In 1988 the Ontario Council of Regents, the agency that oversees colleges in Ontario, was asked to develop "a vision of the college system in the year 2000." The outcome, known as Vision 2000, acknowledged the major changes taking place in Canadian society and recommended that there should be a greater emphasis in college programs on "generic skills" and "broad-based knowledge." The report regarded general education and generic skills not as substitutes for job-specific skills but rather as an increasingly necessary complement to them.

Throughout the college system educators have since been attempting to implement this new program to the best of their abilities. The Foundations text is a set of readings designed to facilitate the implementation of Vision 2000. The readings are compiled from a multidisciplinary perspective that includes: (1) science and technology, (2) the social sciences, and (3) the arts and humanities. The emphasis throughout is on how scientific and social change affects us as Canadians now and how we, as individuals and as a society, can better prepare for the future.

Editor

Brian Burnie

George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology

Unit 1: General Education

This unit explains the rationale behind the Vision 2000 report, with background materials on the changing nature of the economy and the kinds of knowledge and skills that will increasingly be needed by young people.

Unit 2: Science and Technology

This unit focuses on the important distinction between science and technology, the nature of the scientific method, the emergence of "new" technology, as well as environment concerns and other ethical issues in science and technology today.

Unit 3: Social Science

This unit examines the relationship of the individual to the wider society, the nature of "social" science, and addresses key questions, such as the status of women and the rights of immigrants and visible minorities in Canada.

Unit 4: Arts and Humanities

This unit centres on the nature of art and the relationship between art and science, with ample background material on the visual arts, philosophy, music and literature.

Instructor's Manual

An instructor's manual, consisting of teaching tips and questions, is available free to instructors using the book as a required text. For more information, please contact support@thompsonbooks.com.