Christine McKenna Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
Image courtesy of jessica @ flickr.
Thanks to the American Academy of Arts and Science’s “Heart of the Matter” report, this past month has seen a great deal of discussion surrounding the state of humanities education in the United States. Some responses expressed a great deal of worry about the report’s findings, while others considered additional contributing factors and provided some reassurance. Then came a report about the humanities from Oxford University, and with it a renewed conversation about liberal arts education in the UK. Canada has seemingly had little to say about this issue – but perhaps that’s because, apparently, the humanities here are doing just fine. According to a recent article in the Globe and Mail, it’s actually studies in math, computer and information technology that have been declining, and liberal arts enrollments haven’t seen much of a change. Canadians continue to “commit sociology”.
The Canadian Association of College and University Student Services (CACUSS) and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) have developed a strategic guide for Canadian campuses, which provides a framework for dealing with and improving approaches to students’ mental health. The creation of the guide began in 2010, and it was released this past June alongside survey statistics about health and wellness in Canadian universities and colleges.
We are excited to announce the addition of Lawrence Hill to our Big Thinking lineup at Congress 2014! Formerly a reporter with the Globe and Mail and parliamentary correspondent for the Winnipeg Free Press, he has gone on to write several novels and memoirs, including 2007’s award-winning The Book of Negroes. Congress 2014 will take place from May 24-30 at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario.