Financial or social barriers will no longer be an issue for community members hoping to access post-secondary education opportunities in Durham, thanks to the launch of Humanities 101, a free community-based outreach program, which starts next week at Trent University Durham.

Starting September 30, the Humanities 101 program is a 10-week, non-credit course designed to provide access to higher education to those in the Durham Region who might face barriers – either financial or otherwise – and provide the community with opportunities for lifelong learning.

Joe Muldoon, head of Trent’s Durham campus in Oshawa, was instrumental in launching the program. He feels the program is an opportunity for eligible community members to openly explore what university-level education might be like. “Our hope is that students will realize their own potential and consider a post-secondary education, whether at the college or University level, for their future,” he said. “Hopefully it helps students to realize that a post-secondary education is possible.”

Based on similar programs at institutions across Canada, the Humanities 101 program at Trent is free of charge and requires only a recommendations from a local social services agency. Incidentals including transportation and writing materials are also covered, and Trent will also include a library card, free refreshments and assistance with childcare expenses.

Reflecting the range of academic programs available at Trent University Durham’s Oshawa campus, Humanities 101 will cover a different subject and area each week from History and Canadian Studies to Business Administration and Social Work. Topics include: Navigating Social Services; Who Needs Ideas to Run a Business; The Evolution of the Brain; Indiana Jones, Anthropology, and the Temple of Knowledge; Home in the City: Urban Aboriginal Peoples; and more.

Excited to be part of this inaugural outreach initiative, Trent professors will donate their time to teach the weekly sessions, which include one hour of lecture followed by one hour of seminar discussion.

To date, response from community agencies in Durham has been extremely positive. Limited spaces in the fall 2014 launch of Humanities 101 are still available.

Visit www.trentu.ca/oshawa/academics/humanities-101 or call 905-435-5102 x5005 for more information.

Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2014.