Foundation Students take architectural tour of London

First-year students discovered there’s a lot more to downtown London than first meets the eye.

On Saturday September 16, 2017, students from the Foundations in Western Thought and Civilization program and the King's Scholar program went on an architectural walking tour of downtown London. They also took part in Doors Open London events. Dr. Graham Broad of King’s History department led the tour. He was accompanied by Dr. Claudia Clausius and Prof. Jeremy Greenway of King’s English, French, and Writing department.

The group visited London's newly rededicated cenotaph and other aspects of Victoria Park, Metropolitan United Church, the London Life building, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Dominion Public Building and St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica.  Students learned about neoclassical, Gothic revival, and art deco architecture, and discussed the cathedral's relationship to the area’s military traditions. "The point of the tour was to give students a sense of how cultural traditions that began hundreds or even thousands of years ago are still with us today," says Dr. Broad.

Foundations in Western Thought and Civilization is an interdisciplinary approach to first-year studies that explores the traditions of Western Civilization from three perspectives: History, Literature, and Philosophy. This program is limited to 25 motivated and scholastically accomplished students who want to spend their entry-year at university reading, writing, thinking, and talking about important ideas, human possibilities and universal knowledge.

Annual extracurricular activities include a medieval feast in costume, a visit to the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Stratford Festival and other outings.

“Participating in Foundations set me up for success throughout my time in university as both a student and human being. More than anything else, this program gave me the confidence to fearlessly research, ponder, and chat in order to better understand and contribute to my surroundings,” says Sam Boer, ’17.