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Urban Studies Program | Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Simon Fraser University Calendar | Spring 2025
Urban Worlds Major
Students have the option of completing the bachelor of arts in urban worlds in the Faculty of Environment (urban change stream) or in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (urban studies stream). In addition to the core requirements for both streams, students must complete all units required for their stream and any additional faculty-level requirements.
Transfer students may enter the program before fulfilling all lower division requirements. Students are expected to see an academic advisor as soon as possible about program entry.
Students should consult with the advisor when formally declaring this major, or risk prolonging their program.
Students may declare the major in the urban change or urban studies stream (either in FENV or in FASS) once they have completed the lower division introductory perspectives course requirements (13 units).
Program Requirements
Students must obtain a grade of C- or better to apply the units to their major. Up to 10 units of graduate coursework may be accepted towards both a bachelor of arts and master of arts degree following successful application to an accelerated master’s program.
Core Program Requirements
Lower Division Requirements
Introductory Perspectives
Students complete all of
An introduction to geographical perspectives on urbanized and urbanizing places, spaces, landscapes, and environments. The course focuses on the dynamism that characterizes cities and urban regions. Using a geographical social science approach, it provides an overview of how cities are shaped by humans and how we are shaped by cities. Breadth-Humanities/Social Sciences.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Melora Koepke |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Introduces the nature and goals of Indigenous Studies as an academic discipline that emphasizes cultures and homelands of First Peoples. Students with credit for FNST 101 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Humanities/Social Sciences.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Bryan Myles |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D900 |
Bryan Myles |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Surrey |
F100 |
Sarah Henzi |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
OL01 |
Alix Shield |
Online | |
OL02 |
Natahnee Winder |
Online |
Students will be exposed to a broad overview of the field of planning. The course will introduce students to the role of a planner while exploring the practice of planning (human settlements and community planning) in varying contexts within Canada and internationally. Students with credit for PLAN 200 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Social Sciences.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
OL01 |
Laura Tate |
Online |
Students will learn what a city can be, and what it means to be part of an urban community from a range of perspectives, methods, and practices. Key ideas explore urban life and processes, including land and housing, economic relations, social relations, mobility and movement, political relations, and human-nature relations.
Foundations of Urban Practice
Students complete one of
An introduction to what geographers do in applied contexts, how geographic concepts relate to applied skills, and how to communicate what geography is and why geographical approaches are useful. The course will emphasize written and oral communication skills through regular writing assignments, feedback, and direct engagement with professional geographers. Prerequisite: One of: GEOG 100, GEOG 102, GEOG 104, GEOG 111. Writing.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
B100 |
Tara Holland |
TBD | |
B101 |
Tara Holland |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Effective inquiries in urban studies require the application of approaches to find, analyze, and communicate data about the city, its residents, and its functions. From these applications, they can become the keys to professional urban practices in careers that focus on examining cities. GEOG 266W will be accepted in lieu of URB 201. Students with credit for FASS 211 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Andy Yan |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
*GEOG 266W is required for students intending to declare in the urban change stream.
Urban Methods
Quantitative Methods
Students complete one of
An introduction to basic quantitative techniques for the collection of geographic data. Topics include describing data, gathering samples, theoretical distributions, linking samples and populations, testing significance, and exploring spatial relationships all within practical, real-world application contexts. Quantitative.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Shivanand Balram |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D101 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 8:30–10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D102 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D103 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
A basic overview of Geographical Information Systems and Science; GIS software, hardware, data structures and models; spatial data, operations and algorithms; practical applications and limitations. Students with credit for GEOG 354 may not take this course for further credit. Quantitative.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Shivanand Balram |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D101 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 8:30–10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D102 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D103 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Introduces quantitative research techniques in political science. Introduces important analytical and conceptual skills necessary to understand and evaluate quantitative political science research. Corequisite: POL 200W or permission of department. Quantitative.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
B100 |
Mark Pickup |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
B101 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 3:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
B102 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 5:30–7:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
B103 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
B104 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 5:30–7:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Takes the mystery, but not the magic, out of quantitative research in anthropology and sociology by introducing analytical skills necessary for reading, understanding, and critiquing quantitative research. Students evaluate popular coverage of social research; learn concepts related to statistical significance; conduct basic statistical analysis, including designing graphs and tables. Prerequisite: SA 101 or 150. Quantitative.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Suzanna Crage |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D101 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Research methodology and associated statistical analysis techniques for students with training in the life sciences. Intended to be particularly accessible to students who are not specializing in Statistics. Prerequisite: Recommended: 30 units. Students cannot obtain credit for STAT 201 if they already have credit for - or are taking concurrently - STAT 101, 203, 205, 285, or any upper division STAT course. Quantitative.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D900 |
Wei Lin |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 12:30–2:20 p.m. |
Surrey Surrey |
OL01 |
Wei Lin |
Online | |
OP09 | TBD |
Descriptive and inferential statistics aimed at students in the social sciences. Scales of measurement. Descriptive statistics. Measures of association. Hypothesis tests and confidence intervals. Students in Sociology and Anthropology are expected to take SA 255 before this course. Intended to be particularly accessible to students who are not specializing in Statistics. Prerequisite: Recommended: 30 units including a research methods course such as SA 255, CRIM 220, POL 200W, or equivalent. Students cannot obtain credit for STAT 203 if they already have credit for - or are taking concurrently - STAT 101, 201, 205, 285, or any upper division STAT course. Quantitative.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Joan Hu |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 10:30–11:20 a.m. |
Burnaby Burnaby |
OL01 |
Wei Lin |
Online | |
OP01 | TBD |
**May be used to meet this requirement for the urban studies stream only.
Qualitative Methods
Students complete one of
Chronologically analyses the use of photography to research Indigenous peoples from the 19th Century anthropological methods to contemporary participatory action methods. Highlights how Indigenous peoples are adapting research methods to benefit and empower their communities. Students with credit for FNST 111 may not take this course for further credit.
Introduces students to labour research through methodology and research methods for social change. By exploring what methodology is, the methods common in labour research, and understandings of social justice, students gain experience of quantitative and qualitative approaches, including survey research. Focuses on using and interpreting quantitative data and statistics for social justice and social change. Prerequisite: LBST 100 or LBST 101 or with permission of instructor. Quantitative.
Introduces different aspects of research design in political science, as well as different qualitative research techniques and the epistemological perspectives that inform them. Introduces important analytical and conceptual skills necessary to understand and evaluate political science research. Students with credit for POL 200 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.
Explores how sociologists and anthropologists investigate social relations and contexts. Students learn to develop research questions and turn them into research projects. Introduces data collection techniques and related ethical issues, the relationship between theory and research, and other fundamental concepts and issues involved in conducting qualitative and quantitative research. Prerequisite: SA 101 or 150. Quantitative.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Bascom Guffin |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D101 |
Sessional |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
This course would introduce students to the ethical, legal, and privacy issues surrounding the collection and use of big data and the implications of these for vulnerable populations. Students with credit for PHIL 270 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
B100 |
Yuting Kino Zhao |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
B101 |
Yuting Kino Zhao |
TBD |
Incorporates academic and creative writing assignments through hands-on exploration of language, literacy, and literature across cultures. Includes translation exercises and writing workshops. Additional language fluency highly recommended but not required. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.
**May be used to meet this requirement for the urban studies stream only.
Wider Urban Contexts
Students complete one of
Introduces students to the interconnected, border-crossing worlds of Asian and Asian diasporic people through discussion of scholarship, films, short stories, essays, oral histories, and visual art. Surveys key topics in the study of globalizing processes, such as migration, trade, imperialism, decolonization, globalization, and environmental change. Students with credit for ASC 101 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Humanities/Social Sciences.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Nadine Attewell |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D101 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D102 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D103 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 3:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D104 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 3:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D105 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 4:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D106 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 4:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
An introduction to key concepts and contexts in contemporary geographical approaches to social practices, meanings, and struggles. Prerequisite: One of GEOG 100, INDG 101, SA 101, or SA 150. Breadth-Social Sciences.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Katie Gravestock |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D101 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D102 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 3:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D103 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 4:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Selected topics on the sexual politics of urban space. May be organized by region, critical approach, or genre. Students who have completed WS 204 may not complete this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Niall Mackenzie |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Study of Indigenous peoples of BC and effects of historical and political processes on their livelihoods and homelands. Overview of indigeneity and connection to urbanization. Examines linguistic diversity and endangered state of BC First Nations languages; Indigenous ethnography; land rights movement; traditional cultural practices/beliefs; and social, educational and economic disparity. Prerequisite: Recommended: INDG 101. Students with credit for FNST 286 or SA 286 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
B100 |
Joyce Schneider |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 8:30–10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
B101 | TBD |
Introduces the interdisciplinary field of International Studies to all undergraduates and IS majors. Examines the major global challenges of our time, including poverty and inequality, environmental degradation, nationalism, civil war, and armed conflict. Explores the challenge of global governance and global citizenship. Breadth-Humanities/Social Sciences.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Anushay Malik |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D101 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D102 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 3:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D103 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 4:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D104 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D105 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 3:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D106 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 4:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Introduces the challenges and opportunities for developing sustainable communities and a sustainable world, through the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and alternative perspectives around sustainability (e.g. Indigenous, just sustainabilities etc.). Students will also learn from the practical experience of diverse experts and sustainability professionals. Conventional approaches to sustainable development will be critiqued to ensure considerations for equity and social justice. Highlights will be showcased from the Global North and Global South. Students with credit for REM 281 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Social Sciences.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D101 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D102 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 1:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D103 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D104 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 3:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
**May be used to meet this requirement for the urban studies stream only.
***May be used to meet this requirement for the urban change stream only.
Upper Division Requirements - Capstone Course
Students complete one of
This project-based course will promote collaborative group work, where hands-on exercises allow students to gain experience in finding, processing, documenting, visualizing, analyzing, and communicating ambitious agendas for urban change, in response to pressing real-world urban challenges. Prerequisite: 75 units.
A fieldwork based study of a selected region conducted in an international setting. Emphasis is placed on how to understand landscapes by relating concepts and models with direct observation, inference and collection of field evidence, as well as published literature on the selected region. Prerequisite: At least 60 units including 12 units of upper division geography courses.
International field school with on campus preparatory seminar sessions. Emphasis is placed upon experiential learning in an international urban setting, drawing informed and reasoned comparisons across cultural, political, social, environmental, economic, and built form contexts, and developing trans-national urban research and professional skills and capacities. Prerequisite: 30 units.
Immersive capstone experience in organizational change processes with external urban laboratory organization. Students will learn and apply understandings of urban innovation, systemic and transformational change, and sustainability transitions. The lab course will consist of lectures, discussions and exercises, intensive reading, extensive time in the field, and preparing a team-based project. Prerequisite: 60 units and permission of the instructor. Students should seek permission from the instructor prior to the term in which they wish to enroll.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
E100 |
Meg Holden |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 5:30–8:20 p.m.
|
Vancouver |
NOTE: SFU students accepted in the accelerated master’s within the Faculty of Environment or the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences may apply a maximum of 10 graduate course units, taken while completing the bachelor’s degree, towards the upper division electives of the bachelor’s program and the requirements of the master’s degree. For more information go to: https://www.sfu.ca/gradstudies/apply/programs/accelerated-masters.html.
* if urban in focus
Urban Change Stream
Lower Division Requirements
Studying Urban Change: Introductory Methods
Students complete
A basic overview of Geographical Information Systems and Science; GIS software, hardware, data structures and models; spatial data, operations and algorithms; practical applications and limitations. Students with credit for GEOG 354 may not take this course for further credit. Quantitative.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Shivanand Balram |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D101 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 8:30–10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D102 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D103 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Upper Division Requirements
Studying Urban Change: Advanced Methods
Students complete one of
Elements of cartographic analysis, design and visualization, with an emphasis on digital mapping, animation techniques, cartographic software and internet mapping. Prerequisite: GEOG 255. Quantitative.
Advanced quantitative techniques for spatial analysis of geographic data and patterns. Topics include geostatistics, spatial interpolation, autocorrelation, kriging, and their use in geographic problem solving with spatial analysis software. Prerequisite: GEOG 251 or one of STAT 201, 203 (formerly 103), 205, or 270. Quantitative.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Suzana Dragicevic |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D101 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 8:30–10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D102 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D103 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
An examination of technical components of GIS. Topics include spatial representations, generalization and data management; computational algebra and set theory; digital surfaces and terrain models. Prerequisite: GEOG 255. Quantitative.
Introduction to 3D spatial data, 3D analysis, and 3D visualization for spatial problems. Students will gain skills in 3D aspects of GIScience concepts; data generation and use; analysis and simulation; visualization and its use for interpretation and communication. Prerequisite: GEOG 255.
Through an examination of the social construction of numbers and other forms of quantitative data will provide an introduction to measurement and its use within social justice movements and policy circles. In analyzing such topics as the relationship between professional, state and community conceptualizations of quantitative evidence, students will make use of introductory statistical concepts, methods and argument. Prerequisite: 30 units. Quantitative.
Involves a survey and examination of method, theory and related topics associated with contemporary Indigenous Studies research in applied contexts. Ethical conduct and protocols for working within First Nations communities are reviewed. Prerequisite: INDG (or FNST) 101 or 201W. Students with credit for FNST 301 may not take this course for further credit.
Explores the qualitative and quantitative methods used by planners in both urban and regional settings. Students gain a basic understanding of approaches used for collecting, analyzing and communicating relevant-data between and within different communities. Introduces the roles of planners and other participants/actors in planning processes. Reviews issues in current professional planning practice and requirements for professional planning accreditation, including planners’ professional ethics and responsibility to the public interest. Prerequisite: PLAN 100 or PLAN 200.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Laura Tate |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 8:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Changing Planning and Governance
Students complete
An introduction to the major approaches and key ideas of the professions of urban governance; urban planning and urban policy. Through a focus on contemporary theory, process-based understanding, and specific issues and examples, the course examines key trends and interventions and promotes critical reflection on urban development. Prerequisite: At least 45 units, including GEOG 100.
Students complete two of
Examines the processes and practices of considering land in municipal and regional planning settings. Topics may include the historical development of land use and spatial planning at the local level in Canada, the evolving principles and practices of land development, valuation, sustainability, resilience, and climate planning. Through alternative approaches to land via economic, policy, legal, socio-cultural and socio-environmental lenses, the course equips students to become municipal land use planners. Prerequisite: PLAN 100 or PLAN 200; and 60 units.
Examines the interaction of human settlements and the natural environment in both urban and regional settings. Students gain an understanding of the decisions, policies, and plans that have profound impacts on the health and integrity of social and ecological systems. Topics may include planning for nature-based solutions, environmental justice, and resilience. Prerequisite: PLAN 100 or PLAN 200; and 60 units.
Engages students in understanding how to plan and cultivate sustainability at the community and city level, taking into consideration the environmental, economic, and social aspects of development. Explores and analyzes policy instruments, planning tools, and strategies from around the world for engaging people and institutions in building sustainable communities. Prerequisite: One of PLAN 100, PLAN 200, REM 100, or SD 281; and 45 units. Students with credit for REM 381 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Social Sciences.
From sustainability debates to policy windows and strategic goals (e.g., UN Sustainable Development Goals), students engage with tools and concepts to enable equitable change across contexts and sectors. This includes how policy is created, who the main players are in effecting change, and how we track and adapt to outcomes. Prerequisite: One of PLAN 100, PLAN 200, REM 100, or SD 281; and 60 units. Students with credit for REM 481 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Andres Cisneros-Montemayor |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, Thu, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Changing Infrastructures and Built Environments
Students complete
Contemporary cases and conceptualizations of gentrification and related processes of urban change. Central themes include: political, economic, social, and cultural manifestations of gentrification; class, gender, and racialization; the role of development, planning, architecture, the arts, and resistance movements; and gentrification’s global geographies. Prerequisite: At least 45 units, including GEOG 100. Students with credit for GEOG 362 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.
Students complete two of
An empirical and theoretical examination of the geographical aspects of transportation systems. Prerequisite: At least 45 units, including GEOG 100.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Leanne Roderick |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Surrey |
D101 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Surrey |
|
D102 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Surrey |
|
D103 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 4:30–6:20 p.m.
|
Surrey |
An exploration of the relationships between the development of cities, transportation, and infrastructure from an economic geography perspective. Greater Vancouver provides a location to explore, apply, and critique the theoretical perspectives presented in seminar. Prerequisite: One of GEOG 323, 324, 362, or 363.
Relationships between the physical environment in which people live and their health and well being. How the built environment affects physical activity, obesity, exposure to pathogens and toxins, health status, mental health, and risk of illness and injury. How urban form, physical infrastructure, and landscape and building design can promote health. Prerequisite: 60 units including HSCI 230 (or 330) with a minimum grade of C-. Students with credit for HSCI 309 may not complete this course for credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Scott Lear |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Explores the transportation system and how to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as well as other sustainability goals. Topics include zero-emissions vehicles, low-carbon fuels, shared mobility, vehicle automation, and reduced vehicle use. An interdisciplinary approach is followed, including analyses of environmental and resource impacts, consumer behaviour, systems, technology change, and climate policy. Prerequisite: 45 units or permission of instructor.
Urban Change and Social Justice
Students complete three of the following courses, (two of which must be from GEOG)
What does sexuality have to do with spaces and places? This question is at the core of this course where we’ll examine how sexual norms and queerness are defined and defied through different geographies. We will learn how Black, Indigenous, and queers of colour think about and build social movements at the intersection of sexuality, space, and place. Prerequisite: At least 45 units, including GEOG 100 or GSWS 100 or GSWS 101 or GSWS 102 or INDG 101 or SA 101 or HSCI 120 or CMNS 130.
An examination of urban geographies of crisis, concentrating on what crisis is, what it is used for, how it is differentially experienced, and how it is distributed unevenly. Case studies of environmental, economic, social, and political crises are the main focus. The course concludes by addressing the future(s) of cities. Prerequisite: At least 45 units, including GEOG 100.
An exploration of how race informs the aesthetics, politics and development of urban space. Examines racial formation in transnational urban contexts, and how cultural production and social movements are utilized to address racial inequities and envision urban futures. Prerequisite: At least 45 units.
The world is on the move. Migrants seeking better opportunities cross paths with refugees fleeing persecution. Some are helped and welcomed, many encounter barriers and threats, while identities, including class, race, gender, sexuality, mediate their prospects. This course's geographic perspective clarifies these complexities by combining conceptual analyses with contemporary cases. Prerequisite: At least 45 units, including GEOG 100.
An examination of property, particularly in relation to land, with an emphasis on its social, political, and spatial dimensions. Prerequisite: 60 units, including eight of upper division geography. Students with credit for GEOG 440W may not take this course for further credit.
An exploration of how cities shape the contemporary globalized world, focusing on key contemporary academic approaches. Highlights geographical and multi-disciplinary work on global-urban relations, networks, structures, and mobilities. Prerequisite: 60 credit hours, including Geog 362. Students who have taken GEOG 442 STT, Global Cities, may not take this course for further credit.
Impact of the macro- and microenvironment as it affects the aged. Discussion of planned housing and institutional living arrangements, territoriality and the need for privacy, home range and use of space, urban planning, responsive design of housing and care facilities, effects of relocation and institutionalization. Prerequisite: 60 units. Recommended: GERO 300.
Exploration of the cultural and intellectual accomplishments of a specific city that achieved prominence in a particular time period, and had substantial impact and influence on human civilization. Examines the political, social, religious, and cultural factors that help to explain a city's significance and investigates the achievements of its citizens. May be repeated for credit when a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units. Breadth-Humanities.
An examination of Indigenous peoples' perspectives on political, social and legal issues involving their rights as first citizens of Canada and North America, and the practical and political relations with various levels of government. Issues examined include: Indigenous rights and title, self government models and concepts, constitutional matters, the impact of federal government policies, including their impact on women's lives, and Indigenous communities and politics. Prerequisite: INDG (or FNST) 101 or 201W. Recommended: POL 221. Students with credit for FNST 401 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
OL01 |
Wenona Hall |
Online |
A discussion of issues in the philosophy of the social sciences which are relevant to the study of politics and a critical evaluation of contemporary approaches to political inquiry, including empirical theory, rational choice theory and hermeneutics. Prerequisite: Six lower division units in political science or permission of the department. Quantitative.
Explores the political dimensions of sex, sexuality, and love. Students will read academic materials on eros and philia, repressive hypothesis, compulsory heterosexuality, and power and patriarchy, and focus on contemporary policy debates, including same sex marriages, gender expression, polygamy, pornography, prostitution, and sexual violence (especially on university campuses). Prerequisite: POL 210 or permission of the department. Students with credit for POL 419 Selected Topics in Political Theory II under the title Sex, Love, and Politics may not take this course for further credit.
Examines the conceptual, philosophical and practical aspects of public policy analysis as it is conducted in government, universities, interest groups and policy research institutes. Specific attention is paid to the question of the role of policy research in the process of public policy making and the design of government programs and services. Prerequisite: Eight upper division units in political science or permission of the department. Students with credit for POL 451 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.
Examines the politics and policies of energy, including historical and technical perspectives. Topics include alternative energy, climate change, regulatory policy, and the economics of energy, as well as practical case studies. Students who have completed POL 459 in 2009 and 2010 may not complete this course for further credit. Writing.
Explores diversity in cities. It examines how different social and identity markers (ethnicity, religion, race, gender, class, sexuality, handicap or language) shape cities and how diversity is in turn shaped by public policies. The primary focus is Canada but we also look at these issues outside Canada. Prerequisite: Eight upper division units in political science or permission of the department. Students with credit for POL 458 under the title "Canadian DiverCities", URB 463 or URB 695 under the title "Diversity in Cities" may not take this course for further credit.
Provides students with the tools to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current food system and will encourage them to critically analyze diverse solutions from both the global South and global North to build a more sustainable food system. Students will work collaboratively with the instructor to examine diverse and interdisciplinary approaches to food sustainability and strengthen their problem-solving skills. Prerequisite: 45 units. Students who have taken REM 363-3 "Special Topics" in Spring 2019 and Fall 2019 may not enroll in this course for further credit.
and any upper division courses, from any program across the university, to total a minimum of 45 upper division units.
Urban Studies Stream
Lower Division Requirements
Social Science: Understandings of the City
Students complete one of
An introduction to political action and behaviour. Politics involves the struggle for power and influence. Nowhere is this more evident than when individuals mobilize and engage in political action, whether in a revolution to overthrow an authoritarian regime, protesting on the street against the government, or voting on Election Day. Breadth-Humanities/Social Sciences.
An introduction to the social and participatory basis of Canadian politics, covering topics such as political culture, regionalism and other political divisions, political parties, elections, interest groups and new social movements. Prerequisite: POL 100 or 151 or permission of department.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
B100 |
Andrew Heard |
TBD | |
B101 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 8:30–9:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
B102 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
B103 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 10:30–11:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
B104 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 11:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Examines Canadian society from the perspective of the social sciences. Students apply sociological and anthropological concepts to analyze issues in modern societies, focusing on Canada as a case. Topics include class structure, the nature of Canada's population, regional variation, gender relations, multiculturalism, and colonialism. Students with credit for SA 100W are not eligible to take this course for further credit. Writing/Breadth-Social Sci.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Madelyn Prevost |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
An introduction to the anthropological perspective as applied to the organization of everyday life in contemporary settings. Introduces positivist, interpretive, and critical interpretive approaches to the analysis of social actions, identities, and values as enacted in space and time. Prerequisite: Recommended: SA 101. Writing.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
OL01 |
Jie Yang |
Online |
An examination of how self and identity (e.g. race, class, gender, sexual orientation) are socially derived within contemporary western culture, and of the ways that individuals shape their social environment.
Arts and Humanities: Understandings of the City
Students complete one of
A study of the visual arts from the twentieth century to the present, with attention to the artists, artworks, movements, and discourses that re-defined the functions and meanings of art. The debates of modernism, postmodernity, postcolonialism, feminism, and the avant-garde will be systematically explored. Students with credit for CA (or FPA) 168 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Humanities.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Denise Oleksijczuk |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Vancouver |
A studio course devoted to the development of movement skills through specific styles of dance. The content of the course changes every term including techniques in Bhangra, Afro-Caribbian, Hip Hop and Contemporary. May repeat for credit. May be of particular interest to students in other departments.
Explores how literature and language imagine the natural world and engage with environmental and ecological crisis. Topics may include ecocriticism: eco-poetics; approaches to the natural world; local, imperial, and Indigenous ecologies. May be further organized by historical period or genre. Prerequisite: 12 units or one 100-division English course. Breadth-Humanities.
Examines how literature and language work to reflect, perform, complicate, and critique constructions of race, ethnicity, and national and diasporic identities and spaces. May draw from post-colonial approaches, critical race theory, and Indigenous and decolonizing methodologies. May be further organized by historical period, genre, or critical approach. Prerequisite: 12 units or one 100-division English course. Breadth-Humanities.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Joanne Leow |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, Wed, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D102 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D103 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 11:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D104 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D106 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
A survey of the history of the world, with a focus on global historical phenomena of the last six centuries. Breadth-Humanities.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D900 |
Bidisha Ray |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Surrey |
D901 |
Bidisha Ray |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
|
Surrey |
D902 |
Bidisha Ray |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 3:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Surrey |
A planetary-scale introduction to reciprocal human-environment interactions from the discovery of fire to the present day. Case studies focus on humans and non-human actors in specific locales, and their movement across continents and oceans. Themes include climate, energy regimes, disease, science and technology, agriculture, subsistence, and landscape change. Breadth-Hum/Social Sci/Science.
Examines the social history of ancient Greece and Rome, particularly through the study of relevant artifacts, art, architecture, and ancient texts. Considers topics such as the lives of men, women, children and slaves; the home; dining; government; the economy; the army; death and burial; and entertainment. Students with credit for HS 231 or HUM 216 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Humanities.
Surveys the history of Greek civilization from Mycenaean times to Rome's conquest of Greece. Prerequisite: Recommended: HUM 110. Breadth-Humanities.
A critical examination of a range of moral and legal issues we confront in our dealings with the state and our fellow human beings, such as: Is it wrong to break the law? Should pornography and recreational drugs be illegal? Do animals have rights? Is there a duty to admit immigrants? Are there duties to the world's poor? Are indigenous peoples owed reparations? Students with credit for PHIL 120 may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Evan Tiffany |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D101 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D103 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 11:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D104 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D106 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D107 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 1:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D108 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 1:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D109 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 1:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D110 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 1:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D111 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 4:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D112 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 4:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D113 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 4:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D114 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 4:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D115 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 5:30–6:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D119 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 1:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D125 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 1:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
An introduction to the ethical issues arising from interactions of states, NGOs and other international agents. Topics may include international human rights, terrorism, war, gender justice, climate justice, fairness in international trade, cultural diversity and conflict, the rights of indigenous peoples, collective responsibility and restitution for historical wrongdoing, among others. Students who have received credit for PHIL 220 cannot receive credit for this course. Breadth-Humanities/Social Sciences.
Introduces ways of comparing early world literatures across time and space. May explore fundamental themes such as love, heroism, or the underworld. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Gianluca Oluic |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D101 |
Gianluca Oluic |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D102 |
Gianluca Oluic |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 1:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Investigates cross-cultural interactions between European or North American traditions and those of the "global South." May explore themes such as empire, globalization, and modernity, or examine how the artistic achievements of Africa, Oceania, Latin-America, or South Asia influence other traditions. This course may be repeated once for credit when different tonics are offered. Breadth-Humanities.
Bridging Interdisciplinary: Understandings of the City
Students complete one of
Study of Indigenous peoples of BC and effects of historical and political processes on their livelihoods and homelands. Overview of indigeneity and connection to urbanization. Examines linguistic diversity and endangered state of BC First Nations languages; Indigenous ethnography; land rights movement; traditional cultural practices/beliefs; and social, educational and economic disparity. Prerequisite: Recommended: INDG 101. Students with credit for FNST 286 or SA 286 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
B100 |
Joyce Schneider |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 8:30–10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
B101 | TBD |
Government policies affect nearly every aspect of daily life. Covers basic methods for public policy to deepen student's understanding of what public policy is, why it is important, and the way in which public policy is made. Students examine competing perspectives for explaining the relationship between power, knowledge, advocacy, and policy making. POL 253 will be accepted in lieu of this course.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
OL01 |
Ali Bhagat |
Online |
Explores the political dimensions of public policy making in Canada. Reviews theories and techniques in policy analysis, and focuses on the contemporary dynamics of public policy in various economic and social sectors from the point of view of political ideas, interests, institutions, and decision-making. Breadth-Social Sciences.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
F100 |
Aude-Claire Fourot |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
F101 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Upper Division Requirements
Students complete three of
Examines the experience of city life in various global settings with an emphasis on the social, cultural, and political development of urban environments. Prerequisite: 45 units, including six units of lower division history or enrollment in the Urban Studies Certificate program.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Nicolas Kenny |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Exploration of the cultural and intellectual accomplishments of a specific city that achieved prominence in a particular time period, and had substantial impact and influence on human civilization. Examines the political, social, religious, and cultural factors that help to explain a city's significance and investigates the achievements of its citizens. May be repeated for credit when a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units. Breadth-Humanities.
Explores the colonialism embedded into the stories, landscapes, and systems of the North American city, and how Indigenous laws, stories, arts and culture hold keys to planning sustainable, equitable, decolonized cities. Grounded emphasis on Indigenous and non-Indigenous landscapes and planning institutions and practices in Vancouver. Prerequisite: 30 units. Students with credit for URB 695 under the title "Storyscapes: Decolonizing the City Through Arts" may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
E100 |
Kamala Jasmine Todd |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 5:30–9:20 p.m.
|
Vancouver |
Gender and sexual politics are among the most significant -and least discussed- of the forces and processes that affect urban form and function, from the built environment, to law and policy, to cultural landscapes. Examines how gender and sexuality shape urban life, from the body to City Hall. Prerequisite: 30 units. Students who completed GSWS 411 E100 or URB 695 (Fall 2020) under the title "Women in Cities" may not take this course for further credit.
Explores diversity and equity in cities from an urban studies perspective. Examines how different social and identity markers (ethnicity, religion, race, gender, class, sexuality, disability or language) shape cities. The primary focus is Canada, but the course also takes a comparative perspective and looks at these issues outside Canada. Prerequisite: 30 units. Students with credit for POL 463 or URB 695 under the title "Diversity in Cities" may not take this course for further credit.
Students choose a minimum of one course, but no more than two, from each of the following Understandings of City sections:
Social Science: Understandings of the City
Topics on the cultural production of acoustic, visual, and/or multimodal communication. Explores cultural contexts of media production, media artifacts, media perceptions, and alternative media practices. Topics include: advertising, film, gaming, radio, television, and questions of representation in media professions. This course can be repeated once for credit (up to a maximum of two times). Prerequisite: 17 CMNS units with a minimum grade of C- or 45 units with a minimum CGPA of 2.00.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Jan Marontate |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D200 |
David Murphy |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D201 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 1:30–3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D202 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 1:30–3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
OL01 |
Jas Morgan |
Online |
Examines challenges posed by the development of new technologies and the controversies associated with innovation policy. Prerequisite: Eight upper division units in political science or permission of the department. Students with credit for POL 457 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.
This course may focus variously on one or all of the following: the social origins and functions of art, sociological theories of aesthetics, and contemporary issues in art, such as the fate of art in modern society, popular culture, mass media, ideology in art. Prerequisite: SA 101 or 150 or 201W. Students with credit for SA 416 are not eligible to take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Gary Teeple |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, Thu, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Modernization narratives have placed food and agriculture on the margins of social thought. The current ecological crisis requires us to take a new look at the global agrifood system and its social, political and ecological relations. This course develops analytical perspectives on contemporary issues concerning food, ecology and agrarian change. Prerequisite: SA 101 or 150 or 201W.
An examination of environmental issues in their social context. Environmental issues are on the leading edge of contemporary public concern and public policy debates. This course will examine such issues as the relationship between social organization and mode of subsistence, the politics of hunger, and the way in which human societies in their particular social, historical, and cultural contexts view and interact with the natural world. Prerequisite: SA 101 or 150 or 201W.
From intimate dramas of everyday life to multi-media staging of political events, performances of various kinds infuse social/cultural/political relations among people(s), shape understandings of pasts, and evoke visions of futures. We explore contemporary work that engages questions generated by anthropologists, performance studies scholars, and artists. Prerequisite: Minimum 72 units including SA 101 or SA 201W.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
E100 |
Cristina Moretti |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 5:30–9:20 p.m.
|
Vancouver |
Bridging Interdisciplinary: Understandings of the City
An examination of urban geographies of crisis, concentrating on what crisis is, what it is used for, how it is differentially experienced, and how it is distributed unevenly. Case studies of environmental, economic, social, and political crises are the main focus. The course concludes by addressing the future(s) of cities. Prerequisite: At least 45 units, including GEOG 100.
An exploration of how race informs the aesthetics, politics and development of urban space. Examines racial formation in transnational urban contexts, and how cultural production and social movements are utilized to address racial inequities and envision urban futures. Prerequisite: At least 45 units.
Takes a broad approach to gender, placing it dialogue with race and ethnicity, class, nation, and space, to think through the complex dynamic between gender and labour from a variety of perspectives. Explores workers’ lived experiences of gender regimes while critically examining how gender ‘matters’ within the workplace. Prerequisite: 30 units including three units in GSWS or WS or GDST or LBST. Students who have taken GSWS 308, LBST 305, LBST 331 under the title Gender - Paid & Unpaid, or WS 310 under the title Women and Work may not take this course for further credit.
Examines the forces involved in displacements and global migration. Centring both the exploitation involved in the extraction of land and labor, and the modes of belonging and resistance of migrants and immigrants, the course explores the gendered, economic, border and racial regimes involved in contemporary global migration and nation-building. Prerequisite: 15 units.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
May Farrales |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Fri, 12:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Examines issues where ideas about males and females either explicitly or implicitly influence policy makers. Focuses on current public policies and their relationship to women on topics such as sexuality and violence, economic security, race and inequality, and climate change. Prerequisite: 30 units. Students with credit for POL 350 may not take this course for further credit. Students who have taken this topic under GSWS (or WS) 320 may not take this course for further credit.
Relationships between the physical environment in which people live and their health and well being. How the built environment affects physical activity, obesity, exposure to pathogens and toxins, health status, mental health, and risk of illness and injury. How urban form, physical infrastructure, and landscape and building design can promote health. Prerequisite: 60 units including HSCI 230 (or 330) with a minimum grade of C-. Students with credit for HSCI 309 may not complete this course for credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Scott Lear |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Examines issues that arise when Indigenous people must balance economic development and cultural integrity. Topics include self-reflexive internalist research, ethics and best practices in representing Indigenous heritage, public laws and land claim agreements affecting heritage, the exhumation and repatriation of human remains and religious freedom and access to sacred sites and objects. Prerequisite: 45 units or permission of the instructor. Students who have taken INDG (or FNST) 322 previously under this topic may not take this course for further credit. Students with credit for FNST 353W may not take this course for further credit. Writing.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Eldon Yellowhorn |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
This course explores the subject of traditional Indigenous knowledge and its contemporary implications for Indigenous programs in such areas as economic development, ecotourism, spiritualism, language retention, biodiversity, ethnoscience, environmentalism, and heritage conservation. Indigenous perspectives on patents, copyrights, and other creative products from traditional culture will also be examined through lecture, guest speakers and seminar presentation. Prerequisite: INDG (or FNST) 101 or INDG (or FNST) 201W. Students with credit for FNST 403 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
B100 |
Joyce Schneider |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
B101 | TBD |
Examines contemporary writings regarding Indigenous environmental logic and environmental concerns of contemporary times. Studies effects of resource extraction upon Indigenous nations, globalization, genetic modifications, health, intellectual property, spiritual beliefs, culture and society, art and language and compares these with specific Indigenous logic at the time of contact. Prerequisite: 45 units. Students with credit for FNST 433 may not take this course for further credit.
From peasant uprisings and student protests to armed insurrections, this course explores the range of African social movements and assesses their role in shaping Africa's future. Key themes include the role of ethnicity and religion, the impact of urbanization, economic inequality, gender politics, and trends in international solidarity and engagement. Prerequisite: 45 units. Students who have taken IS 319 with this topic may not take this course for further credit.
Explores China's stunning rise from Mao to global markets, with attention to social issues brought on by "the Chinese Development Model". Examines the bases of state legitimacy in contemporary China, challenges to state legitimacy, as well as state responses to these challenges. Prerequisite: 45 units.
Examines international efforts to respond to global environmental challenges, such as climate change, deforestation, and the degradation of the oceans. Investigates obstacles to effective action and possible ways forward. Explores the role of a range of key actors, including states, intergovernmental organizations, multinational companies, NGOs, and social movements. Prerequisite: 45 units.
Technological change and globalization are constantly transforming the nature of work under capitalism. These transformations are examined in the historical development of work, the changing nature of the labour process and how automation and artificial intelligence might transform work in the future. Prerequisite: Strongly Recommended: LBST 101 and/or 301. Breadth-Social Sciences.
Global labour migration has increased substantially in the last several decades. What factors contribute to the current wave of labour migration? Which countries send and receive migrants, and what is the role of internal migration? What challenges do migrant workers face in their host countries? This course will examine these questions to uncover the nature, trends and impacts of this growing phenomenon. Prerequisite: Strongly Recommended: LBST 101. Students who have taken LBST 330 Global Labour Migration may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Xinying Hu |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Examines contemporary debates in Labour Geography and geographical approaches to work and employment. Lectures explore the relationships between space, place and labour market change in the context of globalization and uneven development. Prerequisite: 60 units; LBST 101 or GEOG 221. Students with credit for GEOG 328 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Katie Gravestock |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
An interdisciplinary approach to transforming energy systems in pursuit of sustainable climate and society. Perspectives include thermodynamics, resource potentials, technological potentials, economic evaluation, implementation of transformative public policies, political-economy assessment of policy constraints, national and sub-national governance options, behavioural change potentials, global diplomacy, and pursuit of greater equity within and between countries. Prerequisite: 45 units. Breadth-Social Sciences.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
E100 |
Will Niver |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 5:30–8:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
E101 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
E102 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 1:30–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
E103 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 3:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
E104 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 4:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Explores the transportation system and how to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as well as other sustainability goals. Topics include zero-emissions vehicles, low-carbon fuels, shared mobility, vehicle automation, and reduced vehicle use. An interdisciplinary approach is followed, including analyses of environmental and resource impacts, consumer behaviour, systems, technology change, and climate policy. Prerequisite: 45 units or permission of instructor.
Provides students with the tools to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current food system and will encourage them to critically analyze diverse solutions from both the global South and global North to build a more sustainable food system. Students will work collaboratively with the instructor to examine diverse and interdisciplinary approaches to food sustainability and strengthen their problem-solving skills. Prerequisite: 45 units. Students who have taken REM 363-3 "Special Topics" in Spring 2019 and Fall 2019 may not enroll in this course for further credit.
Arts and Humanities: Understandings of the City
Examines the reciprocal influences between humans and nature through time. Topics may include settlement, agriculture, technology, politics, urbanization, science, and conservation. Prerequisite: 45 units, including six units of lower division history. Students with credit for GEOG 377 may not take this course for further credit.
Examines black history from the end of the American Civil War. The course focuses on the external and internal forces which shaped black communities across the nation. Special attention will be paid to these communities' struggles against the forces which sought to confine black people to an inferior place in society. Prerequisite: 45 units including 9 units of lower division History.
An exploration of the history and historiography of the Renaissance Italy. Emphasis will be given to politics, religion, culture and the economy, and to a balanced study of the Italian peninsula, including Florence, Venice, Rome, Naples, the countryside and smaller urban centres. Prerequisite: 45 units including nine units of lower division history and one of HIST 220, 223, HUM 219, 305, 311, 312W or permission of the department.
An examination of the role of racial thinking in the history of the Americas, from the era of the Conquest to the present day. Topics may include African and Indigenous slavery, the development of scientific racism in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the persistence of racism in the present day. Prerequisite: 45 units including nine units of lower division history. Students with credit for HIST 455 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Jeanne Essame |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Explores ideas, people, and movements of social criticism and social justice, stressing history as a way to understand and engage the present. Content may vary from offering to offering; see course outline for further information. HIST 463W may be repeated for credit only when a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units including nine units of lower division history. Students with credit for HIST 412 or HIST 412W cannot take HIST 463W for further credit when offered with the course topic "Marxism.". Writing.
An examination of an issue or selection of issues in social and political philosophy. Contemporary or historical readings or a mixture of these will be used. Possible topics include: justice, the law and legal systems, sovereignty, power and authority, democracy, liberty and equality. Sometimes the course will focus on the views of historically important political philosophers, such as Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, Bentham, Mill and Marx. Prerequisite: One of PHIL 120, 120W, 121, 220, 221, 270, SDA 270, ENV 320W, or REM 320W.
Juxtaposes the narratives of imperial conquest and colonial resistance. May focus on one particular imperial history or compare several. May feature narratives of rebellion and independence, national and/or postcolonial identity, or imperial nostalgia. This course may be repeated for credit when different topics are offered. Prerequisite: 45 units. Breadth-Humanities.
and any upper division courses, from any program across the university, to total a minimum of 45 upper division units.
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Degree Requirements
For all bachelor of arts (BA) programs, students complete 120 units, which includes
- at least 60 units that must be completed at Simon Fraser University
- at least 45 upper division units, of which at least 30 upper division units must be completed at Simon Fraser University
- at least 60 units (including 21 upper division units) in Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences courses
- satisfaction of the writing, quantitative, and breadth requirements
- an overall cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and upper division overall CGPA of at least 2.0, and program CGPA and upper division program CGPA of at least 2.0 on the course work used to satisfy the minimum program requirements. FASS departments may define additional GPA requirements for their respective programs.
Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements
Students admitted to Simon Fraser University beginning in the fall 2006 term must meet writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as part of any degree program they may undertake. See Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements for university-wide information.
WQB Graduation Requirements
A grade of C- or better is required to earn W, Q or B credit
Requirement |
Units |
Notes | |
W - Writing |
6 |
Must include at least one upper division course, taken at Simon Fraser University within the student's major subject; two courses (minimum three units each) |
|
Q - Quantitative |
6 |
Q courses may be lower or upper division; two courses (total six units or more) | |
B - Breadth |
18 |
Designated Breadth |
Must be outside the student's major subject, and may be lower or upper division: Two courses (total six units or more) Social Sciences: B-Soc |
6 |
Additional Breadth |
Two courses (total six units or more) outside the student's major subject (may or may not be B-designated courses, and will likely help fulfil individual degree program requirements). Students choosing to complete a joint major, joint honours, double major, two extended minors, an extended minor and a minor, or two minors may satisfy the breadth requirements (designated or not designated) with courses completed in either one or both program areas. |
Residency Requirements and Transfer Credit
- At least half of the program's total units must be earned through Simon Fraser University study.
- At least two thirds of the program's total upper division units must be earned through Simon Fraser University study.
Elective Courses
In addition to the courses listed above, students should consult an academic advisor to plan the remaining required elective courses.