Bachelor of Arts, Major in Linguistic Anthropology

at EduCo - Western University Canada

Genetics is the study of the process and implications of trait inheritance which is linked explicitly to the concept of the gene and the molecule DNA. The Department offers four modules in this foundational area of biology that are built upon its research and teaching strengths. In the area of molecular genetics students will be able to take a range of courses focused on gene structure, function and regulation that introduce modern 'omic' approaches (e.g. genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics) that are taught using a range of animal, plant and microbial systems. Related topics such as genetic engineering and developmental genetics form the basis of additional courses. Building on research expertise in other subdiscipline there are courses in behavioural genetics, and evolutionary genetics.

Language is the chief means which members of the human species use to communicate with each other. Its scientific and humanistic study is called linguistics. The history of linguistics goes back to ancient times, and during the 19th and 20th centuries it flourished and came to be associated most strongly with the scientific study of individual languages of the world as well as with the search to identify those traits which are common to all languages.

The study of linguistics is indispensable for anyone interested in a particular language or in a discipline with a focus on language in general. Students in many different fields of study find that linguistics makes an interesting and engaging elective or optional course (when combined with the discipline of language study, it is excellent preparation for law school, for example). In terms of careers, this means that anyone interested in language teaching of any sort (such as a Bachelors of Education, or TESL certification), in communicative disorders (including both Audiology and Speech Pathology), in translation or in interpreting should be sure to include some linguistics courses in their undergraduate preparation. The addition of linguistics, the scientific study of language, further enhances your academic program with critical and analytical skills, while contributing to your better understanding of human language (English, French and others), not simply from a grammatical or spoken perspective but also from a scientific approach.

The Honors Specialization in Health Sciences with Biology is designed for students who want to combine the socio-cultural perspectives on health offered in Health Sciences courses with the life sciences (Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biology). This module is ideal for students who want to pursue careers in medicine and dentistry. Approximately half of the module’s courses cover key Health Sciences topics such as health ethics, health promotion, childhood and adolescent health, health in aging populations, and anatomy. The other half of the module is made up of core life sciences courses, covering topics such as organic chemistry, biochemistry, and genetics.

Our department’s expertise encapsulates a wide array of interdisciplinary strengths across feminist theory and various feminist approaches to health studies, media studies, history, globalization and development studies, philosophy, law, writing studies and literature, and visual culture, as well as significant work in queer theory and sexuality studies. We are one of only a few units across the University recognized as a Department in both the Faculty of Social Science and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Further, we have a rich network of Affiliate faculty members appointed in many other departments across Western who are integral members of our learning community. We also promote feminist scholarship through provision for resident scholars, a Distinguished Speakers Series, faculty colloquia, annual conferences (including a graduate conference, and Flaunting It!, our annual undergraduate conference on gender and sexuality).

Biology can be studied at the level of molecules, cells, organisms and populations. Selecting a Biology module affords you the opportunity to study at all of these different scales or to focus in upper year courses on only one or two. Another reason the Biology modules are a popular choice is it allows you to study a wide range of organisms from microbes to humans. Students interested in the area of ecology will find that the Biology modules will allow them to take a wide range of engaging courses covering aspects of community, population, molecular and chemical ecology. Similarly, students interested in evolutionary biology can be engaged by courses on more quantitative aspects of evolution to evolutionary genetics. Both plant and animal physiology courses are also popular choices of students in these modules built on a strong cohort of research faculty in these areas.

The Bachelor of Science (Honors Specialization) program is designed to give students a deeper appreciation of the life sciences. In addition to investigating courses throughout the broad scope of Kinesiology, that include exercise physiology, biomechanics, anatomy, sports injuries, exercise psychology, sport management and professional ethics, students must choose courses such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Math from the Faculty of Science.

Economics is a social science devoted to the study of scarcity, and how individuals, organisations, and governments make choices. The discipline’s guiding principle is found in the idea that all of these choices can most usefully be seen as decisions to allocate scarce resources across a range of competing uses. This single principle is always in play, and leads economists to study a wide array of social questions.

In the first year Economics courses you will be exposed to the use of this basic principle and the analytical tools that go with them in both the microeconomic and macroeconomic realm. The first of these (micro) refers to the study of choices made by individuals and/or individual firms, and how these decisions interact in markets. The macro segment then looks at how this principle allows us to better understand the behaviour of the economy in the aggregate. This leads to the study of unemployment, inflation, government budgets and international trade balances. These courses then provide the basis for all of the more senior – and more specialized – courses offered by the Department.

The Major in Economics Module, by itself, can be either a 3 or 4 year Degree. The Economics Major can be combined with a Major in another subject in order to create an Honors Double Major Degree. For the purposes of progression and graduation, ALL Honors Economics courses taken shall be counted as principal courses, and the requirements for both majors must be met in order to graduate with an Honors Double Major.

Experience the Middle Ages in all its glory through an exciting, Faculty-wide program led by over twenty of Western’s world-renowned medieval experts. Beginning with the foundation course, Medieval Studies 1020, you will then create your own roadmap through this fascinating period in history, resulting in a Minor or Major in Medieval Studies. With opportunities to study Latin at Poitiers or experience an archaeological dig in Europe or the Middle East, medieval studies will truly come to life!

Geography and Environment at Western centres around the following sub-disciplines; Physical Geography, Geographic Information Science (GIS), Urban Studies and Environment, Development and Health. This broad, integrative perspective makes Western geographers employable in a wide range of occupations.

In Pharmacology, study how drugs act on biological systems to modify physiological functions in health and disease. Discover the adverse effects of both drugs and chemicals on humans and other biological systems and learn how technology is an integral part of risk/safety evaluation.