- Welcome to the Department of Humanities, Philosophy and Religion (HPR)
- Members of the Department
- Courses
- Supplemental Information
Welcome to the Department of Humanities, Philosophy and Religion (HPR)
“Knowledge” and “World Views” courses together constitute the introductory or 100-level component of Humanities courses which are concerned with the most basic and general aspects of being human. These courses provide the background to the 200-level course on “Ethical Issues.”
The focus of study in Knowledge courses may be any appropriate field of knowledge. An appropriate field can be any serious body of knowledge relating to education, law, psychology, creativity, social behaviour, or other disciplines. Humanities courses approach each from an interdisciplinary perspective.
World views are understandings of reality shared by groups or societies defined or self-defined on the basis of common geography, economic status, gender, sexual orientation, ideology, history, religion, spirituality, political values, psychology, language, culture, (dis)ability, etc.
Ethical issues are understood to be questions of social and moral significance approached from a perspective that examines questions of valuing and the notions of good and bad. “Ethical Issues” courses are not meant to be introductions to ethical codes but rather to allow students to examine important questions of human morality as they relate to their respective fields of study and to apply an authentic critical thought process to the resolution of these issues.