The American and the German University: One Hundred Years of History

This work by Charles Franklin Thwing (published in 1928) details the relationship between the German and American University System.  The relationship could date back further (like 1789) but for sure dates back to around 1815, when three graduates of Harvard and one of Dartmouth enrolled in a German University.  They choose the location based on the faculty having some English, the library, and the reputation of the faculty, Goettingen (the university where Gauss held a lecturing position).  At the time and until 1876, when Johns Hopkins opened, the American University system did not offer a PhD.  This made complete mastery of a subject, among peers with similar specializations, very difficult.  By the turn of the century the original four had grown into over 2,000 at a time(over 1300 in Berlin alone). What made this book so very interesting is that it was compiled and published before the final rise to power of the Nazis in 1932.  The perspective of the book is one of absolute flattery.  The author compares the German System of the 19th century to that of England and France and lavishes unencumbered praise on the German people.  He speaks of the rich culture of a people who have art and philosophy as their menial pastimes and vacation in some of the riches historical and cultural areas of Europe. 

With the current games in Germany and with my personal interest in the culture, I thought this book was very helpful in understanding the large debt that the American people owe to the German University.  The American System certainly had influences from the British and the French systems, but Thwing offers three challenging characteristics which the German system introduced to the American: 

•  “Think for himself and to develop an independent and critical mastery of whatever subject he may take in hand.”
•  “Know all that has been learned up to his day in respect to this subject,”
•  “He is expected to learn something not yet known , and thus to add to the sum of human knowledge.” 

 The specialization Thwing notes was one of the eventual weaknesses, but has clearly left its imprint on the history of the university system.  One must think about their certain field today and decide what particular area will be explored fully, that niche is becoming ever smaller.