Academic apparel refers to the apparel which is worn ineducational institutions. In the olden days, academic apparel was worn bystudents on a daily basis; however, it is now worn only for graduationceremonies. It is also known as academic costume or academic heraldry. Thereare certain educational institutions, though, which mandate that their studentswear academic apparel daily even today. This article attempts to study thekinds of academic apparel in U.S.A. in detail.
Academic apparel typically consists of a gown and a cap inblack or in some dark colour. However, certain universities do use gowns ofdifferent colors for different disciplines. Usually, a student wears formalattire underneath the gown. Ideally, male students wear a white shirt and formaltrousers beneath the academic gown. Women might wear a formal skirt or trousersbelow a light-coloured shirt.
Similarities are observed between the academic apparel of studentspursuing the same courses from different universities throughout U.S.A. For instance, the gown for Bachelor of Arts students has long bell-shaped sleeves.In case of Master of Arts students, the gown has long sleeves that are closedat the end. In the Commonwealth, academic gowns are open at the front; while theyare buttoned in the front in U.S.A. Different universities adopt certainsignature styles in their academic apparel.
In case of gowns for students receiving their doctorates, thesleeves are long and they have strips of velvet attached at the ends. Sometimesvelvet strips are also attached to the front of the gown, in the specific colorfor the discipline of the doctorate. Usually maize color is used for theagriculture discipline, white for arts and humanities, tan for business, lilacfor dentistry, copper for education, light blue for education, orange forengineering, brown for the fine arts, crimson for journalism, purple for law,lemon for library and science, green for medicine, pink for music, dark bluefor philosophy and peacock blue for public administration.
Some universities have gowns that are open at the front, sothat a tie is visible. The gowns of some other universities are closely fittedto the neck and are almost like a cape.
The cap worn by students in U.S.A. generally has a squaretop, commonly known as mortarboard. Sometimes there is a tassel hanging fromthe top. Some people wear it straight, while some other people wear it in aslanting fashion. In certain universities, students wear a rounded cap that isknown as a Tudor bonnet. This is generally found in case of doctoratestudents.
Sometimes the tassels used in the caps are in the color ofthe university. There is a tradition in some universities that during thegraduation ceremony, on receiving the degree, the students turn the tassel fromone side to another.
Certain universities have the practice of conferring hoods tothe students while handing them their degrees. This practice is commonly foundin some Scottish universities. Oxford University follows the tradition of havingthe students change their academic dress during the process of the graduationceremony.
The hoods used by students of different levels aredifferent. In the Commonwealth universities, the hoods of students ofBachelors programs are lined with white rabbit fur. The hoods of students inMasters programs are lined with ermine fur. The hoods of Doctorate studentsare lined with colored silk.
It has been observed that the academic apparel of someuniversities in the Commonwealth has been derived from that of the Oxford and Cambridge Universities. This in turn has been derived from the academic apparelof the medieval universities of Europe.
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