Bachelor of Arts in General Arts

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.

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.

Social Justice Concentration
The study of social justice centres on questions relating to the distribution of society’s benefits across its population.   This concentration takes students into discussions about their role in the creation of democratic communities that actively promote social equality, human rights, and fair opportunities for everyone, regardless of differences in class, race, gender, ethnicity, ability, or sexual orientation.  The program of study includes problem-based inquiries into poverty, marginalization, and discrimination as well as exploration of various ways in which media, educational systems, literature, public policies, social institutions, and legal structures might construct and perpetuate inequalities or assist in addressing and overcoming systemic and other oppressions.  A particular focus on Indigenous justice is explored in some courses.  Moreover, some courses make active connections between the classroom and local organizations, including not-for profit agencies and community groups.   

A focus on Social Justice is one of the pillars of Lakehead University, not only in the Academic Plan but also the Strategic Management Agreement.  Given the importance for society of questions relating to social justice, debates on this topic are inherently interdisciplinary. Most disciplines provide key descriptions and definitions of many injustices and ideal solutions present in society.   This is an area in which sociologists, criminologists, political scientists, and scholars of media and literature all work together to analyze the complexity of problematic situations and envision equitable solutions.  As a result, this program offers a spectrum of courses drawn from a range of Social Science and Humanities disciplines, addressing questions such as: 

1. What is social justice?  How is social justice different from just plain justice?
2. How does a society decide how much social justice is the right amount?  Do different societies value social justice in different amounts?
3. Why do modern societies seem to becoming more and more unequal over time?  Should we do anything about this? Is inequality “natural”? 
4. What are the criminological impacts of social inequality and systemic discrimination?  
5. Why are the inmates of Canada’s jails and prisons drawn disproportionately from the ranks of poor people and racial minorities, and especially from First Nations and Afro-Canadian communities?
6. How are race, class, gender, and sexuality stereotypes reinforced and/or challenged in literature and in different forms of media?
7. How can imaginative constructions, fictional stories, or digital media strategies assist in probing and resisting sexism, racism, homophobia, and other injustices?
8. How do social policies and political processes shape the future of local and global justice?  What is involved in ethical decision making? 
9. How can a peaceful, just society be created and maintained?
10. What types of skills and professional careers can contribute the most to the development of socially just societies?

A concentration in social justice gives students interdisciplinary opportunities and critical skills to investigate various inequalities as well as the potential to imagine and propose positive social change through policy and practice.  

The Social Justice concentration will appeal to individuals who are community-oriented and willing to engage as citizens and problem-solvers with respect to equity and human rights.  It would also appeal to active and life-long learners, educators, artists, writers, and politically active individuals.  This concentration leads to work, career, community engagement, and further study opportunities in the fields of education, policing, public service, social work, women’s studies, community justice, the charity and not-for-profit sectors, law and policy development, community organizing, media and journalism, and the arts. For those interested in graduate studies, Lakehead offers an MA in Social Justice for which this concentration would provide an ideal background, although other graduate programs would be appropriate as well.

Our Media Studies program provides you with a well-rounded, interdisciplinary education emphasizing the critical analysis of media and the development of production skills.  To gain a broad field of knowledge about the industry, you will explore topics related to the following media: 

• Video
• New Media
• Design
• TV
• Radio
• Sound Art

Our Media Studies program will particularly allow you to immerse yourself in the cutting-edge world of social media – from production to dissemination to analysis – and beyond.

You will get the opportunity to work with world-renowned media production instructors, such as Chelsea McMullan and Coco Guzman, analog and digital media, and top-of-the-line technology and software:

• Mac and PC computers
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Audacity open source software
• Video cameras (including mic kits and tripods)
• Audio recorders

Through hands-on labs and workshops, you will learn how new media is an accessible way to engage with our world and to challenge systemic problems like sexism, racism, homophobia, and social injustices of all kinds. If you are interested in learning how and why your cell phone has just as much cultural power as CNN, this program is for you.

In addition to media analysis and media production courses, you will have access to internship opportunities (with places such as Orillia Museum of Art and History, Rogers Television, and the Orillia Opera House) and projects that allow you to put your theoretical knowledge into creative practice. 

Criminology involves the study of crime, including victimization, criminality, and criminal justice agents and institutions among other areas. The field is multi-disciplinary, including Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, and various other academic fields.
At Lakehead University, you will have the option to major, specialize, or minor in Criminology. The Criminology Program emphasizes a practitioner orientation, with a variety of courses that introduce and familiarize students with the Canadian criminal justice system. Three thematic areas of focus run throughout the Program’s course offerings: (1) social justice and human rights, (2) law and legal institutions, and (3) forensic science and criminalistics.

As a program graduate, you will be well situated to, among other things, consider careers in:

• Law enforcement (e.g., policing, border security)
• Corrections (e.g., institutions, probation)
• Social work (e.g., victims services organizations, offender rehabilitation programs)

Or, to apply to further schooling that opens up additional career opportunities, such as:

• Law school
• Teacher education  
• Graduate school

A sample of courses in the Criminology Program at Lakehead includes: Youth Crime, Cyber-Crime, Forensic Psychology, Criminal Profiling, Policing, Death Investigation, and a wide variety of other innovative courses.

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, 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.

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

Computer science plays a leading role in modern society, shaping our abilities and our future. From streaming music to planning a mission to Mars, the application of computer science offers innovative approaches to new challenges.

Think big as you explore the world of computer science while engaging in one of two focused program streams in Business or Science. The Business Focus provides a path to the Entrepreneurship Certificate from the Faculty of Business, whereas the Science Focus emphasizes Science and Environmental Science electives.

Experience high-tech labs and classrooms, access to a 240-core high performance computer Linux cluster, a stunning 3-D virtual reality lab, and learn about the latest advances in game programming, mobile computing, health informatics applications, big data, and cloud computing.

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

Our General Arts 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 Arts program into a specific major at any point - this is recommended if you wish to apply to graduate or a professional school after.

Our General Arts program has fifteen departments, within the Faculty of Social Science & Humanities, choose courses from:

• Criminology
• English
• History
• Indigenous Learning
• Interdisciplinary Studies
• Languages
• Media Studies
• Music
• Northern Studies
• Outdoor Recreations, Parks and Tourism
• Philosophy
• Political Science
• Sociology
• Visual Arts
• Women's Studies

These disciplines will boost your creativity, sharpen your communication skills, improve your ability to think critically, and provide you with a wide-range of knowledge that can be applied to many industries post-graduation.

We offer our General Arts program entirely online if you are looking for a flexible approach to your education, should time or mobility be an issue. Additionally, college graduates from General Arts & Science and Liberal Arts programs are welcome to apply for admission consideration through our College Transfer Program.