Bachelor of Arts in German Language and Culture

at EduCo - Western University Canada

Spanish is divided into two different programs that represent the rich cultural heritage of the diverse Hispanic world. You can choose from a wide range of courses in language, literature, linguistics, art, film and music.

Anthropology is the study of humans in all our social, cultural, linguistic, and biological diversity and complexity.  The four subfields of Anthropology (Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology, and Sociocultural Anthropology) are united by shared perspectives on how we study the full breadth of humanity. 

The most important alphabet on Earth is its smallest — the four letter code of DNA.  How hereditary information is conveyed using such a small code began to be understood by studying organisms in which something was wrong (mutants).  Today this traditional approach is complemented by molecular genetics, which takes advantage of a wealth of DNA sequence information as well as technologies that allows one to easily disrupt and replace specific genes. As a student, you can take a range of courses focused on gene structure, function and regulation that are taught using a range of animal, plant and microbial systems. Courses in genetic engineering, developmental genetics, behavioral genetics, and evolutionary genetics convey the importance of the smallest alphabet has an all aspects of life.

If you wish to learn about History, research and methodologies, and be able to critically understand and evaluate Historical texts, the History Major is for you. You will learn to communicate your ideas orally and in written form using the conventions of the discipline. You may earn an Honours degree by combining a History major with a Major in another discipline (a minimum 70% average is required in each discipline). The Honours Double Major is a valuable stepping stone to other professional programs such as Teacher’s College, Law School, Business School, Journalism and the like.

Language is the chief means which members of the human species use to communicate with each other. Its scientific and humanistic study is called linguistics. The history of linguistics goes back to ancient times, and during the 19th and 20th centuries it flourished and came to be associated most strongly with the scientific study of individual languages of the world as well as with the search to identify those traits which are common to all languages.

The study of linguistics is indispensable for anyone interested in a particular language or in a discipline with a focus on language in general. Students in many different fields of study find that linguistics makes an interesting and engaging elective or optional course (when combined with the discipline of language study, it is excellent preparation for law school, for example). In terms of careers, this means that anyone interested in language teaching of any sort (such as a Bachelors of Education, or TESL certification), in communicative disorders (including both Audiology and Speech Pathology), in translation or in interpreting should be sure to include some linguistics courses in their undergraduate preparation. The addition of linguistics, the scientific study of language, further enhances your academic program with critical and analytical skills, while contributing to your better understanding of human language (English, French and others), not simply from a grammatical or spoken perspective but also from a scientific approach.

By studying German at Western, you can gain a solid foundation in the language of Europe’s most influential economy and explore the language and culture in which figures such as Bach, Goethe, Mozart, Nietzsche, Brecht, Kafka, and Benjamin lived and worked and in which recent Nobel Prize winners, Elfriede Jelinek and Herta Müller, are thriving. Investigate and analyze culture through upper year seminars about German literary, visual and performing arts, covering periods from the medieval, classicist, romantic agesto the contemporary culture of unification and integration or about cities such as Vienna and Berlin. Major, Minor or Certificate module options are available and final-year capstone experiences include research seminars or project courses, and completion of an undergraduate honors thesis.

Student learn the German language through a multi-media, communicative approach, that focuses on the cultures of all German-speaking countries and integrates authentic materials such as articles, websites, film and literature. Challenge yourself with study abroad or exchange opportunities and receive credit at Western or engage with hands-on intercultural experience through in-class and community service learning.

Mathematics is the language of science. The flow of air over a wing, the way birds flock and the mechanism by which organisms evolve all follow mathematical laws. If you want to contribute to the next generation of scientific breakthroughs, then modelling scientific phenomena with math and solving the resulting equations with our Applied Math community may be your path to success.

Biology can be studied at the level of molecules, cells, organisms and populations. Selecting a Biology module affords you the opportunity to study at all of these different scales or to focus in upper year courses on only one or two. Another reason the Biology modules are a popular choice is it allows you to study a wide range of organisms from microbes to humans. Students interested in the area of ecology will find that the Biology modules will allow them to take a wide range of engaging courses covering aspects of community, population, molecular and chemical ecology. Similarly, students interested in evolutionary biology can be engaged by courses on more quantitative aspects of evolution to evolutionary genetics. Both plant and animal physiology courses are also popular choices of students in these modules built on a strong cohort of research faculty in these areas.

The increase in human population is placing greater demands on the capacity of our planet and is altering terrestrial and marine ecosystems on a global scale. These changes are already having serious effects on ecosystem and human health. The Major in Ecosystem Health will allow students to explore the relationships between ecosystem and human health and our global environment. Drawing upon expertise from the Departments of Biology, Geography and Political Science, students will be exposed to experimental and theoretical approaches to ecosystem health as well as to the economic factors and the policies that impact how humans interact with their environment.

From the smallest microchip to the largest power station, Electrical engineers harness electrical energy for human benefit. As a Western Electrical engineering student, you will embrace the study and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. Your knowledge will be applied to electronics, digital computers, robotics, power engineering, telecommunications, control systems, and signal processing. Electrical engineering will prepare you to tackle the world’s power and energy challenges.