Dean's Message
Humanities@Kwantlen: Learning for Life
Message from the Dean of Humanities
Welcome to the Home Page of the Humanities Division at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Here you will find links to some fascinating and creative courses and programs of study.
Departments
The Humanities Division consists of six departmental subject areas:
- Creative Writing (poetry, fiction, screenwriting)
- English (composition and literature studies)
- Fine Arts (studio/visual art and art history)
- Modern Languages (language and culture studies in French, German, Japanese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Spanish and Linguistics)
- Music (theory, history and performance)
- Philosophy (ethics, logic and argumentation)
Courses and Programs
Humanities courses are foundational to all degree, diploma and certificate programs at Kwantlen. In addition to required humanities courses that are part of your program of study, we encourage you to explore the humanities disciplines for elective offerings in literature, the arts, great books and minds, cultural studies and language.
We offer a variety of discipline-focused programs in Humanities:
- 4 year Bachelor of Arts, with a Major in English and Minors in Creative Writing, English and Philosophy (these can be combined with other minors and majors in Humanities and Social Sciences);
- 2 year Associate of Arts Degrees (fully transferable to other post-secondary programs in British Columbia) in Creative Writing, English, and Philosophy;
- 2 year Diploma programs in Fine Arts and Music (transferable to professional Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Music Programs in British Columbia);
- 1-year Certificate (pre-professional) programs in Music and Fine Arts, focused on studio performance and technical skills.
In addition, we offer courses in that meet liberal education requirements for professional and applied degrees in Business, Journalism, Design, and Community and Health Studies.
Faculty
Our faculty instructors are dedicated teachers, and many have earned distinction as scholar-researchers or professional artists in their discipline. But you will find them to be approachable, caring people who put students first. Make a point of getting to know one or two of your professors well over the course of your program of study at Kwantlen; you will be enriched and inspired by their passion and dedication.
Interdisciplinary Studies for “whole person” development
Over the last several years, the need for post-secondary studies to move beyond disciplinary isolation has become apparent. Artistic work and personal scholarship have ventured outside of these boundaries, but the structure of the academy has not yet shifted to respond fully to this interdisciplinary movement. Furthermore, the distinct separation of “university” and “college” that has marked the higher educational landscape is disappearing – replaced by a necessary blurring of boundaries as both forms of institution recognize their current state of incompleteness within a new world order.
Kwantlen occupies a privileged position within the shift of the post-secondary landscape, having located itself on an arc between these two poles. This positioning provides incredible opportunities for cross-disciplinary exploration, and for learning opportunities that blend theory and application, invite creative problem-solving, and utilize critical thinking from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. The Humanities departments want to encourage our students to “connect the dots” between deep thinking and innovative application, and between understanding the world and the self.
In short, our desire is for you to:
- learn how to live rich, meaningful lives
- understand the difference between information knowledge and the wisdom of received tradition
- make informed and responsible choices on behalf of yourself and others, and
- contribute significantly to your community and your world.
Take the risk – and be changed!
Higher education provides an opportunity to stretch your mind, to test your ideas with those of others, and to be challenged, provoked and transformed. It is life changing!
You are never alone on this journey – your peers and instructors travel the same well-worn path and it is this learning-in-community that makes for a rich experience.
Engage the challenge; enjoy the journey!
Mazen Guirguis, PhD.
