Serious Fun

Big Ideas, Contemporary Issues

How do we define our times, and make sense of them? The questions, movements, and challenges of contemporary times are the core of the Contemporary Studies Program at the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Students learn about the thinkers, writers, artists, scientists and influencers of the 19th to 21st centuries to discover an inter-disciplinary way of thinking about the world and ourselves.

New Contexts for Science

No beakers or microscopes needed... the History of Science and Technology program at King’s is about science seen through the lenses of politics, culture, philosophy and more. We’ll meet HOST director Melanie Frappier and hear about a program where the worlds of science and humanities collide.

The Future of Journalism

Journalism is exciting work. A sputtering profession. The only thing that can hold power to account. All of these things may be true, and all of them make training the next generation of journalists a challenging job. As the director of Journalism at King’s, Fred Vallance-Jones oversees three journalism degree programs. He talked to Pauline about the challenges and his hopes for the profession.

The Book Doula

The MFA or Masters of Fine Arts in Non-Fiction and Fiction at the University of King’s College is a kind of “book doula” program. The unique low-residency program has “birthed” almost a hundred books in its first decade. Pauline talks to MFA director Gillian Turnbull about the program’s surprising growth.

Onward, to the Past!

Pirates and witches and vampires... oh my! On this episode of This is King's! we talk to Simon Kow, director of the Early Modern Studies Program, which covers the tumultuous period from the 16th to 18th centuries that was marked by a flourishing of philosophy, science, and art. And we discuss the program's relevance in view of government's desire for more job-ready learning, and in the new age of AI.For notes:You can find out more about the Early Modern Studies Program here: https://ukings.ca/area-of-study/early-modern-studies/ [https://ukings.ca/area-of-study/early-modern-studies/]Read director Simon Kow's blog here: https://ukings.ca/programs/emsp-plus/early-modern-times/ [https://ukings.ca/programs/emsp-plus/early-modern-times/] Babel is the undergraduate journal of the program. It features contributions from students at the University of King’s College, and is compiled, edited and produced annually by EMSP students. Read more here: https://ukings.ca/programs/emsp-plus/babel/ [https://ukings.ca/programs/emsp-plus/babel/].