Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

at University of Lethbridge - Lethbridge Campus Canada

A general major in the sciences, unlike a single discipline major, allows you to customize your course selection to your interests and abilities. Where you compromise depth of focus in one area, you gain breadth of knowledge in a few key areas, thus increasing your flexibility. This multidisciplinary approach provides access to the "big picture" or the wider context of any subject area. Conversely, the courses you choose can enhance your focus and provide a cross-discipline perspective on one particular theme.

Students choosing a general major in the sciences select three disciplinary streams from the following:

• Archaeology
• Biological sciences
• Chemistry
• Computer science
• Geography
• Kinesiology
• Mathematics
• Neuroscience
• Physics
• Psychology

As a student participating in a general major degree program, you’re not limited to studying only within your three streams. As part of your liberal education, you will be required to take classes outside your major(s). This allows you to develop skills and experience in all three streams.

Experience learning
Our students have a number of experiential learning opportunities available to them including co-operative education, international exchanges, independent and applied studies as well as volunteer opportunities. uLethbridge is the only university in Alberta to offer co-operative education to all majors in the arts & sciences, at both the undergrad and grad level. Transfer students can actually head out on their first work term before ever stepping foot on campus! For example, many transfer students have completed a summer work term before starting classes in September.

Chemistry studies the elements that comprise all matter. Everything around us — the air we breathe, water we drink, food we eat, cars we drive, even our bodies — are made from these elements.

There are five main branches of chemistry:

• Analytical focuses on the detection and measurement of chemical species used in fields like forensics.
• Organic deals with carbon compounds, which are the main components of living matter.
• Inorganic delves into all the remaining elements, most of which are found in the mineral world.
• Physical looks at the study of the fundamental principles governing the behavior of matter.
• Theoretical starts by exploring basic physical theories like quantum mechanics in order to provide frameworks within which all chemical phenomena can be understood.

The primary focus of the program is to provide you with extensive theoretical knowledge in all five branches, in addition to enhancing your technical and practical skills with hands-on experience. Throughout the program, you will receive intensive laboratory instruction on the transformation and safe handling of chemical compounds, as well as hands-on training in advanced instrumental techniques such as elemental analysis, optical spectroscopy, magnetic resonance, X-ray diffraction and mass spectrometry.

As a chemistry student, you will have access to state-of-the-art research facilities that provide the infrastructure to support the research interests of our award-winning faculty, your instructors, as they investigate diverse areas of the chemical sciences including catalysis, nanomaterials and food chemistry.

Indigenous studies explores art, law, philosophy, health, politics, history, gender studies, ecology, business, customs and language — all from a unique Indigenous perspective — making this one of the most sought-after programs of its kind in Canada.

In this program, you’ll have the opportunity to investigate First Nations’, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) history, heritage and culture, as well as the contemporary issues that face FNMI communities.

As a student of Indigenous Studies, you’ll have access to Indigenous instructors, who are often nationally or internationally renowned, seasoned professionals with real-world experience.

A General Major in the Social Sciences, unlike a single discipline major, allows you to customize your course selection to your interests and abilities. Where you compromise depth of focus in one area, you gain breadth of knowledge in a few key areas, thus increasing your flexibility. This multidisciplinary approach provides access to the "big picture" or the wider context of any subject area. Conversely, the courses you choose can enhance your focus, and provide a cross-discipline perspective on one particular theme.

Students choosing a general major in the social sciences select three disciplinary streams from the following:

• Anthropology
• Archaeology
• Economics
• Geography
• History
• Kinesiology
• Native American Studies
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Women & Gender Studies

As a student participating in a General Major degree program, you’re not limited to studying only within your three streams. As part of your liberal education, you will be required to take classes outside your major(s). This allows you to develop skills and experience in all three streams.

Human resources and labour relations professionals manage any organization’s greatest resource - its people!

Competent, culturally sensitive and highly organized, human resource and labour relations professionals add significant value and display competence in an array of specialized areas, including: talent management; employment law; health and safety, performance management; training and development; and diversity and inclusion.

Professionals with this degree are strategic leaders in the organization. They are critical for the successful management of complex and constantly evolving environments. They work with both employers and employees to create productive and fair workplaces.

Human Resource Management and Labour Relations managers are also among the most in-demand jobs in Canada in 2019 (randstad.ca).

About the Human Resource Management and Labour Relations (HRMLR) major
Students majoring in HRMLR study a broad range of topics including how and why people behave as they do in organizations, managing organizational change, identifying training needs and creating opportunities for employee career development, managing in a unionized environment, leading people and teams, ensuring the work environment is physically and psychologically healthy, and managing diverse workplaces.

Students should take Research Methodology (MGT 2700) as early as possible, as it provides a foundation for the senior-level courses. uLethbridge offers a wide variety of electives, not all of which are offered every term. Plan in advance to ensure you can take all of the courses that interest you.

Whether you are interested in performance, composition, digital audio arts or music education, our classical music programs are flexible to meet your specific needs and goals.

Pursue your passion for music while exploring diverse courses. If you are interested in music and another subject area, a BA (Music) allows you to explore your interests in the sciences, social sciences and humanities, while still focusing on music.

Through our classical music programs, you can choose a performance route and receive one-on-one instruction from master performer-teachers. Entrance to studio courses is dependent on a successful audition.

You'll attend guest artist classes and have multiple performance opportunities throughout the year. Recitals showcase your development and accomplishments as a musician, and your experience is enhanced by participation in ensembles.

Areas of concentration:

• Brass
• Composition
• Guitar
• Percussion
• Piano
• Strings
• Voice
• Woodwinds

English is not just about the rhetorical and creative aspects of literature. It’s about examining history, culture, psychology, sociology, philosophy, and the human condition to determine what a text means in the context of when and where it was written, and how it relates to us today.

Language is the primary means by which we communicate our values, our ideals and our vision. The study of English asks fundamental questions about literature and how we, as humans, express ourselves and interact with others. It is the science of communication and critical inquiry.

Learn how we use language in the world at large, and consider the functions, structures and significance of literature over time. Develop an excellent foundation for a career in virtually any professional capacity due to the cross-disciplinary nature of this program.

The Department of Geography and the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science offer instruction leading to the multidisciplinary major in computer science and geographical information science. The program is structured to provide a firm theoretical, technical and applied background in the geographical information sciences (GIS) that draws extensively on computer science foundations.

This major provides a strong basis for further study at the graduate level in an established field of research, while also providing training in an area of employment opportunity that neither the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science nor the Department of Geography alone can provide.

Geographical information science (GIS) | GIS involves the use and analysis of digital maps, databases, models and mobile applications, as well as navigation and spatial integration tools. Major GIS application areas include remote sensing, geographical information systems, computer graphics, image processing and mapping and spatial modelling. These rely on advanced computer science algorithms and software development, platform integration, hardware design and operating system principles. The major provides applied training coupled with a solid theoretical and developmental foundation.

Psychology delves into what makes people tick. Psychologists study the relationship between mind and behaviour by investigating the nature of thought processes and behaviours in humans and other animals.

Psychologists also study the evolutionary, social and cultural factors affecting the development of our thoughts and behaviours, focusing on topics that have a direct bearing on our day-to-day experience.

A major in Psychology will help you develop skills in analyzing and interpreting complex material, particularly as it relates to behaviour. You will learn theories of how people interpret the world and act in it, as well as theories of human behaviour.

As a psychology student, you will learn from those at the forefront of psychological research. Our faculty members are regularly published in the top journals and make an ongoing contribution to an ever-advancing field.

You will inevitably become a savvy and critical consumer of evidence-based information related to people’s behaviour such as self-help, psychological and medical advice.

Command a wide range of technologies and techniques in graphic design, web design and development, interaction design, 3D modelling, animation, video game design and development, screenwriting, cinema production and studies, and new media theory. You will learn from and work with dedicated professors who are professional artists and scholars.

As a senior student, you can choose a new media generalist path, or follow one of three streams:

• Web and graphic design
• Animation and gaming
• Cinema production

As part of uLethbridge's liberal education philosophy, you'll also take electives that complement your new media course work and diversify your portfolio.

In your final year of the BFA-New Media, you can choose either an industry internship or our advanced studio course. Each option provides particular benefits as you transition into a career or graduate studies.

The internship is a structured learning experience - locally, nationally or abroad - where you'll refine your skills working in a professional setting and gain a better sense of career possibilities.

The advanced studio course focuses on creative applications and you'll complete a self-directed project. If you are interested in research, graduate studies, or simply want an academic challenge, you can add an Honours Thesis to your course. The designation will appears on your official transcript and degree parchment.

You have full access to co-operative education, international exchanges, independent and applied studies, as well as volunteer opportunities. uLethbridge is the only university in Alberta to offer co-operative education to all majors in the university, at both the undergraduate and graduate level.