By Fritz Wagner, Landscape Architecture
In late March I traveled to Québec as part of a site visit for a study-in-Québec program that will be offered in Summer Quarter 2011. The trip provided me with the opportunity to be in Quebec to see the physical places I plan on taking students and moreover gave me the chance to meet in person with other academics who will assist me in giving walking tours and lectures/conferences when I bring our students to Québec and Ottawa this summer. This helped strengthen the course offering and will certainly provide the students with real insights into the challenges the cities are facing in urban design and development. This in turn will help showcase what the University of Washington is doing as it relates to Canada. This is important in these days of cut backs to educational programs throughout the University.
I had a meeting with Marie Odile Trepanier at the University of Montréal and gave a conference/talk at the University of Laval on the topic of the importance of international travel for making the traveler and the world a better place. While at the University of Laval I met with Willem Fortin, who is in charge of student admissions and special programs at the Urban Planning Department and Professor Alain Caron from the University of Québec at Montréal. I also visited extensively with Mario Carrier who was the former director of the University of Laval Urban Planning Department. Finally, I had lengthy discussions with Regent Cabana who will be co-teaching the summer class with me. I met him while he was in Québec City teaching an intensive weekend class.
Perhaps the Canadian Studies Programs can continue as is or be expanded given it unique mission, especially given its close proximity to the US in so many ways.
Fritz Wagner is a Research Professor in the Department of Urban Design and Planning and has extensive experience working internationally. He has taken students to eastern Canada for over thirty years.
This program was supported, in part, by funding from a Canadian Studies Center Program Enhancement Grant, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Government of Canada.
URBDP 499B/600B Comparative Urban Planning and Urban Design: The Canadian Experience will be offered 14-23 June 2011. More information on the course can be found here.
Four $500 Canadian Studies Center scholarships are available for students enrolled in the program. To apply send your name, program of study, and a paragraph describing the relevance of Canada to your studies/research – by 15 May 2011 – to canada@uw.edu.