[homeles_ot-l] Winter 2009 session of Discovery University

[First Baptist Church]

To: homeles_ot-l at list.web.net

Discovery University is an initiative that provides university-level, non-credit courses to persons who are experiencing homelessness or living on low income. 

The philosophy of Discovery University is based on the Clemente Course in the Humanities, developed by Earl Shorris in NYC in 1994. Variations of the program are now taught in many locations in North and South America, including seven Canadian cities. 


Discovery University is a collaborative effort. Partners include the University of Ottawa; Saint Paul University; The Ottawa Mission; Cornerstone/LePilier; Centre 454; The City of Ottawa; First Baptist Church. 

A 10-week course, Art, Portraiture, Subjectivities, will be held from Friday, January 30 to Friday, April 3, 2009 at the campus of the University of Ottawa. This course offers an introduction to the art of the Western world through a focus on portraiture and self-portraiture. Topics surveyed will include art in the Ancient and Medieval worlds, and the rise of Humanism in the Renaissance with its emphasis upon verisimilitude and the importance of the individual in society. The class will consider how the invention of photography has changed the role of the artist and become a powerful means of documenting social inequities and marginalized peoples. Modern and Postmodern art involve new approaches to depicting individual subjectivities that raise important questions for portraiture: What is the relationship between the appearance of someone and their interior life or identity - the visible and the invisible?

Students will visit two important exhibitions at the National Gallery of Canada: Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture is a collection of outstanding 17th century portraits, both in painting and in marble, by the renowned Italian Baroque artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini; Steeling the Gaze: Portraits by Aboriginal Artists is an exhibition of photographic portraits by contemporary Canadian Aboriginal artists that refashions views of Native people.

As a program committed to barrier-free, post-secondary education, Discovery University provides students with course materials, bus transportation, if needed, and computer access. 

Who can apply? 

-persons experiencing homelessness or living on low income 

-willing to learn, study and participate in group discussions 

-commit at least five to seven hours per week to the course 

-dedicated to attend classes and tutorials regularly and to complete reading assignments 

-working knowledge of English, both written and spoken 

-no previous community college diploma or university degree required. 

Enrolment will be limited to 35 persons. 

If you wish to receive a registration package to distribute to your clients, please contact Patti Linn at First Baptist Church. The application deadline is Friday, January 16.

First Baptist Church

140 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, ON K1P 5J4 Tel: (613) 234-3261 / Fax: (613) 234-5387
E-mail: office at firstbaptistottawa.ca / Website: www.firstbaptistottawa.ca

Many thanks,

Joyce Ivison,

Program Coordinator, Discovery University
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