The labour market has shifted away from traditional industry and manufacturing toward a knowledge-based economy where individuals with a grounding in social sciences and humanities are sought after assets. The purpose of the DASSH program is to provide social science and humanities education and related technical skills training necessary to succeed in a variety of evolving knowledge-based careers, including in business, law, journalism, government, communications, public administration, the non-profit sector, and information technology and management.
The program comprises a set of core social sciences and humanities courses that teach critical foundational knowledge and skills for an evolving knowledge-based economy and workplace. To facilitate practical translation and application of the core social sciences and humanities education, students acquire technical skills through courses in digital media, software use, and financial literacy. Together, the knowledge and skills produced fall into nine broad categories: Communication, Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving, Quantitative Fluency, Information Literacy, Ethical Reasoning, Digital Literacy, Institutional Knowledge, Systems Thinking, Teamwork & Collaboration.
Courses in the DASSH program are taught so that students are able to articulate and actively apply the employability skills and knowledge they have acquired. An experiential learning project enables students to apply and showcase their learning. They will graduate with a portfolio demonstrating their knowledge and skills.