left: Dr. Wayne Hankey speaks to the FYP class of 2012-13 about King’s. Right: Robert Crouse, circa 1976.
clinical assistant professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University, explains how FYP helped her in her chosen profession: “I think in a basic sense, [FYP] definitely gave me a skill set that a lot of other physicians don’t have—those who went straight to science degrees and never took an English class in
university. It definitely helped me with my writing skills, my ability to do that effectively and efficiently … and to be critical. To always be critical of things and to be able to articu- If you would like to share your own memories late that criticism in a thoughtful way.” of professors and lectures from the Foundation “All our students have gone on to do won- Year Programme, or simply send FYP a birthday derful things,” says Dr Johnston. It is a pro- card, please send them to tidings@ukings.ca.
L a m ont D obb i n , H al i fax H u m an i t i es 2010 vale di c tori an “It seems to me that we all have a little door in our mind that we can close off and allow the words and ideas we don’t like to just pass by without touching us. In order to open that door and invite those ideas in, in order to engage those ideas, we need two things—a safe environment, and an idea worth engaging. Week after week after week this program provided both. “Several times during this course I’ve heard discussions about the value of a humanities course as opposed to a more practical, pragmatic program. The problem with practical instruction is that the role of the giver and receiver never changes. If you are teaching someone math, it is highly unlikely that you will learn something new about math from your student. In the humanities, however, the role of the giver and receiver is constantly shifting. Whoever is speaking at the time becomes the giver. This can be a very empowering and validating experience for people in low income situations like us. We are used to being seen as receivers and are rarely valued for our life experience or our opinions. Being able to share something of ourselves 16
Tidings | winter 2013
gram, he says, that respects the thoughts of the past as an influence on the future, where tradition is cherished and those who are gone can truly live in the minds of the curious and inspired. “I guess what I rejoice in, at 40 years, is that in my mind, the Foundation Year has been a kind of hope,” Dr. Johnston says. “And here I’m borrowing from Hegel in that what unites people in Foundation Year is that they have a trust in reason, and reason’s ability to deal with all of the great literature of the West; and equally, they have a trust in themselves, and especially a trust in students. That is a kind of faith, you know? That there’s something that you can figure out, that has depth to it in the tradition, and that you’re going to find young Canadian souls who are actually interested and have this in them. And that’s turned out to be true.” µ
and being validated for this can change our minds about who we are and this change will be made manifest throughout our lives.” “…you have been a bridge between some of the finest minds and biggest hearts in Halifax and ourselves, and the way our society is structured, we really need that bridge because these people would not normally be a part of our lives.”
Lamont Dobbin
Do you ever wish that you could take the King’s Foundation Year Programme—or take it again as a more sober, mature adult? Thanks to the Halifax Humanities Society and its Halifax Thinks program, you can. The Halifax Humanities Society is a group of 50 professors from all the Halifax universities and Acadia. For eight years, these professors have been offering Halifax Humanities 101, a program that is modeled on FYP and delivered free, twice a week for a full academic year to people on low incomes. The same course is now available to professionals, retired people, and anyone who wants to study the great works of western civilization. Starting in January 2013 with a course on the Ancient World, the programme is available in five, term-long sections. Each term costs $500, all of which goes to support the work of Halifax Humanities 101. The course is offered online, with live tutorials every other week. Information, schedules, and registration details can be found at www. HalifaxThinks.ca.