Welcome from the Dean of Arts

Welcome to the website of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Waterloo. You will discover the many exciting research and learning activities that distinguish our faculty. You will also find contact information should you have any further questions, whether you are seeking admission to any one of our excellent and innovative undergraduate or graduate programs, or are interested in the many research projects in which our faculty are engaged.

The Faculty of Arts is the largest faculty at the University of Waterloo and also its most diverse. We are committed to upholding the values of a liberal arts education and the pursuit of new knowledge while simultaneously encouraging its application to real-world situations. Our focus is local as well as global with students and faculty engaged in activities in our neighbourhood as well as throughout the world. We have a presence in every continent (with the exception of Antarctica) and want as many students as possible to have an international experience.  We are determined to foster innovation in scholarship and teaching, to create a rich and fertile environment for students and faculty alike, and to work in close association with our partners in Waterloo’s other faculties as well as at our federated colleges and universities (St. Jerome’s University, Renison University College, St. Paul’s University College, and Conrad Grebel University College). 

As you navigate this site, you will see that we offer courses in and conduct research on topics stretching from financial accounting to fine arts, from clinical psychology to German literature, from contemporary legal studies to classical Athens, and from Canadian political science to digital communications.  We are proud of our many researchers with distinguished international reputations who collectively have contributed to making Waterloo one of the most research-intensive universities in Canada. We are just as proud of the programs we offer to our graduate and undergraduate students, and particularly the opportunities we afford our students to put their learning into practice through co-op and internship placements as well as our unique program in Arts and Business. 

At no time in history has the value of an Arts degree been greater. Most of the challenges that face us today  – individually as well as collectively –  demand answers which only those trained in the social sciences, humanities and creative arts can provide. Just look at the front pages of any newspaper, or listen to the nightly newscast, and you will find that most of what is being reported involve questions of human society and its responses to the pressures facing it, whether it is political unrest overseas, economic upheaval at home, difficulties in adapting to new technology, improving mental health, or reconciling questions of group and individual identity, to name but a few. Moreover, the knowledge that we impart to our students not only helps them to understand better the changing world which they inhabit, but gives them the tools with which to respond to such rapid changes. It has become a truism that many people entering the workforce can expect to have many careers over their life. An Arts degree, with its emphasis on critical enquiry, data collection and analysis, written and oral communication, self-discipline, and individual and collaborative enquiry provides an excellent foundation for their future career pathways. Demographic data from Canada, the US and the UK confirms that Arts graduates are employable in large part because of this mental agility.

We live in a world that seeks insight and empathy and rewards mental agility: there are few communities as dedicated to their pursuit as the faculty, staff and students in the Faculty of Arts. So check us out and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have questions. I know you won’t be disappointed.

With best wishes

Douglas Peers

September 1, 2011