Jonathan Powers, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

College of Arts and Humanities
College of Social Sciences

Accomplishments

  • Recipient of the Donald J. White Teaching Award at Boston College for multiple years.
  • Has taught at McGill University, Concordia University, Champlain Regional College, Boston College, EM Strasbourg Business School, and other institutions.
  • Co-founder of the Canadian Liberal Arts Association.
  • Served as the Academic Director at the Thomas More Institute (in Montreal), where Powers was also a volunteer Course Designer and Course Leader
  • Published in the fields of Architectural History, Utopian Studies, and Philosophical Pedagogy. Additionally, Powers is a published poet

An unrepentant generalist, Jonathan Powers believes passionately in the value of big-picture, interdisciplinary thinking. With degrees in Philosophy and Architecture (History & Theory), and with professional experience in nonprofit management, consulting, government and writing, he deliberately approaches all endeavors with the intention of crossing disciplinary and other boundaries. Previous research projects focused on the role of architecture in utopian thinking and on the historical development of the lexicon we now use to describe and discuss the creative process. His current research seeks to illuminate the perceived social value of the humanities and liberal arts.

Powers sees curiosity, listening, and questions as the primary drivers for insight. These three skills allow students to build broad and nuanced views of the world and its problems, which in turn allows them to deploy their professional and technical expertise for the greatest possible impact. Powers strives to lead students toward increased clarity about themselves and their own ambitions. He is passionately committed to student success on the students’ terms. Powers received his Ph.D. in Architectural History & Theory from McGill University, his M.A. in Philosophy from Boston College and a B.A. in Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies from Amherst College. He teaches a variety of courses in the colleges of Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences, including Multimodal Communication and Complex Systems.