavendish, was one of the founders of modern electrotechnical studies.Following the establishment of the United Italian State came a period of great prosperity in which the figures of
Giovanni Capellini,
Giosuè Carducci,
Giovanni Pascoli,
Augusto Righi,
Federigo Enriques,
Giacomo Ciamician, and
Augusto Murri stand out.
In 1888 the eighth centennial of the University was celebrated, with a grand ceremony where all the universities of the world convened in Bologna to honour the mother of universities, representing their common roots and ideals of progress and tolerance. The ceremony became an international festival of studies.
The University maintained its central position on the scene of global culture until the period between the two wars, when other countries came to the forefront in teaching and research. Bologna has thus been called upon to forge relationships with institutions in the most advanced countries to modernise and expand its activity. Among the many challenges which it has met with success, Bologna committed itself to the European dimension which has now led to adoption of the new university system.
The primary objective of the Faculties of the University of Bologna is to define, organise and connect the academic activities of the degree courses. Corresponding to the defined scientific-disciplinary fields, the faculties are divided into one or more first level degree courses which are followed by specialised degree courses.
* Advanced School of
Modern Languages for
Intepreters and
Translators - SSLMIT
* Faculty of
Agriculture* Faculty of
Architecture Aldo Rossi* Faculty of
Arts and
Humanities* Faculty of
Economics* Faculty of
Economics -
Forlì* Faculty of
Economics -
Rimini* Faculty of
Education Sciences* Faculty of
Engineering* II Faculty of
Engineering* Faculty of
Exercise and
Sport Sciences* Faculty of
Foreign Languages and
Literature* Faculty of
Industrial Chemistry* Faculty of
Law* Faculty of
Letters and
Philosophy* Faculty of
Mathematical,
Physical and
Natural Sciences* Faculty of
Medicine* Faculty of
Pharmacy* Faculty of
Political Sciences* Faculty of
Political Sciences Roberto Ruffilli* Faculty of
Preservation of the
Cultural Heritage* Faculty of
Psychology* Faculty of
Statistical Sciences* Faculty of
Veterinary MedicineNotable Members of the University of Bologna
*11th Century
**
Irnerius*12th Century
**
Gratian*13th Century
**
William of Saliceto*14th Century
**
Manuel Chrysoloras*16th Century
**
Girolamo Cardano**
Ignazio Danti**
Girolamo Maggi**
Giovanni Antonio Magini*17th Century
**
Giovanni Cassini**
Ulisse Aldrovandi *18th Century
**
Laura Bassi**
Maria Gaetana Agnesi**
Luigi Galvani*19th Century
**
Giosuè Carducci**
Giacomo Ciamician**
Camillo Golgi**
Giovanni Pascoli**
Pellegrino Rossi*20th Century
**
Umberto Eco**
Vincenzo Balzani**
Romano Prodi**
Augusto Righi*
Coimbra Group (a network of leading European universities)
*
Bologna declaration*
Bologna process*
List of Italian universities*
Medieval university*
Bologna*
University of Bologna Website 
