John Abbott College
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

Environmental Studies is a multidisciplinary academic field with the aim of understanding how humans interact with the natural world and affect natural systems, and how we can safeguard these systems upon which we are wholly dependent! Topic areas include the causes and impacts of the climate and ecological emergency (CEE), endangered species and biodiversity, the role of business and political action in solutions, sources of motivation for people’s environmental stewardship, etc.

The advantages of the certificate are that you:

Meet and network with like-minded students and teachers
Participate in related extra-curricular events
Distinguish yourself from other graduates to future employers and schools (with the certificate on your CV)
Students obtain it by completing six courses listed on this list and devoting one in-class project (min 25%) to an Environmental Studies issue, as well as 10 hours of volunteer work related to the environment. Students in all programs may enroll in the certificate. There is no extra work (comes from work already required for a student’s DEC program). You may register at any time – the sooner you sign up, the sooner you will be invited to events.

General Information
The Peace and Social Justice Studies Certificate brings together College courses which inform students about world issues and their impacts on their personal lives. Students are then empowered to take action.

Generally the following themes have been identified as making a course a Peace and Social Justice Studies course. Special projects undertaken by students will also reflect these themes:

Issues of war and peace in their social, political, historic, religious and economic contexts;
Investigation into militarism, the threat of nuclear and mass destruction weapons, and their environmental contexts;
Inquiries about social justice – poverty, inequality, forms of domination and oppression including, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, patriarchy, Islamophobia, elitism, xenophobia, ageism and sexism;
Explorations of peace in a “positive” sense – interpersonal relations based on respect for the environment and the person, conflict resolution, non-violent alternatives, the search for spiritual peace and moderated consumerism;
Examination of important social movements that seek to achieve change that promotes freedom, dignity, racial equality and a respect for human rights (Black Lives Matter, LGBTQIA2+ Rights, Migrant Rights, Climate Justice, etc.)
Students may register for the certificate any time between their acceptance into the College and the drop deadline for their graduating semester.

PEACE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE STUDIES Certificate complements any DEC
Peace and Social Studies is a certificate you can gain credit for WHILE you do your DEC in a regular program. It requires you to choose six courses from the Peace and Social Justice Studies Course list.

The certificate encourages a self-identified focus on peace, and calls for a special project, but it does not entail extra work on top of your DEC requirements. It simply adds value to your diploma.

The Peace and Social Justice Studies Certificate brings together College courses which inform students about world issues and their impacts on their personal lives. Students are then more able to take action.

To obtain the Certificate, a student must take at least six courses designated as Peace and Social Justice Studies courses. Within one of these courses, each student completes a special project, a self-defined project which is aligned with an assignment already required for the course.

Women’s Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study that has moved from being “by, for and about women” to exploring how different identities (gendered, racialized, classed, etc.) and forms of oppression (sexism, racism, classism, capitalism, etc.) overlap and intersect. What has remained as a defining feature of a Women’s Studies education is the connection of learning and research to community involvement and meaningful social change. A Women’s Studies education ideally enables students to describe their worlds, analyze problems and envision change.

Women’s Studies students learn to ask unique questions about the world and their place in it. This helps them in their university studies, on the job and in daily life. Women’s Studies leads to a number of career paths in education, art, media, non-governmental organizations as well as to fields such as law, medicine and science. The best reason to do Women’s Studies is because you are curious, excited and interested!