People in discursive spaces : entry-level humanities eduction for non-traditional adult learners

Abstract

In Canada there are programs that offer non-traditional adult learners an entry-level university educational experience. These programs have various names, for example, Humanities 101, University 101, Discovery University and University in the Community. They are intended to better the lives of learners and claim to focus on the liberatory and emancipatory potential of education (Groen & Hyland-Russell, 2010a). This institutional ethnography investigated how the experiences of those involved in the programs related to the fundamental concepts associated with such programs through an analysis of program documentation and interviews with people participating in the programs. The findings suggested that the current offerings of Humanities 101 are delivered as an extension of formal education in that they support objectification of students and asymmetrical power relations, which continue to affect the adult learners and the classroom.