Education Option in Social Science

Description: What is research? What is science? How do the disciplines of Anthropology, Economics, Geography,
History, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology contribute to our understanding of human life? To answer these
questions, students explore the process of scientific research and communication in the social sciences. Specifically,
they learn to carry out a literature search, evaluate the relevance and reliability of varied information sources, summarize these sources using scientific conventions and communicate their ideas clearly, both orally and in written form.
Throughout, students also learn about, and experience, the role of teamwork and feedback in the research process.

Description: How do people learn? What is memory and why do we forget? How does the brain work? You get to
answer these and many more questions in Introduction to Psychology. The topics discussed help you understand
how various factors can influence your behaviour and brain processes in different situations and give you a new
perspective on some of your own experiences. Strategies to help with your memory, study habits, and learning
methods are discussed, which will help you apply course topics to your own life.

Description: What connects humans throughout history? Discover fascinating people and events that changed
the world and tie it together. After setting the scene with premodern global history, dive into the state of the
world in the 1500s, including colonialism, imperialism, slavery, and cultural assimilation. In the Modern Era,
juxtapose Enlightenment ideals and global revolutions with the slow and difficult application of human rights
and creeping industrialization. Conclude your journey with the past century, its conflicts, authoritarianism,
nationalism, decolonization, technological revolutions, globalization, and fights for the environment and civil
rights. Along the way, add to your historical, research, and writing skills.

Description: Explore the inner workings of human behaviour by understanding the social world around us
through the discipline of Sociology. Dive into the infinite universe of your sociological imagination and master, in
depth, how people are socialized as they navigate the flowing waters of culture and society that surround them.
Jump off the deep end and discover how a perfect storm of social forces causes issues such as prejudice, discrimination, social inequality and among others, shape our identity as individuals.

Description: How do we distinguish between scientific and non-scientific knowledge? What are the ethical guidelines that direct research in the social sciences? What are the theories and techniques used by social scientists to
obtain and analyze qualitative data? Investigate the social world using qualitative research methods such as interviews, participant observation and thematic analysis. Apply your critical thinking skills to contextualize research
results and produce scientific research papers.

Description: Learn the principles and tools of macroeconomic analysis and apply them to understand real world
economic events and policies. Topics include: economics systems, economic incentives, macroeconomic indicators (such as inflation, unemployment, and gross domestic product), business cycles, economic growth, fiscal and
monetary policies, and the aggregate demand and aggregate supply model.

Description: Have you ever been bored in class? Who chooses what we learn in school? Using a sociological lens,
learn about the goals of the education system in Canada with a focus on Quebec. Discover how our current
education system has been shaped by and reflects the ongoing struggles between oppositional political powers
throughout Canada’s history. Explore how school is a vehicle for the socialization of productive future citizens
and uncover the impacts of various social inequalities on educational outcomes. Finally, evaluate whether higher
education truly provides the promised opportunity for social mobility for all.

Description: Why do certain kids cry when their parents drop them off at day care? Do all teenagers experience
an identity crisis? You get to answer these and many more questions in Child and Adolescent Development. We
undergo many changes from birth up until the teenage years. To study these changes, we focus on the physical, cognitive, social and emotional development of children and adolescents. The topics discussed explore and
analyze development within the contexts of family, peer groups and school. You get to apply this knowledge in
various contexts, reflect on your own experiences and raise your very own virtual child.

Description: How do we collect and quantify data? How does the data we gather help us understand the social
world? In Quantitative Methods, we learn descriptive and inferential statistical operations, and how to analyse
statistics in popular media and scholarly texts. Summarizing, interpreting and critically evaluating quantitative information, we become familiar with the fundamental concepts and basic techniques of the quantitative methods
in the Social Sciences.

Description: Have you ever considered what truly makes us human? Have you ever wondered why humans think and
act in such varied ways across the world? Tracing our human origins and development, explore our past and present
as cultural and biological beings and learn about the unique anthropological approach to the study of humanity.
Learn about the practical use of the different fields of anthropology (archaeology, biological, linguistic and cultural)
by using case studies and experiential activities that may include fossil and artifact analysis, field observations and
museum visits

Description: Outside the classroom we examine our environments, collect data, and relate it to our human condition.
Outdoor observational field experiences help us to better understand geographical methodologies and techniques
and allow us to apply this knowledge in real-world settings. Making connections between people and place we investigate what factors are important when we explore changes over space and time. Through active, immersive activities
we learn how to accurately record fieldnotes and report findings through written and oral presentations.

Description: Humans are social beings that live in groups. What kinds of groups exist in society and how are they
formed? How do power and inequality affect the functioning of a group? Why is an individual attracted to one group
and not another? How do groups resolve conflicts and make decisions? Using theories and concepts from Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology, we first examine the evolutionary, cognitive, interpersonal and socio-cultural dimensions of groups. Students then complete an observation period outside of the classroom in a context that aligns with
their interests and where they apply course material to a real-life setting.

Description: Scholarly conventions of the social sciences dictate how we plan, carry out and evaluate academic
work, including following ethical guidelines and expressing ideas clearly. The final integrative research project
is a guided multidisciplinary comprehensive assessment of the knowledge and skills acquired through the social
science program. It offers a broadened understanding of the social world and the chance to evaluate one’s own
learning journey in the Social Sciences.

Description: Is there a “universal” or “natural” way to raise a child? Do you experience childhood and adolescence differently if you are raised in another culture? What impact has globalization, migration and conflict had
on the lives of young people? Explore the great variety of cultural practices related to raising children and the
ways in which young people negotiate a sense of identity and belonging as you challenge your own perceptions
of what is good for children.

One of the following (Student Choice):
385-S01-LA Introduction to Political Science
320-S01-LA Introduction to Geography
401-S01-LA Introduction to Business

One of the following (Student Choice):
101-SHB-LA Human Biology
360-QM2-LA Quantitative Methods 2
Level 2 Concentration Course (Student choice)