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J. S. Woodsworth Program in the Humanities
Woodsworth won the prize of Senior Stick at Wesley College, Winnipeg, when he graduated in 1896. J.S. Woodsworth was a clergyman, social reformer, member of parliament, and founder of the Canadian Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and a remarkable Canadian. Early in his career he broke from the conventional role of the clergy and devoted himself to action in the world around issues of social justice, peace and equality. His contribution to Canada continues today not only in the form of public benefits such as pensions and unemployment insurance, but more importantly in Canadian political traditions based on equity, social obligation and civic responsibility. See Woodsworth College for an informative web biography.

An endowment fund in the name of J.S. Woodsworth was established in 1984 as part of the Humanities Program and the Institute for the Humanities to:

  • support educational and community development efforts by individuals and groups within communities; 
  • offer undergraduate courses that centre on social justice, community development and civic responsibility; 
  • fund the J.S. Woodsworth Chair position in the Department of Humanities; 
  • initiate in-depth and long-term research into social and cultural issues that are of central concern to the Woodsworth Program; 
  • build strong ties with the community through scheduled series of symposia, workshops and conferences funded by the Endowment; 
  • address directly the place of a humanistic, liberal arts education in the 21st century university and in the 21st century world of work. 
The J.S. Woodsworth Program is an integral part of the Department of Humanities at SFU, providing direct support for undergraduate courses, enriching the student experience with special lectures and symposia, and bringing to the campus outstanding scholars both as visitors and as holders of the J. S. Woodsworth Chair in the Humanities.

Three Simon Fraser faculty have been Resident Scholars under the auspices of the J. S. Woodsworth Endowment, offering Humanities courses on topics as varied as The Bible as Literature, Feminism and the Work of Michel Foucault, and the Cultural Roots of Modern Ecology. Subsequently, the two holders of the J. S. Woodsworth Chair in the Humanities, Alan Whitehorn and Ed Broadbent, have offered a wide range of undergraduate courses including Modern Political Ideologies, Citizenship and the Welfare State, Politics and Literature and a special course on J.S. Woodsworth and the History and Philosophy of the CCF/NDP. Students pursuing a wide range of specializations have enrolled in these courses, taking advantage of this unique opportunity to broaden their university experience.

Woodsworth Program in the Humanities
Information:
Institute for the Humanities
Simon Fraser University
Prior to August 7, 2007: 604-291-5855
As of August 7, 2007: 778-782-5855

grahama@sfu.ca
J.S. Woodsworth Endowment Fund
Information: 

University Advancement
Simon Fraser University
Prior to August 7, 2007: 604-291-4154 
As of August 7, 2007: 778-782-4154


 

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