Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

at St. Thomas University Canada

Our School of Education takes a cross-disciplinary approach to teaching and learning, while emphasizing inclusionary teaching approaches. We offer concentrations in elementary (K-5), secondary (6-12), or French second-language teaching through cooperative learning and teamwork, along with practical teaching techniques.

Our 11-month program includes two field placements in different schools and at different grade levels offer opportunities to put theory into practice and will prepare you for a rewarding career in education. 

Courses in Romance Languages are designed for those students who come to St. Thomas University and wish to have a general knowledge of two or more Romance Languages and Literature.

Such students are encouraged to think of their language learning experience in terms of a commitment to Romance Languages (French, Italian, Latin, and Spanish) rather than in terms of a specialisation in any one language.

Students wishing to complete a Minor Programme in Italian must complete at least 18 credit hours in Italian selected from the first, second or third year offerings and maintain an overall average of B in those 18 credit hours.

The Bachelor of Social Work program emphasizes the importance of understanding the structural roots of social problems in Canadian society.  Therefore, social work is a political activity aimed at initiating social change at all levels of society to promote equality and inclusion. Social problems such as poverty and homelessness, gendered violence, racial discrimination, and climate change are viewed as being rooted in structural inequalities. These inequalities lead to economic, political, social and cultural disparities for whole populations of people.

Through the four-year degree program—the only accredited English language program in New Brunswick—students will develop the ability to challenge structural injustices, learn critical theories to frame best practices, and understand how different forms of power, oppression and privilege operate in the world. The program is structured to deliver both the theoretical and practical aspects of social work. Through two years of liberal arts courses, followed by two years of social work courses and field placements, students gain both classroom and direct experience in transformative social work practice.

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.

Within the Bachelor of Arts, St. Thomas offers a unique English as a Second Language (ESL) program for students whose level of English proficiency is not high enough to pursue regular studies at an English-language university.

Students are provided the opportunity to begin university studies for credit while they continue to improve their language skills in a planned, individualized program of study.

Sociologists study how human societies work. We ask how your social background, your social class, gender ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, and nationality affect your experiences and opportunities in life. We examine how social institutions such as the family, the education system, religion, or the legal system operate. We study specific aspects of society such as health, deviance, or rural life. We examine a wide range of topics, from something as intimate as how we make music together to phenomena a transnational migration or worldwide social protests.

You might be interested in studying sociology if...

• You want to use knowledge to address social inequality and make change
• You want to understand how social forces shape perceptions of ourselves and our interactions with others

Critical and transferable skills
By studying Sociology, you learn the shared humanities and social science skills of writing clear and effective papers and reports, analyzing issues carefully using reason and facts, and reading and analyzing written texts. Sociology specifically teaches us how to analyze any number of contemporary social issues such as unemployment, crime, sexual harassment, gender in popular culture, inequality between the 1% and the 99%, and so on. You learn specific research techniques such as observation and participant, survey research, the analysis of historical documents and evidence, the use of official statistics, and the analysis of how language and images in the media and popular culture depict such important topics as how women are portrayed, how men are portrayed, or how ethnic minorities are portrayed.

The courses in Romance Languages are designed for those students who come to St. Thomas University and wish to have a general knowledge of two or more Romance Languages and Literature. Such students are encouraged to think of their language learning experience in terms of a commitment to Romance Languages (French, Italian, Latin, and Spanish) rather than in terms of a specialization in any one language.
 

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

Women's Studies and Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary field that concentrates on new scholarship and looks at the different perspectives of gender and sexuality in all aspects of life.

Discovering women's studies and gender studies
Students explore the idea that identity is constructed through interplay of individuals and social groups and institutions— the family, peers, cultural and religious groups, the media, etc. Courses enable students to learn about the dynamic nature of gender roles and norms, sexism, and power relations.

A range of gender equity issues are now recognized as public policy issues, including gender-based violence, bullying, and workplace equity. Whether the focus is social justice, gender studies, or world cultures, the core issues include the social construction of identity, the nature and impact of power relations and diversity, and the role of personal engagement and social action.

You might be interested in studying women's studies and gender studies if...

• You want to explore the struggle for gender equality in politics, education, the family, the labour force, and the media
• You want to use knowledge to dismantle the inequalities present in society

Critical and transferable skills
Our students benefit from the analytical and communication skills developed in the women’s rights and men’s movements for social change. Analytical and communication skills apply to work environments where social policy is addressed and social science or humanities research skills are required, such as in social work, law, government research, e.g., Statistics Canada, and especially in educational counselling, and teaching. With the need for greater awareness around sexual harassment/abuse in workplaces and schools, including cyber-intimidation, the critical self-examination this field engenders is a central skill that managers and administrators are required to develop.

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.