Social Science Course List

This course introduces students to the main concepts, themes and methods of geography. It provides an introduction to Human Geography’s major subdisciplines including population, economic, environmental, cultural and urban geography. Students also learn how maps can be used to convey information and analyze geographical problems. The relationships between humans and their environments are stressed throughout the course.

This course primarily deals with the history of the Classical Age in the Mediterranean world, and the civilization of the Greek and Roman worlds between 500 BC and 500 AD. Background will be given of aspects of the Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages which were essential to the rise of civilized societies and important pre- Greek civilizations (Sumeria, Egypt, Minoans, et al.) of the Bronze and early Iron Ages. This course meets the first level compulsory course requirement for Social Science. There are no second level courses offered.

Philosophy is the love of wisdom. It is the pursuit of understanding. It arises out of consciousness, self- consciousness, memory and imagination. It is generated by curiosity, wonder and inquisitiveness about the universe and about our place in it. It is the search to know what is, what could be, and what should be done. This course introduces students to some of the basic philosophical questions by examining works across time and space, diverse cultures and traditions in order to discuss the production and dissemination of ideas, artistic and literary works and their relationship to culture and civilization.

From a world full of spirits to a world without spirit (animism to modern atheism), humans the world over have dealt with issues of belief in a vast variety of manners. This course will introduce students to the basic questions that religious studies and religions try to answer as well as the nature of the beliefs and practices of several different types of faith systems. Students will develop the vocabulary and tools needed to explore religious phenomena and communicate respectfully with others about their discoveries.

Anthropology is the study of all aspects of human life from the distant past to the present and throughout all areas of the world. In this course you will be introduced to the methods and concepts of physical anthropology, archaeology, and cultural anthropology. Through lectures and labs you will learn about human evolution, the prehistory and history of ancient civilizations, and the diversity of cultures in the world today. This introductory course will provide you with general knowledge of anthropology as well as prepare you for more specialized courses in the field.

This course introduces students to political science and how politics, government and political systems work around the world. It provides the concepts, theories and methods that can be used to understand the political events and controversies in many countries such as Canada, United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Japan. Topics include the modern state, form of government, political culture, contemporary ideologies, political parties, elections and voting behaviour. This course is a prerequisite for all other Political Science Courses.

This course is designed to provide an initiation to the sociological perspective. Students will be introduced to the sociological perspective and the sociological imagination; linking the individual to society through historical, economic and social forces. The objectives of this course are to enable you to enjoy the study of Sociology and encourage you to pursue further courses in this discipline; to prepare you for research methods; to prepare you for university; and finally to provide you with a sociological imagination which broadens your understanding of your everyday life.

This course introduces students to the primary functional areas of business study, including management, marketing, accounting, finance, and law. Students acquire an extensive knowledge of business terms and concepts as well as an understanding of the role of business in society.

This course introduces students to the scientific study of specific aspects of human behaviour and mental processes including: (1) the evolution of psychological thought and the identification of major psychological perspectives; (2) research methods in the study of Psychology; (3) the biological basis of behaviour, including the structure and function of the brain and nervous systems; (4) cognitive and emotional processes and, (5) learning and human adaptation. Students acquire the basic concepts and processes associated with the study of human behaviour. Further emphasis is placed on the understanding of how this knowledge and these abilities may relate to our lives and how they may apply in varying cultures.

Macroeconomics is one of the compulsory Social Science courses. It is a prerequisite for all economics courses. It introduces students to concepts such as employment, inflation and banking, which are essential in understanding our society and making effective economic decisions. This course is cumulative in nature and requires that you keep up to date at all times. You should acquire sufficient knowledge to enable you to pursue economic courses at the university level.

This course will survey the history of the world from the 15th century to the contemporary world. It will focus on major cultural, social, economic, and political events, examining the various interactions and exchanges between regions, states, and individuals. The course will furthermore recognize historical legacies prior to the 15th century that have had an impact on the formation of the West and of the modern and contemporary world. With the goal of developing critical thinking skills in studying historical realities and sources, students will examine and interpret the ideological, religious, and political transformations which led to modern, global society, placing current events into a historical perspective.

In this course, students will further their knowledge of the methods and concepts of Physical Anthropology as a sub-discipline of Anthropology and will learn about human evolution from the early Primates through to modern Homo sapiens as well as about contemporary human biological diversity. Topics to be covered include mechanisms of evolution, Primates and Primate behaviour, the Australopithecines, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, the Neanderthals, early modern Homo sapiens, contemporary human diversity, and the concept of race.

In this course, students will further their knowledge of the methods of Anthropology as these address the concept of race and the social phenomenon of racism. We will look at the history and usage of the concept of race as well as the development of systems of racial stratification. This course has academic as well as personal dimensions: as we seek to understand the meaning of race and racism, we will continually reassess our own beliefs about race. Topics will include the explanation of the Anthropological perspective on race, exploring concepts like discrimination, prejudice, ethnicity, stereotypes and the multiple forms racism takes, as well as case studies including Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, Apartheid in South Africa, Slavery in America as well as racism in Canada.

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In this course, students will further their knowledge of the methods and concepts of Anthropology in the study of a variety of contemporary issues. The course may address a different issue whenever it is offered. Topics which may be considered in this course include human sexuality in cross-cultural perspective, the anthropology of war and peace, and comparative religion, among others. The specific description of the course will be available from the department each time the course is scheduled.

Museology is the study of museums and how they have been established and developed as educational mechanisms under social and political pressures. Students will be introduced to the history of museums and the field of museum studies. Issues of theory and practice will be examined through an Anthropological lens as they relate to development, care, and use of museum and systematic collections. Topics to be covered include museum education, exhibit development, issues of diversity, legal and ethical implications in the development and use of collections, and examining the diverse types of collections. This course meets the requirements of a level 2 course in the Social Science Program and addresses the Ministerial objectives as well as the level 2 skills of the Social Science Program.

This course will examine the complexities of the evolution/creationism controversy and the effect it has had on North American society. The theory of evolution is fundamental to understanding modern biology and many topics studied within Anthropology. This course will examine how understanding evolution is relevant to our daily lives, and will also look at the social and religious worldviews that are opposed to the theory of evolution. This complementary course is open to students of all programs.

This course examines human relation to, interaction with, and perceptions of the natural environment from an anthropological perspective. Included is an exploration of human evolution and the relation to the environment, the ways in which environment has been thought about and ideas about it expressed cross-culturally and historically, how environment is ‘captured’ in zoos and botanical gardens, environmentalism and its relation to politics and tourism, and the role of anthropology in development for a sustainable future. This course meets the requirements of a level 2 course in the Social Science Program and addresses the Ministerial objectives as well as the level 2 skills of the Social Science Program.

What did our ancestors do for fun? How have leisure and sports activities changed over the course of human evolution and history? Do all human groups enjoy similar leisure activities? Do social differences affect the kind of leisure and sports activities enjoyed? Do men and women enjoy the same activities, for the same reasons? What is the relation between people who do activities and those who watch? How do international sports competitions relate to nations and politics? These are some questions that will be addressed in this course. Using a holistic approach that takes into account the relation between natural and social environments, human biology, and culture, we will explore issues in the Anthropology of Sports and Leisure related to past and present, cross-cultural diversity in practices and perceptions of sports and leisure, and sport on the global stage.

This course encompasses a broad study of the history of violence among humans using anthropological theory and ethnographic research, in particular the evidence from archaeological and skeletal evidence. Course lectures and in-class discussions will focus on the theories of the origins of violence, the consequences, and the different forms of violence that vary spatially and temporarily. After a brief overview of the types of data used by anthropologists and reviewing non-human violence, we will discuss evidence of conflict in early human populations, small-group conflict in tribal societies, civil and interstate war, state-sponsored violence and terrorism, and ethnic cleansing and genocide. We will also discuss the correlates of violence, including issues related to social suffering and trauma, the incidences and interpretations of ritualized violence, as well as recovery and reconciliation. We will conclude with analyses and presentations of specific case studies.

Anthropology is the study of all aspects of human life from the distant past to the present and throughout all areas of the world. In this course, students will further their knowledge of the methods and concepts of Archeology in the specific area of the Americas. Studying Indigenous past cultures will be the focus of this course, therefore allowing us to appreciate the diversity of prehistoric cultures and great civilizations prior to the arrival of Columbus. Topics to be covered in the course will include ancient American prehistoric sites and their archeological study, The Pueblo people of the South West, the Mesoamerican civilizations (Teotihuacan, Mayas) as well as the South American civilizations (the Incas).

This course also qualifies for the Aboriginal Studies Certificate. For more information please contact aboriginalstudies@johnabbott.qc.ca

This course provides a broad overview of forensic anthropology – an applied field of biological anthropology that involves the application of methods from biological anthropology and archaeology to the identification, recovery, and analysis of skeletal remains from crime scenes, mass disasters and unexplained deaths. The identification of skeletal and other decomposed human remains is important for both legal and humanitarian reasons. Forensic anthropologists work to determine the age, sex, ancestry, stature, and unique features of a decedent from the skeleton. While proficiency in forensic method will not be the focus of this course, general identification techniques will be addressed.

This course also qualifies for the John Abbott Peace and Social Justice Studies Certificate. For more information, please contact peacestudies@johnabbott.qc.ca

What were the economic origins of early civilizations? What was the role of religion in early societies? How did social stratification develop? What does “civilization” really mean? In this course, students will gain an appreciation for how archaeologists make sense of the material past and address such questions. Students will also explore case studies of past societies by surveying the transition from hunting and gathering societies across Prehistoric Africa, Europe and Asia to the dawn of the earliest state-level societies including Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Mesoamerica, South America, and East Asia.

Cultural anthropology focuses on the traditions, beliefs, worldviews, practices, and institutions of contemporary societies around the world. For humans, cultural innovations allow us to interact effectively with our physical environment, to communicate with each other and provide us with a sense of belonging.  Using case studies from around the world, this course addresses how people adapt and make sense of the world through culture, to try to better understand what makes us human through the beauty of our diversity. We will also examine the impacts of the movement of people, ideas, and things through global interactions like colonialism and migration.

This course will introduce students to pseudoarchaeology, or “non-scientific beliefs of the human past”. Students will explore how the goals and methods of archaeology fit within science, what it means to make pseudoscientific claims, and why conspiracy theories are so popular in archaeology. We will then explore popular pseudoscientific claims ranging from the existence of Bigfoot, to theories of ancient astronauts who visited humans thousands of years ago, to the origins and evidence for Atlantis and other “lost” civilizations. Throughout, students will learn skills to combat these claims, and will better appreciate how to critically evaluate statements about the past using archaeological evidence. Finally, this course will put into context why pseudoscience is so dangerous for the practice and perception of archaeology, and why this is a critical contemporary issue facing many human-centered sciences.

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Death is an inescapable aspect of life. The dead are all around us. From the walls of your house to the walls of the college you study at, they are constantly invoked and recycled in daily life and they are not silent. Human societies and cultures respond to and treat their dead in a range of diverse ways, each unique in their experience of grief, the handling of their loss, and the mortuary or funerary practices and rituals about it. How have human societies and cultures dealt with the biological processes of decay, and continue to do so? What can the physical remains of those practices, along with those of the deceased, tell us about human societies and cultures, about life and death, about beliefs, norms and values, about behaviors, or about social structure? This course will explore themes in the study of cultural responses to and treatments of death and the dead. The course will outline theoretical and interpretative approaches to funerary archaeology and bioarchaeology. Spanning from the Neolithic into the 21st century, we will look at funerary contexts in the archaeological record through the use of cross-cultural case studies. We will examine mortuary data to explore notions of gender and identity, social organization and structure, spirituality and religion, skeletal biology, and social memory. We will address topics such as embalming, non-burials, sacrifice, and deviant burials. Finally, we will address issues of ethics and respect, as well as notions of legitimate knowledge and identity in relation to the study of mortuary remains.

Everyone needs to eat to survive, yet are food and eating the same for everyone, everywhere, in all times and places? This course addresses how food has shaped who we are, as humans, through our biological evolution as a species and how food is tied to the development of societies and technological innovations like farming. We ponder how we think about food, what is and is not to be considered food and why. Additionally, the course addresses the importance of food and eating to social relations and how the transnational movement of food and food culture connect and inform local and global relations.

This course introduces students to basic marketing concepts and phenomena. It focuses on the social impact of marketing practices, and defines marketing as the process of creating, distributing, promoting and pricing goods services and ideas to facilitate satisfying exchange relationships in a dynamic environment.

This course is an introduction to basic concepts in Business Law. It introduces students to the legal environment of business, enabling them to become familiar with our society’s legal structure and the function of law in the business community. The student completing this course should understand and apply the legal principles in the workplace. Also, the student will grasp the need to deal with lawyers/notaries and other professionals and contracts of sale/purchase, leases, etc. Principles of tort liability, including both intentional and negligent torts, are addressed. Finally, legal issues of particular relevance to marketing such as product liability, misleading advertising, warranty and service promises and issues of pricing and distribution, are also examined.

This course introduces students to the fundamental principles and procedures of the “double-entry” bookkeeping system as well as the vocabulary found in business documents. Students learn correct methods of recording and reporting financial data. The importance of correct reporting of financial information for decision makers and its impact on society is stressed.

This course focuses on the impact of International Business from the perspective of the various stakeholders including business, consumers, government, employees and the physical, social, and cultural environments in the trend toward a more integrated global economic system. Students have the opportunity learn about how business, consumer, and political objectives are played out in the global marketplace and how they impact on each other.

This course explores strategic management issues while simultaneously examining the rapidly developing area of business conduct on the Internet, referred to as e-business (e-commerce). Internet technology and globalization are only two social environmental forces that are greatly influencing strategic management decision-making. By examining these and other forces, students will better appreciate the strategic thinking that goes on within a variety of organizations.

This course will introduce students to basic notions of personal finance including using financial statements to measure an individual or family’s financial position, managing financial resources using a personal budget, time value of money with applications in saving/investing and consumer credit, investment theory and analysis, basic elements of tax planning and key considerations involved in home ownership. Applied primarily from a consumer perspective, students will learn how their understanding and active participation in their personal financial management plays an important role in their life-long financial security.

The course will invite students to learn about the impact of business on society and the challenges of creating a socially responsible venture. Students will study how businesses can thrive and grow while simultaneously solving some of the world’s biggest problems. This course aims to provide students with an entrepreneurial project learning experience that will inspire them to become well-informed change leaders of the future.

This course acquaints students with the basic principles of microeconomics such as consumer theory, demand and supply, elasticity, production and costs, market structure and behaviour, and the determination of factor incomes. Contemporary topics such as the environment, urban issues and government intervention in the market are discussed. Required course for the Commerce profile.

A continuation of Macroeconomics, Money & Banking involves a more detailed analysis of the money supply, commercial banking system, nonbank financial intermediaries and the functions and operations of the Bank of Canada. A more advanced Macroeconomic model is developed to give students greater insight into the workings of the Canadian economy. Economic policy is discussed in relation to current developments in Canadian and world economies. This course fulfills the additional Commerce level 2 course requirements.

This advanced course permits students to apply economic principles to a specific field of study. The pure theory of international trade, terms of trade, theory and applications of tariffs, balance of payments and exchange rates are discussed within the context of Canada’s substantial relation to other economies. The nature and effects of international economic institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are also examined. Although Macroeconomics (383-920- RE) is the only prerequisite, students will find this course more rewarding if they have already taken both Macroeconomics and Microeconomics.

This course explores the economies of Quebec and Canada, and their interdependence. Extensive examination of both regional and national economic issues, structures, policies, and challenges. The focus is on understanding the key drivers of economic growth, the role of government and institutions, and the key economic relationship between Canada and Quebec. Topics include: an overview of the role of Quebec within the federation of Canada; economic system, structure, and sectors: natural resources, manufacturing, services, and technology; economic development in Quebec: challenges and opportunities in the context of language, culture, and political dynamics; and rural versus urban economic dynamics within Quebec and Canada.

This course explores the interactions between human economic activities and environmental degradation.  The focus will be on how the ever-growing production, distribution and consumption of goods and services is contributing to the rise in the level of emissions with potentially devastating consequences for planet earth and human civilization. It will help students have a better understanding of the challenges associated with climate change, pollution, resource depletion, and the public policies and international agreements used to curb them to ensure a safe, greener and more sustainable environment for generations to come.

This course familiarizes students with geographical perspectives on the “crisis” of world population and resources, in particular food and energy resources. The inequalities of global distributions are examined, and attention is placed on past trends and future projections. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to critically evaluate proposed solutions and reflect on the question of what constitutes a global population “crisis”.

This course challenges students to analyze and apply concepts related to the study of cultural and political geographies. It examines the interplay between place, space, and identities in the formation of social, cultural, and political territories and the resulting conflicts between groups. The major themes in the course include landscape and the environment, the geographies of language and religion, global and local cultures, community and territoriality, state and sub-state nationalism, and inter-ethnic conflict.

This course places the subject of economic geography within the framework of world events to illustrate the growing interdependence among regions with respect to economic theory, development and trade. The roots of the disparities that exist at the world scale are examined as well as their impact on future economic development. Alternatives to the present world economic system will be discussed.

This course explores the urbanization process and its role in producing geographical differences among cities around the world. World urbanization patterns and the historical development of different types of cities are used to highlight a range of contemporary urban problems and planning issues, including social inequality, the provision of housing and employment, transportation planning and environmental concerns.

This course provides students with the opportunity to analyze and apply the concepts and theories of environmental geography. The main issues addressed include environmental sustainability, the consumption of resources and the environmental impacts of human activities, with a particular emphasis on solutions to the Climate and Ecological Emergency.

This course familiarizes students with the geography of travel and tourism. Its main objective is to examine how, why and when people travel and to understand the international, regional and local impacts of tourism. Particular attention is given to the development of tourism as it depends upon and impacts on a region’s physical, economic and cultural environment.

This course explores the intersection of sports and geography. Sports are a central part of landscapes and everyday lives of people around the world. They reflect and shape national identities, historical and contemporary political economies, and the places in which we live. These connections, places, and landscapes are studied at different scales, from the global to the local, through the concepts and perspectives applied in cultural, historical, economic, population, urban and political geography.

This field course provides students with onsite experience and an in-depth look at Costa Rica’s regional economic and environmental renewal through ecotourism. Known for its biodiversity, Costa Rica has been a leader in sustainable tourism, promoting the conservation and protection of its wetlands, rainforests, beaches and communities. The course provides students with the opportunity to study how ecotourism has assisted in the country’s sustainable development.

This course explores how geographers approach Europe as a region and culture realm. The physical environments are first considered, including its physiographic features, climate and biomes, and then the patterns of its human environments (past, present and future) are addressed. Europe’s culture, population, economy and settlements are considered. The project of European integration is assessed.

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This course will allow the student to better understand their world through an examination of Canadian history and Canada’s relationship to the rest of the world. We will examine facets of the social, cultural, economic and political history of Canada from the period of the first European explorers up to the end of the 20th century. Within this time period we will study Canada’s role in a rapidly changing world. The following topics will be covered: early European exploration, colonialisation, native American society and early relations with the Europeans, New France, British North America, Confederation, building a Nation, World War One, the Winnipeg General Strike, the Great Depression, World War Two, Canada and the Cold War, the Quiet Revolution in Quebec, Quebec Separatism, Canada’s role in International Affairs, and American-Canadian relations.

This course covers the colonization of America and the founding of the American republic. The following topics are examined: development of American institutions, slavery, Civil War, construction, western expansion, World War I, “Return to Normalcy”, the Great Depression, World War II and the Cold War, civil rights & Vietnam.

This course covers the following topics: World War I and the Treaty of Versailles; post-war tensions and economic problems in the 1920’s; Stalinism in Communist Russia; failure of the Weimar Republic in Germany; the Great Depression and the rise of Totalitarianism; Mussolini and Fascism in Italy; Hitler and Nazism in Germany; failure of the League of Nations and outbreak of World War II; aftermath of World War II; the Cold War, United Nations and the superpowers; emergence of the Third World and Communist China; threats to world peace and the nuclear age – Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East and the breakup of the Communist world.

This course explores definitions such as Third World, colonies, colonialism, imperialism, under-development, development, neo-colonialism, unequal trade, North-South relations, European expansion from the 15th to 20th centuries and division of the world. Case studies on Latin America, India, Africa, Asia and the Middle East are used to look at the rise of nationalism, independence and liberation. Ideas, movements and leaders are also course themes.

This course explores the interactions between human economic activities and environmental degradation. The focus will be on how the ever-growing production, distribution and consumption of goods and services is contributing to the rise in the level of emissions with potentially devasting consequences for planet earth and human civilization. Students will gain a better understanding of the challenges associated with climate change, pollution and resource depletion, and the public policies and international agreements used to curb them to ensure a safe, greener and more sustainable environment for generations to come.

We shall study the history of ancient Sparta from its legendary origins until the Roman Empire. Analysis will involve the examination of the historical events that shaped Sparta, as well as in-depth studies of Spartan civilization from political, geographic, economic, religious, and cultural standpoints. Finally, we shall look at the reception of Spartan history in the twentieth century.

The decades before the fall of the Roman Republic were characterized by political violence, civil war, and the rise of military strongmen. The period, from the rise of the brothers Gracchus in the 130s BC to the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44, is one of tumultuous political change. At the conclusion of this course, students should have a greater understanding of the internal problems that revealed the shortcomings of Republican government, and how these eventually led to the Republic’s fall and to the rise of the Principate.

The course will examine the main events in Russian and Soviet history from Kievan Rus’ to the collapse of the Soviet Union. A study of Russian/Soviet history will provide the students with an understanding of a civilisation which spanned Europe and Asia. The following topics will be covered: Kievan Rus, the Mongol conquest, the rise of Muscovy, Imperial Russia, the Russian Revolutions of 1917, the Civil War, the New Economic Policy, Stalinism, the Great Patriotic War, the Cold War, the Khrushchev era, the era of Stagnation, the era of Glasnost and Perestroika and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

This course studies the history of Latin America from 300 C.E. to 21st century events. It starts with the pre-conquest Maya, Inca and Aztec. With the European conquest in 1492 examines the colonial origins of Spanish, Portuguese and French-speaking nations; European, African, Asian and indigenous cultures blended in new ways. With Independence in 1810, common issues emerged: nationalism, poverty, revolution, dictatorship, indigenous rights, popular music, literature, and nationalistic art. Country highlights include Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Cuba and Haiti.

The idea of empire and the historical study of imperialism will be examined through a brief review of the Roman Empire followed by the study of the Mongol Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Spanish Empire and the British Empire. A comparative approach to the different empires will be employed.

This course is designed as an introduction to the history of Japan, from its prehistorical dawn to the challenges it faces in the present day.  It covers the major time periods of Japanese history: early state building, the “Middle Ages” of the samurai, challenges from the West, and rapid modernization during the 19th and 20th centuries.  Social and cultural movements feature prominently, as does the interaction between events in Japan and larger historical trends in Asia and the world.

Warfare is the defining characteristic of ancient Mediterranean history. On a grand scale, warfare represented the rise and fall of empires and dynasties and was the main force for changes in geopolitics and power-structures in the classical and Near-Eastern worlds. This course will examine battles, tactics, and armies, but greater weight will be given to the social aspects of war, how conflict shaped entire societies, their histories, the economic and political power of families and individuals, as well as concepts of citizenship and gender. The goal is to illustrate how the study of ancient warfare is the study of ancient society itself.

This course explores the history of the biological and physical sciences from the scientific revolution to the present. The first part of the course consists of a role-playing simulation of the trial of Galileo. Topics examined in the rest of the course include the Darwinian revolution; the development of modern biology and physics; the dawn of the atomic age; and the advent of the Anthropocene. No prior knowledge of science is expected or required.

Step into the global Middle Ages, where feudal Europe meets the Abbasid Caliphate and Song China. How were these societies different? What did they have in common? Students will get to explore these questions by examining the lives of individuals from all over Eurasia as well as the societies the lived in.

This course covers what many consider to be the high point of Roman learning and culture during the first two centuries AD. Significant advancements were made in law, science, architecture, education, and the human condition. From public baths to concrete, from a highly advanced legal and judicial system to a fully professional standing army, and from vomitoria to gladiators, much of what we think of as ‘Roman’ comes from this period.

In the literary sources for the ancient Mediterranean, women were often an afterthought, as only a small percentage of the entire surviving corpus speaks of women’s lives. The twenty-first century is an exciting time for gender studies, as younger scholars are beginning to look at old evidence with new eyes, in the process discovering that ancient material culture has much to say about women, sexuality, and gender. This course seeks to analyze the lives of females from antiquity, and to explore how literature and archaeology have been used as lenses for the construction of gender and sexuality in the ancient Mediterranean world.

We shall study the history of ancient Sparta from its legendary origins until the Roman Empire. Analysis will involve the examination of the historical events that shaped Sparta, as well as in-depth studies of Spartan civilization from political, geographic, economic, religious, and cultural standpoints. Finally, we shall look at the reception of Spartan history in the twentieth century.

The decades before the fall of the Roman Republic were characterized by political violence, civil war, and the rise of military strongmen. The period, from the rise of the brothers Gracchus in the 130s BC to the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44, is one of tumultuous political change. At the conclusion of this course, students should have a greater understanding of the internal problems that revealed the shortcomings of Republican government, and how these eventually led to the Republic’s fall and to the rise of the Principate.

Warfare is the defining characteristic of ancient Mediterranean history. On a grand scale, warfare represented the rise and fall of empires and dynasties and was the main force for changes in geopolitics and power-structures in the classical and Near-Eastern worlds. This course will examine battles, tactics, and armies, but greater weight will be given to the social aspects of war, how conflict shaped entire societies, their histories, the economic and political power of families and individuals, as well as concepts of citizenship and gender. The goal is to illustrate how the study of ancient warfare is the study of ancient society itself.

This course covers what many consider to be the high point of Roman learning and culture during the first two centuries AD. Significant advancements were made in law, science, architecture, education, and the human condition. From public baths to concrete, from a highly advanced legal and judicial system to a fully professional standing army, and from vomitoria to gladiators, much of what we think of as ‘Roman’ comes from this period.

In the literary sources for the ancient Mediterranean, women were often an afterthought, as only a small percentage of the entire surviving corpus speaks of women’s lives. The twenty-first century is an exciting time for gender studies, as younger scholars are beginning to look at old evidence with new eyes, in the process discovering that ancient material culture has much to say about women, sexuality, and gender. This course seeks to analyze the lives of females from antiquity, and to explore how literature and archaeology have been used as lenses for the construction of gender and sexuality in the ancient Mediterranean world.

What is the point of education? What is worth learning? Where should learning take place? A philosophy of education critically examines how knowledge is organized and transmitted. Can reality ever be represented “objectively”? How do the presuppositions that operate in different societies end up in the curriculum? Are we educating the next generation so that they may participate meaningfully in collective life or are we instructing them in alienation and apathy?

Social and political philosophy examines notions of power and authority within large groups (communities, societies, states). The key questions are age-old: What is the purpose of government? What is the best form of government? Are humans fundamentally equal or unequal? What are our rights and obligations to others? Is war an acceptable way to solve disagreements? Answers to such questions will vary according to historical context. Ancient civilization endorsed slavery. The Christian era equalized all humans before God, but did not support social mobility. Modern political theory grants natural rights to all, opening the door to market-based progress. Critical theory of today shows the paradoxical loss of freedom in the era of mass society. This course may explore both Western and non-Western traditions.

This course provides a basic introduction to the political ideologies of the left, center and right – from communism, socialism, liberalism and conservatism to fascism. It also examines the origins and development of these ideologies, focusing on how these ideologies inspire political movements such as antiglobalism and environmentalism.

This course introduces students to the world of international politics. Topics include the methods of studying global politics, war, conflict management, diplomacy, international law, international terrorism, human rights, global ecopolitics and international organizations such as the United Nations, NATO and the International Court of Justice.

This introductory course in comparative politics examines the basic theories and methods that are used to understand the diverse political systems that exist in the 21st century. It includes a framework for the comparison of the political structures, processes and ideological background of states around the world such as Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and Japan.

This course introduces students to the political challenges that determine the dynamics of Québec and Canadian politics, focusing on Canadian federalism: the tug of war between federal and provincial governments. Topics include Québec nationalism, the parliamentary system of government, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the judicial system and other aspects of the political process, including political parties, elections, interest groups, political leadership and ideologies.

We all share the human experiences of birth, growth, and change. This course examines the physical, cognitive, and social development that occurs from prenatal development to adolescence. Emphasis is placed on an understanding of the interaction of nature and nurture, and how development occurs within contexts and cultures. By studying the theories and research on human development the student will become more sensitive to the complexities and ambiguities inherent in understanding child psychology.

Communication makes us human: whether at school, work or play we are constantly absorbing information, asking questions and trying to make sense of and share our discoveries. We often take this feature of our experience for granted, not realizing that social interaction and communication are skills which can be studied and improved upon to enhance the quality of our lives.
This course exposes students to the patterns of communication and social interaction and helps them appreciate the potential for personal development that may follow. Topics covered in this course include relevant components of the processes of human interaction and communication; self-image, self-confidence, and their characteristics; interpersonal perception; verbal and nonverbal communication; obstacles and suggestions for enhancement; decision making and problem solving; work groups; leadership and membership; assertive and compliant behaviours and their consequences.

This course is designed as an introduction to abnormal behaviour. Topics include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, eating disorders, schizophrenia and other syndromes. Course content includes the classification of disorders, various theoretical perspectives on etiology and therapy, and relevant research.

This course explores the behaviour of people in groups. It examines the individual’s reaction in the group as well as the process of group interaction. Major topics include the formation and functioning of groups, attitudes, roles, leadership, prejudice and aggression. The impact of interpersonal relationships will also be explained.

This course is intended for anyone interested in the “mind-body problem” or how a biological organ, the brain, can give rise to what we call “the mind”. Topics include the biological basis of perception, sleep and dreams, language, thinking, emotion, and memory. The study of these topics will be undertaken on many levels, from the identification of the major brain areas involved to the understanding of basic biological processes occurring at the level of neurons or nerve cells. Students will also be introduced to the basic research methods used to study the brain. Special attention will be given to brain dysfunctions and what they reveal about the mind and brain connection.

NOT CURRENTLY OFFERED

This course provides students with an introduction to the basic processes and principles of learning and memory. Topics include the nature-nurture debate, the basic learning paradigms (classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning), the nature of memory and how it works. The underlying biological basis of learning and memory within the nervous system as well as factors which strengthen learning and memory will also be emphasized. Special attention will be given to practical applications to everyday life.

Fascination with sport has reached new heights. This course examines sport behaviour within the current models and perspectives of psychology. Topics include the social psychological dimensions, personality assessment, aggression and sport violence, anxiety and stress management, and leadership in sport, drug abuse, and athletic motivation. Within these topics consideration will be given to children and adolescents in sport, high-risk athletes, minorities, the female sport experience, and the role of the coach in sport. Further analyses include the nature of the sport psychologist and the applications of mental preparation for the elite and professional athlete.

This course will introduce the student to the scientific study of sensation and perception. The central theme is the illustration of how our senses do not function as a digital camera, taking an exact picture of our environment. On the contrary, our senses detect information from our environment like viewing pieces of a puzzle, and actively builds an internal representation or final percept (puts the pieces together to form a complete picture), be it visual, tactile, olfactory, or gustatory, of the outside world. Students will examine the role of both physiological (sensory pathways) and psychological (experience, memory and cognitive) factors in these fundamental processes. They will illustrate how the nature nurture struggle applies to even these basic sensory capabilities.
It will be shown how our percept is typically an accurate representation of the environment but is not immune to perceptual errors (illusions). The question remains, are these errors or are they the by-products of efficient rule-governed and experience-based systems. Visual topics include brightness, object perception, attention, color, depth, size and motion processing. Other sensory systems, including hearing, touch, smell and taste, will also be explored.

NOT CURRENTLY OFFERED

In Twenty Studies, we explore the research and findings of several prominent psychologists who have made significant contributions to our understanding of human thought and behaviour. We will analyze the findings of some of the most important, most influential, and most controversial studies in psychology. Students who have successfully completed the Introduction to Psychology course may take this course which fulfills both the ministerial objectives and level 2 skills of the Social Science program.

Positive Psychology encompasses the study of positive experiences, positive character strengths, positive relationships, and the institutions and practices that facilitate their development. Positive experiences include the mental states of flow and mindfulness and emotions about the present (pleasure, contentment, laughter), past (e.g., nostalgia, satisfaction, pride), and future (hope, optimism). The distinction among the pleasant life, the good life, and the meaningful life will be drawn. The positive character traits include wisdom, courage, compassion, love, humanity, justice, temperance, self-efficacy, resilience, grit, imagination, creativity, and spirituality/transcendence. The classification of these virtues is explored. Positive relationships include the factors that enhance meaning and well-being among couples, family, friends, coworkers, and the community. Positive institutions are exemplified by positive education, positive work environments, healthy families, humane leadership, and the development of civic virtues. This course also reviews the history of positive psychology and the contributions this new field has made to several traditional research areas in psychology. Consideration will be given to conflicting viewpoints and their respective empirical support, including the benefits of balancing positive with negative emotions, the measurement and development of happiness, and the implications of deliberately attempting to increase it. Throughout this course, the main focus will be to ensure that we (teachers and students) engage in experiential learning and practical exercises to increase well-being, which will inform our theoretical and empirical understanding of important questions in positive psychology.

NOT CURRENTLY OFFERED

Where do the notions of heaven and hell come from? Do communities share beliefs about heaven and hell? This course investigates some of the origins, development and significance of these ideas, as well as the concept of an afterlife. We also explore the history of personified evil in the person of Satan or the devil. We will explore how the concepts of Heaven and Hell can be used to justify a merciful God despite the existence of evil in the world, and how they are used to justify suffering and violence in this world.

How do new spiritual movements worldwide challenge or complement traditional religions? In this course we will discuss new possibilities explored by individuals and groups dissatisfied with religion. These will include a selection of pre-Christian practices, New Age movements and reinterpretations of ancient traditions. We will examine how these attempts to create a spiritual journey resonate with contemporary reality.

Bodies! Everyone has one. Religious traditions and spiritual communities have generated energy, anxiety, excitement, anguish, joy and love over what to do with them. Is the body to be denied, overcome, embraced, trained? May we modify, mutilate, reject, tattoo or terminate our bodies? Love, decorate or praise them? Are gender norms and sexual practices part of religion, or are they socio-cultural expressions? The body is seen as an obstacle to leading a good or spiritual existence and is also celebrated as a gift that can lead to understanding the divine.

The course explores sociological perspectives on love, relationships, and family structures within social, cultural, and historical contexts. Students will analyze the evolution of family forms and examine how race, gender, class, and sexuality shape experiences of love and family life. Key topics include romantic love, hookup culture and online dating, marriage, intimate partner violence, and diverse modern family structures such as single-parent households, blended families, and LGBTQ+ relationships. The course addresses the impact of technology, power dynamics, and societal changes on relationships. Through discussions, documentaries, and sociological analyses, students will critically assess how love and family influence individual identities and broader social structures. By course end, students will articulate the connections between personal experiences and societal forces.

This course introduces sociological perspectives in the study of sport. It focuses on sport as a social institution and explores the ways in which sports shape individuals’ identities, whether these individuals participate in sports or watch them, and how they are shaped by broader cultural, political, and economic forces. Students will examine the intersections of gender and sexuality, race, social class, and disability with sport, and the impact of technology and power dynamics on sport participation. Through discussions, documentaries, and sociological analyses, students will critically assess the links between sports and socialization, education, violence, the media, exploitation, and resistance. By course end, students will gain a sense of how the institution of sports is increasingly influencing society and being influenced by it.

This course examines the diversity of human sexuality, emphasizing its biological, sociocultural, and historical dimensions. It explores how gender and sexuality are shaped, embodied, and negotiated across time and place, influenced by social institutions and power dynamics. Applying social theory, students will analyze themes of social construction and control while exploring how factors such as culture, politics, law, and media impact gender and sexuality.

Sociology helps us gain a better understanding of the social world and of ourselves within in.  It enables us to see how behavior is largely shaped by the groups to which we belong and the society in which we live.  This course allows students to learn and apply this sociological perspective to various contemporary social issues framed as “sociological questions.”  These questions include but are not limited to questions such as why there is inequality, how power shapes interactions, how globalization impacts environmental sustainability, and how technology is changing interactions.

The majority of the world’s population lives in cities; the modern society is an urban society. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the process of urbanization and the nature of urban society. An overview of the history and development of the urban world will be followed by an examination of contemporary urban issues such as social inequity, homelessness and housing, the nature of public spaces, and the role of local government, as well as the challenges of globalization and sustainable development.

This course offers a critical analysis of popular culture from a sociological perspective. It does so by examining the larger social structures that make something popular, by revealing meaning and patterns of popular culture practicies in different examples such as social media, music, fashion, advertising, film, sports, technology, leisure practices, and consumption, and by studying how the consumption and production of popular culture shapes individual behaviours and everyday lives within society.

This course offers an overview of social movements as a central agent for social change, and as a means of understanding major social issues and questions of social justice in contemporary global and Canadian society. It is intended to provide an opportunity for students (1) to examine a variety of sociological theories and sociological problems involved in the study of social movements, (2) to understand major processes determining the emergence, growth, and success of social movement, and (3) to investigate diverse examples of social movements in Canada and internationally, in connection with the issues they aim to resolve.

The purpose of this course is to present students with recent and important work in the study of inequality that captures a variety of issues concerning differences and cleavages in our society. Inequality can compromise different aspects of human rights including access to education, employment, expression of sexual orientation and religious beliefs amongst others. Given the model of multicultural harmony and ethno-cultural diversity for which Canadians are renowned globally, how deeply do Canadians actually embrace and practice diversity and equality? What is the level of acceptance and inclusion among various ethno-racial or other minority groups? How is this exemplified in, reflected and supported by representations and equality of diverse ethno-racial groups in Canadian society? The course is an attempt to answer these questions.

Globalization, it is widely recognized, is transforming social structures and connecting personal lives to increasingly dense global networks of culture, economics, politics, and demography. With that in mind, this course aims to develop students’ understanding of globalization’s impact on their lives and their agency in a globalized world through an exploration of the diverse ways different social institutions and people experience, make sense of, and respond to globalization.

This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the perspective of sociology and its application to the areas of crime, deviance and social control. The course explores a wide range of sociological and criminological theories to help provide a broader understanding of the background of crime, criminals, criminal organizations as well as the mechanisms of social control that are supposed to help prevent and prohibit crime. Throughout the course, we will explore areas of debate in the criminal justice system, including the classic dichotomy of who makes and who breaks the law, how we measure crime, how we respond to crime, how we prioritize crime, how we punish, who we punish and the effects of these processes on society as a whole.

Technology and Society examines the relationship between technology and society through culture, politics, economics, and the environment. This course may also explore topics such as the role of technology in shaping social norms and values, the impact of technology on social inequality, and the ways in which technology can be used to address social problems.

This course is designed to give students a broad overview of the impact of business on our daily lives. The course examines “business” not just from a corporate approach, but rather based on our daily social interactions and exchanges, which are essentially business transactions. Students will learn the essentials of “business” thinking, the questions one should be asking, and how to start thinking in broader-based terms. Work, the first marketers, globalization, technology issues and global transfer, risk and consumer decisions will be considered from a sociological perspective. The course will give students a very different approach insight into the social aspects of business.

Environment, food, agriculture and society are aspects of our everyday lives. This course enables the students, through lectures and role -playing in the “Green Revolution Game” to make decisions, which will have positive and negative effects on the environment as they try to have their farm survive. Through this decision making process students will learn how industrialization impacts the environment. In addition they will become more aware of how society and the environment interact. This is a level 2 course that applies the sociological imagination to becoming an active citizen with a more in-depth global perspective.

This course is an examination of the social forces that shape ordinary, routine, and subtle aspects of our everyday lives, such as how we think, how we present ourselves, how we interact with others, how we see ourselves, and how we experience daily events on both a micro and macro level.

This course examines the concept of the self, focusing on personality, motivation, and social attitudes within the context of human interactions and social systems. It considers how meaning emerges from relationships and interactions. This course aims to help students gain self-awareness and build stronger, more meaningful connections with others.

The course will offer students an opportunity to explore community responses to social issues; their causes, extent and possible solutions. This knowledge will then be applied to various community settings where theoretical understanding will be enhanced through practical experience, and subsequently reassessed in light of this experience.

This course explores the roles of educational institutions in society, focusing on Canadian and global contexts through historical and modern perspectives. It critically examines how schools reinforce or challenge social, economic, and political structures while addressing topics such as curriculum, social reproduction, family-school relationships, and teacher roles. The investigation also considers how factors like culture, globalization, technology, identity, and interpersonal relationships shape the function and dynamics of schools.

This course will introduce students to the sociological study of law and the Canadian legal system. We will examine how the law operates as a method of social control, as a challenge to/or reinforcement of concentrations of power, and as a facilitator of social change. Students will be introduced to a range of sociological theories and research, all of which will help to develop a deeper understanding of the law. This course will address questions such as: Why do societies have law? Is law a mechanism for coordinating human activity toward the common good, or a vehicles for conflict and oppression? Why do people obey the law, and why do people punish lawbreakers? When does law stabilize society, and when does law promote social change? Is everyone equal under the law or does the law provide more resources to some social groups than to others? Should Goldilocks be charged with break and enter? Overall this course will allow students to understand how law impacts on work, economics, and poverty at a local, national and global leve

Prerequisite: SEE MATHEMATICS SEQUENCE CHART
This course includes a review of algebra, functions, limits, continuity, differentiation, the derivative with business and other applications; curve sketching, optimization; derivatives using exponential, trigonometric and logarithmic functions. Required course for Commerce and Social Science with Math profiles.

Prerequisite: SEE MATHEMATICS SEQUENCE CHART
This course is the same as 201-103-RE, but with an extra hour of class time per week.

Human Biology is a concentration course for Social Science students in the psychology profile. Focusing on cell physiology, human reproduction genetics and on the regulation of homeostasis by the nervous and endocrine systems, this course offers an opportunity to develop an understanding of the biological concepts which play an important role in human behaviour.

Prerequisite: 201-103-RE
In this course, students learn about indefinite and definite integrals with applications (area, consumer’s and producer’s surplus), integration techniques, partial fractions, integration by parts, use of integration tables, differential equations (first order separable) limits using l’Hôpital’s rule, improper integrals, sequences, series and convergence of series. Required course for Commerce and Social Science with Math profiles.

Prerequisite: 201-103-RE
This course covers the solution of systems of linear equations, matrices, determinants; vectors in 2-space and 3-space, dot product, cross product, lines and planes, introduction to concepts of linear combinations, spans, subspaces, linear dependence and independence, basis, dimension, row space, column space, null space and applications.

Prerequisite: 360-300-RE
This course reviews topics covered in Quantitative Methods (360-300) and extends these topics with the following statistical concepts: probability, empirical probability, axioms and fundamental theorems, conditional probability, independent events, probability distributions, statistical inference, random sampling, estimates of mean and proportion, confidence intervals, tests of hypothesis, tests of the population proportion and population mean, test of fit (Chi Square). Students wishing to enter certain university programs in Psychology may require this course as a prerequisite. Recommended course for Social Science students.

In this course, students will further their knowledge of the methods of Anthropology as these address the concept of race and the social phenomenon of racism. We will look at the history and usage of the concept of race as well as the development of systems of racial stratification. This course has academic as well as personal dimensions: as we seek to understand the meaning of race and racism, we will continually reassess our own beliefs about race. Topics will include the explanation of the Anthropological perspective on race, exploring concepts like discrimination, prejudice, ethnicity, stereotypes and the multiple forms racism takes, as well as case studies including Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, Apartheid in South Africa, Slavery in America as well as racism in Canada.

Museology is the study of museums and how they have been established and developed as educational mechanisms under social and political pressures. Students will be introduced to the history of museums and the field of museum studies. Issues of theory and practice will be examined through an Anthropological lens as they relate to development, care, and use of museum and systematic collections. Topics to be covered include museum education, exhibit development, issues of diversity, legal and ethical implications in the development and use of collections, and examining the diverse types of collections. This course meets the requirements of a level 2 course in the Social Science Program and addresses the Ministerial objectives as well as the level 2 skills of the Social Science Program.

This course encompasses a broad study of the history of violence among humans using anthropological theory and ethnographic research, in particular the evidence from archaeological and skeletal evidence. Course lectures and in-class discussions will focus on the theories of the origins of violence, the consequences, and the different forms of violence that vary spatially and temporarily. After a brief overview of the types of data used by anthropologists and reviewing non-human violence, we will discuss evidence of conflict in early human populations, small-group conflict in tribal societies, civil and interstate war, state-sponsored violence and terrorism, and ethnic cleansing and genocide. We will also discuss the correlates of violence, including issues related to social suffering and trauma, the incidences and interpretations of ritualized violence, as well as recovery and reconciliation. We will conclude with analyses and presentations of specific case studies.

Anthropology is the study of all aspects of human life from the distant past to the present and throughout all areas of the world. In this course, students will further their knowledge of the methods and concepts of Archeology in the specific area of the Americas. Studying Indigenous past cultures will be the focus of this course, therefore allowing us to appreciate the diversity of prehistoric cultures and great civilizations prior to the arrival of Columbus. Topics to be covered in the course will include ancient American prehistoric sites and their archeological study, The Pueblo people of the South West, the Mesoamerican civilizations (Teotihuacan, Mayas) as well as the South American civilizations (the Incas).

This course also qualifies for the Aboriginal Studies Certificate. For more information please contact aboriginalstudies@johnabbott.qc.ca

This course provides a broad overview of forensic anthropology – an applied field of biological anthropology that involves the application of methods from biological anthropology and archaeology to the identification, recovery, and analysis of skeletal remains from crime scenes, mass disasters and unexplained deaths. The identification of skeletal and other decomposed human remains is important for both legal and humanitarian reasons. Forensic anthropologists work to determine the age, sex, ancestry, stature, and unique features of a decedent from the skeleton. While proficiency in forensic method will not be the focus of this course, general identification techniques will be addressed.

This course also qualifies for the John Abbott Peace and Social Justice Studies Certificate. For more information, please contact peacestudies@johnabbott.qc.ca

This course is an introduction to basic concepts in Business Law. It introduces students to the legal environment of business, enabling them to become familiar with our society’s legal structure and the function of law in the business community. The student completing this course should understand and apply the legal principles in the workplace. Also, the student will grasp the need to deal with lawyers/notaries and other professionals and contracts of sale/purchase, leases, etc. Principles of tort liability, including both intentional and negligent torts, are addressed. Finally, legal issues of particular relevance to marketing such as product liability, misleading advertising, warranty and service promises and issues of pricing and distribution, are also examined.

The course will invite students to learn about the impact of business on society and the challenges of creating a socially responsible venture. Students will study how businesses can thrive and grow while simultaneously solving some of the world’s biggest problems. This course aims to provide students with an entrepreneurial project learning experience that will inspire them to become well-informed change leaders of the future.

This course explores the interactions between human economic activities and environmental degradation.  The focus will be on how the ever-growing production, distribution and consumption of goods and services is contributing to the rise in the level of emissions with potentially devastating consequences for planet earth and human civilization. It will help students have a better understanding of the challenges associated with climate change, pollution, resource depletion, and the public policies and international agreements used to curb them to ensure a safe, greener and more sustainable environment for generations to come.

This course offers students the opportunity to apply and analyze concepts and theories associated with the human “population crisis” and the related resource issues of food production and energy supplies. With a global population that has now passed 7 billion people, should we be worried? Students will read and discuss materials from different perspectives and produce a research project relating to the question “is the world overpopulated?”.

This course challenges students to analyze and apply concepts related to the study of cultural, social and political geographies. It examines the interplay between place, space and identities in the formation of social, cultural and political territories and the resulting conflicts between groups. The major themes in the course include landscape and the environment, the geographies of language and religion, global and local cultures, community and territoriality, state and sub-state nationalism, and inter-ethnic conflict.

This course places the subject of economic geography within the framework of world events to illustrate the growing interdependence among regions with respect to economic theory, development and trade. The roots of the disparities that exist at the world scale are examined as well as their impact on future economic development. Alternatives to the present world economic system will be discussed.

This course provides students with the opportunity to analyze and apply the concepts and theories of environmental geography. The main issues addressed include environmental sustainability, the consumption of resources and the environmental impacts of human activities, with a particular emphasis on solutions to the Climate and Ecological Emergency.

Social and political philosophy examines notions of power and authority within large groups (communities, societies, states). The key questions are age-old: What is the purpose of government? What is the best form of government? Are humans fundamentally equal or unequal? What are our rights and obligations to others? Is war an acceptable way to solve disagreements? Answers to such questions will vary according to historical context. Ancient civilization endorsed slavery. The Christian era equalized all humans before God, but did not support social mobility. Modern political theory grants natural rights to all, opening the door to market-based progress. Critical theory of today shows the paradoxical loss of freedom in the era of mass society. This course may explore both Western and non-Western traditions.

What is the point of education? What is worth learning? Where should learning take place? A philosophy of education critically examines how knowledge is organized and transmitted. Can reality ever be represented “objectively”? How do the presuppositions that operate in different societies end up in the curriculum? Are we educating the next generation so that they may participate meaningfully in collective life or are we instructing them in alienation and apathy?

This course provides a basic introduction to the political ideologies of the left, center and right – from communism, socialism, liberalism and conservatism to fascism. It also examines the origins and development of these ideologies, focusing on how these ideologies inspire political movements such as antiglobalism and environmentalism.

This course introduces students to the political challenges that determine the dynamics of Québec and Canadian politics, focusing on Canadian federalism: the tug of war between federal and provincial governments. Topics include Québec nationalism, the parliamentary system of government, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the judicial system and other aspects of the political process, including political parties, elections, interest groups, political leadership and ideologies.

This course explores the behaviour of people in groups. It examines the individual’s reaction in the group as well as the process of group interaction. Major topics include the formation and functioning of groups, attitudes, roles, leadership, prejudice and aggression. The impact of interpersonal relationships will also be explained.

Where do the notions of heaven and hell come from? Do communities share beliefs about heaven and hell? This course investigates some of the origins, development and significance of these ideas, as well as the concept of an afterlife. We also explore the history of personified evil in the person of Satan or the devil. We will explore how the concepts of Heaven and Hell can be used to justify a merciful God despite the existence of evil in the world, and how they are used to justify suffering and violence in this world.

This course examines the diversity of human sexuality, emphasizing its biological, sociocultural, and historical dimensions. It explores how gender and sexuality are shaped, embodied, and negotiated across time and place, influenced by social institutions and power dynamics. Applying social theory, students will analyze themes of social construction and control while exploring how factors such as culture, politics, law, and media impact gender and sexuality.

Sociology helps us gain a better understanding of the social world and of ourselves within in.  It enables us to see how behavior is largely shaped by the groups to which we belong and the society in which we live.  This course allows students to learn and apply this sociological perspective to various contemporary social issues framed as “sociological questions.”  These questions include but are not limited to questions such as why there is inequality, how power shapes interactions, how globalization impacts environmental sustainability, and how technology is changing interactions.

The purpose of this course is to present students with recent and important work in the study of inequality that captures a variety of issues concerning differences and cleavages in our society. Inequality can compromise different aspects of human rights including access to education, employment, expression of sexual orientation and religious beliefs amongst others. Given the model of multicultural harmony and ethno-cultural diversity for which Canadians are renowned globally, how deeply do Canadians actually embrace and practice diversity and equality? What is the level of acceptance and inclusion among various ethno-racial or other minority groups? How is this exemplified in, reflected and supported by representations and equality of diverse ethno-racial groups in Canadian society? The course is an attempt to answer these questions.

This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the perspective of sociology and its application to the areas of crime, deviance and social control. The course explores a wide range of sociological and criminological theories to help provide a broader understanding of the background of crime, criminals, criminal organizations as well as the mechanisms of social control that are supposed to help prevent and prohibit crime. Throughout the course, we will explore areas of debate in the criminal justice system, including the classic dichotomy of who makes and who breaks the law, how we measure crime, how we respond to crime, how we prioritize crime, how we punish, who we punish and the effects of these processes on society as a whole.

This course will introduce students to the sociological study of law and the Canadian legal system. We will examine how the law operates as a method of social control, as a challenge to/or reinforcement of concentrations of power, and as a facilitator of social change. Students will be introduced to a range of sociological theories and research, all of which will help to develop a deeper understanding of the law. This course will address questions such as: Why do societies have law? Is law a mechanism for coordinating human activity toward the common good, or a vehicles for conflict and oppression? Why do people obey the law, and why do people punish lawbreakers? When does law stabilize society, and when does law promote social change? Is everyone equal under the law or does the law provide more resources to some social groups than to others? Should Goldilocks be charged with break and enter? Overall this course will allow students to understand how law impacts on work, economics, and poverty at a local, national and global level.

This course covers the following topics: World War I and the Treaty of Versailles; post-war tensions and economic problems in the 1920’s; Stalinism in Communist Russia; failure of the Weimar Republic in Germany; the Great Depression and the rise of Totalitarianism; Mussolini and Fascism in Italy; Hitler and Nazism in Germany; failure of the League of Nations and outbreak of World War II; aftermath of World War II; the Cold War, United Nations and the superpowers; emergence of the Third World and Communist China; threats to world peace and the nuclear age – Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East and the breakup of the Communist world.

This course studies the history of Latin America from 300 C.E. to 21st century events. It starts with the pre-conquest Maya, Inca and Aztec. With the European conquest in 1492 examines the colonial origins of Spanish, Portuguese and French-speaking nations; European, African, Asian and indigenous cultures blended in new ways. With Independence in 1810, common issues emerged: nationalism, poverty, revolution, dictatorship, indigenous rights, popular music, literature, and nationalistic art. Country highlights include Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Cuba and Haiti.

Step into the global Middle Ages, where feudal Europe meets the Abbasid Caliphate and Song China. How were these societies different? What did they have in common? Students will get to explore these questions by examining the lives of individuals from all over Eurasia as well as the societies the lived in.

What were the economic origins of early civilizations? What was the role of religion in early societies? How did social stratification develop? What does “civilization” really mean? In this course, students will gain an appreciation for how archaeologists make sense of the material past and address such questions. Students will also explore case studies of past societies by surveying the transition from hunting and gathering societies across Prehistoric Africa, Europe and Asia to the dawn of the earliest state-level societies including Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Mesoamerica, South America, and East Asia.

Cultural anthropology focuses on the traditions, beliefs, worldviews, practices, and institutions of contemporary societies around the world. For humans, cultural innovations allow us to interact effectively with our physical environment, to communicate with each other and provide us with a sense of belonging.  Using case studies from around the world, this course addresses how people adapt and make sense of the world through culture, to try to better understand what makes us human through the beauty of our diversity. We will also examine the impacts of the movement of people, ideas, and things through global interactions like colonialism and migration.

NOT CURRENTLY OFFERED

This course examines human relation to, interaction with, and perceptions of the natural environment from an anthropological perspective. Included is an exploration of human evolution and the relation to the environment, the ways in which environment has been thought about and ideas about it expressed cross-culturally and historically, how environment is ‘captured’ in zoos and botanical gardens, environmentalism and its relation to politics and tourism, and the role of anthropology in development for a sustainable future. This course meets the requirements of a level 2 course in the Social Science Program and addresses the Ministerial objectives as well as the level 2 skills of the Social Science Program.

What did our ancestors do for fun? How have leisure and sports activities changed over the course of human evolution and history? Do all human groups enjoy similar leisure activities? Do social differences affect the kind of leisure and sports activities enjoyed? Do men and women enjoy the same activities, for the same reasons? What is the relation between people who do activities and those who watch? How do international sports competitions relate to nations and politics? These are some questions that will be addressed in this course. Using a holistic approach that takes into account the relation between natural and social environments, human biology, and culture, we will explore issues in the Anthropology of Sports and Leisure related to past and present, cross-cultural diversity in practices and perceptions of sports and leisure, and sport on the global stage.

This course focuses on the impact of International Business from the perspective of the various stakeholders including business, consumers, government, employees and the physical, social, and cultural environments in the trend toward a more integrated global economic system. Students have the opportunity learn about how business, consumer, and political objectives are played out in the global marketplace and how they impact on each other.

The course will invite students to learn about the impact of business on society and the challenges of creating a socially responsible venture. Students will study how businesses can thrive and grow while simultaneously solving some of the world’s biggest problems. This course aims to provide students with an entrepreneurial project learning experience that will inspire them to become well-informed change leaders of the future.

This advanced course permits students to apply economic principles to a specific field of study. The pure theory of international trade, terms of trade, theory and applications of tariffs, balance of payments and exchange rates are discussed within the context of Canada’s substantial relation to other economies. The nature and effects of international economic institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are also examined. Although Macroeconomics (383-920- RE) is the only prerequisite, students will find this course more rewarding if they have already taken both Macroeconomics and Microeconomics.

This course explores the interactions between human economic activities and environmental degradation.  The focus will be on how the ever-growing production, distribution and consumption of goods and services is contributing to the rise in the level of emissions with potentially devastating consequences for planet earth and human civilization. It will help students have a better understanding of the challenges associated with climate change, pollution, resource depletion, and the public policies and international agreements used to curb them to ensure a safe, greener and more sustainable environment for generations to come.

This course offers students the opportunity to apply and analyze concepts and theories associated with the human “population crisis” and the related resource issues of food production and energy supplies. With a global population that has now passed 7 billion people, should we be worried? Students will read and discuss materials from different perspectives and produce a research project relating to the question “is the world overpopulated?”.

This course explores the urbanization process and its role in producing geographical differences among cities around the world. World urbanization patterns and the historical development of different types of cities are used to highlight a range of contemporary urban problems and planning issues, including social inequality, the provision of housing and employment, transportation planning and environmental concerns.

This course provides students with the opportunity to analyze and apply the concepts and theories of environmental geography. The main issues addressed include environmental sustainability, the consumption of resources and the environmental impacts of human activities, with a particular emphasis on solutions to the Climate and Ecological Emergency.

This course familiarizes students with the geography of travel and tourism. Its main objective is to examine how, why and when people travel and to understand the international, regional and local impacts of tourism. Particular attention is given to the development of tourism as it depends upon and impacts on a region’s physical, economic and cultural environment.

NOT CURRENTLY OFFERED

This course covers the following topics: World War I and the Treaty of Versailles; post-war tensions and economic problems in the 1920’s; Stalinism in Communist Russia; failure of the Weimar Republic in Germany; the Great Depression and the rise of Totalitarianism; Mussolini and Fascism in Italy; Hitler and Nazism in Germany; failure of the League of Nations and outbreak of World War II; aftermath of World War II; the Cold War, United Nations and the superpowers; emergence of the Third World and Communist China; threats to world peace and the nuclear age – Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East and the breakup of the Communist world.

This course studies the history of Latin America from 300 C.E. to 21st century events. It starts with the pre-conquest Maya, Inca and Aztec. With the European conquest in 1492 examines the colonial origins of Spanish, Portuguese and French-speaking nations; European, African, Asian and indigenous cultures blended in new ways. With Independence in 1810, common issues emerged: nationalism, poverty, revolution, dictatorship, indigenous rights, popular music, literature, and nationalistic art. Country highlights include Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Cuba and Haiti.

This course is designed as an introduction to the history of Japan, from its prehistorical dawn to the challenges it faces in the present day.  It covers the major time periods of Japanese history: early state building, the “Middle Ages” of the samurai, challenges from the West, and rapid modernization during the 19th and 20th centuries.  Social and cultural movements feature prominently, as does the interaction between events in Japan and larger historical trends in Asia and the world.

Social and political philosophy examines notions of power and authority within large groups (communities, societies, states). The key questions are age-old: What is the purpose of government? What is the best form of government? Are humans fundamentally equal or unequal? What are our rights and obligations to others? Is war an acceptable way to solve disagreements? Answers to such questions will vary according to historical context. Ancient civilization endorsed slavery. The Christian era equalized all humans before God, but did not support social mobility. Modern political theory grants natural rights to all, opening the door to market-based progress. Critical theory of today shows the paradoxical loss of freedom in the era of mass society. This course may explore both Western and non-Western traditions.

This course covers the following topics: World War I and the Treaty of Versailles; post-war tensions and economic problems in the 1920’s; Stalinism in Communist Russia; failure of the Weimar Republic in Germany; the Great Depression and the rise of Totalitarianism; Mussolini and Fascism in Italy; Hitler and Nazism in Germany; failure of the League of Nations and outbreak of World War II; aftermath of World War II; the Cold War, United Nations and the superpowers; emergence of the Third World and Communist China; threats to world peace and the nuclear age – Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East and the breakup of the Communist world.

This course provides a basic introduction to the political ideologies of the left, center and right – from communism, socialism, liberalism and conservatism to fascism. It also examines the origins and development of these ideologies, focusing on how these ideologies inspire political movements such as antiglobalism and environmentalism.

This course introduces students to the world of international politics. Topics include the methods of studying global politics, war, conflict management, diplomacy, international law, international terrorism, human rights, global ecopolitics and international organizations such as the United Nations, NATO and the International Court of Justice.

Positive Psychology encompasses the study of positive experiences, positive character strengths, positive relationships, and the institutions and practices that facilitate their development. Positive experiences include the mental states of flow and mindfulness and emotions about the present (pleasure, contentment, laughter), past (e.g., nostalgia, satisfaction, pride), and future (hope, optimism). The distinction among the pleasant life, the good life, and the meaningful life will be drawn. The positive character traits include wisdom, courage, compassion, love, humanity, justice, temperance, self-efficacy, resilience, grit, imagination, creativity, and spirituality/transcendence. The classification of these virtues is explored. Positive relationships include the factors that enhance meaning and well-being among couples, family, friends, coworkers, and the community. Positive institutions are exemplified by positive education, positive work environments, healthy families, humane leadership, and the development of civic virtues. This course also reviews the history of positive psychology and the contributions this new field has made to several traditional research areas in psychology. Consideration will be given to conflicting viewpoints and their respective empirical support, including the benefits of balancing positive with negative emotions, the measurement and development of happiness, and the implications of deliberately attempting to increase it. Throughout this course, the main focus will be to ensure that we (teachers and students) engage in experiential learning and practical exercises to increase well-being, which will inform our theoretical and empirical understanding of important questions in positive psychology.

This course explores the behaviour of people in groups. It examines the individual’s reaction in the group as well as the process of group interaction. Major topics include the formation and functioning of groups, attitudes, roles, leadership, prejudice and aggression. The impact of interpersonal relationships will also be explained.

Bodies! Everyone has one. Religious traditions and spiritual communities have generated energy, anxiety, excitement, anguish, joy and love over what to do with them. Is the body to be denied, overcome, embraced, trained? May we modify, mutilate, reject, tattoo or terminate our bodies? Love, decorate or praise them? Are gender norms and sexual practices part of religion, or are they socio-cultural expressions? The body is seen as an obstacle to leading a good or spiritual existence and is also celebrated as a gift that can lead to understanding the divine.

How do new spiritual movements worldwide challenge or complement traditional religions? In this course we will discuss new possibilities explored by individuals and groups dissatisfied with religion. These will include a selection of pre-Christian practices, New Age movements and reinterpretations of ancient traditions. We will examine how these attempts to create a spiritual journey resonate with contemporary reality.

Sociology helps us gain a better understanding of the social world and of ourselves within in.  It enables us to see how behavior is largely shaped by the groups to which we belong and the society in which we live.  This course allows students to learn and apply this sociological perspective to various contemporary social issues framed as “sociological questions.”  These questions include but are not limited to questions such as why there is inequality, how power shapes interactions, how globalization impacts environmental sustainability, and how technology is changing interactions.

This course offers an overview of social movements as a central agent for social change, and as a means of understanding major social issues and questions of social justice in contemporary global and Canadian society. It is intended to provide an opportunity for students (1) to examine a variety of sociological theories and sociological problems involved in the study of social movements, (2) to understand major processes determining the emergence, growth, and success of social movement, and (3) to investigate diverse examples of social movements in Canada and internationally, in connection with the issues they aim to resolve.

Globalization, it is widely recognized, is transforming social structures and connecting personal lives to increasingly dense global networks of culture, economics, politics, and demography. With that in mind, this course aims to develop students’ understanding of globalization’s impact on their lives and their agency in a globalized world through an exploration of the diverse ways different social institutions and people experience, make sense of, and respond to globalization.

This course is designed to give students a broad overview of the impact of business on our daily lives. The course examines “business” not just from a corporate approach, but rather based on our daily social interactions and exchanges, which are essentially business transactions. Students will learn the essentials of “business” thinking, the questions one should be asking, and how to start thinking in broader-based terms. Work, the first marketers, globalization, technology issues and global transfer, risk and consumer decisions will be considered from a sociological perspective. The course will give students a very different approach insight into the social aspects of business.

Environment, food, agriculture and society are aspects of our everyday lives. This course enables the students, through lectures and role -playing in the “Green Revolution Game” to make decisions, which will have positive and negative effects on the environment as they try to have their farm survive. Through this decision making process students will learn how industrialization impacts the environment. In addition they will become more aware of how society and the environment interact. This is a level 2 course that applies the sociological imagination to becoming an active citizen with a more in-depth global perspective.

This course provides a basic introduction to the political ideologies of the left, center and right – from communism, socialism, liberalism and conservatism to fascism. It also examines the origins and development of these ideologies, focusing on how these ideologies inspire political movements such as antiglobalism and environmentalism.

This course introduces students to the world of international politics. Topics include the methods of studying global politics, war, conflict management, diplomacy, international law, international terrorism, human rights, global ecopolitics and international organizations such as the United Nations, NATO and the International Court of Justice.