Bachelor of Arts and Science (Honours) in Environmental Sustainability

at Lakehead University - Orillia Campus Canada

Explore the modern applications of bio-molecular research in anthropology, chemistry, biology, and physics as a student of Applied Life Sciences. This interdisciplinary program focuses on the study of living organisms at the bio-molecular or cellular level, and the human manipulation of molecular biological processes, with hands-on learning through laboratory courses, research opportunities, and internships.

You will acquire skills in cutting-edge molecular biology, biotechnology, and diagnostic methods in our world-renowned labs including the Paleo DNA Laboratory.

The Applied Life Sciences major can include a concentration in Biomedical Sciences, as well as specializations in Biotechnology or Experimental Life Sciences. A combined degree-diploma program offered in partnership with Georgian College is another option that will allow you to graduate with both an Honours Bachelor of Science in Applied Life Science degree and a Biotechnology-Health diploma.

Anthropology is the broad, multi-disciplinary study and documentation of humans, past and present. As an Anthropology student you will have the opportunity to study everything from stone artifacts and skeletal remains, to a community's economic structure and unique dialect. Our Department of Anthropology has four distinct sub-disciplines with many different topics to explore in each:

• Archaeology
• Bioanthropology
• Linguistics
• Socio-Cultural Anthropology

Our courses blend in-class lecture with seminars, labs and field work to provide you with a well-rounded background in both the theoretical and practical applications of your area of interest. You will have access to world-class laboratories and anthropological collections which have contributed to groundbreaking findings and been utilized by some of the foremost leaders in the field.

Our Department of Anthropology is widely recognized as a leader in undergraduate research and for producing world-class Anthropologists. Our faculty members are leaders in their respective field of study and regularly work with undergraduate students on special topics courses and projects. Our students have published papers and presented their findings at national archaeological conventions across Canada, with most of them winning a place on the podium for their innovation.

A student may enter, proceed in and graduate from the Honours BA program in accordance with stipulations of the University Regulations section and Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies Faculty Regulations section of the Calendar. All course choices in fourth year must be approved by the department. For more information Click On

We have a range of laboratories housing world-class equipment, integral to research across the region. You will have access to these resources including:

• Environmental Archaeology & Paleoecology Laboratory
• LU GIS Laboratory
• LU Instrumentation Laboratory
• LU Map Library
• LU Paleo-DNA Laboratory
• Physical Anthropology Laboratory
• Zooarchaeology Laboratory

Our Interdisciplinary Studies program is flexible in its design, allowing you to customize your educational experience. You will be encouraged to think beyond the confines of a traditional undergraduate degree and take a range of courses in different disciplines that are oriented to your individual career aspirations.

As an Interdisciplinary Studies major, you can choose any two disciplinary areas from the following:

• Anthropology
• Biology
• Criminology
• English
• General Science
• Geography
• History
• Media, Film and Communications
• Political Science
• Psychology?
• Sociology 

You will develop advanced critical thinking skills, problem-solving strategies and specialized knowledge pertaining to a variety of topics. We also offer the ability to pursue concentrations in Environment in Politics and Culture, Human Nature, Social Justice, and International Conflict and Human Rights.

Environment in Politics and Culture
The Environmental in Politics and Culture concentration offers students a blended approach that combines disciplinary courses in social science, science, and the humanities with interdisciplinary questions such as:

1. What makes a community? How do communities live well in place? 
2. What groups are most affected by environmental problems? Who is responsible? Who should make the decisions for environmental and community planning? Who should bear the costs?
3. What role do government, law, and policy play in prevention, management, and remediation of environmental challenges? How do local efforts relate to global systems?
4. How do we reconcile immediate interests with long-term challenges? Local needs with distant ones? Inequality with economic growth?
5. Why is it so hard to create social change on environmental issues? What roles could be played by formal and informal education, art, media, story-telling, and popular culture?

Environmental problems are complex.  In this concentration, students ask broad questions about how we come to be facing environmental problems and the ethical, political, and cultural challenges they pose. Topics include social and environmental justice in food and agroecology sovereignty movements, gendered approaches to the environment, animal rights and representation, and the challenges of what it means to be an environmental educator inside and outside a classroom.

The program of study emerges from social science and humanities approaches to the environment, focusing on the ethical, political, social and cultural challenges posed by environmental problems, political organization and governance structures involved in social change, and the cultural frameworks through which environment has been understood in various periods, places, media, and aesthetic modes. Students will use problem-based learning to explore effective responses to environmental problems in contexts such as local governance, political organizing, policy development, art, media, popular culture, storytelling, and formal and informal education.

The Environment in Politics and Culture concentration appeals to individuals who are community and volunteer-oriented and willing to engage as citizens and problem-solvers on the state of their lived environments. It would also appeal to active and life-long learners, educators, artists, writers, and politically active individuals. This concentration leads to work, career, community, and further study opportunities in the fields of education, public service, the charity and not-for-profit sector, law and policy development, community organizing, media and journalism, law, and the arts.

Our General Science program is a great choice if you are looking for a multidisciplinary education that allows you the freedom to explore your interests. It is very easy to move from the General Science program into a specific major at any point during your undergraduate degree. 

Our General Science program has 10 departments for you to choose courses from:

• Anthropology
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Economics
• Geography
• Mathematical Sciences
• Geology 
• Sustainability Sciences
• Physics 

You are also able to take courses in Environmental Studies, Applied Life Sciences, Environmental Science and Water Resource Sciences 

These departments can be arranged into four subfields if you have determined a topical interest:

Life Sciences
This area focuses on the study of living organisms and how those living systems work. Our natural world is reduced to its most basic principles to observe patterns in organisms from bacteria to humans. Learn more about Applied Life Science, Anthropology, Bioinformatics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics within this area.

Environmental Science & Policy
This area studies the distribution and interaction between humans and the physical features of our world. You will focus on understanding and evaluating environmental issues and choices in a sound scientific manner. Learn more about Earth Sciences, Economics, Geography, Geoarchaeology and Water Resource Science within this area.

Physical Science & Mathematics
Physical Science & Mathematics is about problem solving. You will focus on understanding structures in our day-to-day life and the theories behind them including the study of matter and how matter interacts. Dynamic modelling is a key element of the programs within this area. Learn more about Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematical Sciences and Physics.

Technology
This area is all about using the right tools to analyze the data in our world. These tools enable us to shape the future as they study physical characteristics of the world and beyond. Communications, information storage and human-computer interaction are common features of this area. Learn more about Computer Science, Bioinformatics and Physics.

Lakehead University’s Faculty of Education is one of Canada’s most diverse and innovative centres of learning. We’re leading the way in teacher education through our commitment to the very best in multidisciplinary, collaborative, and experiential instruction.

Concurrent Education allows you to start your teaching career faster and earn two degrees at the same time. Study the program of your choice, while also taking classes within the Faculty of Education, before spending two years exclusively with the Faculty of Education in order to qualify for certification by the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT).

Our program emphasizes practical learning through placements, practicums, community engagement, and international opportunities to ensure you are fully prepared to enter into the workforce post-graduation.

With programs in two campus locations - Thunder Bay and Orillia - our Education program will provide you with the expertise you need to develop as an educator, and prepare you for the dynamic and rewarding profession of teaching today.

Our Interdisciplinary Studies program is flexible in its design, allowing you to customize your educational experience. You will be encouraged to think beyond the confines of a traditional undergraduate degree and take a range of courses in different disciplines that are oriented to your individual career aspirations.

As an Interdisciplinary Studies major, you can choose any two disciplinary areas from the following:

• Anthropology
• Biology
• Criminology
• English
• General Science
• Geography
• History
• Media Studies
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology 

You will develop advanced critical thinking skills, problem-solving strategies and specialized knowledge pertaining to a variety of topics. We also offer the ability to pursue concentrations in Human Nature, Social Justice, and International Conflict and Human Rights.

You may also choose to combine your degree with a Concurrent Education degree that allows you to teach Primary-Junior grades. If you are thinking about teaching in the future, our Interdisciplinary Program provides the broad range of knowledge necessary to teach at the Primary-Junior level.

Anthropology is the broad, multi-disciplinary study and documentation of humans, past and present. As an Anthropology student you will have the opportunity to study everything from stone artifacts and skeletal remains, to a community's economic structure and unique dialect. Our Department of Anthropology has four distinct sub-disciplines with many different topics to explore in each:

• Archaeology
• Bioanthropology
• Linguistics
• Socio-Cultural Anthropology

Our courses blend in-class lecture with seminars, labs and field work to provide you with a well-rounded background in both the theoretical and practical applications of your area of interest. You will have access to world-class laboratories and anthropological collections which have contributed to groundbreaking findings and been utilized by some of the foremost leaders in the field.

Lakehead Advantage
We are one of the only universities in Canada to offer a Bachelor of Science (Anthropology) and an Honours Bachelor of Science (Anthropology) in addition to the Arts stream. The Science stream is focused on more field and lab-based work with an emphasis on core science courses including Biology, Chemistry and Physics as well as Math and Geography. This unique and thorough curriculum will allow you to pursue a career in Anthropology or the sciences depending on your interests.

Our Department of Anthropology is widely recognized as a leader in undergraduate research and for producing world-class Anthropologists. Our faculty members are leaders in their respective field of study and regularly work with undergraduate students on special topics courses and projects. Our students have published papers and presented their findings at national archaeological conventions across Canada, with most of them winning a place on the podium for their innovation.

We have a range of laboratories housing world-class equipment, integral to research across the region. You will have access to these resources including:

• Environmental Archaeology & Paleoecology Laboratory
• LU GIS Laboratory
• LU Instrumentation Laboratory
• LU Map Library
• LU Paleo-DNA Laboratory
• Physical Anthropology Laboratory
• Zooarchaeology Laboratory

Geography is the study of spatial patterns and processes on Earth's surface and the relationship between society, populations and the environment. Our Geography programs focus on physical geography, dealing with spatial aspects of land, water and the atmosphere, as well as human geography which explores the cultural, political and economic forces behind the distribution of human activities.

As a Geography student you will spend the first two years building a foundation of knowledge in a wide spectrum of geographical themes which examine:

• Where populations and activities are located on Earth
• When and why physical and environmental patterns change
• The impacts these changes have on human and physical environments
• The responses to these impacts

In your final two years of study you may specialize in a particular area including:

• Climate change
• Glacial Processes
• Soil Analysis
• Conservation
• Natural Hazards
• Water Resource Management
• Sociocultural Geography

Our courses reflect the breadth of the discipline, as well as geographical techniques and research methods including digital photogrammetry, remote sensing, soil and water testing and geographic information systems (GIS).

Government policies influence virtually every aspect of our lives, from housing to education to crime. Our Political Science program studies the institutions, ideas, practices, and power that shape government and policy at all levels. Students will gain a thorough understanding of political systems - with a particular focus on Canadian politics - and overarching notions of freedom, equality, and justice.

Our goal is to provide a well-rounded Political Science education by applying both theoretical and practical modes of analysis to examine sociological, economic, and historical contexts.If you have an interest in political systems abroad, you will also have the opportunity to explore the politics of America, Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Additionally, you will study: 

• International Relations
• Political Theory
• Law and Politics
• Public Administration and Policy
• Indigenous Governance
• Comparative Politics

The study of Sociology emphasizes the social relationships between people, communities and cultures. By exploring fundamental sociological theories, contemporary thinkers, and a variety of research methods, you will have the opportunity to examine topics including:

• Health and Aging
• Marriage and the Family
• Crime and Deviance
• Media and Popular Culture
• Science and Technology
• Gender and Sexuality
• Education
• Northern Communities
• Discrimination
• Social Change 

Research and hands-on application is at the core of our programs. You will graduate with the necessary skills to facilitate quantitative and qualitative research and to think creatively and inquisitively in order to better understand social patterns, behaviours and issues. 

Our faculty is actively engaged in diverse areas of research such as Gerontology, Education, Health, Demography, Media, Work and Occupations, Social Psychology, and Northern Studies, providing you with well-rounded course options taught by some of the foremost leaders in the field.

It is our goal to enhance your knowledge of the society in which you live and to increase your ability to think independently and critically.  You will graduate with a strong understanding of social interaction, preparing you for success in virtually any profession.