Taking an Individual Class
It was 323 BC when Aristotle founded the Lyceum, the aging philosopher sought to bring education and enlightenment to all those that would listen, often giving lectures for free. Learning for the sake of learning as it were. These days however, academies and universities are often for profit machines. The function of these massive institutions is to provide education on a mass level. As a consequence, generations of people associate university with “a place you go to get a job”. Grandma Sue thinks your English classes are a complete waste of time, unless you are becoming a lawyer, “we always need more lawyers” grandma always says.
But what about the original concept, learning to better oneself. Let's say you do not want a job out of university. You show up at the wood gates of Lakehead university with the humble goal of learning how to best understand Greek history. How does one take an individual class without forking over multiple thousands for a degree? If one peruses the lakehead website and finds the programs page, tucked away at the bottom you may see “single course of interest”. Here, Lakehead states: “Perhaps you desire to gain knowledge that you can take back to the workplace... or maybe you're simply intrigued by the course content. Whatever the case, you are welcome to apply to take a single course online or on-campus through our Special Student Program!”.
This is wonderful! Many readers know that The Argus does not tend to pull punches when it comes to Lakehead, but I’ll be the first person to give them a pat on the back for doing something right. Learning for the sake of learning is always to be applauded. The only annoying thing however is that one must apply to go to Lakehead as one usually does. This means sending in transcripts and going through the dreaded OUAC. Realistically, aside from them making sure you are a functioning member of society I do not really understand the barriers of entry they put up stopping me from taking “Victorian Literature and Culture”. One ought to walk into the building, talk to a secretary, pay a few hundred dollars and take the class. But alas in this ultra complicated, hyper digital, mega anxious, and job justifying world, nothing is that simple; one cannot even fault Lakehead for that.
In conclusion, taking individual classes at Lakehead is definitely possible, assuming one has the finances and time to do so. Learning for the sake of learning at universities is definitely less prevalent than in good old Aristotle's time, but it is alive and well. So next time you develop an interest in “Foundations in Interpretation” consider Lakehead, and see where your curiosity takes you.