Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature

at St. Thomas University Canada

Our Political Science program covers the four traditional subfields of the discipline: Canadian Politics and Government, Comparative Politics, International Relations and World Politics, and Political Philosophy. Students are offered a sound foundation in the institutional and philosophical dimensions of political life and are attuned to the trends and shocks that alter the forces and issues affecting us at home and abroad.

The program also offers a for-credit Model United Nations course, which sends student each year to at least one major Model UN simulation. Teams have competed at Harvard, the UN in New York, and Ottawa. Each spring, St. Thomas hosts the John Peters Humphrey Model UN for high school students, giving students in our Political Science Department a chance to become centrally involved in organizing and running the event.

You might be interested in studying political science if...

• You are interested in understanding how human choices affect how the world is organized 
• You want to know more about the major current events that shape our social and cultural environment

Critical and transferable skills
Political Science students hone their reading, writing, and analytic skills. They examine arguments, identify trends, test theories, and explain developments. They learn about the links between individual concerns and public policy problems. By studying case studies in national and international governance, international relations, and comparative politics, they develop their skills of public policy analysis and prepare themselves for analytical, project management, and communication work in various agencies of the government, as well as non-governmental and international organizations.

The expertise of faculty members encompasses almost every region of the world, from Asia to Latin America, through Europe, Africa, the Middle East and North America. Many courses transcend national boundaries, and explore history with a thematic approach.

Our program encourages students to challenge common assumptions about the past, to re-examine their worldview, and to ask fundamental questions about themselves, their society, and the world. The faculty work collaboratively to offer an innovative World History curriculum. The spirit of inquiry and cooperation that informs that project helps make studying history at St. Thomas an exciting experience in a friendly atmosphere.

You might be interested in studying history if you ...

• You are curious about why things are the way they are today
• You want to gain a deeper understanding of issues you read or hear about in the news
• You like to read and analyze things, and want to become more articulate orally and in writing

Critical and transferable skills
Studying History equips you with effective oral and written communication skills, as well as skills in critical analysis, research, interdisciplinary thinking, and curiosity and inquisitiveness. The ability to successfully and precisely communicate ideas remains an invaluable asset to any organization or business, while the capacity to understand past practices and policies serves graduates well in their careers. History graduates are able to trace the roots of an issue, think about a problem in a multitude of ways, and analyze it using multiple tools.

International Relations challenges students to broaden their perspectives and their understanding of the forces shaping global politics. Students who major in International Relations will complete course work in specific international themed courses while focusing on one or two particular areas of the world.

Students participate in a for-credit Model United Nations course that has taken many to international competitions such as the Harvard and New York City events. International Relations students are also encouraged to study Economics as well as a foreign language to develop an appropriate base of knowledge and skill that relate directly to different areas of the world.

You might be interested in studying international relations if...

• You are interested in the politics and cultures of other countries in the world 
• You want to understand other people and other perspectives

Critical and transferable skills
The skills a student learns by studying International Relations include the ability to understand and summarize complex information and gathering evidence to make good, critical arguments. Graduates from the program must learn to write clearly and directly. They are also required to gain proficiency in a foreign language and to gain a basic understanding of economics, which are both invaluable skills in today’s world. Studying International Relations also provides students with a wider perspective on and understanding of the complex global environment.

Courses offered in the Japanese language focus on learning fundamental language structure and practicing communication skills. In the courses, reading and writing Hiragana and Katakana are essential, and some Kanji are introduced and practiced. Japan and Japanese culture are introduced and discussed.

Advanced courses develop the communicative skills necessary for everyday situations - focusing on conversation and writing systems, expanding vocabulary and sentence structures and teaching students to express themselves on a wide range of topics from daily life.

As students complete the beginner’s level of Japanese, they are prepared for the Level IV Japanese Proficiency Test offered by the Government of Japan.

Explore Spanish culture and study literature and media to develop skills in oral communication, grammar, and composition.

Discovering Spanish and Latin American studies
Spanish is one of the world's most common languages. It is the first language of Spain, Mexico, most of South America and a large part of the population of the United States and the Caribbean. It is becoming an increasingly important language in global trade and commerce.

The Romance Language Department offers both majors and honours programs in Spanish, as well as DELE in Spanish. The department is comprised of dynamic and devoted faculty responsible for delivering an ambitious program. Due to its association with Hispanic worlds, all having immeasurable intellectual and artistic impacts on the development of Western culture and humanism, the Romance Languages Department has a pivotal role to play in a liberal arts curriculum.

An introductory course for beginners leads to advanced courses in grammar, conversation and composition, translation, and Spanish and Latin American literature.

You might be interested in studying Spanish and Latin American studies if...

• You want to increase your language proficiency or become bilingual
• You want to learn about another culture
• You want to become a global citizen

Journalism is about finding and telling accurate stories that matter. It shapes public opinion and helps people understand the political and social world. Journalism encourages open-mindedness and demands objectivity so the public can weigh options and form informed opinions about world issues. 

Discovering journalism
The Major in Journalism explores the art of storytelling in the digital age. The program offers a variety of courses that allow students to develop storytelling skills using multi-media tools, including video, photography, sound, and social media platforms. The program promotes strong writing skills, the exploration of media ethics and the influence of new media in society. The program is designed for students with an interest in professional journalism and digital content production.

You might be interested in studying journalism if...

• You are curious, energetic, and expressive 
• You care about other people, the community you live in, and the state of the world in general
• You like to write and tell stories

Critical and transferable skills
Being a Journalism student means developing advanced skills in writing and editing, as well as in presenting information in a compelling way and making sense of complex issues and events. You will learn to identify issues that others have missed or overlooked. You will ask important questions and deliver facts and details in ways that shed light on otherwise complicated situations.

You will learn to get to the root of a story and inform the public on things they need to know. Since journalists are constantly reporting on a wide variety of topics, your ability to digest information, think critically about it, and react appropriately will become second nature.

The Human Rights Program at St. Thomas is one of the few such programs in all of Canada, and the only one in Atlantic Canada, that allows undergraduate students to obtain a Major in the academic study of Human Rights. In this program, you study Human Rights in a national and international context and do individualized research projects on specific topics in your upper years of study.

The program provides knowledge of the philosophy, legal instruments, and political institutions that are the foundation for an education in Human Rights.

You might be interested in studying human rights if...

• You want to go to law school, pursue a career in social work or law enforcement
• You are interested in being an activist in your community pursuing social justice at the grass roots level

Critical and transferable skills
As a student of Human Rights, you will develop advanced skills in critical analysis. You will be able to identify issues and have the capacity to work toward meaningful, reasonable solutions. Human Rights students are driven by a passion to understand and fight for necessary changes that make significant differences to individuals and whole societies.

They are able to see how decisions, events, and other actions affect people. They acquire the ability to navigate through legal and political realities to create a better world.

Philosophy is not just one discipline amongst others. It is unique, not just because it asks questions about the most fundamental and important things, but also because, unlike other disciplines, it isn’t optional: whether we know it or not, all of us are already doing Philosophy. We cannot escape it; we can only decide whether to do it well or badly.

We carry within ourselves certain basic convictions about what is true, what is good, etc. And yet, we also wonder about these convictions, doubting them, calling them into question. Philosophy is this wondering and questioning. As such, it is indispensable for developing a clearer understanding of ourselves and our world, and for living our lives responsibly. 

You might be interested in studying philosophy if...

• You’re always asking questions and are fascinated with puzzles and paradoxes

Critical and transferable skills
Studying Philosophy helps you think more clearly and precisely, such that you have a sharper grasp of your own views and can better articulate yourself, both orally and in writing; it strengthens the critical reasoning skills that enable you to organize and construct compelling arguments and identify the strengths and weaknesses in the arguments of others; and it helps you “think outside the box” so that you approach questions and problems in fresh, creative ways. Philosophy graduates learn to enter into respectful and patient dialogue with each other: Philosophy always involves considering and responding to the views of others and submitting one’s own views to their critical assessment; it is less a matter of “winning arguments” than of seeking truth together, co-operatively.

Criminology is the study of crime, the consequences of crime, people who engage in crime and the reasons for that engagement, while Criminal Justice examines the Canadian criminal justice system including corrections, victimology, police, courts, youth-at-risk, and criminal procedure.

Criminology is a discipline that seeks to understand how people behave in difficult, confusing, stressful, tragic, and bizarre situations. As the study of Criminology often involves political, social, and personal consideration, students learn to analyze theories of criminal behaviour and fairly and accurately evaluate criminal justice systems and policies.

Our program at St. Thomas examines the people and institutions that affect, and are affected by, the justice system, exploring the impact on offenders, victims, and the public.

You might be interested in studying criminology if...

• You have ever questioned the workings of the criminal justice system
• You want a better understanding of the reasons individuals engage in crime
• You are interested in social justice and want to make a difference

Critical and transferable skills
By studying Criminology, students develop exceptional academic and research literacy. As presentation of this research is essential to the discipline, students also gain significant experience in skills such as communication and debate. Analytical and evaluative skills are central to the study of Criminology and Criminal Justice as students are required to question the policies and institutions in place for those who have been identified as criminal and those who have been victims of criminal behaviour.

In Economics, you will study how the economy works, where it came from, the challenges it creates for social equality, and how individuals engage to modify and change economic relations.

Discovering economics
The Department of Economics at St. Thomas brings the strengths of a critical liberal arts education to the study of the economy. We study different ways regions, large and small, manage their resources—whether those resources be financial, natural, goods, or services. The study of Economics takes a critical look at how regions trade, price, consume, and distribute. It is the job of an economist to be an expert in understanding the various economies in which she or he works and to prepare best practice advice for the benefit of his or her region. Our students investigate not only how the economy works, but where it came from, the challenges it creates for social equality and social justice, and how people engage to modify and change existing economic relations.

You might be interested in studying economics if...

• You are interested in the economy
• You want to become an informed citizen

Critical and transferable skills
As a student of Economics, you will learn to navigate through the ebb and flow nature of the economy in which you live and work. You will develop intelligence in making informed decisions and providing meaningful advice related to wealth and resources in your area. You will also sharpen your analytical skills and appreciate the value and limitations of evidence-based arguments and research. At the same time, you will gain advanced communication skills, especially in your capacity to read and analyze academic and technical writing.