Contemporary Studies as the ‘core’ program at Laurier Brantford provided the impetus and stage upon which all of the programs here grew over the history of this campus. And, it remains the means by which this unique institution ties its diversity of programs together – Leadership, Journalism, Health Studies, Criminology, Technology Management, Human Rights and Human Diversity, etc.. Our work draws on an array of contemporary issues we encounter in our world, using them to facilitate students’ awareness of their local-global dynamic, and encouraging them to use the collected insights of various academic disciplines to understand and comprehend the unfolding world in which we live.

Have you ever thought about the impact of communications devices like iPods, tablets, and cell phones on our lives? Are you one of the more than 50% of humanity living in an urban place? Are you concerned about the impacts of climate change on future generations, or about the remarkable events in northern Africa and the Middle-East in the last year? And in this light, are you intrigued by the incredible resilience of human beings in the face of tremendous obstacles?

The underlying aspirations of this program are to help you acquire the foundational and transferable skills - writing and oral presentation abilities, methods of inquiry, critical thinking, teamwork, etc., that employers seek. And at the same time, to provide guidance and a set of experiences upon which you are able to cultivate yourself as an engaged and informed citizen, so that regardless of your career path you are able to lead a fulfilling and productive life in the community you call home once you have graduated from Laurier Brantford.

In my case, I see Contemporary Studies through the metaphor of the river – in this case the Grand River. It has movement, and story, and context at any particular juncture where one finds oneself along its edge, while at the same time is an entity deeply connected with all of the other places through which it winds its way through the world – a symbolic contribution to our understanding of flow, change, and interaction. It is not trivial to recognize the deeply important truth about how everything, especially in our present globally-oriented world, is conneCTed. Hence our CT mission is to:

conneCT, refleCT and aCT

Welcome, and may your journey be exciting, inspiring, fulfilling, and full of wonder.

Dr.s Robert Feagan and Kenneth Paradis