Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts

at St. Thomas University Canada

Sociologists study how human societies work. We ask how your social background, your social class, gender ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, and nationality affect your experiences and opportunities in life. We examine how social institutions such as the family, the education system, religion, or the legal system operate. We study specific aspects of society such as health, deviance, or rural life. We examine a wide range of topics, from something as intimate as how we make music together to phenomena a transnational migration or worldwide social protests.

You might be interested in studying sociology if...

• You want to use knowledge to address social inequality and make change
• You want to understand how social forces shape perceptions of ourselves and our interactions with others

Critical and transferable skills
By studying Sociology, you learn the shared humanities and social science skills of writing clear and effective papers and reports, analyzing issues carefully using reason and facts, and reading and analyzing written texts. Sociology specifically teaches us how to analyze any number of contemporary social issues such as unemployment, crime, sexual harassment, gender in popular culture, inequality between the 1% and the 99%, and so on. You learn specific research techniques such as observation and participant, survey research, the analysis of historical documents and evidence, the use of official statistics, and the analysis of how language and images in the media and popular culture depict such important topics as how women are portrayed, how men are portrayed, or how ethnic minorities are portrayed.

Journalism is about finding and telling accurate stories that matter. It shapes public opinion and helps people understand the political and social world. Journalism encourages open-mindedness and demands objectivity so the public can weigh options and form informed opinions about world issues. 

Discovering journalism
The Major in Journalism explores the art of storytelling in the digital age. The program offers a variety of courses that allow students to develop storytelling skills using multi-media tools, including video, photography, sound, and social media platforms. The program promotes strong writing skills, the exploration of media ethics and the influence of new media in society. The program is designed for students with an interest in professional journalism and digital content production.

You might be interested in studying journalism if...

• You are curious, energetic, and expressive 
• You care about other people, the community you live in, and the state of the world in general
• You like to write and tell stories

Critical and transferable skills
Being a Journalism student means developing advanced skills in writing and editing, as well as in presenting information in a compelling way and making sense of complex issues and events. You will learn to identify issues that others have missed or overlooked. You will ask important questions and deliver facts and details in ways that shed light on otherwise complicated situations.

You will learn to get to the root of a story and inform the public on things they need to know. Since journalists are constantly reporting on a wide variety of topics, your ability to digest information, think critically about it, and react appropriately will become second nature.

The Bachelor of Social Work program emphasizes the importance of understanding the structural roots of social problems in Canadian society.  Therefore, social work is a political activity aimed at initiating social change at all levels of society to promote equality and inclusion. Social problems such as poverty and homelessness, gendered violence, racial discrimination, and climate change are viewed as being rooted in structural inequalities. These inequalities lead to economic, political, social and cultural disparities for whole populations of people.

Through the four-year degree program—the only accredited English language program in New Brunswick—students will develop the ability to challenge structural injustices, learn critical theories to frame best practices, and understand how different forms of power, oppression and privilege operate in the world. The program is structured to deliver both the theoretical and practical aspects of social work. Through two years of liberal arts courses, followed by two years of social work courses and field placements, students gain both classroom and direct experience in transformative social work practice.

Religious Studies starts with a thematic introduction to some of the perennial questions that continue to arise in human existence. There are choices between courses that emphasize big question perspectives, particular social issues and projects, specific disciplinary approaches, and courses that examine in greater detail specifics of particular religious traditions, including texts, rituals, ideas, and political and historical overviews.

Religious Studies is a multi-disciplinary study. Students are exposed to a variety of approaches, as well as to serious reflections on the nature of methodology and scholarly inquiry. We believe an adequate understanding of religion is an asset in recognizing and responding appropriately to the many complex issues that face contemporary society. A sufficiently critical sensibility ensures thoughtful responses, rather than emotive and unthinking reactions.

You might be interested in studying religious studies if...

• You want to examine how the different aspects of religion shape politics, the arts, social movements, sexualities, and the environment
• You want to learn more about world religions and their similarities and differences

Critical and transferable skills
Religious Studies requires an ability to recognize and identify the particular disciplines utilized in any given study. Being familiar with the social sciences, literature, philosophy, history, and linguistic/language studies, aspects of the physical and natural sciences become part of the student’s worldview. Critical skills include self-reflection, inasmuch as everyone has a vested interest in being able to make reasonable and coherent choices in life. The dynamic nature of critical inquiry indicates the life-long project of learning and developing for which the study of religion equips students.

The courses in Romance Languages are designed for those students who come to St. Thomas University and wish to have a general knowledge of two or more Romance Languages and Literature. Such students are encouraged to think of their language learning experience in terms of a commitment to Romance Languages (French, Italian, Latin, and Spanish) rather than in terms of a specialization in any one language.
 

Courses offered in the Japanese language focus on learning fundamental language structure and practicing communication skills. In the courses, reading and writing Hiragana and Katakana are essential, and some Kanji are introduced and practiced. Japan and Japanese culture are introduced and discussed.

Advanced courses develop the communicative skills necessary for everyday situations - focusing on conversation and writing systems, expanding vocabulary and sentence structures and teaching students to express themselves on a wide range of topics from daily life.

As students complete the beginner’s level of Japanese, they are prepared for the Level IV Japanese Proficiency Test offered by the Government of Japan.

The Catholic Studies Program is an academically rigorous and interdisciplinary exploration of Catholicism. Courses engage with the Catholic intellectual tradition—the 2000 year-long dialogue between and within faith and culture. We approach the texts of the Catholic intellectual tradition with a view toward understanding the role that Catholicism has played in the human search for meaning and in the conviction that thinking is a critical part of belief. 

Discovering catholic studies
Catholic Studies enthusiastically welcomes students from any or no faith tradition. The program is dedicated to a critical and scholarly engagement with Catholicism, and is dispositionally nondogmatic. Courses are especially attentive to the ways in which the Catholic intellectual tradition can help students understand issues of social and economic justice and peace.

You are therefore given the freedom to explore perennial human questions and pressing contemporary concerns in a way that is open to the potential contributions of faith. You are also given the chance to study the Catholic Church itself, as a cultural and political, as well as a religious institution. You will also benefit from co- and extra-curricular events, service opportunities, scholarly activities, and community outreach sponsored by the St. John XXIII Centre for Catholic Studies.

You might be interested in catholic studies if you ...

• You are interested in a challenging, interdisciplinary major which explores the meaning of Christian faith
• You are interested in exploring human questions and contemporary concerns as potential contributions to faith

Critical and transferable skills
Students in Catholic Studies benefit from an interdisciplinary course of study which draws from many different academic disciplines. The interdisciplinary character of the program helps students become well-rounded thinkers, able to analyze problems and phenomena from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and using diverse analytical tools. The program’s emphasis on the Catholic intellectual tradition will help students develop the skills of thoughtful reading, clear writing, and verbal eloquence.

Taught by artists and scholars, our Fine Arts courses offer students opportunities to discover and develop their creativity. Whether your interest is in music, musical theatre, film, visual arts—or all four—you will benefit from an informative, engaging, and inspiring curriculum.

You might be interested in studying fine arts if...

• You want to examine music, theatre, and visual arts through technical, social, and historical perspectives
• You want to grow and develop as an artist through in-class learning and performances

Critical and transferable skills
Studying in the Fine Arts Department helps students develop a critical eye of their own work as well as the work of others. Students build confidence and courage by performing and sharing their work. They also build persistence and discipline by learning from their mistakes and mastering skills. In addition, they cultivate a strong knack for dealing with the unexpected and coming up with creative solutions.

The expertise of faculty members encompasses almost every region of the world, from Asia to Latin America, through Europe, Africa, the Middle East and North America. Many courses transcend national boundaries, and explore history with a thematic approach.

Our program encourages students to challenge common assumptions about the past, to re-examine their worldview, and to ask fundamental questions about themselves, their society, and the world. The faculty work collaboratively to offer an innovative World History curriculum. The spirit of inquiry and cooperation that informs that project helps make studying history at St. Thomas an exciting experience in a friendly atmosphere.

You might be interested in studying history if you ...

• You are curious about why things are the way they are today
• You want to gain a deeper understanding of issues you read or hear about in the news
• You like to read and analyze things, and want to become more articulate orally and in writing

Critical and transferable skills
Studying History equips you with effective oral and written communication skills, as well as skills in critical analysis, research, interdisciplinary thinking, and curiosity and inquisitiveness. The ability to successfully and precisely communicate ideas remains an invaluable asset to any organization or business, while the capacity to understand past practices and policies serves graduates well in their careers. History graduates are able to trace the roots of an issue, think about a problem in a multitude of ways, and analyze it using multiple tools.

The Human Rights Program at St. Thomas is one of the few such programs in all of Canada, and the only one in Atlantic Canada, that allows undergraduate students to obtain a Major in the academic study of Human Rights. In this program, you study Human Rights in a national and international context and do individualized research projects on specific topics in your upper years of study.

The program provides knowledge of the philosophy, legal instruments, and political institutions that are the foundation for an education in Human Rights.

You might be interested in studying human rights if...

• You want to go to law school, pursue a career in social work or law enforcement
• You are interested in being an activist in your community pursuing social justice at the grass roots level

Critical and transferable skills
As a student of Human Rights, you will develop advanced skills in critical analysis. You will be able to identify issues and have the capacity to work toward meaningful, reasonable solutions. Human Rights students are driven by a passion to understand and fight for necessary changes that make significant differences to individuals and whole societies.

They are able to see how decisions, events, and other actions affect people. They acquire the ability to navigate through legal and political realities to create a better world.