Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies

at York University - School of Continuing Studies Canada

York's Biophysics program draws on the long-established strengths of our Biology and Physics programs, with uniquely interdisciplinary courses highlighting their interfaces.

Biophysics is an exciting discipline at the intersection between physics and biology. It is an interdisciplinary field in which the laws, methods and techniques of physics are applied to biological processes and organisms. Biophysics applies the knowledge of physics to explain biological questions, such as the transmission of nervous impulses or muscle control.

For example, the DNA of salmon has been found to improve the performance of light emitting diodes, and areas of nanotechnology are founded upon the unique mechanical and electrical properties of DNA. Biophysicists study organisms at all levels of biological organization from the macroscopic (e.g. movement, muscle contractions, breathing) to the microscopic (e.g. cell division, molecular motors, energy generation and conversion, cellular reactions to physical stimuli).

Unique to the program is a scope sufficiently broad to expose you to knowledge and techniques applicable not only to humans but also to plants and animals, providing a solid background for positions in the environmental and agricultural sectors.

• York offers the opportunity to work side-by-side with professors through the more than 40 summer research and work-study programs offered each year.

Biophysics is an exciting interdisciplinary frontier of science in which the principles and techniques of physics are used to study living things and how they work. For instance, biophysicists have applied laser physics to map cells in three dimensions and reveal bacteria in drinking water, and have developed or improved techniques for analyzing organisms such as EM (Electron Microscopy), CT (Computer-aided Tomography), MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), and X-ray crystallography. Studies of biological systems can also find applications to problems in physics. For example, the DNA of salmon has been found to improve the performance of light emitting diodes, and areas of nanotechnology are founded upon the unique mechanical and electrical properties of DNA. Biophysicists study organisms at all levels of biological organization from the macroscopic (e.g. movement, muscle contractions, breathing) to the microscopic (e.g. cell division, molecular motors, energy generation and conversion, cellular reactions to physical stimuli).

York’s Biophysics program is strong in both physics and biology, with uniquely interdisciplinary courses highlighting their interfaces. The program has a scope sufficiently broad to expose students to knowledge and techniques applicable not only to humans but to all of the kingdoms of life. Students acquire a theoretical and practical understanding of biology, physics, and supporting fields through both lecture- and lab-based courses.

York developed the full-time second-entry BScN program in response to an increasing demand for nursing programs which build on prior university learning. It is available to students who have completed a minimum of 60 credits towards any university degree and who meet the program prerequisites. By studying in the concentrated and continuous six semester program, students can complete their BScN in two calendar years. 

As with other programs in the School of Nursing, the second-entry program reflects a unique teaching approach that focuses on cultivating human relationships. This patient-centred approach answers a growing demand for health care services and practitioners that respect patients' values and choices about health and quality of life. It recognizes that every patient has a personal story. We encourage you to question and critical think about conventional assumptions and practices and help you gain the insights and skills that will prepare you to contribute to the evolution of health care in Canada.

Students complete the full time program in two calendar years and will graduate in the fall after the second summer semester. This is a full time program and there is no part time option available.

First year
Students begin with studies in the areas of wellness and health challenges, assessment skills, professional development and issues, knowledge of nursing, thinking, communicating and relating in the context of nursing, applied pathophysiology, and ethical ways of knowing. In addition, students will also complete courses in biochemistry and pharmacology.

Clinical practice in the first year will help students develop their practical skills throughout the continuum of health experiences that persons may face. They then continue on to examining and enacting client-centred care within the context of caring for individuals and families in their homes and rehabilitative settings Last, students will engage in praxis in complex care settings as persons and families deal with acute and chronic health challenges.

Second year
Students will begin to explore additional layers of complexity in nursing practice with courses focusing on nursing research and inquiry, advanced professional issues, nursing in a global context and nurses as leaders of change.

Clinical praxis will focus on partnering with and integrating client-centredness in community settings. Student will continue with the exploration of nursing in the context of human vulnerability and diversity. In preparation for independent practice after graduating, students will undertake 12 continuous weeks of clinical practice that offers them the opportunity to integrate learning from all nursing courses and engage in deliberate praxis.

As 21st century medicine and health care becomes increasingly sophisticated, the demand grows for highly skilled people with a biomedical science background.

Biomedical scientists study biological processes and diseases with the ultimate goal of developing effective treatments and cures. Biomedical research requires careful experimentation by many scientists, including biologists and chemists. Discovery of new medicines and therapies requires careful scientific experimentation, development, and evaluation.

York's Biomedical Science program provides a comprehensive curriculum taught by the leading researchers in the field, including Samuel Benchimol, Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Health Research. The Biomedical Science program focuses emerging areas of biomedicine including physiology, microbiology, immunology, endocrinology, molecular genetics, and development.

This four-year Honours program also allows you the option to do a minor in another related discipline such as Chemistry, Psychology, or Kinesiology & Health Science.

The Biomedical Science stream is designed to help you:

• understand and explain the basic structures and fundamental processes of life at the molecular, cellular and population levels;
• effectively apply the scientific method for problem solving and experimental design;
• collect, organize, analyze, interpret and present quantitative and qualitative data;
• identify and describe current issues and challenges within the field of biomedical science;
• demonstrate and apply fundamental biological laboratory techniques and skills; and
• communicate effectively in written and oral forms.

The program will be particularly valuable if you're planning a career in biomedical research, and will also be a good choice if you're preparing for medical school.

Biology was the pioneer science at York, offering the first undergraduate and graduate programs in the 1960s.
Biology studies living things and the discipline defines a living creature, technically called a living "organism", as one that has a metabolism and reproduces. Biologists study living organisms from many different angles, including behaviour, evolution and ecology as well as cell and molecular biology and genetics. They study all different kinds of species from plants to insects, viruses to humans. Biology can also be combined with other fields. For example, biochemistry, biophysics, biotechnology and biopsychology are all important fields related to biology.

Biologists can be found working everywhere — on and off the planet:

• In a variety of environments to investigate ecosystems;
• In the laboratory to examine how organisms work;
• In the microscopic world to explore cells and the submicroscopic to explore molecules in cells;
• In space to study the effect of space travel on organisms;
• Back in time to investigate the history of life.

The Biology program, York’s longest-established scientific program, is home to internationally recognized teaching and research faculty. It offers you a diversity of courses from across the discipline, providing you with the flexibility to choose courses from many different areas or to specialize in a particular field of life science. In your upper years, you can choose to specialize in such areas as:

• Biotechnology
• Biochemistry
• Biomedical Science
• Biophysics
• Environmental Biology

Flooding, terrorism, global warming and hurricanes are all disasters and emergencies that can be effectively managed – and, in some cases even mitigated – through good planning and response. The recent earthquake in Haiti, the H1N1 pandemic and memories of 9/11 are reminders of the pressing need for qualified and trained professionals in the field.

Disaster & Emergency Management is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks. In this exciting and rapidly expanding field you’ll explore key concepts, methodologies and technologies used by emergency management professionals while honing your analytical and critical skills. You'll also gain a comprehensive understanding of how emergency management intersects with other disciplines such as psychology and sociology. Discover strategies to help save lives and property, reduce damage and speed a community’s recovery from natural and human-induced disasters and emergencies.

You'll examine a diverse range of topics including:

• Business continuity planning
• Emergency management communications
• Disaster risk management
• Ethics
• Terrorism

In addition to this, you will learn to apply key concepts, methodologies and technologies used by emergency management professionals to complex real-life challenges.

This program prepares you to synthesize large amounts of complex information and make sound decisions in challenging and often difficult circumstances. As a graduate you will be equipped with the skills for a career in emergency preparedness, public safety or consultancy work for a range of opportunities from positions in federal and provincial governments to large multinational companies and non-governmental organizations like the Red Cross/Red Crescent, World Bank, Oxfam or UNICEF.

• Upon graduating, you'll join one of the fastest growing industries in North America.
• You have the option of continuing your education within the disaster and emergency field with York's Master of Disaster & Emergency Management degree — the only graduate program of its kind in Ontario and one of only two in Canada.
• You'll have the opportunity to join The International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), a non-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting the goals of saving lives and protecting property during emergencies and disasters.
• Take advantage of experiential learning opportunities and interact with leading professionals who will provide you with a deeper insight into the field. You'll have the option to complete a field experience that will help to foster a greater understanding of the complexities and realities emergency management professionals face.
• You are also encouraged to take advantage of the regular events held by the School of Disaster & Emergency Management. These include conferences and symposiums held throughout the school year to help you apply your education to real-life situations.

The Commerce program - offered as a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and a BCom Specialized Honours in Information Technology (BCom ITEC) – at York is one of the largest business programs in Canada.

All of our Commerce programs focus on how to apply theory to real-world situations, using a variety of methods including multimedia presentations, seminars, case studies and visits from prestigious guest speakers. With the help of our expert faculty, you will sharpen your critical-thinking, analytic, communication and leadership skills.

Our BCom offers students the opportunity to study streams such as accounting (CPA accredited), business research, finance, human resource management, information technology, management, management science or marketing. All of our Commerce programs focus on how to apply theory to real-world situations, using a variety of methods including multimedia presentations, seminars, case studies and visits from prestigious guest speakers. With the help of our expert faculty, you will sharpen your critical-thinking, analytic, communication and leadership skills.

Our BCom Specialized Honours program provides you with the rare opportunity to specialize at the undergraduate level, focusing on one of the following areas:

• Accounting (CPA accredited)
• Business Research
• Finance
• Human Resources Management
• Management
• Management Science
• Marketing

Statistics is a field that provides the foundations and techniques to collect, analyze, and present information in an effective and efficient manner. Recent trends involve a resurgence of interest in methods for informal exploratory analysis of data. This relies increasingly on friendly computing environments supported by efficient algorithms. York's Statistics program is an exploration of the nature of measurement, chance variation, probability, uncertainty, inductive logic and inference, and combines naturally with studies in the life and social sciences.

An increasingly important aspect of modern statistics is the design of experiments and surveys — as well as analyzing the resulting data — in areas of application ranging scientific studies to the insurance industry. Statisticians use surveys to predict the patterns of behaviour of large groups based on relatively small samples.

Through its applications in almost every branch of modern professional life and research, statistics is a fast-growing discipline that provides a statistician with a variety of career opportunities. Statistics is offered as both a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science options. Why take one instead of the other? All Mathematics students (Mathematics, Applied Math, Statistics, Math for Commerce) take common first- and second-year courses. It is in the third and fourth years that the programs begin to differentiate.

If you're interested in a Bachelor of Arts (BA) math degree, you will combine your math courses with other Arts courses such as psychology or economics.

Ever wish someone listened to you as a child? Our Children, Childhood and Youth program focuses on the experiences, knowledge and concerns of children. You will learn ethnographic techniques specific to children and their cultures. You'll analyze children's voices in contemporary and historical contexts and gain an understanding of the human condition from the child's perspective. You'll also participate in community-based partnerships and be encouraged to take part in advocacy work.

Children, Childhood and Youth explores global childhood experiences in philosophical and social terms and their personal, societal and human consequences. Attention is paid to the nature and significance of children's culture – distinguishing between culture created by adults for children and the culture of children themselves. You will learn how to engage children, discern children's voices in historical and cultural contexts and come to understand the human condition from their perspective.

The Children, Childhood and Youth program is truly interdisciplinary, incorporating expertise and courses from programs such as sociology and psychology. Courses include:

• Introduction to Children, Childhood and Youth Studies
• Global Cultures of Children and Young People
• Research with Children and Young People
• Honours Research Project
• Internships / Practicums

Students in our program access to a variety of unique advantages:

• York is home to the Canadian Children's Culture Collection, a major archive of child-related materials including York-based studies and unique toy collections designed by children. York is also home to the LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research, which supports research in health, education, relationships and development of infants, children, adolescents, emerging adults and families. Additionally, York hosts the Alexander F. Chamberlain speaker series, which features lectures and seminars from leading scholars in the Children's Studies field.
• Learn with professors that are actively involved in research with children and young people in Canada and around the world, covering a range of topics from literature and ethnomusicology to critical race studies and the global cultures of children and young people
• You will have the opportunity to enhance your studies and add to your university experience by participating in an exchange program with the Children’s Studies program at the National University in Galway, Ireland. You also have the opportunity to explore the cultures of children and youth in international contexts such as Limpopo, South Africa, by taking an international field study course.
• Join a child/youth-centred club or association. Local chapters of the advocacy groups "Free the Children" and "Right to Play" are found on York's campus and play an important role in the program. The York student club Peace by PEACE works with children, empowering them to prevent, manage and resolve conflict peacefully.
• The Children, Childhood & Youth Student Association (CCYSA) offers students an opportunity to gain further knowledge of children and their cultures; to advocate for children's rights; to build lasting friendships and partnerships in the community through social and cultural events, advocacy projects, and information sessions; and to provide resources for its members such as mentoring, leadership training, and volunteer opportunities.

The Professional Writing Program in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies at York University offers students a unique opportunity to study and to acquire practical expertise in a wide range of written expressions that inform and shape our culture. The combination of knowledge and expertise is highly sought after by employers who recognize the spiralling need for effective communications in today’s and tomorrow’s economy. Students in our program develop inventive approaches to writing that keep pace with cultural, social, and technological transformation in the contemporary world.

Why Professional Writing at York?
York’s Professional Writing Program is unique.  As a program of the Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Faculty, we strive to connect and complement the traditional strengths of a Liberal Arts degree with practical, professional experience.  Our program core provides a firm grounding in the history, theory, and critical investigation of writing practices while providing  hands-on experience in the creation, management, and presentation of dynamic, responsive writing.

The field of psychology is dedicated to the scientific study of behaviour including thought, feeling and action, and viewed from social, developmental and biological perspectives. You can study virtually all the areas of psychology since our department is the largest – and one of the best – in Canada.

Undergraduate students have the option of working toward either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Students may choose to focus on specific areas of interest such as neuroscience or abnormal psychology or follow a more generalized program that covers a wide variety of aspects of the discipline. The Psychology program is structured so that you are exposed to the breadth of psychology but may also tailor your degree program to focus on specific areas of interest.

• The BA psychology program exposes you to a full range of psychological concepts and applications.
• The BSc option adds a focus on the physical sciences (chemistry, physics, and biology) to a full range of discipline-specific courses.

Reasons to choose Psychology at YORK U

• Our Specialized Honours Psychology Program (both BA and BSc) provides advanced training in research methods, statistical analysis, as well as guaranteed one-on-one thesis supervision and prepares students wishing to go on to graduate school. 
• We offer an extensive and diverse selection of courses taught both in classroom settings and on the Internet. There are also evening and summer courses offered for working students who wish to pursue their studies on a part-time basis.
• Learn from leading researchers in the field: Joel Katz, Canada Research Chair in Health Psychology; J Douglas Crawford, Canada Research Chair in Visual-Motor Neuroscience; and Gordon Flett, Canada Research Chair in Personality & Health
• Participate in research in one of our many research centres, including the renowned Centre for Vision Research, the LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research, and the York University Psychology Clinic.
• Engage in active research alongside your professors. Psychology students often contribute to the Trauma and Attachment Report, a weekly online research report.
• Bridging courses are available for those missing either a math or science prerequisite for entry to the BSc degree.
• The courses Writing in Psychology (2010) (for all Psychology majors), Professionalism and Communication in Psychology (3000) (Specialized Honours Students only), and Critical Thinking in Psychology (4180) (Honours students only) provide transferable skills that employers are looking for.