Foundation: Years 1 & 2

Principles underlying the foundation program

All students at Quest University Canada take 16 required courses in their first four terms. These blocks constitute the Foundation Program. The program is designed to:

• provide a breadth of knowledge about the world and our place in it;
• offer an integrated approach to learning;
• expose the student to the most important academic subject matter in the arts and sciences;
• help students become aware of present-day issues and future possibilities in these subjects;
• create an intimate educational experience by ensuring close contact between students and teachers;
• foster global citizenship by focusing on issues and events with international consequences; and
• ensure greater intercultural communicative competence by helping students learn a variety of perspectives on contemporary academic topics.

The foundation program consists of 16 courses in all
 - the Cornerstone, Rhetoric, and Question blocks, and 13 courses from
across the disciplines meant to introduce students to the breadth of human knowledge.

Cornerstone

The Cornerstone block is the first course that all students take upon entering Quest. Teams of faculty members select topics and design the courses. These may change from year to year, and reflect interdisciplinary areas of expertise and interest not directly addressed elsewhere in the curriculum.

The Cornerstone block is not simply a first course in a traditional field of study but, rather, a preparation for the unique educational journey provided by Quest. This essential building block serves as:

• an introduction to the fast-paced and intensive one-block-at-a-time curriculum model;
• an orientation to the requirements of university-level study in both the Foundation and Concentration programs;
• an immersion in the multidisciplinary and integrative approach to learning that is a hallmark of a Quest education;
• a catalyst for thought and engagement with important concepts;
• an introduction to the range of knowledge and skills students develop throughout their studies at Quest;
• a model for inquiry-based learning and questioning;
• a basis for university-level writing and research.