Hum offers university-level courses for low-income people who live in and around the Downtown Eastside and Downtown South. We also accept applications from ‘natural community members,’ which include former residents, people who volunteer in the area, workers, and people who use the services in these areas.
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.
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.
Students receive school supplies, UBC student card, bus tickets to get to and from class, meals, stationary, readings, and childcare funding if needed.
To apply, applicants must attend an information/application session and complete a paper application form. Information/applications sessions take place in community centres in the Downtown Eastside and Downtown South. The next opportunity to apply for the Humanities and Creative Writing courses will be be late July/early August 2026. Check back here in June 2026 to find out where and when to apply.
