Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in African Studies and Political Science

at Carleton University Canada

At Carleton University's Sprott School of Business, you will have exceptional opportunities to explore your interests and engage with key issues that are shaping business and communities. Sprott is a close-knit and inclusive community that offers a rich student experience and outstanding support, empowering students to find success and have a positive impact in the world.

Sprott’s Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) is a four-year business degree that delivers a complete business education with options to tailor your program to your individual interests and goals, including co-op.

Management - Concentration
Develop employer-valued skills and experience in managing and understanding people and their work relationships at individual, group and organizational levels. Prepare for careers in general management, management consulting, training and development, employee relations and strategic human resources.

Carleton’s Honor Program in Human Rights and Social Justice requires total of 20.0 credits of which 9.0 credits need to be in Human Rights and Social Justice.  With the help of Human Rights and Social Justice Program students will be able to contribute through theory and practical to people’s struggle to overcome the everyday issues. They give legitimate, social and political apparatuses and procedures for testing types of separation, enslavement and abuse, for example, those dependent on race, religion, sex, sexual direction, national or ethnic source, or political assessment, just as authentic practices of expansionism and misuse. 

Drawing from a wide scope of interdisciplinary themes and comes nearer from the humanities and sociologies, the Human Rights and Social Justice Program gives an outline of recorded and contemporary human rights issues and their effect on human lives in various social settings. Bachelor’s in Human Rights and Social Justice allows students to combine their knowledge and skills and also they are prepared to work in public interest sector, unions, women groups, community groups, governmental and non-governmental organizations.

From war zones to capital cities, from courtrooms to boardrooms, and in hospitals, police stations, sports arenas and church basements, journalists rush to places where events occur. They ask questions, report what they see and hear, and offer analysis of the changes and issues that shape our society.

As key players in the workings of every democracy, journalists should be well educated, thoughtful, analytical, conscious of the responsibility that comes with their job, and equipped with a moral compass to guide their decisions.

How are new technologies changing the ways we interact with each other and live our lives? Why are many jobs becoming increasingly short term and how is this situation affecting people’s families, communities, and self-identities? Why do social problems like poverty, racism, sexism, homophobia, and ageism persist in the modern world? What can we do to address these problems? What is it like to live with discrimination when many of the doors to social participation are closed to you? How do we define what is ‘normal’ and what happens to those who don’t fit within these definitions?

Sociology asks these and other questions in order to understand the powerful forces that shape the world and societies in which we live today. It is also the study of our personal and lived experiences of those worlds and societies, and how our self-identities, future opportunities and ways of life are shaped accordingly. If you are interested in these kinds of questions, sociology is a good fit for you.

Co-op Opportunities
A co-op option is available to Honours students in Sociology and allows you to combine work terms with academic study. Work terms exist in a variety of public and private sector fields, and give you the opportunity to apply information and skills obtained in class, such as social survey design and both quantitative and qualitative data analyses, to practical social issues and problems. Students in co-op can gain the experience and develop the skills needed to acquire marketable areas of expertise. Work placements also offer a perspective on career preferences and interests, with an opportunity to develop job networks.

The Earth Sciences program at Carleton offers you the opportunity to study the Earth’s systems, incorporating knowledge from other sciences including physics, biology and chemistry. You will learn about processes (such as evolution, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, plate tectonics and mountain building, formation of hydrocarbon reservoirs and mineral deposits) influential in the Earth’s geologic past that establish our present and future global development. The program offers the opportunity to participate in hands-on field courses that can take you to sites throughout Ontario, across Canada and around the world.

Virtually anything one builds that moves or converts energy has a mechanical component, making mechanical engineering among the most versatile of all disciplines. Our program emphasizes the development of analytical, computational and hands-on skills in design, dynamics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, materials, control systems and robotics. Elective courses in energy conversion and power generation, manufacturing and production processes, aerodynamics and flight mechanics, vehicle engineering, biomedical engineering, and computational methods are available. A concentration in Integrated Manufacturing is offered.

The influence of public policy is pervasive in our society. It affects the quality of the air we breathe and the water we drink. It affects prosperity and the extent of poverty, as well as our access to education and medical care. It shapes the impact and pace of technological change. It determines the duties and powers of our officials at home and overseas. It influences the pace of technological change, the reach and practical meaning of our rights, and the extent of poverty. As a student in the Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management program (BPAPM), you will examine a wide variety of issues facing society today, as well as institutional challenges, and develop the necessary skills and knowledge to address them.

The BPAPM does this through a curriculum that combines interdisciplinary study of civic institutions and processes with rigorous study of public policy. A selection of courses in political science, economics, law, communications, and history is combined with exclusive courses in public policy. Together, these courses will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of what government, civil and business organizations do, why they do it, and how they might do it better.

The BPAPM program is located in the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs, which provides an academic home for our students who come from across Canada and abroad. The university college is ancient in conception, characteristic of universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, and following this model our students belong to a select scholarly community. They have exclusive and direct access to academic advising, dedicated student meeting space and an electronic resource centre.

Where better to study politics than the nation’s capital? Our location in Ottawa provides you with numerous chances to see politics not only nationally but internationally. You will examine such topics of study as international relations, transitions to democracy, parties and elections, globalization and social movements, and the culture and ideas of politics.

International or local exchanges are an exciting possibility during your third year, and you may also choose to undertake an internship of your choosing, with permission of the undergraduate supervisor. In fourth year, an internship with the Washington Center is an option for consideration.

Carleton is home to the oldest and largest BA program in law in Canada. In the program, you will acquire a strong understanding of the dynamics of law, including its rules, agents, institutions and power structures. You will study legal theory and its application in everyday life and you will be taught by award-winning researchers and extensively published professors. Carleton’s proximity to Canada’s important public institutions, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, Parliament and the Department of Justice can lead to unique work and volunteer opportunities for our students. As an Honours student, you will have the choice of a concentration in Law, Policy and Government; Business Law; or Transnational Law and Human Rights.

The Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (EURUS) offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to the study of Europe, Russia and Eurasia. You will be able to build a program according to your specific interests, combining subjects such as history, politics, economics, language and culture. You will examine issues such as international security, nationalism and ethnic conflict, crime and corruption, the effects of globalization, migration and multiculturalism, environmental and social policy, democratization and civil society, collective memory and national identity, market reform and European integration. In your third or fourth year, you may choose to take part in an academic exchange in a European country or in Russia and/or co-op employment. In addition to the core academic program, the Institute hosts a number of special lectures by high-profile experts, foreign visitors and embassy personnel throughout the year. An internship program is available to qualified fourth-year students.