Arts Program Offers Humanities, Social Studies and More

Do you have an interest in social arts such as humanities, social and communities’ studies? Do you possess at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or mature student status (19 years of age)? Additionally, have you completed the English Grade 12 (C or U) or equivalent, or skills assessment? If you answered ‘yes’ to all of these, you may want to consider applying for Centennial Colleges arts offering, officially known as General Arts and Science – Arts, which takes only two semesters to complete. (Please note, possession of minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission to program).

The arts program looks to ensure that students study a range of subjects in the humanities and social sciences, and obtain communications and learning skills. Students are given the power by being able to determine the length of the program — running from one to four semesters — depending on future goals. “One of the things in which we take pride is that students leave here with a level of confidence that they didn’t arrive with, “says Michael Simons, a faculty member in the arts college program. “They leave knowing that in some cases, there’s far more possibilities for what they can achieve than what they first imagined when they got here.” Who would benefit from this arts colleges training? First, students who are interested in pursing an education in specialized programs such as Child Studies, Communication Arts, Community Services or Hospitality and Tourism Administration, should consider attending the General Arts program. Also, students who don’t possess the academic admission credentials needed to enter a university program of their choice would benefit from upgrading credentials through the Arts program. Lastly, those who wonder if college or university is the right choice for them would find the format of the Arts program beneficial as on-campus experience will allow them to gain insight into how post-secondary programs are structured and what responsibilities they will have as students.

Some specific courses in the Arts program include: Math in a Digital Age (enables students to not only focus on content, but also to develop the thinking process that underlies mathematics. The course integrates appropriate technologies into the learning and doing of mathematics, while recognizing the continuing importance of mastering essential numeric and algebraic skills); Concepts in Social Science (main objective is to help students develop their ability to think conceptually — that is, the ability to grasp abstract ideas and to relate these various ideas to each other and to everyday reality. It is called Concepts in Social Science because the ideas and theories it presents are drawn from the social sciences; mainly psychology, sociology and political science); Human Genomics: An Ethical View (to some extent the course enhances technical knowledge of genetics, but the primary focus of the course will turn on the social and moral implications of the genetic revolution), and more.

After one year of study, with at least a 3.0 GPA, students may proceed directly into the first year of a university arts program. Centennial College’s Arts program has articulated programs with selected universities, institutes and professional associations. These schools include: Athabasca University, Griffith University, Ryerson University and York University.