Contemporary Studies at Laurier Brantford 

Contemporary Studies is the core program at Laurier Brantford. It is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of the issues, opportunities and problems of the twenty-first century and develop the skills to tackle them in an interdisciplinary and comprehensive manner. All full-time students enrolled at Laurier Brantford take Contemporary Studies courses. 

The Contemporary Studies program emphasizes an innovative approach to learning which is problem centered, interdisciplinary, and emphasizes the basic skills essential to success in any field - the ability to communicate effectively, analyze and solve problems, to situate issues within appropriate cultural and historical contexts, and to use information technology effectively. 

Program highlights 

• Opportunity for independent studies and Internship

Excerpt from column by Rachel Phan in Brantford Expositor:

Last Saturday, I wrote my last exam at Laurier Brantford. As I walked out of the lecture hall, I was surprised to find that, instead of feeling overjoyed with ecstasy, there was a nagging sense of sadness in my belly. 

I came to Laurier Brantford nearly four years ago as a naive 19-year-old from small-town southwestern Ontario. I couldn't do my own laundry, I couldn't cook and I couldn't imagine how I was going to survive. But I did – thanks to the help of the wonderful people I met in residence. For a full year, those of us on the fourth floor at Grand River Hall became a family. We stayed up late, we went to class in our sweats and we made questionable decisions. It almost felt like it would last forever.

I loved my time at Laurier Brantford. I've received a wonderful and comprehensive education here. The interdisciplinary contemporary studies core of our education has given me the chance to learn about a variety of things. While other students at other schools have had their noses to a specific grindstone, I've been learning about everything. This year alone, I've learned about science and its critics, gender theories, social documentary and, my favourite, mid-Victorian literature. 

I'm going to miss this place – the beautiful buildings, the restaurants that are few in number but delicious in their offerings, and, above all, the wonderful people with whom I have shared laughter, conversation and smiles.

Faculty experience 

Growing up in the rural outskirts of Thunder Bay, Dr. Ken Paradis thought about studying science at university. But after finishing high school, he fell into an undergraduate degree in English, and that’s what captured his interest. 

Though his background is in American literature and cultural theory, today his research revolves around contemporary American culture, or as he puts it, “movies, television and popular fiction.” Paradis teaches a contemporary studies course called Blockbuster Movies and Cultural Criticism, which he says “looks at mainstream movies for insight into how contemporary culture organizes our values and our assumptions.” Though he also teaches courses in traditional American literature, he often jokes that in some of his classes homework is watching television under the assumption that students have a pen in their hands and are thinking critically about it.

Much like all of the professors on campus, Paradis feels it is the interaction with the students and other faculty members that makes Laurier Brantford such a unique place. “The faculty tend to be young and open to new things,” he says. “And the students are enthusiastic, friendly and down-to-earth. They really see this as a hands-on, can-do place, and they feel they can make a difference in the life of the university.”

Alumni experience 

Justine Scriver is now an MA candidate, who graduated with a degree in Contemporary Studies with honours Criminology. “I have benefited greatly from having contemporary studies as a part of my undergraduate degree,” she says. “Having a CT background has allowed me to think in a more diverse manner and has improved my critical thinking. I am able to be critical about the principles that underlie certain theories. While some of my MA colleagues are more specialized in their undergraduate degree, I feel I am more able to apply the geographical, historical or cultural approaches to certain topics. The CT program was very rewarding for me.”