Bachelor of Arts Community Studies in English (Co-op Optional)

at Cape Breton University Canada

On Cape Breton Island, you’ll find the path to your successful future by discovering today’s world of psychology. With students coming to study at CBU from over 40 countries around the world, our diverse campus of thought leaders set the stage for your future success.

Psychology courses at CBU emphasize the genetic, physiological, sensory, cognitive, personality-based and social structures that mediate behaviour and mental processes. As the science that examines the structure and function of behaviour and mental processes, we’re proud to offer relevant programs for today’s world.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Understanding of mental health
• Learn theories and history of psychology
• General research skills·
• Specific knowledge to your specialization

Why study at CBU?

• At CBU, our comprehensive curriculum focuses on understanding individual behaviour so you can apply your skills to a wide variety of opportunities in the field of psychology. Studying psychology here will provide you with the skills you need to think, be innovative and design your own experiments to answer your own questions. You will critique work, yours and others, as well as conduct and report on experiments to help build a foundation for tomorrow.
• With modern facilities and breathtaking scenery, not many places in the world can offer what Cape Breton Island can offer. Plus, with accessible and experienced faculty, CBU encourages active research alongside your professors.
• Because hard work and dedication are noticed here, students are often hired as research assistants to help professors in their duties. Here, we also believe that what we learn from psychological research can be used to understand past, current, or future events. That means the knowledge you gain at CBU can also help analyze mental health issues, and improve education, employment and relationships.
• Our Honours Psychology Program (BA, BSc, or BACS) provides advanced training in research methods, statistical analysis, as well as guaranteed one-on-one thesis supervision. This program prepares students wishing to go on to graduate school or professional programs.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

• Directed study course work
• Co-op opportunities
• Working as a research assistant

Special collaborations happen here at Cape Breton University between students and faculty from completely different backgrounds, cultures and societies through courses that are reflective of the diverse world in which we live. Students who graduate from CBU do so with the confidence and flexibility they need to have an edge in the job market or find success in continued graduate studies.

At CBU, you will build the skills you actually need within the field of sociology. Sociology considers the factors driving relationships that exist in society by looking at the social and historical contexts that frame those experiences. Sociologists study the interactions of our social lives by examining their formations in socialization activities.

Sociology is considered a teachable subject by the Nova Scotia Department of Education.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Ability to conduct thorough research
• Skills to analyze complex social interactions
• Critical thinking skills
• Ability to gather and analyze data sets

Why study at CBU?
Here on Cape Breton Island, our rich history and famous landscapes have carved out a home for some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet. Some of the best food you’ll ever taste. And certainly some of the best times you’ll ever have. It’s a great place to call home, and an even better place to study.

Our sociology courses are taught by accessible faculty with diverse research backgrounds in areas of sociology of family, gender, identity and sexuality, feminist theory, queer theory, critical pedagogy, environmental sociology, deviance, green criminology, animals and people, consumption and consumerism, qualitative research methods, sociology of home and statistical analysis. This diverse selection of topic areas provides students with a distinctive mix of subjects in their coursework all while providing a unified approach to sociological theory.

With modern facilities and a diverse campus filled with lifelong friends waiting to meet you, CBU is a place where you can truly build a sustainable future.

Cape Breton Island is a hotbed of culture, with a rich, varied landscape of traditions and lore. Traditionally, folklore is the study of informal culture.

The study of a group’s folklore yields valuable insights into how that group operates in the world, but also reveals biases, prejudices and other obstacles to a more inclusive worldview. Most often, folklore is expressive and manifests itself in certain forms, such as story and song, festival and feast, architecture and craft. Although these forms may be manifested in a distinct way by each group, they recur in similar ways across cultures, so folklore examines both the particular context and the general formal patterns of expressive culture.

After providing a solid introduction to folklore genres, analytical approaches and ethnographic methods, folklore students take a balance of regional folklore courses (courses primarily about folklore in Atlantic Canada), and courses emphasizing genres and issues (such as urban legend, gender, food and cultural tourism).

CBU students learn practical skills in interviewing, fieldwork, and ethnographic research while also gaining an awareness of international heritage policy. Folklore’s interdisciplinary nature promotes sharing concerns, methods and insights with others. Through this group learning dynamic, folklore students acquire skills and knowledge that are applicable in a wide range of careers.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Understand how folklore informs our worldview.
• Recognize the prevalence of folklore in contemporary society.
• Ethnographic fieldwork.
• Analyze the use of traditional forms and styles in popular culture.
• Research and writing.

Why study at CBU?

• Cape Breton is home to several distinct language and expressive communities, including Mi’kmaq, Scottish Gaelic and Acadian. It is home to the only African Orthodox Church in Canada, the only Ukrainian and Polish churches east of Montreal, and a vibrant, multicultural community with many members descended from Italian, Greek, Jewish and Lebanese immigrants, among others.
• Students in the folklore program have access to cutting-edge technological equipment, software and facilities at CBU. The Digitization Lab lends audio and video equipment to students so they can conduct ethnographic fieldwork and interviews. The Media Interpretation and Reception Lab enables video documentation of group interviews and focus groups.
• CBU is also home to the Beaton Institute and the Mi’kmaq Resource Centre, exceptional archival resources that provide primary and historic data sources about the history and culture of Cape Breton Island and its cultural groups. They also regularly accept student research materials, allowing students to leave a legacy that will help future scholars.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

• International exchange agreements with institutions in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland, as well as other countries around the world.
• An archival internship working with folkloric and/or archival materials at an institution such as the Beaton Institute or in a library or museum outside of CBU.
• A significant number of courses involve experiential learning units, such as our festivals course (FOLK 3603), which involves attending and analyzing the Celtic Colours International Festival, and our ethnography course (FOLK 2114), which requires producing a unique ethnographic project.

With the winds of inspiration blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean, you naturally get the energy you need to excel at anything you put your mind to. Our inspiring environment and relaxed atmosphere attracts students from more than 40 countries to live, work and play on the island we’re proud to call home. Voted #8 on the top islands to visit in the world by Travel + Leisure Magazine, students come here for the abundance of opportunities for outdoor adventure. Experience the very best of education while studying sport and physical activity leadership with active, well-being-focused courses within the BACS degree.

At CBU, we aim to help students deepen their insights into issues around leadership of sport and physical activity. Students graduate with a deep understanding of how their field affects individuals and communities alike, gaining skills and experience in outdoor leadership, sport management and coaching. We teach the essentials needed to stay prepared for leadership in various careers that range from education to entertainment and beyond.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Understanding of physical activity at various levels
• Learn the relationship between sport and community
• Discover the importance of outdoor and indoor activities

Throughout Cape Breton culture, you’ll find music, dance, theatre and the arts all around you. At CBU, we collaborate and take the stage together to engage with our community through a positive, creative medium.

Applied Theatre helps you adapt practical theatre skills to achieve your goals in non-traditional performance contexts and styles. You could work as an animator at a living history site, use theatre to raise awareness around social issues, create experiences that build or celebrate community, engage youth in learning opportunities, and help at-risk populations develop skills and support networks.

At CBU, you can study traditional theatre skills such as acting, directing and stage management, alongside the versatile techniques of applied theatre, including improvisation and devising. Enhance your studies with work placements and courses that support applied theatre careers, like entrepreneurship, marketing, musicology or cultural policy.

French is one of the most widely spoken languages in Canada after English and hence it has great professional as well as academic value. CBU offers an undergraduate level course for four years in French with excellent faculty and an exquisitely designed curriculum. Learning a language is a an obvious upper hand over other people and gives the students a cutting edge over other people willing to enter the Canadian workforce and various government degrees.

Since learning a language can be a daunting task, students are guided through this course with step by step instructions to students as well as personalized attention from the teachers. This four year course is divided into multiple sections, with each level and section dealing with various specificities of the French language. The first two years of the course deals with improvement of the listening and speaking skills. The third year of the program deals with linguistics and French literature. This year is very crucial for the students for it helps them delve into the literary aspects of the French language. By the fourth year students have the opportunity of studying francophone studies at a deeper level.

There’s something special about learning French in Cape Breton. From the impact on local business, to the influence on Canadian culture, one of the two official languages of Canada is taught by dedicated professors, and opens doors to a variety of career choices in education, foreign services, community services and translation, as well as in provincial and federal positions of responsibility.

French is spoken on every continent by millions of people, and is a major asset in business, institutional, professional and day-to-day communications. That’s why our French minor or concentration offers language courses from basic to advanced levels, as well as courses in French literature, culture and linguistics.

Why study at CBU?
At CBU, French courses are designed to help you develop the critical skills needed to understand the language at its core. The goal is to enable students to become familiar with the cultural and linguistic diversity within and beyond the Francophone world.

With students from more than 40 countries at CBU, our dynamic learning environment introduces students to an innovative curriculum that blends teaching and research in language, literature and culture.

Here, we know the study of French language comes in stages. That’s why French courses at CBU compensate for different levels among students, with steps taken to implement individualized instruction. Our dedicated and active faculty is made up of professors whose active research programs keep the French courses competitive and up-to-date, so you’re prepared to apply your skills wherever they are needed after graduation.

• All new students are evaluated to assist them in selecting the appropriate course.
• In the first two years, courses are designed to improve listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
• In the third year, advanced students enroll in courses that deepen their mastery of the French language and further develop their knowledge of French and Francophone literatures and cultures in Canada and around the world.
• Third-year students also have the unique opportunity to take a wide range of courses in French linguistics that enhance their knowledge of the French language structure and usages, as well as aspects such as language contact, language variation, language pedagogy, language policies, etc., in Canada and other French-speaking countries.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Mastery of spoken and written French for a wide range of purposes.
• Development of critical, creative and communicative skills, enabling students to better understand and interact with the world around them.
• Knowledge of French-Canadian literatures and cultures.
• Exploration of France and the Francophone world (i.e. Francophone Africa, Francophone Europe, the Caribbean, etc.) through literature, linguistics and cinema.

Cape Breton Island is a hotbed of culture, with a rich, varied landscape of traditions and lore. Traditionally, folklore is the study of informal culture.

The study of a group’s folklore yields valuable insights into how that group operates in the world, but also reveals biases, prejudices and other obstacles to a more inclusive worldview. Most often, folklore is expressive and manifests itself in certain forms, such as story and song, festival and feast, architecture and craft. Although these forms may be manifested in a distinct way by each group, they recur in similar ways across cultures, so folklore examines both the particular context and the general formal patterns of expressive culture.

After providing a solid introduction to folklore genres, analytical approaches and ethnographic methods, folklore students take a balance of regional folklore courses (courses primarily about folklore in Atlantic Canada), and courses emphasizing genres and issues (such as urban legend, gender, food and cultural tourism).

CBU students learn practical skills in interviewing, fieldwork, and ethnographic research while also gaining an awareness of international heritage policy. Folklore’s interdisciplinary nature promotes sharing concerns, methods and insights with others. Through this group learning dynamic, folklore students acquire skills and knowledge that are applicable in a wide range of careers.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Understand how folklore informs our worldview.
• Recognize the prevalence of folklore in contemporary society.
• Ethnographic fieldwork.
• Analyze the use of traditional forms and styles in popular culture.
• Research and writing.

When it comes to global innovation and change, petroleum has been at the heart of some of the most important scientific advances in human history. That’s because hydrocarbons are at the foundation of our modern, energy intensive societies.

At CBU, we help you capitalize on this career opportunity by giving you the skills you need to build a solid foundation in this field. As a small island with an incredible way of life that is delicately balanced, we know how petroleum and its by-products affect nearly every aspect of human life and occupation.

After graduating from CBU with a BET Petroleum, students will have the skills and knowledge regarding the extraction, processing and refinement of petroleum resources. You’ll also focus heavily on protecting the environment, a challenge that is necessary to tackle in today’s oil and gas industry.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Knowledge of drilling and exploration
• Reservoir analysis skills
• Completions planning skills
• Oil and gas equipment knowledge
• Awareness of petroleum processing

Help contribute to a future we can all be proud of with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Environment (BASE). CBU’s first fully interdisciplinary degree, the BASE program takes advantage of the natural resources available among the breathtaking scenery on Cape Breton Island. The BASE program reflects a university-wide commitment to teaching and research in environment and sustainability, and is enriched by Indigenous perspectives.

With dedicated professors and unprecedented research opportunities, the breadth of the BASE program ensures graduates have wide-ranging skill sets. When you enroll in BASE, you are immersed in three streams simultaneously: a science concentration; an arts/social science concentration; and a core set of environment-themed courses specially designed for this program.

Each year, the themes of these courses may change to reflect our world-class faculty’s specialties or timely environmental issues. Respect for, and inclusion of, Indigenous knowledge is a guiding principle of BASE. All students will have the opportunity to take Mi’kmaq Studies courses toward their degree, preparing you to be an active and responsible agent in the development of sustainable environmental practices.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Communication and writing in science and arts/humanities fields.
• Critical thinking skills.
• Experience in multiple academic disciplines.
• Solid background in science and arts/humanities/social science.
• Deep knowledge of relevant environmental issues.

Why study at CBU?

• This dynamic program attracts students from around the globe who are passionate about making a positive impact on the ever-changing world around them.
• The BASE program was developed with two primary objectives: to bridge the arts and sciences; and to provide a unique education in environmental issues and sustainability.
• The entire island is yours to explore. That’s why you’ll find learning outcomes include knowledge about local and global environmental issues, as well as practical skills in writing, and quantitative and qualitative analysis. Plus, the fluid communication of ideas in a small-knit community means your hard work will get noticed. At its core, this program prepares students to consider environmental issues from a broad range of angles, and to develop interdisciplinary approaches to creating solutions.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

• Field Course (ENVS3104)
• Volunteer and extracurricular opportunities (e. CBU Environmental Society, Science Atlantic Environment Conference)
• Co-op option, examples include:
  • Parks Canada technical positions
  • Parks Canada Outreach and Education positions
  • ACAP
  • Cape Breton Fish Harvesters Association technical positions
  • CBU research assistantships
  • Tourism organizations outreach positions