Postgraduate Certificate in Screenwriting and Narrative Design

at George Brown College - St. James Campus Canada

George Brown College’s Honours Bachelor of Interpretation (American Sign Language – English) is the first degree of its kind in Canada. Developed to address the growing demand for qualified Sign Language Interpreters, this degree helps prepare graduates for work in this dynamic field.

An interpreter is a fluent bilingual-bicultural professional, facilitating communication between those who do not share the same language or culture.

To be a sign language interpreter requires manual dexterity, critical thinking skills, visual-spatial recognition, short-term and long-term memory, cognitive processing abilities in order to process information instantaneously at a level of bilingual and bicultural expertise beyond conversational fluency. For non-Deaf interpreters this will also include auditory-processing capabilities.

Over the course of four years, students will continue to improve and hone both their English and American Sign Language proficiencies while studying to become interpreters. This program focuses on seven areas of learning:

• Language and Culture
• Field Fundamentals
• Interpreting Skills
• Research Methods/Trends
• Ethics and Professionalism
• Breadth Electives
• Field and Community Experience

Interpreting is a very rewarding but demanding field of work. Successful interpreters typically possess the following attributes:

• a strong command of both English and American Sign Language
• an excellent memory
• the ability to concentrate and focus easily and for long periods of time
• the ability to process and analyze information quickly (cognitive processing skills)
• multitasking ability
• versatility
• a willingness to be flexible
• strong communication skills
• excellent interpersonal skills

In preparation for field placement, students will be required to work in multiple small and large groups, both in classes and community settings. Attendance and participation are key elements of program success.

PROGRAM STANDARDS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

• The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • Analyze and critically apply current interpreting research trends as they inform meaning-based interpreting practices.
  • Analyze the power dynamics that affect human communication including the impact of the interpreter’s decisions and influence.
  • Respect cross-cultural needs of participants in an interpreted interaction in a professional and ethical manner.
  • Articulate societal views of Deaf culture, the Deaf community, multiculturalism, oppression, audism, global history of Deaf people, sign language linguistics and language variations.
  • Use current research literature to analyze key issues relating to the practice and profession of interpreting.
  • Determine appropriate modes of interpreting using evidence-based practice, effective interpersonal and professional skills.
  • Perform effectively as an interpreter by incorporating current research and recognizing contextual factors including language and culture.
  • Perform accurate and effective translations, consecutive and simultaneous interpretations.
  • Use communicative language abilities in first and second language as required to accommodate specific dialogic interactions.
  • Use professional and ethical judgment in decision making while respecting diversity, equity, equality and rights of all participants.
  • Engage in life-long learning and reflective professional development.
  • Assess personal competencies and limitations in the use of multicultural and multi-contextual approaches to communication.

Community Worker (Fast-Track) is a dynamic social justice program grounded in the principles of and respect for human rights and anti-oppression practice. Students are prepared to work with largely urban-centred, diverse communities across a range of issues (i.e. poverty, housing, food-justice, immigration and settlement, etc.) in ways that are responsive to their multiple and changing needs.

If you are passionate about human rights and social justice, committed to working with diverse communities, bring a mature and professional approach to your education and field work, and are prepared to take on a course load of 20+ hours per week, this program is for you.

What can you expect from the Community Worker (Fast-Track) program?

• The three-semester Community Worker (Fast-Track) program combines classroom instruction with supervised field placements. Theory, analysis and practice are presented through a variety of innovative instructional tools developed from popular education and learner-centred approaches to teaching and learning.
• Highly participatory classes of dialogue, debate, activities, interactive lectures, guest speakers and panels, and group work provide students with a program of study that is current, exciting and critically engaging.

What key skills will you learn?
Throughout the program, students will have the opportunity to develop a variety of important and high-demand skills, including:

• Anti-oppressive and intercultural practice in working with diverse populations (including youth, immigrant communities, Indigenous populations)
• Critical analysis, research and writing
• Group facilitation and leadership
• Individual and group counselling
• Conflict mediation and restorative justice
• Community organizing, activism and advocacy
• Community development, project design and proposal writing
• Policy analysis and rights-based advocacy

Features of the Community Worker program include:

• Strong ties with over 350 agencies across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
• Founder and lead organizer of the annual Tommy Douglas Institute that brings communities, students, educators and activists together to explore higher education and social justice in the 21st century.
• The full-time Community Worker (C101) program has been graduating community workers for more than 40 years.

Program courses are organized into four core areas:

• Community work theory and practice
• Social and political analysis
• Group skills and counselling
• Field placement and seminar

Not only will you develop relationships with our community partners through field placements, you will also meet with sector professionals in your classrooms at networking events, guest panels and program electives taught by agencies and practitioners currently working in the field (i.e. Community Legal Issues, Urban Aboriginal Peoples’ Perspectives in Community Development, Housing and Homelessness).

Who are the Community Worker (Fast-Track) faculty?
The experienced educators that make up our faculty bring their passion for education and change to create a highly engaging and dynamic learning environment. Coming from backgrounds in local, national and global activism, they remain active on social issues and maintain close ties to communities, activists and organizations.

What kind of students enrol in the Community Worker (Fast-Track) program?
Graduates from other degrees and diploma programs interested in learning more about social justice and community development enrol in this program. Our students are a diverse group of students with broad social and community experiences.

Program Learning Outcomes

• The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • Establish constructive relationships with individuals concerned with community work.
  • Describe their personal values and motivation as a community worker.
  • Serve in a variety of grassroots community organizations especially in the areas of co-operatives, seniors and community legal services.
  • Be comfortable in community work roles ranging from direct service to classical advocacy and organizing.
  • Understand and articulate the special needs of multicultural groups.
  • Analyze social inequalities and demonstrate creativity in the organization of new services and institutions to meet community needs.
  • Work with groups to identify their own needs.
  • Access existing services and community resources.

In this three-semester Visual Effects graduate certificate program, you will expand upon concepts and techniques in 3D animation, motion graphics or audio/video editing for film and television. Preparing for a career in the post-production industry, visual effects artists combine the skills of a programmer with the creativity of a designer. As members of film and television production teams, visual effects artists turn concepts into visual representation.

Visual effects artists hone their visual storytelling capabilities through the use of elements such as digital lighting, surface attribute design and camera composition. While learning the procedures for planning visual effects for film, you will cover the techniques of procedural modeling and animation used in visual effects films.

Program Learning Outcomes
The graduate demonstrates the ability to:

• Design visual effects sequences using storyboarding and pre-visualization that meet production requirements.
• Use filmmaking and game terminology to communicate effectively throughout all stages of production.
• Complete the production of live action plates for use in visual effects.
• Manage the production of visual effects projects to meet production schedules.
• Identify hardware and software protocols specific to the field of visual effects.
• Analyze images and physical sets to digitally re-create lights, cameras, locations and objects.
• Create photo-real images to match live action footage.
• Recreate natural phenomena by using appropriate particle or dynamic effects.
• Integrate 2D and/or 3D computer generated imagery and live action elements.
• Create customized tools through software or scripting to allow for more advanced application of visual effects techniques.
• Work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams on the production of visual effects.

The need for graduates with skills in the area of business analytics is growing rapidly across all industry sectors. Harnessing the power of big data analytics, the Analytics for Business Decision-Making graduate certificate program prepares students to do data analysis specific to multifaceted business decision-making needs. It is about developing information into knowledge and converting that intelligence into action. The goal is to prepare the student to engage and to be competitive across various business divisions with the ability to “tell stories” about data, which assist decision-makers in their own activities. Through in-depth data analytics courses and business analytics courses, graduates will be prepared to work in the high demand area of business intelligence in Toronto, in Canada and beyond, and learn the knowledge and skills needed to support real-world business decision-making and planning through data insights, data management and data science.

In this business analytics program, the focus will be on skills development, technical and otherwise, including analytic understanding and dissemination for various business uses. A bold mix of skills, including some programming, applied statistical comprehension and database understanding, will be explored in the context of organizational Big Data (Operational) requirements.

The Screenwriting & Narrative Design program educates students on the challenge of writing a well-structured story within linear and nonlinear contexts. The elements of character, dialogue, scene, setting, texture, style and tone are rigorously explored. Students master the subtle variances of language employed through structured and open-world storytelling as they create memorable stories and scripts for film, TV, games and interactive media. Opportunities will be provided to work with fellow students (directors, actors and designers) on student-led projects as well as potential research projects.

Program Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Produce linear and non-linear narrative content to industry standards using current and relevant software.
• Create content employing traditional and non?traditional dramatic narratives with advanced application for entertainment writing within linear and non?linear mediums.
• Articulate the differences between the varying mediums’ production processes and how the writer integrates into each process.
• Investigate the varying guilds, associations, agencies, and groups and how they interact with relevance to the different industries.
• Differentiate the history of film, television, video game and interactive media from other media as well as the intersections between them.
• Analyze the evolving landscapes for production, distribution and content creation in order to anticipate challenges and opportunities arising from technological change and consumer demand.
• Prepare for employment in the field by evaluating the present business climate of the relevant film, television, video game, online, mobile and interactive industries, and using interview and presentation skills, resume writing skills, proposal and pitch development skills, and portfolio preparation.
• Conduct research using a variety of relevant research methods, including online and library resources to do effective world building and character creation.
• Engage and invoke an emotional response from an audience, recognizing and using relevant style and narrative structures including plot analysis, characterization, setting, dialogue, point of view, structure, length and originality.
• Evaluate personal and recognized works of entertainment writing for traditional composition techniques including “unity of effect” as these apply to both traditional rhetorical structures and narratives with branching structures and/or multiple narratively coherent conclusions.
• Manipulate point of view to develop narratives, analyze form and structure to apply evolving techniques, and compare setting and atmosphere to adjusting narrative time within linear and non-linear narrative.
• Assess personal and recognized works of traditional and interactive narratives for techniques in character development exploring limitations presented by traditional techniques in character development for non-linear and participatory character creation.

Do you want to learn French patisserie? Join this specialized French pastry and culture program, learn from the experts here in Canada and then live, learn and get work experience in France!

Through this program, you will:

• Experience hands-on learning in both Canada and France with the pre-eminent French chef professors in the country.
• Build your knowledge of French pastry and culinary traditions and embrace emerging trends in French pastry.
• Benefit from our partnership with Ecole National Superieure de la Patisserie (ENSP), the world-famous Ducasse school, one of France’s finest pastry chef schools.
• Experience the vineyards, cheese producers and local markets of France as your open-air classroom.
• Study in some of the best patisseries, bakeries, restaurants and hotels, where you will get attention, training and an inspiring experience.
• After your experiences in France, demonstrate what you’ve learned through events, placements and showcasing your newly acquired skills back at George Brown College. Our faculty already have a reputation for excellence among French patisseries in Toronto and globally and this program and its unique opportunities will make you a sought-after employee when you graduate. "A bientot!"

Program Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Apply techniques such as reconstituting, revising, laminating and assembling to traditional French pastry and baking, using emerging trends in the French patisserie.
• Converse in basic French and use correct terminology within a food service operation.
• Identify the holistic practices in French gastronomy through field education and/or gastronomic theory.
• Prepare French pastries and baked goods within Canadian and EU Health, Safety and Nutrition regulations, standards, guidelines, and processes.
• Develop unique baking, pastry or confectionary product and manage the commercialization and marketing of that product.
• Manage the production, sales and business aspects of a personally created line of French pastries and baked goods.
• Work collaboratively as part of a culinary team, and conduct oneself in a professional manner.

The Business Administration – Accounting three-year advanced diploma provides you with the knowledge and skills required to perform a range of complex accounting functions including financial analysis, planning and control as well as using analytical and evaluation skills to support management functions, and collaborating in the design of an organization's internal control systems. The program includes auditing, corporate taxation, law and strategic management.

This learning experience will enable you to build and demonstrate:

• Proficiency in spreadsheets, databases and accounting software programs
• Essential communication skills for advising business owners and managers on business decisions
• Ability to perform accounting transactions in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)

Note:-This program (B107) is offered without work experience. Students wishing to apply for Business Administration – Accounting with work experience should apply to B157.

This Centre for Business program is part of our School of Accounting and Finance.

Program Learning Outcomes

• The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • Record financial transactions in compliance with Canadian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for sole proprietorships, partnerships, private enterprises, publicly accountable enterprises and non-profit organizations.
  • Prepare and present financial statements, reports and other documents in compliance with Canadian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for sole proprietorships, partnerships and private enterprises.
  • Contribute to strategic decision-making by applying advanced management accounting concepts.
  • Prepare individuals' and Canadian-controlled private corporations’ income tax returns and individuals’ basic tax planning in compliance with relevant legislation and regulations.
  • Analyze and evaluate organizational structures and the interdependence of functional areas, and contribute to the development of strategies which positively impact financial performance.
  • Analyze and evaluate, within a Canadian context, the impact of economic variables, legislation, ethics, technological advances and the environment on an organization’s operations.
  • Analyze and evaluate an organization's internal control system, taking risk management into account.
  • Contribute to strategic decision-making by applying advanced financial management concepts.
  • Co-ordinate the planning, implementation, management and evaluation of team projects by applying project management principles.

Career Development Practitioner is a three-semester (one-year) graduate certificate program that prepares graduates to enter the career development sector. The program may also appeal to practitioners working in the field who want to gain additional formal training and job coaching experience. The career development sector includes non-profit/community-based, government, post-secondary and private/corporate organizations.

The key objective of the field is to assist clients to be self-sufficient in career exploration, skill acquisition, job search and maintenance. Career Development Practitioners coach and counsel others on:

• Job search
• Career planning
• Career choice and change
• Academic and training advising
• Identifying and meeting staffing needs

Practitioners may work with specialized and diverse groups such as:

• Youth
• Women
• People with disabilities
• Immigrants and refugees

This program has been designed to meet the changing needs of the sector and will help meet demand for trained Career Development Practitioners in the GTA and beyond.

What key skills and knowledge will you gain?

• Emerging trends and techniques in job search and career exploration
• Individual and group facilitation/counselling
• Job development and employer engagement
• Ethics and professional practice
• Career development theory
• Diversity, accessibility, equity and inclusion
• Use of technology and social media
• Career and employment information resources
• Employment legislation and programs

Program Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Apply evidence-­based career development practices in advising diverse client groups.
• Utilize self­-reflective and critical thinking skills to enhance counselling, teaching and learning strategies with groups and individuals.
• Develop a commitment to ongoing professional development to actively respond to changing labour market and professional requirements.
• Integrate appropriate career information resources and tools with career and employment strategies to enable clients to meet their employment goals.
• Perform needs assessments and develop subsequent interventions using techniques and skills that enable diverse ranges of clients to meet employment goals.
• Design consulting, advising and teaching strategies that incorporate trends and issues of the changing labour market to assist clients in job search and career transitions.
• Integrate emergent technologies into the full spectrum of Career Development processes and applications to maximize service delivery to clients navigating changing labour market requirements.
• Adhere to relevant legislation and social policy to plan programs, interventions and referrals for client groups.
• Use current work search tools and strategies to facilitate successful client job search.

The Supply Chain Management graduate certificate program prepares you for careers in a variety of sectors by familiarizing you with the concepts and systems used in supply chain design and performance.

Supply chain management is the backbone of organizations in industries as diverse as transportation, pharmaceutical, oil and gas, and retail. It ensures the efficient flow of products and services from the sourcing of materials to final use. With the increasing complexity and uncertainty of local and global economies, the need for skilled professionals in this field has never been greater. This program will help you launch a career that combines technical expertise with innovative thinking and relationship-building.

Courses are provided through varied modes of delivery, with a focus on applied and experiential learning. You will learn not only the foundational knowledge, but also the leading methods in supply chain optimization, risk management and sustainable sourcing. As a graduate of this program, you will have the skills needed to deliver value and competitive advantage for organizations.

Program Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Examine the connections between strategic objectives, stakeholder expectations, and supply chain design, functions, processes and roles, to guide decision-making, problem-solving and coordination of tasks.
• Determine the value added and financial implications of supply chain decisions and design on overall business profitability, efficiency and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Ensure supply chain activities and transactions are compliant with relevant legal, regulatory and contractual obligations, and industry and organization standards and policies for quality, health, safety, accountability, social and environmental responsibility.
• Use risk mitigation tools and strategies to inform supply chain management decisions.
• Contribute to the acquisition and sale of goods, services and materials in accordance with best practices and public and private sector stakeholder expectations across a variety of industries.
• Contribute to the strategic planning and scheduling of material requirements, resource allocation and inventory for efficient production and fulfillment of customer orders and returns.
• Coordinate the efficient handling and movement of goods, services, materials and related information within and between supply chains.
• Contribute to the identification and management of continuous improvements to functions and processes within and between supply chains.
• Use available technologies to enhance work performance and support supply chain functions, processes, transactions and communications.
• Monitor relevant trends, emerging technologies, and local and global economic, political and environmental issues to enhance work performance and guide management decisions.
• Use leadership and communication skills to establish and manage strategic relationships with a diversity of stakeholders and support the achievement of business goals.
• Develop and apply ongoing strategies for personal, career and professional development.

The field of International Business encompasses a variety of disciplines including finance, sales, marketing and human resources. Consequently Business Administration – International Business program graduates will be prepared to perform in a variety of specialized areas such as international market entry and distribution, international trade management, international negotiation and trade research, international marketing, international trade finance, planning, logistics, legal aspects of international trade and other functions related to business in general and international business in particular. Graduates of this program will have demonstrated their knowledge, skills and abilities related to international business, and will have prepared for careers that include negotiators, freight forwarders, logistics and marketing.

You will learn about:-

• Documents and procedures supporting the movement of products and services in a global supply chain
• Statutory and regulatory compliance
• International payment instruments and options
• Foreign exchange strategies
• Human resource strategies in an international operation

PROGRAM STANDARDS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Conduct an environmental scan to evaluate the impact of world issues on an organization’s international business opportunities.
• Conduct, evaluate and present market research to support an organization’s international business decision-making.
• Prepare and analyze documentation and follow procedures to support the movement of products and services in the organization’s global supply chain.
• Analyze the impact of statutory and regulatory compliance on an organization’s integrative trade initiatives.
• Develop and implement strategies to negotiate effectively within various cultural environments and to address the impact of cultural differences on an organization’s integrative trade initiatives.
• Develop and present an international marketing plan, and evaluate sales strategies that support an organization’s integrative trade initiatives.
• Identify and interpret relevant international financial documents and assess financial strategies that support an organization’s integrative trade initiatives.
• Analyze the impact of an organization's integrative trade initiatives on its human resources management strategies, policies, and practices.
• Develop and present an international business plan.
• Plan, implement and evaluate team projects by applying project management principles.
• Analyze principles of corporate sustainability, corporate social responsibility and ethics, and apply them to an organization’s integrative trade initiatives.
• Select and apply current technologies to support an organization’s integrative trade initiatives.
• Develop and present a plan for ongoing personal and professional development to enhance work performance within the international business field.