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J.
S. Woodsworth Program in the Humanities |
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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.
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