Category: Interdsciplinary Studies

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Block Curriculum

I recently visited Quest University in Squamish, BC. Aside from the most beautiful setting Quest is an interesting university on a number of fronts. Here are a few:

  • It is a private not-for-profit, I believe it is the only Canadian private secular university, but I could be wrong.
  • Tuition is $34,000 and accommodation and meals are additional.
  • It is fully residential (on-campus) for all four years of the undergraduate program.
  • Maximum class size is 20.
  • There is only one program a Bachelor of Arts and Science.
  • Freshman class intake targets around 200 students.
  • About 17% international, 46% Canadian and 37% US (the US and Canadian numbers have just reversed for the Sept 17 intake).
  • Faculty contracts are initially for 1 year, renewable for a further 2 years, then 3 years and then 6 years, there is no tenure and no ranks.
  • They do not have an academic senate but have an academic council.
  • Classes are delivered via  a block curriculum.

Continue reading “Block Curriculum”

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Disciplines RIP?

Not any time soon !

All the talk these days is about interdisciplinary studies. Not new, in particular, but the volume seems to be increasing. The disciplines are accused of producing graduates that too narrowly focussed and unable to think particularly critically. The poor old engineers seem to have been particularly pigeon-holed, especially by the humanities (who have of course been likewise scoffed at by the engineers) – good old academic disciplinary rivalry one might think. Increasingly this is seen as a bad not a good and I am tempted to agree. Continue reading “Disciplines RIP?”