The Arts One program is pleased to offer the annual Dr. Yosef Work Entrance Award to current students in the program. The award(s) valued at $5,000 are awarded to students who demonstrate academic excellence, and a broad understanding of and commitment to social responsibilities. These awards are made possible by a generous gift from Dr. Yosef Wosk, alumnus of the first Arts One cohort in 1967.
In this interview, Vivian Bruce, recipient of the inaugural Dr. Yosef Wosk Entrance Award, reflects on her impressions of and experiences in Arts One, as well as her understanding of social responsibility.
Looking back, what did you enjoy the most about the Arts One program? What did you find the most challenging?
I loved Arts One for many reasons, so trying to pick what I enjoyed most is impossible! I loved the variety of foundational texts I was exposed to, the engaging class discussions, the interesting essay prompts that forced me to push myself, the detailed feedback on my work, and all of the amazing people I met.
The most challenging part for me was keeping up with the workload. I like to dive deep into everything I read and write, so trying to keep up with reading a book every week and an essay every two was tough. It was absolutely worth it, but it was stressful.
What impressions did you have about Arts One going into the program? Did those impressions change after you finished the program?
I didn’t really know what to expect coming into Arts One. I knew it would involve reading many important texts and writing lots of essays but I was fresh out of high school and didn’t really know what university would be like, let alone Arts One. It was so much better and much harder than I thought it would be. I wasn’t expecting the discussions to be so in depth or the feedback I received to be so detailed. The biggest surprise was how well all the texts worked together. The class wasn’t a series of disconnected book studies, it was the process of building a mental library of texts that all connected in meaningful ways to each other. The texts were linked through a connection to the main course theme, but also through smaller themes, ideas, and sometimes direct references. It was a very fun and fulfilling experience and I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to be a part of the program.
How has a sense of social responsibility shaped your life inside and outside the classroom?
My parents, my peers, and my education have all informed my understanding of injustice and shaped my idea of social responsibility. I was taught that all people, all living beings, and the planet are deserving of respect. All people deserve the right to live happily and healthily with their needs met. I was taught in classrooms, from books, and from my parents that no one is better and more deserving than anyone else.
“Then I learned the world isn’t like that. At first I was just confused: why can’t people just be good to each other and the planet? Confusion turned to anger as I came to the slow and growing realization that the world is unjust and that a lot of living beings suffer needlessly. In defiance to hopelessness I did what I could to help.”
I did projects on feminism and LEDs and the stigma surrounding homelessness in school, some of which I even took beyond the classroom to present to rooms full of serious adults. I volunteered at my local food bank and learned from my university friends how to make protest signs for the annual climate strike. I’ve tried to make social responsibility a default way of thinking, because I think everyone has a responsibility to do what little they can, otherwise we won’t get anywhere better. I’m not very good at it, but I do my best because it’s all I can do.
Can you reflect on your experience in Arts One over the past year in light of your commitments to social responsibility? Were there particular readings that you think have influenced your trajectory in this regard?
There is nothing like engaging with a variety of worldviews to help change and solidify my own. Reading how Plato thought some people simply needed to be established as better than others, how Hobbes thought all humans are selfish fearful creatures and the casual sexism of the Upanishads allowed me to realize how and why I disagree. Reading and writing about how Marx had insightful revolutionary ideas about class but still managed to be racist, how despite being a powerful woman, Antigone is still depicted in a sexist light, and how Melville promotes sexism even as he tries to be anti-colonial, helped me to realize the deep complexity of these issues. Working though how someone can be both problematic yet do good challenged my idea about what makes someone a good person and was a practice in empathy. Gandhi’s “soul force” and Rousseau’s ideas of innate empathy are inspiring ideas. Reading the voices of people from groups I hadn’t heard from before like Kempe, a medieval woman or Equiano, an escaped slave, gave me new insights into the past. I could go on and on because Arts One changed me as a person and helped show me some of the social responsibility to be found in academia.
What are your plans for second year and/or beyond? Did being in the program have any influence on your path?
I am currently in the Honours English program and I hope to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in English Honours. I can absolutely say that this plan was shaped by Arts One. Arts One made me realize how much I love reading and writing about literature, and that I have enough skill to see it through. I actually wasn’t going to apply to Honours but my Seminar Professor, Dr. Konoval, directly told me he would write me the recommendation letter I needed to apply. The offer suddenly made me realize Honours was an option, so I thought about it and decided to accept. I wrote my application, he wrote me the letter, and I got in! I love it so far.
