Program Overview

Faculty of Arts

Programs & Courses

• ARTS Courses
  • Explore different disciplines of an Arts Degree in one of our Arts Courses.
  • Through courses that explore a different topic each semester from a multidiscipline perspective (ARTS 1100), or an intensive interdisciplinary field school in the Amazon rain forest (ARTS 3000) students gain knowledge that spans multiple areas of study.

Summer 2025 Highlights

• ARTS 1150, S10 - Introduction to the Climate Crisis
  • This introductory exploration of climate change will introduce students to a broad range of fields of study and their respective perspectives on the climate crisis.
  • Students will learn key concepts and methods around the theme of the climate crisis and consider questions such as why climate change is happening, what qualifies the climate crisis as an emergency and what it means to people, our society and our world.
• ARTS 2000, S11 - The Practice of Wellness
  • The course will explore the concepts of happiness and mental wellness, including a critical review of the empirical literature as well as a reflection on personal experiences.
  • The course is experiential in nature – students will engage in weekly labs to learn about, apply, and reflect on practices that are linked to mental wellness.
• THEA 1110: Theatre in Context 1
  • Students will study selected periods of theatre with a focus on the socio-cultural contexts.
  • Emphasis will be placed on the theories and practices that have shaped contemporary theatre.

Spring 2025 Highlights

• ARTS 1100, S10 - Experiencing the Art of Games
  • Students will be introduced to the broad field of games and game design, filtered through the lens of the creative arts.
  • They will explore what it means to make a game, what goes into creating something that is both entertaining and artistic.
• ARTS 3000, S10- Interdisciplinary Amazon Field School
  • Learners will engage in an intensive interdisciplinary field school in the Amazon rain forest.
  • They will take part in cultural and creative immersion activities, participate in community engagement projects, and contextualize their field learning by classroom-based analysis and critical reflection before and after their field experiences.

ARTS 1100: Experiencing the Arts

• Students will explore a broad and compelling theme through the lens of different Arts disciplines.
• The theme will change each semester.
• The course will be run by an instructor who is passionate about the theme, with class sessions taught by visiting instructors from areas such as History, Psychology, Geography, Fine Arts, Political Science, and other fields.

ARTS 1150: Introduction to the Climate Crisis

• 3 Credits
• This introductory exploration of climate change will introduce students to a broad range of fields of study and their respective perspectives on the climate crisis.
• Students will learn key concepts and methods around the theme of the climate crisis and consider questions such as why climate change is happening, what qualifies the climate crisis as an emergency and what it means to people, our society and our world.

ARTS 2000 The Practice of Wellness

• Semester: Spring 2024
• Instructor: Dr. Jocelyn Lymburner
• Day/Time: Thursday, 1pm-4pm, Surrey
• Research suggests that 90% of university students report feeling overwhelmed and exhausted at times.
• The majority of you also report above average stress levels, loneliness, anxiety, and feelings of hopelessness.
• One in every four students have diagnosable anxiety and depressive disorders and 70% of mental health problems start before the age of 25.
• Not surprisingly, these emotional struggles can take a significant toll on personal and academic well-being.

ARTS 3000: Interdisciplinary Amazon Field School

• Learners will engage in an intensive interdisciplinary field school in the Amazon rain forest.
• They will take part in cultural and creative immersion activities, participate in community engagement projects, and contextualize their field learning by classroom-based analysis and critical reflection before and after their field experiences.
• Learners will develop interdisciplinary skills in creativity, academic inquiry, ecology and conservation, cultural awareness, environmental design, design thinking, and community development.

ARTS 3200: Inside-Out Prison Exchange

• Instructors: Dr. Kyle Jackson
• Semester: Fall 2024
• The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program works with equal numbers of KPU and incarcerated students in a collaborative learning community.
• In this class we will explore the transformative work of restorative justice in creating community-based alternatives to incarceration.
• Open to all KPU students. 6 Credits.
• Pre-Application and Interview Required. The deadline to apply is July 17, 2024 at 1:00pm.

ARTS 3991, 3992, 3993: Undergraduate Research and Scholarship

• Students will conduct research and scholarship in collaboration with a faculty mentor.
• This course will offer experiential learning in an academic setting by partnering students with faculty who have, or are initiating, research projects.
• Students will advance their research and professional skills, integrating these skills within a faculty-led project, through such activities as conducting a literature review, applying for Research Ethics Board approval, conducting research, applying research methods, drafting and revising reviews and/or articles, researching and compiling materials for conference presentations, and performing data analysis.

ARTS 4800: Arts Practicum

• The ARTS practicum course introduces students to the workplace and degree-relevant entry-level work through placement in an employment setting.
• During the term, students complete 48 to 64 workplace hours (approximately 4-6 hours per week).
• The course is for senior students with a declared Major or Minor in Geography, History, Philosophy, Policy Studies, Journalism or Political Science.

Research Opportunities

• Work-Family Conflict and Facilitation in Canadian and Immigrant Population
  • The goal of this research project is to contribute to current research on and understanding of immigrant and Canadian employee experiences.
  • While progress has been done in understanding the antecedents and outcomes of WFC and WFB in general population, the understanding of these experiences among immigrants remains limited, with most work on immigrant experiences conducted in the United States.
• Canadian Civil Society, International Solidarity, and Corporate Accountability: The Case of Brookfield in Brazil
  • This study aims to analyze international solidarity initiatives by civil society organizations in the 1970s in Canada regarding the collaboration between a major Canadian corporation and Brazil's military dictatorship of .
  • The company was then called Brazilian Traction Light and Power; it changed its name to Brascan in 1969 and again to Brookfield in 2005.
• Decolonizing Music Education: Contemporary Perspectives and Implications for Innovative Curricular Design of Post-Secondary Music Degree Programs
  • This Project addresses fundamental issues at the forefront of contemporary education.
  • It investigates current perspectives on decolonization and explores how the curricular design of post-secondary degree programs may be affected by them.
• Portraits of the Artist as a Kept Man: Normative Masculinity in American Literature and Film
  • I am working on two articles that both explore the issue of masculinity and normative gender roles in the post-World War Two era.
  • One article focuses on questioning how radical Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road truly was, especially in its portrayal of gender roles.
• Exploring the Backstage of Climate Science Assessment: An Ethnographic study of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
  • This 3 credit course centers on the analysis of qualitative interview data that was gathered in 2018, 2019 and 2020 through open-ended, semi-structured interviews with social and natural scientists who are volunteering to write Assessment Reports for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
• Dialectical Map (DMap): A cognitive tool for writing
  • One of the most highly valued goals of higher education is critical thinking.
  • At the core of many learning activities is argumentation/persuasion which requires critical thinking.
• Influencing what is possible: Supporting the Class of 2020+
  • The student researcher is responsible for conducting an environmental scan and composing a literature review related to post-university transition and experience of recent post-secondary graduates during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Creating a Collaborative Digital Memorial with People Affected by the Overdose Crisis
  • This is a Chancellor’s Chair research project focused on collaboratively constructing three digital memorials with people affected by the overdose crisis.
• EDIing HIgher Education: Unpacking Multiple Tensions
  • This study aims to explore faculty and administrators' perceptions and to unveil tensions surrounding equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) processes in higher education through a case study of EDI process currently underway at KPU.
• British Columbia’s Pacific Northwest Forensic Research & Training Facility
  • The Department of Anthropology has a unique opportunity for a student to engage in administrative and research duties for the development of a multi-use Forensic Research & Training Facility in British Columbia.