Associate of Arts (On Campus)

This course is an introduction to applied anthropology, linguistic anthropology, biological anthropology, archaeological anthropology, and cultural anthropology. While broad in scope, each unit focuses on specific problems such as the influence of technology on the evolution of human beings, Indigenous cultural misappropriation, tourism and destruction of archaeological sites, mistreatment of animals, and economic inequities that stem from ethnicity, race, gender, and sexual orientation in different regions of Canada. Students will learn about the value of applied anthropology to society, and hone transferable skills including communication fluency, self-regulation, collaboration, and creative problem-solving strategies.   

• Pre‐requisite(s): none

This course, focusing on cultural anthropology as one of the four subfields of anthropology, explores human beliefs, diverse cultures, and social organization across the globe. The course involves various readings and project-based learning opportunities, and helps students analyze how humans shape as well as interact with the social and physical world around them in different geographical contexts.   

This course introduces students to the art and architecture of ancient societies from around the world, spanning pre-history to the fall of the Roman Empire. Using a broad, interdisciplinary approach, various art works are examined as emanations of a universal human condition and as unique expressions of culturally specific worldviews. After exploring various definitions of ‘art’ and an overview of the earliest emergence of art and artistic traits in human history, focus then turns toward the complexities of the ancient mind and ancient civilizations. Through the art and architecture of each historical period, students learn the symbolic ‘language’ through which ancient societies transmitted their most profound ideas. Greater fluency in this ancient symbolic language allows students to understand the differences between sacred, traditional theological and profane art and the concepts that define their original purposes.   

The road to understanding modern and contemporary art begins with a study of the evolution of the modern mind. The course begins by analyzing the transition from a medieval worldview to the emergence of a scientific outlook in the late 1400s. The Renaissance and the resurgence of ancient Classical learning are also examined for their influences on artistic and architectural styles, and for their adoption of and challenge to the dominant theological doctrines of the early Modern era. Finally, the art of the 20th & 21st centuries is explored as both a culmination of Postmodernism and ‘end’ to the traditional narrative of art history, signaling a growing desire to be inclusive to new media and globally diverse artists.   

This course introduces students to the underlying principles of art and design. In this course, students will develop a critical understanding of the principles that form the foundation of many creative arts. Using a broad, interdisciplinary approach, various creative disciplines are examined as variations of applications of such artistic principles. These principles are in many ways the building blocks of all creativity, and to learn them is to better understand art creation itself. Students will explore various explanations of these ‘art and design principles’ and what these might look like in different times, spaces, and cultures, while making universal human connections   

This course introduces students to the variety and scope of art industries in Canada. Students develop a critical appreciation of the factors that shape creative industries and the importance of these creative industries to the Canadian economy. Drawing upon a broad spectrum of the arts, including fine art, design studies, music, drama, dance, screen media, photography, and creative/imaginative writing, students explore the breadth of the Canadian Arts industry, and how to negotiate the professional arts working landscape.   

This course is a survey of the cultural and art practices of Indigenous people around the globe. While fostering an appreciation for cultural and artistic endeavours, the course develops an understanding of the term “Indigenous.” The course explores various indigenous arts which include illustration, craft, and performance. The course considers what the indigenous arts might look like in different time periods, locations, and in different cultural and contextual motivations.   

(3 credits) (Tier 1)

We are living in exciting times for ecological science. Along with significant challenges that we are facing such as climate change or global biodiversity loss, we have accumulated enough knowledge and experiences to understand basic concepts to be implemented in conservation and restoration activities. This course will develop an introductory understanding of the main ecological concepts and principles, further our understanding of the processes that occur in biological systems, and introduce main research methods used by ecologists, including observation, experimentation, modeling, sampling, and data analysis. Students will get a unique hands-on experience surveying their local ecosystems and will be able to assess the impacts of human-induced change. They will have a chance to reflect on the importance of understanding characteristics of the ecosystem for its proper restoration and monitoring; to learn about the legal and policy frameworks that direct and influence these processes; and review future research directions for biodiversity, ecosystem services, and sustainability.

• Pre-requisite(s): None

Introductory topics include: basic theory of consumer behavior; production and costs; partial equilibrium analysis of pricing in competitive and monopolistic markets; general equilibrium; welfare; and externalities. Students are introduced to the theory of the firm, competition, and monopoly.

• Prerequisite(s): None

An introduction to the basic concepts and principles of the marketing function. The course follows the evolution of the marketing discipline through to the current era of the social marketing concept. Tools necessary for effective marketing practice and environmental and contextual influences are examined. Students learn the basic elements of the marketing mix as well as segmentation and positioning tools. The course expands students’ understanding of Canadian and international marketing structures and techniques including defining and segmenting target markets, using planning, and forecasting techniques, analyzing costs and benefits of marketing mixes, interpreting market research data, consumer and consumerism, industrial market potentials.   

An overview of macroeconomic issues: the determination of output, employment, unemployment, interest rates, and inflation. Topics include monetary and fiscal policies; public debt; and international economic issues. Basic models of macroeconomics are introduced and principles within the experience of the North American and other economies are illustrated.   

This course explores the interaction among individuals and organizations, and how this interaction can impact others within the organization or the organization itself. Even in today’s technologically driven world, the effectiveness of organizations is still rooted in their ability to leverage the full potential of the people involved within their operations. Students are introduced to various topics including value systems, motivation, teams, effective communication, power and conflict, organizational culture and structure, leadership, ethics, and organizational change. They emerge from the course with a better understanding of the role of people within organizations, and how their own personal strengths can contribute positively to the organizations to which they belong.  

This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts as well as practical aspects of cross-cultural communication. The course involves a survey of the key concepts in cross-cultural communication, which could be applied to a wide range of communication contexts such as academic and workplace. To understand culture in terms of diversity and subcultures in a global world, the course features cross-cultural communication in relation to language, culture, and discourse practices. The course utilizes a practice-oriented format to develop cross-cultural communication skills by means of presentations, analysis, and application.   

This course examines concepts and techniques widely applicable to personal life and business: individual creativity and innovation in organizations. It offers alternatives to standard models of decision making and formal critical thinking by describing imaginative ways of approaching problems. Students learn techniques of problem identification, idea generation, idea selection, and idea implementation. The course teaches problem-solving practices and varied strategies that release individual creativity and encourage innovation within organizational structures. Emphasis is placed on how creative and innovative solutions can be found to problems that are inadequately addressed by Cartesian thinking processes and the debunking of common myths held about creative individuals and organizations. Students are instructed in a variety of concepts and practical methods that they can apply to their studies, work, and personal lives.   

This course builds on the conventions and techniques of composition through critical writing. Students apply principles of logic, strategic thinking, and synthesis to prepare sound arguments supported by relevant, well documented research. Students are encouraged to write extensively, in persuasive and analytic styles, on contemporary issues of interest to them, where individual style and unique thinking are demonstrated.   

This course extends composition and research principles to writing in a career context. Students apply principles of economy and clarity to create business documents that are informative and persuasive. While the course focuses on business messaging, it also includes formal research report writing, as well as the planning and delivery of oral presentations.   

This course builds on the art and science of reading and writing to prepare learners for effective communication in a creative field of study and work. This entails activities and assignments based on music, political speeches, social media, poetry, and history that hone the capacity for literary products in various genres of business, academic and creative writing. Learners will develop their own voice and style in an interactive and collaborative self-directed learning environment.   

Students will learn about climate change, water and air pollution, soil degradation, environmental hazards, and human footprints on the planet in 11 weeks. The students will also learn about ecosystems and biodiversity through observation and data collection and analysis in class and lab. This course will help students to understand the importance of moving toward renewable energy sources and sustainable practices to preserve the environment.   

Human Geography examines how people, communities, and cultures interact within physical geographic space. It looks at how the spatial environment affects key categories of human activities. The course includes an overview of the location, flow, and uses of the earth’s principle resources, both natural and human. It emphasizes how the physical characteristics of the earth’s surface affect political, social, cultural, demographic, and economic dynamics throughout the world, and explores the potential effects of ecological threats.   

This course explores the history of sport and athletics, ranging from the oldest forms of recreation to modern professional sports. It examines the established historical record, but also examines how we determine these facts through interpretation. By synthesizing the practice of sports with various theories of practicing history, students learn to evaluate historical claims that are often disguised in the playful focus of sports. Through such an analysis of historical sports, students develop a critical awareness of the social and ethical issues around such key aspects of human and social life.

In this course, students will gain insight into how the concept of beauty has shaped and motivated our world. Addressing beauty from both historical and contemporary perspectives, this course will focus on the intersections of beauty with visual art and design, philosophies of aesthetics, and media studies. Including opportunities to explore beauty as it relates to screen media, performing arts, literature, and/or music, this interdisciplinary approach will create a personal and cultural investigation on how beauty sparks action and inspiration. Global, Indigenous, and Western views on beauty will be included to examine themes such as the natural world, the body, and the value of beauty in our everyday lives.   

A practical exploration of some of the core tenets of critical thinking and learning, as experienced throughout everyday life, and through different cultural lenses. The overarching theme is “What is Truth?” These tenets are explored from within a variety of disciplines, from Philosophy (the development of reasoning and argumentation, logical expression); Psychology (how humans think and learn), Science (basic epistemology, or ways of knowing), and History (how we learn about and from our collective pasts). Each exploration will adopt both the traditional (“Western” or “classical”) foundation, as well as less conventional but equally valid modes, such as indigenous perspectives on knowledge and learning, mental health’s impact on intelligence, adult learning theory, and media’s influence on “truth”.   

The comparative study of religion investigates both the differences and common ground among the world’s religions. Their history, leaders, knowledge systems and relationship to modern science are studied. In addition, the relevance of religion to various facets of Canada’s history and culture are explored with a view to foster the spirit of inquiry, expanding the imagination, knowledge, and understanding. The academic skills developed in the course contribute to the formation of cross disciplinary competencies valued at both the academy and the workplace.   

This course provides students with an introduction to the story of Turtle Island/Canada prior to and after first contact between Indigenous peoples and colonizers. Students will explore the lifeways of Indigenous peoples, periods of European colonization and conflict, ongoing migrations to Canada to the present day, and Canada’s connections to and place in the world in the 21st century.   

A review of pre-calculus math, to prepare students for a calculus course. Topics will include various functions (algebraic, exponential, logarithmic, trigonometric) and their graphs; inverse functions; and trigonometric identities. Students will regularly be challenged to address real-world problems that include incorporating the functions studied each unit.   

Multinational companies (MNCs) and their expansion in global markets has catalyzed the process of globalization. This course is designed to examine the impact of globalization driven by MNCs. The learners will examine the macroenvironmental changes influencing MNCs, their decisions and outcomes, and review the relationship between MNCs, national governments, and societies. Evolution of MNCs, their contribution to economic growth, and criticisms faced will also be debated. The topics discussed include globalization and its drivers; facets of globalization: economic, political, technological, and cultural; evolving relationship between MNCs and nations; impact of MNCs in home and host countries; and regulation of MNCs by national governments and international NGOs. 

This course provides an overview of the field of psychology as it pertains to everyday life. Research methods and scientific reasoning form the foundation of the discipline, and the course begins by asking: How is psychology is a science, and why is this important? The course covers several domains of the discipline: health psychology, consciousness, memory, life span development, motivation and emotion, personality, psychological disorders, therapy, and social psychology. While specific topics will vary from domain to domain, students will explore how each domain relies on the same underlying scientific principles and research methods to answer questions about the mind and behaviour. Within each domain, certain overlapping themes will also be highlighted. The course is grounded on the premise that within these domains, psychology is a route for effecting change and gaining some measure of control over our lives.   

Social psychology is the scientific study of how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are impacted by either being or imagining that we are in the presence of others. This course engages students in contemporary issues in social psychology that are happening in the world today. Instructors will provide examples of timely social issues in the news and relate it to current research in psychology. Students will apply critical thinking to social issues in the media through a psychological lens by learning to use scientific databases and objective sources of psychology information.

• Prerequisite(s): One Tier 1 course

In this course, students explore the workings of the creative mind. The course examines the perceptual, cognitive, motivational, educational, and cultural factors that influence creativity and that shape individuals’ aesthetic judgements.   

This course explores the qualitative research methods that researchers use to answer empirical questions within the sphere of the social sciences, as well as within business and the humanities. It will teach students the basic knowledge and skills required to do qualitative research and to be intelligent consumers of others’ qualitative research. Topics include assessing existing research; collecting, analyzing, and interpreting qualitative information; and methods to communicate research. By using a variety of research tools, students will explore how formulating sound qualitative research leads to objective and reliable outcomes. Students will also learn to identify ethical, ideological, empirical, and theoretical aspects of research, and recognize effective research.   

This course explores the foundations of sociology by providing students with analytic tools to critically explore their contemporary social and cultural world. The course includes topics such as: culture, socialization, social structure, race, gender and class, stratification, institutions, urbanization, and the environment as they affect Canadian society and the world at large.

This course brings together key perspectives in sociology to provide students with an overview of contemporary global issues influencing people’s everyday lives. By combining theoretically oriented explanations, empirical evidence, and case studies within the field, students will learn to use the sociological imagination to address current events and issues affecting to world around us. Some topics covered in the course include migration and social mobility; climate change and natural disasters; pandemics and diseases; digital technology and mass media; and the digital divide.   

This course offers students an overview of digital media and how technologies are impacting society on micro, macro, and global levels. It examines the pervasive impact that digital media is having on society, with specific interest in the implications and applications of social media. Focus is given to investigating the theoretical and cultural aspects of digital media with an aim toward understanding how this form of communication has changed the relationship between individuals, organizations, and society.