Bachelor of Arts in Policy Studies

at Kwantlen Polytechnic University - Surrey Campus Canada

The Associate Degree is designed to provide an educational experience that prepares students for work, citizenship and an enriched life as an educated person, and to lay a solid foundation for further study in the field of Economics.
This program of study is recommended for students interested in pursuing a career in economics or finance and is designed to provide the foundations required for upper level courses.

The KPU Creative Writing Department offers students a community of creativity in which writers discover a purposeful craft and explore the gifts of the imagination. We offer award-winning faculty, small class sizes, and a rigorous approach to the craft of writing.

Teaching in the Creative Writing Department is based on foundational principles of mentorship, humility, discovery, purposefulness, and learner autonomy. Faculty demonstrate an authentic spirit of inquiry intended as a model for learners. In turn, learners engage with a teaching environment that is collaborative, innovative, creative, and respectful. We embrace emerging and experimental teaching methods and research-driven pedagogy in support of a dynamic educational community that is innovative, interdisciplinary, and socially and culturally responsible. In the Creative Writing Department, learner engagement extends beyond the classroom to encompass community and industry partners and peers.

The Bachelor of Journalism program is unique in B.C., featuring multimedia storytelling experience utilizing the most current technologies. Students use industry-standard software to produce journalism that draws on the full range of multimedia storytelling possibilities, including animation, interactivity, audio, and video. Students participate in academic studies and practical training through seminars, labs, and off-campus work experiences. The Journalism program prepares graduates for such positions as multi-media journalists, editors, researchers, and freelance writers. Our grads also work as communications professionals in such fields as media relations, corporate communications, and public relations. The Bachelor of Journalism gives students valuable transferable skills that can be put to use in many fields of endeavour, including working in a multimedia environment, using social media and journalistic research skills in professional settings, and understanding the many facets of the collection and dissemination of information via the media

The BSc. Major in Physics for Modern Technology will give students a solid background in physics and also in the applications of physics to modern technology. Physics is a major driving force behind the development of new technology, and in turn, new technologies allow scientists to push forward the boundaries of knowledge. The relationship is symbiotic, so this program is aimed at those who have an interest both in fundamental science and in the practical application of that science in an industrial and/or laboratory setting. As well as studying physics, students will gain technical skills that are highly relevant to work that is going on in local industry.

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in General Studies degree program provides students with the opportunity to develop a degree program in thematic areas across disciplines. Working with an Arts Degree Advisor, the student creates a personal program of study in concert with specific career and personal goals, or simply develops a broad interdisciplinary liberal arts education. Such a program of study will normally involve a selection of courses from a number of departments that form around a coherent theme.

The program includes:-

• The development of knowledge, core competencies, and skills characteristic of traditional Bachelor of Arts programs
• The preparation of students for entry into the labour market by incorporating essential and employability skills in all courses
• The preparation of students to respond innovatively to emerging trends in society
• Clear benefits to students and to the community by providing an opportunity for them to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree at KPU where there is established emphasis on teaching, emerging emphasis on undergraduate research, long-standing connections to South Fraser communities, and accessibility to students in the expanding South Fraser region.

The B.Sc. in Health Science program is designed to prepare students for public and private sector careers in health research, health practice, health product production and distribution, and health management. It also prepares students for entry into schools of health or graduate studies.

The objectives of the degree are as follows:

• To provide students with a strong foundation in the basic sciences together with writing and critical thinking skills.
• To provide students with a broad knowledge of the various health professions involved in the Canadian health system.
• To equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary for employment in health service delivery, health research, production and distribution of health products, and other health-related fields.
• To provide students with the educational prerequisites necessary for entry into a) post graduate degrees in the sciences, and b) qualified health professional programs (e.g. medicine, dentistry, physiotherapy, medical technical programs, pharmacy).
• To provide students with the opportunity to integrate an understanding of complementary medicine (e.g., naturopathy, traditional Asian medicine) with the basic sciences.

The B.Sc. in Health Science is designed around a core of required basic science and health science courses, complemented by health science and open electives that provide graduates with a solid science foundation but also with critical health research, communication, and management skills for future success.

Explore different disciplines of an Arts Degree in one of our Arts Courses. Through courses that explore a different topic each semester from a multidiscipline perspective (ARTS 1100), or an intensive interdisciplinary field school in the Amazon rain forest (ARTS 3000) students gain knowledge that spans multiple areas of study. For more information about how these exciting courses fit within your degree

ARTS 1100: Experiencing the Arts
Students will explore a broad and compelling theme through the lens of different Arts disciplines. The theme will change each semester. The course will be run by an instructor who is passionate about the theme, with class sessions taught by visiting instructors from areas such as History, Psychology, Geography, Fine Arts, Political Science, and other fields. This will help students realize how different fields within Arts are connected, as well as suggest directions for further study. They will learn to view their world through multiple, and sometimes contrasting, perspectives and develop intellectual skills which are essential for learning in various disciplines and for continued learning in life beyond the University.

ARTS 3000: Interdisciplinary Amazon Field School
Learners will engage in an intensive interdisciplinary field school in the Amazon rain forest. They will take part in cultural and creative immersion activities, participate in community engagement projects, and contextualize their field learning by classroom-based analysis and critical reflection before and after their field experiences. They will develop interdisciplinary skills in creativity, academic inquiry, ecology and conservation, cultural awareness, environmental design, design thinking, and community development. Learners will become familiar with various expressive modalities of the Amazon region (e.g. design, writing, music, movement, expressive arts, materiality, storytelling, etc.) and will explore the application of those modalities in an integrative learning environment. Note: Students will spend two weeks at the Field School site in addition to class sessions on campus before and after travel. Students must be nineteen years or older at the start of the course

ARTS 3200: Inside-Out Prison Exchange
The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program works with equal numbers of learners from KPU and from inside the prison in a transformative, collaborative learning community. Students will address issues of violence, alternatives to violence and transformation through an experiential learning process.

This course takes place within a provincial corrections institution in Surrey, BC (Surrey Pretrial Services Centre located at 14323 57 Ave, Surrey, BC.) There will be an equal number of inside (incarcerated) students and outside (KPU) students enrolled in this course. Classes will be held on Wednesdays from 9:30 - 3:20 pm. The topic for this iteration of Arts 3200 will be Violence, Alternatives to Violence & Transformation. The first half of the course will explore the roots of both interpersonal and structural violence and its impacts on people, relationships and society. The second half of the course will introduce students to alternatives to violence including conflict resolution and peacemaking practices such as restorative justice. We will conclude with reflections on what it will take to transform ourselves and society in order to lower levels of violence.

ARTS 4800: Arts Practicum
The ARTS practicum course introduces students to the workplace and degree-relevant entry-level work through placement in an employment setting. During the term, students complete 48 to 64 workplace hours (approximately 4-6 hours per week). The course is for senior students with a declared Major or Minor in Geography, History, Philosophy, Policy Studies, or Political Science. For more information visit the Arts Practicum website.

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in Applied Geography is a unique, four-year Human Geography degree with an emphasis on the urban setting of human activity. The program is distinguished by the scope and sequencing of its skills development coursework. Required skills courses include those in qualitative methods, quantitative methods, geographic thought, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and research design.

These skills-development courses are woven into a lively and relevant topical curriculum featuring introductory lab-science courses in: physical geography; introductory and advanced human geography; economic, social, political, and urban geography; options for focused study of a variety of regions; and courses in natural hazards and environmental geography. Having established a foundation of information-handling skills early in the program, students are equipped to apply their knowledge to service and research projects incorporated into their third and fourth year courses.

Graduates who complete the Bachelor of Arts, Major in Applied Geography program are able to comprehensively understand a range of contemporary urban issues and problems, and possess the practical skills to address them. They are engaged citizens, well-positioned for employment in occupations requiring knowledgeable people capable of working with diverse types of information, or for further, graduate study in Geography and related fields.

This is a comprehensive program including courses in English and Mandarin language, communication, Ancient Chinese philosophy, and Western biomedical sciences which are necessary for the critical understanding and development of complex Traditional Chinese Medicine concepts. The curriculum has been designed to offer an education of significant breadth and rigour within the contexts of TCM/Acupuncture fundamental theory, diagnosis, treatment, and clinical practice. The program includes 460 hours of practice. Through these experiential learning activities, students will actively engage with the community.

Note: To be eligible to write the licensing exam with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of British Columbia (CTCMA), 60 university credits are required in addition to the credits attained within the Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture Diploma. These credits may be attained before, during, or after the Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture Diploma.

The study of criminology focuses on the problem of crime and on understanding the social, cultural, political, and economic forces that interact with the law. Concerns about public safety, crime, and social justice contribute to a strong demand for people knowledgeable in these areas. The fundamental courses present overviews of legal systems with particular emphasis on criminal and juvenile justice, forms of criminal behaviour, the role of law in understanding social and psychological phenomena, and the applications of sociological theory in understanding law and legal systems. Additional coursework provides a deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of crime, criminal justice policy, socio-legal theory, critical criminology, and restorative justice.

Criminology is an exciting and expanding area of study. By studying criminology and justice, students will learn about the causes and prevention of crime and other social harms as well as explore possible solutions to these problems. Our criminology BA degree programs provide excellent preparation for law school and for graduate study in sociology, criminology, criminal justice, and other disciplinary and interdisciplinary programs.