Wilfrid Laurier University
AC-1: Academic Courses

Faculty of Arts

Communication Studies

CS213 Technology and Society – Undergraduate
The aim of this course is to understand technology as a social practice. It will focus on a number of issues concerning the intersections between technology, science and values from a multidisciplinary perspective including history, philosophy, sociology and women's studies. Topics examined include the nature of technology, technological determinism, technology and gender, technology and expertise, and the relationship between technology and social values.

CS310 Globalization & Communication – Undergraduate
This course is intended to provide a broad survey of some of the key issues relating to communication and globalization. The course will encompass various areas including international communication, intercultural communication, global culture, global mass media and local media, and representation in a globalized world. Particular attention will be given to the role of international communication and information technologies in the context of political and social movements, development, transnational networks, and globalization. A comparative and international perspective on media is adopted and will incorporate examples of local and global media production and use from Latin American, North American, African and Mediterranean contexts.

Contemporary Studies

CT111 Regions in Context -- the Grand River – Undergraduate
Regions (e.g., the Grand River Watershed) are examined from an interdisciplinary perspective, which incorporates scientific, historical, social, economic, philosophical and cultural perspectives. The relationship between social and natural environments and ideas such as space, place and landscape form central themes. This course attempts to use regional case studies as a vehicle for understanding and appreciating significant world issues.

CT122 Social and Political Thought – Undergraduate
This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to ideas that shape our contemporary world. What do liberty, equality and tolerance mean? Where did these ideas originate? What other ideas have challenged and changed the way we look at the world? Topics like private property, capitalism, communism, liberalism, feminism and justice will be discussed. Students will read essential commentators like Aristotle, Machiavelli, Locke, Rousseau, Mill, Marx, Orwell, Wollstonecraft and Fukuyama.

CT201 Criminology and Contemporary Issues – Undergraduate
This course explores controversial moral, social and political issues and their relationship to deviance, crime and the law. Topics may include suicide, environmental pollution, pornography, medical ethics and AIDS.

CT310 Blending Economic Theory and Law: Money, Markets and Justice – Undergraduate
This course will explore the impact of neo-classical economic theory on the formation and interpretation of law. The first half of the course will introduce students to some basic micro-economic theories such as Pareto Optimality, Productive and Allocative Efficiency, and Privatization. The second half of the course will explore the impact of these theories on law, and consider the relationship between justice and market efficiency.
CT401 Food – Undergraduate
This course is designed to examine the connections between food and society from an interdisciplinary perspective, including the myriad health and related issues tied to contemporary food production and consumption. Issues that may be considered include local and global food distribution, consumption habits, food sufficiency, GMOs, ecological health, human health and sustainability

CT450 The City in Contemporary Life – Undergraduate
This course will provide an overview of the rise of the city and explore urban life from a variety of perspectives. Topics to be discussed may include the factors contributing to urbanization, utopian ideals of city design, the environmental impact of cities, urban architecture, the enduring importance of neighbourhoods, the battle over public space, brownfields and the city in literature and film.

CT499 Interdisciplinary in Practice – Undergraduate
This course is intended to allow students to better understand and propose solutions to some of the most daunting problems that exist in the contemporary world. Possible themes to be explored include: brownfields, HIV/AIDS, freedom of information, poverty and racism.

Criminology

CC308 Corporate Deviance and Crime – Undergraduate
A detailed examination of various forms of corporate and white-collar criminality, which may include the following topics: environmental crimes, government corruption, economic crimes and crimes against consumers. Students will review research, which explores different theoretical perspectives on this kind of criminal behaviour.

CT212 Environmental Issues and Responses – Undergraduate
Contemporary environmental issues are studied from a multi-disciplinary perspective. Topics for discussion may include climate change, water issues, urbanization, environmental law and legislation, corporate needs and responsibilities, and personal and ethical responses to environmental issuess

CC312 Madness, Pollution and Crime – Undergraduate
This course will introduce students to health and crime. Topics may include crime as a public health issue; mental illness and criminality; the physical and mental consequences of victimization; occupational health hazards for criminal justice professionals; medical fraud, malpractice and abuse; environmental crime and pollution; the criminalization of drugs; the relationship between drugs, alcoholism, gambling and crime, and; the role of health care professionals in the justice system.

Cultural Studies
KS300A Special Topic Cultural Studies in Action – Undergraduate
This course is designed to introduce students to the practice of cultural studies through practical experience in a service learning context. Students will be introduced to the roots of community action and involvement in cultural studies and given an opportunity to explore and develop a deeper understanding of the practice of cultural studies through a minimum 10-hour practical course component of community service related to the field. Community service will focus on cultural and other organizations in the Kitchener-Waterloo Region.
English

EN220 Reading Culture – Undergraduate
An extension of the practices involved in reading written texts, literary and non-literary, to the interpretation of other cultural forms, (for example, film, graphics, TV programming). There will be some attention to theories that offer a general model for how meaning is constructed and exchanged.

EN330 Human Rights in Contemporary Cultural Forms – Undergraduate
An examination of current human rights discourse through a variety of cultural forms (e.g., literature, film, visual arts, Webmedia, music, legal documents, etc.), in a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary perspective (e.g., religion, law, philosophy, media). Human rights addressed may include civil and political rights (imprisonment, torture, censorship), economic, social and cultural rights (women's, children's, refugee rights, modern slavery, environmental rights), genocide, conflict resolution, humanitarianism and activism.

Environmental Studies

ES101 Introduction to Environmental Studies – Undergraduate
A multidisciplinary introduction to environmental studies with an emphasis on natural resources and environmental conditions. Topics may include ecological systems, sustainability, environmental worldviews and ethics, economic systems, and policy and decision-making. Canadian and international examples are discussed.

ES102 Environmental Problems and Approaches – Undergraduate
A multidisciplinary introduction to selected environmental systems and issues, with an emphasis on approaches to solving environmental problems. Topics may include water resources, climate change and atmospheric pollution, agricultural systems, forest and wildlife management and sustainable cities. Canadian and international examples are discussed.

ES290 Global Resource and Environmental Issues – Undergraduate
An introduction to resource and environmental issues from a global perspective. Specific concepts, methods and techniques of resource management and environmental studies are introduced throughout.

ES291 Geography of Resource Policy and Administration – Undergraduate
This course focuses on the processes of resource and environmental management within a complex, interacting system of governments, non-governmental organizations and private organizations and landowners.

ES293 Social-Ecological Systems Approaches – Undergraduate
An introduction to the concepts, approaches, and tools required to understand, assess, and manage interconnected social and ecological systems. The implications for sustainability are emphasized.

ES295 Ecotourism and the Environment – Undergraduate
This course will introduce the student to the study of tourism directed at experiencing nature and the environment. The sustainability and assessment of human impact on local environments and populations will be examined, using case studies from around the globe that consider topics such as wilderness treks and eco-lodges, parks and wildlife viewing, conservation and ethics, extreme sports, business perspectives, social issues, and outdoor education.

ES296 Introduction to Sustainability – Undergraduate
Considers and integrates issues related to environmental resilience, community well-being and economic prosperity. Topics explored may include governance, land use, alternative energy, urban systems and technology through a sustainability lens.

ES297 Geography of Water Resources- Canada – Undergraduate
The study and application of concepts and techniques of use to the geographer in the management of water as affected by use or misuse of the resource. Topics of discussion will include the watershed concept; multiple versus single use forms of management; water transfer schemes and water quality.

ES298 Environmental Thought – Undergraduate
An environmental studies perspective on the origins, variety, and relevance of environmental thought to understanding and resolving current environmental issues. Topics addressed will range from environmental philosophies to environmental literature and environmental politics, among others.

ES356 Development & the Environment – Undergraduate
An examination of the forms and challenges of development in South and South East Asia, Africa and Latin America, and the relationship to environmental change. Political and ecological perspectives will be used to understand change in the context of land, water and forest resources, agriculture and food security, coastal environments, rural livelihoods and urban systems.

ES391 Wildlife & Rural Land Resources Management – Undergraduate
The study and application of techniques of use to the geographer in the management of forestry, range and farmland species of wildlife. Included will be discussions on conflicts in land use and private versus public forms of management.

ES392 Environmental Impact Assessment – Undergraduate
An introduction to methods, processes and policies for environmental impact assessment, with an emphasis on the Canadian context.

ES397 World Water Environment and Development Issues – Undergraduate
The study of major geographic aspects of world fresh water supply and demand.

ES398 Parks & Protected Areas – Undergraduate
This course analyzes the origins, types and purposes of protected areas as part of integrated resource and environmental management.

ES401 Theory & Practice of Ecosystem-Based Management – Undergraduate
A field course examining the theory and practice of regional-scale environmental planning, management and assessment, with a focus on ecosystem-based management and other integrated approaches. This course requires students to undertake fieldwork. Medical and release forms are required.

ES493 Problems in Land Resources Management – Undergraduate
An in-depth study of land use problems of interest and significance to the geographer specializing in the resources management field of geography. Using the seminar approach, the course will include discussion of the social, economic, ecological and political implication of land use conflicts and issues.

ES494 Northern Resources & Environments – Undergraduate
An examination of northern ecosystems and environments in the context of resources management. The primary focus is on Canada and Alaska.

ES496 Theory and Practice of Sustainability- Undergraduate
A multidisciplinary perspective on challenges and approaches to achieving sustainability at regional, national and global levels. Key perspectives will include the biophysical, social, economic and business.

Faculty of Human & Social Sciences

CC306 Global Justice – Undergraduate
This course examines, from a criminological perspective, issues raised by globalization. Topics may include responses to world poverty, world trade and justice, human rights, the development of international courts and tribunals, global environmental issues, and legal approaches to world issues.

HS200 Social Determinants of Health – Undergraduate
This course is an introduction to the study of health and illness, and the social determinants of health. What is health and what does it mean to be sick? How do social and cultural factors influence ideas about "health" and "sickness"? Topics may include: individual and population health, gender, health and the environment, the social construction of health and illness, and cross-cultural ideas of health.

HS219 Disabilities – Undergraduate
This course takes disability as both the subject and object of inquiry. In order to critically examine the meaning of impairment and disability in contemporary culture, this course will draw from multiple disciplinary perspectives, including critical social theory, legal studies, human rights and biomedicine. Topics may include the history of disability studies, disability rights, advocacy and activism, biomedical and bioethical dilemmas regarding disability and impairment, and an exploration of disability as a social, rather than physical, construction.

HS303 Environment and Health – Undergraduate
This course considers the link between a variety of environmental hazards, both natural and human-made, and their links to ill-health in the population. As well, consideration is given to environmental change, and its potential impact on both infectious and non-infectious disease.

Geography

GG101 Introduction to Physical Geography – Undergraduate
This course provides an introduction to physical geography. Topics include weather and climate, hydrology, geomorphology and biogeography. Laboratory exercises address geographic methods and techniques and illustrate human-environment relations through case studies.

GG102 Introduction to Human Geography – Undergraduate
This course provides an introduction to human geography. Topics include population and development, cartography and GIS, economic geography, cultural geography and political geography. In laboratory exercises, students learn methods and techniques used by geographers.

GG231 Risks and Disasters – Undergraduate
The course examines the nature of danger and disasters, the scope of the human vulnerability and responses to them. It will look at risk and damaging events associated with extreme natural forces, technological accidents, epidemic diseases and human conflict.

GG261 Geography of Energy – Undergraduate
Analysis of the changing needs for different energy sources. Special emphasis will be placed on the distribution of various forms of energy on a world scale and the problems associated with the inequality of this distribution.

GG290 Global Resource and Environmental Issues – Undergraduate
An introduction to resource and environmental issues from a global perspective. Specific concepts, methods and techniques of resource management and environmental studies are introduced throughout.

GG294 Geography of Tourism - "Beyond the City" – Undergraduate
Consideration of tourism in terms of its functional system; study of the impacts of tourism on regions, communities and landscapes; introduction to development and management of resources for tourism and tourism planning.

GG336 Coastal Processes and Landforms – Undergraduate
The course provides students with knowledge of the processes active in the coastal environment. Waves, tides and currents and their effects on the development of landforms on hard and soft coastlines will be the focus of study. (Physical Geography)

GG350 Canadian Issues – Undergraduate
This course examines one or more of the following regional issues in the Canadian context: population change and immigration, urbanization, industrialization, agriculture, resource development, rural settlement.

GG356 Development & the Environment – Undergraduate
An examination of the forms and challenges of development in South and South East Asia, Africa and Latin America, and the relationship to environmental change. Political and ecological perspectives will be used to understand change in the context of land, water and forest resources, agriculture and food security, coastal environments, rural livelihoods and urban systems.

GG362 Global Food Systems - Undergraduate
This course examines global economic, socio-cultural, environmental and political influences on food systems. Topics may include various threats to, and impacts on, food systems and sustainable food projects.
GG388 Introductory Physical Climatology – Undergraduate
This course provides an introduction to the study of micrometeorology and physical climatology, examining the processes that underlie the behaviour of the atmosphere close to the surface. Additionally, local to meso-scale atmospheric effects such as sea breezes and atmospheric conditions important to air pollution are studied. An introduction to micrometeorological instrumentation is also provided. (Physical Geography)

GG389 Climate Change – Undergraduate
This course examines the natural and anthropogenic means by which global climate changes.

GG391 Wildlife and Rural Land Resources Management – Undergraduate
The study and application of techniques of use to the geographer in the management of forestry, range and farmland species of wildlife. Included will be discussions on conflicts in land use and private versus public forms of management.

GG395 The World's Problem Environments – Undergraduate
An examination of pressing problems of environment deterioration resulting from the human impact in regions that appear especially sensitive to modern development. These regions can be characterized broadly by specific clima-geomorphic and biotic conditions. Current trends in the arid and humid tropics, high mountain regions, wetlands, coastal and ocean environments will be examined.

GG396 Natural Hazards – Undergraduate
The nature and distribution of risk from geo-physical processes including floods, earthquakes, storms and droughts. Emphasis upon the incidence of damaging events and their relation to ecological setting, settlement patterns, land-use and contemporary socio-economic conditions.

GG397 World Water Environment and Development Issues – Undergraduate
The study of major geographic aspects of world fresh water supply and demand.

GG398 Parks and Protected Areas – Undergraduate
This course analyzes the origins, types and purposes of protected areas as part of integrated resource and environmental management.

GG469 Geographical Information Systems II – Undergraduate
An examination of selected geographical information systems and their applications. Under the direction of the instructor, students will undertake a GIS application project.

GG468 Advanced Spatial Analysis – Undergraduate
An examination of a selection of techniques which can be used in association with GIS to undertake spatial analysis. Emphasis will be placed on the application of the techniques to real world problems.

GG486 Seminar on Coastal Environments – Undergraduate
This course is an in-depth examination of the physical processes in coastal ecosystems.

GG494 Northern Resources and Environments – Undergraduate
An examination of northern ecosystems and environments in the context of resources management. The primary focus is on Canada and Alaska

GG639 Food Systems and Sustainability – Graduate
The course examines emerging and existing sustainable food systems from a North American and EU perspective. Topics may include: technology, nature and society; policy dimensions in North America and the EU; knowledge and power; spaces of consumption; the moral economy; new urbanism and food planning; and, food networks such as commodity chains and fairly traded food.

GG664 Political Ecology: Nature, Society and Sustainability – Graduate
Readings, discussions and case study analysis draw attention to the intersection of political economy and ecological analysis, and contested understandings of environmental change, livelihoods and sustainability. Topics may include communities and conservation, knowledge systems and power, ecological change, property rights and institutions, social movements, and research methods.

Global Studies
GS211 Theories of development – Undergraduate
What is the place of culture in the process of globalization, which seems simultaneously to be integrating and fragmenting the world? Is there a global cosmopolitan culture emerging, despite the valorization of cultural differences? These are the type of questions that this course addresses. Students will discuss the dreams, visions and imaginings of a shared global culture, but also the hard cultural differences that refuse to go away.

GS351 Nature, Culture and Development – Undergraduate
Diverse pursuits of “development” around the world have their roots deeply embedded in the social and cultural relations of power that shape contested understandings of nature, self, and community, while also delimiting the horizons of democracy, sustainability and justice. Focusing predominantly on the Global South, this course is devoted to an exploration of various ways in which questions of development and environment intersect, identifying both the contours of dominant socio-ecological orders and the manifold resistances that point toward alternate futures.

GS441 Ecological Citizenship – Undergraduate
The course addresses contemporary ecological issues through the lenses provided by critical theories of social justice and citizenship. By bringing together these two frames of reference, the challenge of moving toward “greener” futures becomes interconnected both with the quest for more egalitarian economic relations and with the struggle for more inclusive and democratic societies.

History

HI120 World History in the Past and Present: An Introduction – Undergraduate
This introduction to world history will emphasize the economic and cultural interconnections in global history as well as exploring conceptions of world history in Western and non-Western cultures. The course will study the world order prior to the modern period of Western dominance, and pay particular attention to long-term historical changes in the period of non-European cultural and economic ascendancy which created, sustained and transformed the relationships between cultures and peoples of the world

HI209 The United States from 1877 to the Present – Undergraduate
This course surveys major historical trends and changes in the United States since 1877. Themes addressed include politics, immigration, gender relations, minorities, mass culture, social movements, and the rise of America as a global power. Lectures, readings and discussions are designed to provide students with a basis for forming their own opinions about controversial issues in the field.

HI322 Social History of Modern Canada – Undergraduate
This course will examine selected aspects of Canadian social development since Confederation. It explores the changing socio-economic framework within which Canadians have lived, and focuses on specific problem areas such as the immigrant experience, social reform movements, the history of women and the emergence of the welfare state.

HI344 Native Peoples of Eastern Canada – Undergraduate
History of Aboriginal peoples (status and non-status "Indians," Inuit and Métis) in Eastern Canada, from the 10th century to the present. Topics may include ancient Aboriginal Canada, contact, fur trade(s), encounters with Christianity, destruction of the Beothuk, government policies for First Nations, Native activism and cultural reclamation.

HI345 Native Peoples of Western Canada – Undergraduate
History of Aboriginal peoples (status and non-status "Indians," Inuit and Métis) in Western Canada. Topics may include ancient Aboriginal Canada, contact, fur trade(s) and later economic developments, Native-missionary relations, Inuit and other Aboriginal peoples of the Arctic, Métis, treaties, governmental policies, Aboriginal activism and cultural reclamation.

HI377 Science and Environment in Canadian History – Undergraduate
Selected topics illustrate the impact of science as a major theme in Canadian history, as both a method for assessing the land and its resources, as well as a cultural tool for imagining the country's past, present, and future. Topics include ways of knowing in science; science in European exploration and settlement; encounters with other (European and non-European) knowledge systems; the growth of Canadian scientific institutions; British and American scientific influences; science in society, industry, and war; the rise of Big Science in Canada; and postmodern critiques of science, including the modern environmental movement.

HI424 Reading Seminar on Nature and Environment in Canadian History – Undergraduate
A seminar based on important examples of recent interdisciplinary approaches to historical study of the environment. Themes include attitudes to nature and perceptions of the environment, with a view to developing useful applications to related topics in Canadian history.

HI425 Reading Seminar on Science, Culture and Society in Canadian History – Undergraduate
A seminar emphasizing the impact of scientific and cultural change on Canadian society in the 19th and 20th centuries

HI474 Nature and Environment in Canadian History – Undergraduate
A research seminar based on important examples of recent interdisciplinary approaches to historical study of the environment. Themes include attitudes to nature and perceptions of the environment, with a view to developing useful applications to related topics in Canadian history.

HI476 Aboriginal North America: Interpreting Native History since Columbus – Undergraduate
This comparative seminar examines the post-contact experience of Native peoples in North America (including "Indians", Métis, Mestizos and Inuit) to better understand historical, Aboriginal identities under colonialism. The course will cover the following selected topics including contact, epidemics, trade and work, social change, encounters with Christianity, violence, the evolution of governmental policies towards First Peoples, pan-Indianism, activism and cultural renaissance, and Native and non-Native interpretations of the past.
Indigenous Studies
ID201 Indigenous Perspectives on Global Issues – Undergraduate
This course reflects widely on indigenous peoples and their identity in the context of global issues of development, the environment and poverty reduction. New approaches to indigenous identity and rights will be examined at the national and international level, through an examination of United Nations initiatives, development banks, constitutional reform, and the growth of indigenous organizations at the local, national and regional levels. The notions of "self-development," "autonomous development" and "development with identity" will be discussed and explored.

Journalism

JN206 The Margin and the Mainstream – Undergraduate
The representation of socially-marginalized groups in the media is studied, including representations of gender and race, among others. The historical, political and sociological perspectives of marginalization in the news, commentary, alternative media and peer-to-peer communication are examined.

JN212 Journalism and Social Change – Undergraduate
This course engages students actively and reflexively in journalism production across cultures and constituencies. Undertaken from critical theoretical understandings of identity, language and society, students will explore and create works of journalism that acknowledge and experiment with conventional journalistic methods. They will focus on the writing process and practice different story forms (investigative, explanatory, narrative, editorial and profile writing).

JN303 Public Journalism and Social Advocacy – Undergraduate
How active should journalists be in the preservation of democracy? The public journalism movement rose out of perceived flaws in conventional journalism practice, encouraging journalists to move beyond the notebook to actively promote the civic involvement of citizens. This course reviews the movement, its history and its implications for the future.

JN327 Social Documentary – Undergraduate
The social impact of documentary is explored. Students will survey the evolution of video and radio documentary and the effect of point-of-view journalism as a tool in effecting social change and criticisms of this model of public communication.

Religion

RE330 Controversial Religious Issues & Movements – Undergraduate
An investigation of new religious trends, issues and movements in contemporary North America.

Sociology

SY406 Environmental Sociology – Undergraduate
The major issues in the sociology of the environment are examined. Topics may include the sociology of risk, science and technology, the social construction of environmental issues, ecofeminism, the sociology of environmental movements, and the political economy of global capitalism and the environment. Course material will be related to current environmental issues where applicable

SY414 Social Movements – Undergraduate
This course examines social movements – groups of people who mobilize in order to “change the world.” Neither highly institutionalized nor merely mobs, social movements consist of activists who come together on the basis of their belief that, in some important respects, another world is possible.

Human Rights & Diversity

HR100 Human Rights & Human Diversity – Undergraduate
This course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the study of human rights, human diversity (e.g., race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, disability), and the complex relationship between human rights and human diversity within contemporary states. The course may involve the study of specific cases, issues, debates, and important historical events.

HR321 Journalism, Human Rights and International Development – Undergraduate
Students will receive a thorough grounding in the conceptual and practical sides of the often controversial relationship between the institution of journalism as an integral pillar of democracy and the role of journalism in promoting human rights and international development.
HR328 The United Nations in the 21st Century – Undergraduate
This course will focus on contemporary global issues and the United Nations as an institution at the centre of a broader system of global governance designed to address them. The course will have a special emphasis on human rights and will also address other global issues such as peace and security, economic development, workers’ rights, the AIDS crisis, and environmental protection.

HR329 Global Health and Social Justice – Undergraduate
This course focuses on the social determinants that influence the health of individuals, communities and countries and the social justice issues to which they give rise as an example of social and economic human rights in practice. Topics may include: economic, social and political dimensions of global emergency services; humanitarian aid; world health systems and development; international disease transmission; and population health and social justice.

HR331 Human Rights and the Environment – Undergraduate
This course focuses on the idea of a human right to a healthy and sustainable environment as an example of ongoing developments in the types of claims being made in the name of human rights. It explores the development of this emergent right, linking it to pressing global problems such as climate change, developing world poverty and deforestation.

HR402 Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Human Rights – Undergraduate
This course explores interactions between international human rights and non-Western cultures. Among topics that may be considered are: how culture, religion, gender, and human rights intersect; how Western and non-Western conceptions of human rights interact; and how to address local practices that conflict with international human rights (e.g., female genital mutilation, child slavery, and servile marital arrangements).

North American Studies

NO240 North America: Business & Society – Undergraduate
This course assesses the nature of business and its broader relationship to society in North America. A number of themes are explored, including labour and migration, corporate social responsibility, and the environment. In addition, case studies of particular economic sectors may be examined.

Anthropology

AN200 Key Concepts in Contemporary Anthropology – Undergraduate
This course introduces techniques, concepts, and theories used by anthropologists for understanding sociocultural practices in all their diverse forms. Emphasis is placed on analysis of the intercultural dynamics of local everyday life. The course will address topics such as gender, kinship, race and ethnicity, politics, globalization, health and human rights.

AN205 Inuit of the Canadian Arctic – Undergraduate
An introduction to the study of the cultural patterns of the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic with consideration of such areas as subsistence and exploitation, social organization, magico-religious belief, and ritual and mythology.

AN229 Aboriginal Peoples of Canada: Contemporary Issues – Undergraduate
Ethno-historical and anthropological perspectives on the contemporary social, economic and political situations of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples in Canada.

AN237 Cross-cultural Studies of Change – Undergraduate
A study of such world questions as food, population, health care and the environment: the impact of technological change in rural and urban areas. Social, political, economic and technological development will be examined from a number of theoretical perspectives. The roles of business, government and non-government organizations in developing contexts are explored.

AN331 Political Ecology of Environmental Discourse – Undergraduate
The study of human-environment interactions in cross-cultural perspective. Particular emphasis is placed on local and global perspectives on contemporary socio-environmental problems.

AN463 Anthropology of Nature and the Environment – Undergraduate
This course will explore anthropological and related approaches to the study of humans and their material surroundings. Topics such as cultural ecology, political ecology, cultural politics of nature, landscape, human-animal relations and environmental imaginaries are discussed.

Archeology & Classical Studies

CL101 The Greek World – Undergraduate
An introduction to Greek civilization, from the Mycenaean to the Hellenistic period: achievements in art, education, literature, technology, philosophy and politics.

CL102 Roman Civilization – Undergraduate
A general introduction to the people of Rome and the world they created: law, architecture, education, literature, daily life and politics.

GR201 Introductory Ancient Greek I – Undergraduate
The course will complete the study of Greek grammar and move on to unadapted readings in Greek authors

CL212 Roman Literature – Undergraduate
A study of the development of Roman literature from its beginnings to the end of the Roman West. Authors and genres may include Plautus and Terence (Roman Comedy); Cicero (rhetoric); Sallust, Tacitus, Livy (historiography); Catullus, Ovid and Propertius (love elegy); Virgil (epic). Emphasis will be on the influence of Greek literature, analysis of style and literary motifs, the use of literature as propaganda and the impact of Latin literature on the modern world.

AR246 Environmental Archaeology – Undergraduate
An exploration of the contribution of geoarchaeology, botanical and pollen analyses, zooarchaeology, and the study of skeletal remains to understanding the archaeological record and reconstructing the interaction between past human populations and their environments.

School of Business & Economics:

Business

BU111 Introduction to Business Organization – Undergraduate
This course highlights challenges in the external business environment with a focus on their impact on business decisions. Topics include competitive analysis, and an in-depth examination of political, economic, social, and technological factors. Students will apply their knowledge using cases, and by identifying and researching the feasibility of a new venture/business opportunity. The course includes a required weekly lab in which research, writing, teamwork, and individual and group presentation skills are also developed.

BU121 Functional Areas of the Organization – Undergraduate
This course provides an overview to the functional areas of a business; specifically marketing, finance, operations, and human resources. The areas will be examined using an integrative model and by focusing on current issues such as sustainability. Students will apply their knowledge using cases, and by developing a business plan for a new venture. The course includes a required weekly lab in which teamwork, business writing, critical thinking, negotiating, and individual and group presentation skills are also developed.

BU461 Seminar in Business Policy – Undergraduate
This course provides a study of contemporary business issues. Topics will deal with current problems in general management.

BU411 Business Strategy for Sustainability – Undergraduate
In this course we examine the major global drivers for sustainability, frameworks for sustainable business, and the requisite skills in critical and integrative thinking to embrace and advance a sustainability agenda.

BU414 Occupational Health and Safety – Undergraduate
This course introduces students to the broad and changing field of occupational health and safety. Issues in this field are examined from legal, ethical, technical and strategic perspectives. Methods of instruction include lectures, cases and exercises.

BU415 Management Information Systems – Undergraduate
This course provides students of management with a basic understanding of management information systems. The primary focus is on the development and administration of information systems and computer applications.

BU455 Transportation and Facilities Management – Undergraduate
The objective of this course is to introduce students to the fundamentals of physical distribution management, specifically the design of distribution networks and the management of transportation. Key topics include design options for a distribution network, facility location and capacity allocation, choice of transportation mode and carrier based on tradeoff analysis, vehicle routing and scheduling, and relevant concepts in warehousing.

BU485 Environmental Management for Operations – Undergraduate
This course examines operations techniques to support a proactive approach to good corporate citizenship in environmental performance. Topics will cover product-lifecycle analysis, overview of regulations (provincial, federal, global), resource management, risk analysis, integrated waste management, pollution prevention planning and implementation, Total Quality Environmental Management (TQEM), Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and ISO 14000.

BU489 International Organizational Behaviour – Undergraduate
This course will enhance your awareness of international business and the role which organizational behaviour plays in the outcomes achieved by the enterprise. Cultural awareness, organizational structures and forms, negotiations and international human resource management related matters will be addressed.

BU491 Business Policy II – Undergraduate
This course explores how the organization's social, ethical and international context interacts with its competitive strategy.
BU615 Environmental Management - Graduate
This course examines operations techniques to support a proactive approach to good corporate citizenship in environmental performance. Topics will cover product-lifecycle analysis, overview of regulations (provincial, federal, global), resource management, risk analysis, integrated waste management, pollution prevention planning and implementation, Total Quality Environmental Management (TQEM), Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and ISO 14000.

BU625 Management Information Systems – Graduate
This course prepares students to be effective users of computer/communications services now and in the future. The focus is on the opportunities and pitfalls provided by these systems; the resources (hardware, software, networks, people and data) that organizations provide and alternative approaches to managing them; and what the user-manager needs to know to make effective use of information systems.

BU650 Ethics and the Conduct of Business – Graduate
To improve ability to recognize managerial situations that have ethical or moral dimensions. Students develop competence in dealing with ethical issues by interacting with and understanding the viewpoints of others, by discussing, arguing for and defending their own views, by expanding their perspectives and by learning to think about ethical problems in principled and logical ways. A systematic way of arriving at ethical opinions is presented, to enhance students' abilities to make both ethical decisions and to articulate reasons for these decisions.

BU701 Competitive Strategy for a Sustainable World – Graduate
This course explores the nature of the "triple bottom line" -- the simultaneous delivery of economic, social, and environmental performance -- by organizations. Sustainable enterprises use business as an instrument of social development and environmental improvement. Environmental thinking and social responsiveness are integrated proactively into core business processes, systems, and strategies.

BU824 Special Topics in Organizational Behaviour/Human Resource Management I – Graduate
BU834 Special Topics in Organizational Behaviour/Human Resource Management III – Graduate
BU838 Special Topics in Organizational Behaviour/Human Resource Management IV – Graduate

An in-depth review of the research literature in specific topics within the broader field of human resource management. Topics covered reflect the interests and expertise of the instructor and may include organizational justice, work motivation, work attitudes, leadership, organizational change, job analysis, employee recruitment and selection, performance appraisal, compensation, and the legal environment of human resource management. Emphasis in the course is given to issues of theory and research methodology.

Economics

EC218 Natural Resource Economics – Undergraduate
Economic theory is applied to the problems of natural resource pricing, allocation and conservation. Topics covered include common property resources, resource production and exhaustion, resources and economic growth, and the economics of recreational resources. The formulation of natural resource policy is discussed.

EC236 Economics and Demography – Undergraduate
This course examines population dynamics including births, deaths and mobility along with population organization and divisions as it impacts markets and economic growth. Some attention will be paid to the life cycle in both earnings and consumption. The interaction of public policy and demographics is also addressed.

EC238 Environmental Economics – Undergraduate
Economic theory is applied to the problems of environmental disruption and pollution. The factors that inhibit environmental improvement are examined. Economic policies that can be used to prevent environmental decay are studied.

EC606 Economics of Labour Markets – Graduate
The evaluation and development of policies for labour market issues, including pay equity, immigration, manpower training and unemployment insurance reform
School of International Policy and Governance

GV720 The History of Global Governance – Graduate
The world faces increasingly complex problems that have taken on global significance - including conflict and peace-building, humanitarian crises and intervention, international economic inequality and instability, and global environmental change. How are these problems addressed at the global level? And are the mechanisms adopted to address them effective and just?
Laurier's School of International Policy and Governance comprises two graduate programs including the PhD in global governance (offered jointly with the University of Waterloo). This program is offered through the Balsillie School of International Affairs, a collaborative partnership among Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Waterloo, and The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), a public policy think tank that addresses international governance challenges.
Interdisciplinary
IP611 Economics of Multilateral Environmental Accord – Graduate
This course first covers the economic approach to environmental policy, focusing on the benefits and costs of reducing environmental damages. Selected environmental accords are then examined from an economics perspective. Accords considered may be bilateral, multilateral or global in scope and may deal with a broad range of issues including climate change, pollution, and natural resources management.

Faculty of Science
Biology

BI101 Introductory Biology – Undergraduate
A broad view of the main processes and principles of living organisms, with an emphasis on the basic concepts, definitions and terminology of anatomy, physiology and taxonomy. Introduction to disciplines such as genetics, cell biology, evolution and ecology will be used to develop an understanding of the many ways living organisms are related.

BI102 Introduction to Biological Science – Undergraduate
An introduction to the fundamental processes and principles of life, with an emphasis on the form and function of living systems, from the level of the cell to the ecosystem. Topics will include molecular and cell biology, genetics, anatomy, physiology, evolution, systematics and ecology, all within the framework of the diversity of life.

BI111 Biological Diversity and Evolution – Undergraduate
Interactions of organisms with each other and with the environment in the ongoing process of evolution by natural selection are examined in the context of the interplay of form with function – for bacteria and fungi, for plants and animals, for individuals and populations, and for communities and ecosystems. Major topics include regulation, homeostasis, growth and development, reproduction, and adaptation.

BI117 Fundamental Functional Biology – Undergraduate
Introduction to the unifying concepts underlying the structure and function of multicellular organisms, with a focus on nutrition, gas exchange, transport systems, control systems, reproduction and development, behaviour, and ecological processes.

BI119 Introduction to Functional Biology – Undergraduate
Introduction to the unifying concepts underlying the structure and function of multicellular organisms, with a focus on nutrition, gas exchange, transport systems, control systems, reproduction and development, behaviour, and ecological processes. BI205 Introduction to Ecology – Undergraduate
An introduction to the fundamentals of ecology, with an emphasis on the conditions and resources influencing the interactions of organisms with the physical environment and with each other. Broad themes in population, community, and ecosystems ecology will be introduced. Laboratory work will include field trips to local forests, fields, ponds, and streams to familiarize the student with field methods and to demonstrate how ecologists study the patterns and processes observed in nature.

BI256 Life on Earth: Animals – Undergraduate
An integrated lecture and lab/tutorial-based course examining the diversity of animal life. The relationships of animal form and function are emphasized in terms of the solutions that have arisen through natural selection. Major topics to be covered include skeletal systems and locomotion, respiration, circulation, feeding and digestion, water and salt balance, thermoregulation, sensory and nervous systems, and reproduction.

BI266 Life on Earth: Plants – Undergraduate
The main goal of this course is to provide an introduction to the incredibly diverse and dynamic science called botany (from the Greek botanikos, 'of plants').

BI296 Contemporary Issues in Biology – Undergraduate
In this course, the cultivation of critical thinking and self-disciplined learning skills in the biological sciences is fostered by the identification, investigation and elucidation of core concepts, problems, and controversies associated with selected issues facing modern society. Potential topics could include: water resources, food security, climate change, ecosystem conservation, biodiversity. Students will develop competency in: formulating hypotheses; gathering and assessing information; communicating ideas, both orally and in writing; and engaging their peers in substantive discussion and problem-solving.

BI300 Environmental Toxicology – Undergraduate
A lecture and laboratory course covering toxicological principles, toxicity testing as well as the effects of natural and artificial toxicants on the environment. Topics for discussion may also include metals, herbicides, pesticides, radionuclides and emerging contaminants

BI305 Ecology – Undergraduate
A lecture and laboratory course about the relationships among living organisms and with the physical environment. Physical and organismic factors such as population growth, behaviour, competition, predation and communities are explored using observational and experimental data as well as mathematical models. Applied topics such as conservation, pollution and sustainability will be introduced. Laboratory work will include a number of field trips to familiarize the student with field methods.

BI307 Limnology – Undergraduate
The study of the biological, chemical and physical conditions affecting life in fresh water. Topics include limnological techniques and equipment, biological, productivity, pollution, fisheries management and fish culture. A major project is required

BI309 Population Ecology – Undergraduate
In this course, we study the interactions and relationships amongst organisms, and between organisms and their environment. It is a truism in ecology to state: "All species are always absent from almost everywhere!" Of course, our goal is to a get a fix on where particular species do occur, how many of them occur there, and perhaps most important, why they occur there.

BI365 Environmental Stress Biology of Plants – Undergraduate
An exploration of the methods by which plants avoid or tolerate diverse biotic and abiotic stresses, using mechanisms at the molecular, biochemical, cellular, and anatomical levels. Specific topics will include: stress perception and signal transduction, responses to light, temperature, and salinity; water, nutrient and oxygen availability; and defense against pathogens. The course will also cover the methods used to study plant stress responses and a discussion of how plant breeding and modern molecular biology tools are being used to improve stress resistance.

BI368 Plants: Form and Function – Undergraduate
A lecture, student seminar, and laboratory course relating plant structure to function. Cells, tissues and organs will be studied, linking them to specific functions. Once their functions are understood, an emphasis will be placed on how the organs are capable of structural and mechanistic modifications to allow non-mobile plants to live in their environments.

BI394 The Changing North: Subarctic Ecosystems in the Face of Climate Warming – Undergraduate
An intensive field-based program that will investigate the integrated ecosystem responses of sub-arctic systems in the Northwest Territories to recent warming in terrestrial, aquatic, and wetland environments. A central theme of the course will be permafrost and the thaw and degradation processes that are happening with warming as these cryotic changes have far-reaching consequences for associated ecosystem processes and functions. Students will design and implement a study and statistically analyze the data for the purpose of a scientific report.

BI400 Topics in Environmental Toxicology – Undergraduate
An advanced lecture, lab and/or seminar and tutorial course covering various aspects of environmental toxicology. Topics for discussion include exposure, impact and risk assessments, fate and behaviour of contaminants as well as environmental guidelines and regulations.

BI405 Community Ecology – Undergraduate
The study of ecology is based in the detection and quantification of patterns, with the goal of devising ecological explanations of those patterns that in turn can be used to make predictions. In this course, we will explore the concept and nature of the ecological community, with a focus on the competing theories of explanation, using evidence from a variety of published studies.

BI458 Vertebrate Biodiversity and Conservation – Undergraduate
A lecture, laboratory and student seminar based course focusing on patterns of diversification and distribution of vertebrates, including the roles of morphology, ecology and behaviour in shaping both the history of contemporary biodiversity and the ability of animals to respond to changes at the level of landscapes, regions and continents.

BI468 Plant Biodiversity and Conservation – Undergraduate
Diversity of Canadian plants–its description, analysis, conservation strategies and potential
sustainable uses.

BI475 Microbial Ecology – Undergraduate
Microbial roles in freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems will be studied. Emphasis is placed on the metabolic diversity of specialized microbial communities found in natural habitats. Microbial function in natural and constructed degradation or remediation processes will be examined from an ecological perspective.

BI488 Invertebrate Biodiversity and Conservation – Undergraduate
A lecture and laboratory course that takes a thematic approach to the study of invertebrate zoology, with a focus on functional morphology, developmental processes, and modes of reproduction, and on how these types of studies combined with molecular evidence and cladistic analysis provide insight into the evolutionary relationships amongst the major invertebrate groups. In addition, the contribution of the invertebrates to the functioning of healthy ecosystems, and the need to conserve diversity in these important organisms will be examined.

Chemistry

CH110 Fundamentals of Chemistry I – Undergraduate
This course is designed to be a first university-level course in chemistry. This course, followed by CH111, prepares students for further studies in all subdisciplines of chemistry as well as laying the chemical foundations for studies in related disciplines such as biology, physics, geography, anthropology and psychology. Topics covered include trends in the periodic table, chemical bonding, 3-D structure of molecules, stoichiometry, introduction to reactions and reactivity.

CH233 Environmental Atmospheric Chemistry – Undergraduate
The nature and composition of the atmosphere; chemistry of main air pollutants; the ozone layer and chemistry of the chlorofluorocarbons; hydrocarbon emissions and their influence on photochemical smog; greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect; gaseous inorganic oxide pollutants and acid rain; atmospheric particulate matter and removal methods; importance and methods of atmospheric monitoring; methods for analysis of gaseous pollutants.

CH234 Environmental Aquatic Chemistry – Undergraduate
Chemical principles applied to the study of water. Chemical reactions in aqueous systems, properties and composition of natural waters, redox equilibria in natural waters, micro-organisms as catalysts of aquatic chemical reactions, water pollution and treatment

CH358 Introduction to Molecular Biotechnology – Undergraduate
An introduction to the principles and applications of molecular biotechnology. Topics may include an historical perspective, recombinant DNA technology, structure and synthesis of DNA, RNA and proteins, development and use of endonucleases and plasmid vectors, and applications in the medical, agricultural, pharmaceutical and environmental sectors.

CH445 Environmental Heterogeneous Catalysis – Undergraduate
Environmental heterogeneous catalysis is the science that studies surface catalyzed reactions in natural systems and chemical industries, e.g. emission control. This course covers topics on the thermodynamics and kinetics of surface catalyzed reactions. Operational principles of surface science techniques will be introduced. Advances in current research in environmental catalysis will be discussed as well.

CH645 Environmental Heterogeneous Catalysis – Graduate
Environmental heterogeneous catalysis is the science that studies surface catalyzed reactions in natural systems, chemical industry and emissions control. This course covers topics on the thermodynamics and kinetics of surface catalyzed reactions. Principle operations of surface science techniques will also be introduced and advances in current research in environmental catalysis will be discussed.

Faculty of Education
EU403 Teaching for Equity and Diversity – Undergraduate
An examination of a range of factors that contribute to student diversity and the role of the teacher in creating a learning environment that supports the social and emotion well-being and cognitive development of all students. Legislation, policies and procedures related to inclusive education are addressed including the Individual Education Plan and the Identification, Placement and Review Committee process.

EU433 Outdoor and Environmental Education – Undergraduate
This elective course provides TECs with the knowledge and skills to implement an integrated school-based Outdoor and Environmental Education program. Various approaches to outdoor and environmental education, current theories and practices will be explored.
EU464 Teaching Methods: Social Studies, History and Geography – Undergraduate
This course will provide an advanced practical and theoretical overview to teaching social studies at the junior level and history and geography at the intermediate level. Topics include: (1) approaches to learning and teaching of the basic concepts of social studies, history and geography; (2) approaches to teaching the habits of mind, skills, and strategies of social studies, history and geography; (3) assessment and evaluation strategies; (4) attitudes towards teaching and learning social studies; and (5) professional leadership.

Faculty of Liberal Arts

Environment & Society Option
EY101 Environment and Society: A Historical Perspective – Undergraduate
This course will examine the relationship of human society to the environment from a long-term historical perspective. The principles of human ecology will be introduced. Case studies from around the world will be featured, from pre-agricultural to modern times. The course will investigate the complex interaction of humans with the environment and the role of environmental change in the florescence and collapse of human societies.

EY301 Environmental Communication – Undergraduate
Regional, national and global environmental issues reach us daily through the mass media. Designed for journalism students and citizen activists to examine the rise of consumerism and advertising and become critical readers and viewers of environmental news. Students will analyze how the mass media present environmental information and their various sources of information

EY302 Climate Change and Society – Undergraduate
Global climate change has influenced the course of human history. Climate change will continue to affect the future in profound ways. This course provides an overview of the complexity of climate change, with a special emphasis on the role of humans in climate change, the impacts of climate change on societies, and the ability of humans to alter the course of climate change.

School of International Policy and Governance

IP612 Contemporary Issues in Environmental Policy – Graduate
Effective policy solutions to environmental issues have been slow to emerge partly because environmental policy-making is an exercise in crossing boundaries. Boundaries include those between the environment and the economy, between sovereign jurisdictions, and between the scientific and political communities. This course considers these boundaries in the context of policy approaches that focus on pollution prevention, targeted incentives and flexibility in implementation. Case studies will be drawn primarily from the North American and Western European contexts and may include issues relating to environmental and natural resource policies.

IP613 Special Topics in International Environmental Policy – Graduate
This special topics course focuses on selected issues relating to international environmental policy. Possible topics include environmental planning and management, social and environmental sustainability, environmental monitoring and assessment, and water management.

IP614 Interdisciplinary Seminar in International Environmental Policy – Graduate
In this seminar, the “how to” of environmental and natural resources management is combined with the economic aspects and global governance issues relating to the development, implemental and evaluation of environmental policy. As part of the seminar, students research, write and present a paper on an important dimension of international environmental policy.

GV750 Global Justice – Graduate
This course explores theoretical understandings of global justice as applied to contemporary social issues. It investigates cultural constructs of freedom and obligation, the self in/and community. What are the cultural and philosophical justifications for excluding, or engaging, the stranger? The other? The poor? Ethical and methodological questions play a critical role in the deliberations with the ultimate aim of bringing inquiry to questions of action.

GV760 Human Rights and Global Governance – Graduate
This interdisciplinary course will address issues in the study of the international legal regime of human rights, its history and evolution. The course will cover a number of debates in the literature, including but not limited to philosophical and regional/cultural/religiously- based objections to this international regime; human rights in international relations; and human rights and globalization.

The Sustainability Office sifted through all course information available on the Laurier website to identify sustainability related and focused courses. Based on the available information, the Sustainability Office created a list of sustainability-focused courses and a list of sustainability-related courses. Because the information on the Laurier website is in some cases lacking sufficient detail to make an accurate decision as to whether or not the course falls within the definition of “sustainability in the curriculum”, the above mentioned lists were validated by faculty members. This was done through a survey sent to all faculty members; faculty has the opportunity to identify sustainability courses that were not on the list but should be or to remove courses that shouldn’t have been put on the list in the first place. The Sustainability Office collected the survey results and amended the sustainability course inventory as necessary.