Hum offers university-level courses for low-income people who live in and around the Downtown Eastside and Downtown South. Hum courses are for people who have encountered financial and other barriers to university education and who wish to expand their intellectual horizons in an accessible, challenging and respectful environment. Applicants must have basic English literacy skills, be willing to attend classes, complete assignments and participate in group discussions. Applications for these non-credit courses are accepted not on the basis of past academic history, but on the applicants’ desire and ability to be part of the Hum Programme.
Hum 101 and Hum 201 are two term courses that cover a different subject in the arts or social sciences every week, including history & politics, first nation studies, creative writing, art, music, architecture, philosophy, literature, sociology, gender studies, economics, popular culture, creative and critical thinking, and more. Classes are on Thursday evenings from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Writing 101 and Writing 201 are one term courses that cover a different genre of writing each week, including fiction, non-fiction, manifestos, short stories, poetry, song writing, memoir, graphic novels, Indigenous literature and more. Classes are on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Students receive school supplies, UBC student card, bus tickets to get to and from class, meals, stationary, readings, and childcare funding if needed.
The next opportunity to apply for courses will be summer 2025, for the courses that begin September 2025. Applicants must attend an application session and complete a paper application form. Application sessions take place in DTES/South community centres. Check back here in July 2025 to find out where and when to apply.
