Global Great Books Certificate

A Global Great Books education prepares the student for life. The program invites students to think critically, enhance their communication skills and become more resourceful, creative and confident individuals.

The Global Great Books Certificate is inspired by the Great Books movement, which first started in North America in 1921 at Columbia University. The idea of a broad-based liberal arts education is an ancient one. In Classical Eastern and Western civilizations, a great texts education formed the basic curriculum appropriate for the ethical, political, and intellectual life of a citizen.

The courses aspire to build an intellectual community by bringing together stimulating events, ventures and outings. Students, in the future, will potentially attend a regular coffee hour as well as formal dinners, put on talent shows, publish a journal of academic and creative work, and visit museums and galleries.

Certificate Requirements

Diploma students are required to take “Ancient Great Thinkers” (GHUM 1088) plus Colleen Mahy’s "Heaven and Hell:  Journeys from Medieval and Classical Thinkers" (GHUM 1096).

Degree students are required to take “Global Ancient Thought” (LHUM 1226) plus Jordan Koffman’s “Global Classical and Medieval Literature" (LHUM 1306).

Contact Us:

Prof. Thomas Ponniah (TPonniah@georgebrown.ca) or
Maria Felisa Torres-Hives (mtorres@georgebrown.ca)

*Please note that this not a Ministry credential but a George Brown College certificate.