Have you ever been in a course and thought, if only I could do all this learning but in one day? Well, UBC Extended Learning has the solution to that predicament with their One Day @ UBC program.
For the last 10 years, UBC Extended Learning has been organizing inter-disciplinary classes spanning topics in pop culture, medieval history and even current affairs with One Day @ UBC. The One Day @ UBC lectures happen every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Unlike the lectures you may be used to, there are no admission requirements to get in. All the lectures are taught by UBC faculty.
If you’ve been searching for an opportunity to find the intersection between Nazi Germany and the conservation of endangered species or simply examine closely tensions within China, look no further!
Delving into the history of things, Don Black, the director of community programs at UBC Extended Learning revealed that the vast majority of courses like the ones offered at One Day @ UBC were taught by community intellectuals. As people got busier, it became harder to sustain a schedule that allowed for repetitive, long-term classes. Other commitments started getting in the way of class timing, not just for the professors involved but for the students too. In an attempt to connect the community with the UBC faculty and overcome these logistical challenges, the One Day @ UBC program was launched. This was an easier commitment for students and professors. This breakthrough learning format that is now practiced at the University of Calgary too.
The program has a very simple philosophy: all you need is interest to learn about truly whatever fascinates you. Regardless of if you received your post-secondary education years ago — or never did — One Day @ UBC gives you a chance to connect with accredited instructors in an intimate environment for $50. Class sizes being capped at 45 sets this opportunity apart from free lectures at UBC that are generally short, very large and filled with brief panel discussions after that students may or may not be able to participate in.
“[That] is not the most ideal environment for people learning at different levels. Sometimes, you just want to be in a small group, have intimate discussions and talk about specific issues that intrigue you,” said Black.
The rapid success of the program has now allowed UBC Extended Learning to offer 12 courses in each term spanning a variety of disciplines. The most popular ones are related to psychology, politics, history and philosophy. The content covered in each class always starts at an introductory level to allow everyone to be on the same playing field before embarking on this exciting educational experience. As Black noted, “university can be a mysterious but engaging place, and it’s nice for people to be able to explore that.”
There are several notable professors participating in the program this year, including Dr. Geoffrey Winthrop-Young, the department head of the Central, Northern and Eastern European Studies. He will be teaching a newly conceptualized course about reviving extinct species in post-World War II Germany.
The late Leonard Cohen was also part of the teaching team during his time in Vancouver, and his poetry still continues to remain central to courses offered. Joining the lecture series again is also Dr. Michael Griffin, who Black notes almost always receives over 90 per cent positive feedback from everyone who takes his classes. This year, his lecture is focused on uncovering mysteries of the Oracle at Delphi.
Past reviews have maintained that the course content is appropriately influenced by current events while maintaining a high level academic environment and being rigorous. This is why the offerings this year seem to be a mixed bag that vary from studying Medieval times using Game of Thrones has an appropriate model, to the challenges of artificial intelligence. In the past, overlaps between mythology and music and other interesting combinations have also made for popular choices.
So whether you know someone looking for some sort of enrichment and intellectual engagement, or someone just looking to be an interesting conversationalist, the One Day @ UBC can strike the perfect balance between an educational journey and other time commitments.
“It is neat that we [are] able to connect, even in a modest way, UBC professors and community members,’’ said Black, “especially when community engagement is an important aspect of the UBC mandate.”