UW 50: The University and the Public Good
CLASS
The University of Winnipeg’s 50th Anniversary presents the campus community with an ideal moment to reflect back on 50 years of higher education, and to chart its course moving forward. To assist in this process, the CLASS Spring Institute will explore the relationship between the university and the public good.
With roots in medieval religious institutions in South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, universities have long sought to engage the various elements of the human experience, ranging from theology and philosophy, to music, medicine, and law. In their more recent, secular iterations, universities have preserved the ideal of a broad-minded education with liberal arts traditions. Recently however, political suspicion of and even hostility towards the liberal arts and social sciences have raised pointed questions regarding the purpose of the university. Speakers from around the world will help us consider the purpose of the university in general, and in particular draw our attention to the role of institutions of higher learning in fostering a social climate of rights, reconciliation, and collective conscience, while pursuing research that furthers critical thought, sustainability, and public health.
This Institute is sponsored by the Axworthy Lecture Series and its donors, the University of Winnipeg President's Office, the Office of the Provost, the Office of Indigenous Affairs, the Department of Religion and Culture, the Masters in Development Practice and 24-7 Intouch.
