Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Environment and Urban Sustainability

at Toronto Metropolitan University Canada

Spanning much of the period of recorded culture, courses in this program offer students a well-rounded understanding of philosophy's central debates. The program focuses on the history of philosophical ideas and develops students' critical argumentation skills. It also provides students with the chance to examine the practical applications of philosophical theories and methods.

By studying the great ideas of the past and present, along with their applications to the real world, students in this unique program acquire the analytical skills that will help prepare them for exciting careers in the future.

The core goals of the program are to:

• Develop students' analytical reasoning skills;
• Develop students' understanding of the broad intellectual contours and social relevance of our shared philosophical heritage
• Develop oral and written and communication skill
• Develop a sophisticated understanding of how philosophical theories and methods are applicable to contemporary political and social issues

Curriculum Information
The discipline of Philosophy draws on the theories, methods, and practices of a broad range of humanities and social sciences. Therefore, the Philosophy program builds on a common first-year platform shared with other programs in the Faculty of Arts, with specialization in Philosophy occurring in years two through four of the degree.

Semesters One and Two:  In the first year, which is shared with the programs in Criminology, English, Environment and Urban Sustainability, Geographic Analysis, History, Language and Intercultural Relations, Politics and Governance, Psychology, and Sociology, students take their first two university-level Philosophy courses from a number of options that explore the subject across a range of themes, time periods, and geographical contexts. In addition to taking further electives in a broad range of areas, students will also acquire skills and knowledge in two foundational courses: Academic Writing and Research and Critical Thinking.

Semesters Three through Six: In second year, students take their third foundational course, Research Design and Qualitative Methods. They will also take a number of Required Philosophy courses including Introduction to Modern Philosophy, Ancient and Modern Ethics, and senior seminars in the Analytic and Continental traditions of philosophical thought. Students will have the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of Philosophy electives as well as electives from outside the discipline.

Semesters Seven and Eight: In the last year of the program, as students consider the opportunities they will pursue after graduation, they solidify their philosophical expertise and sharpen their professional competence by taking a senior seminar in Metaphilosophy or in one of two seminars dedicated to the social applications and relevance of philosophy. Other Philosophy and non-Philosophy electives are also taken to complete the 40 courses of the degree (of which 20 are in Philosophy).

Students will have the opportunity to develop proficiency in critical thinking, and enhance their ability to question, research, argue, understand, and communicate. Combining their studies in these two disciplines will allow them a unique set of skills to situate complex issues within a broader historical and structural context.

Students in a History and Sociology double major will:

• Explore a diversity of historical and contemporary issues using critical theoretical frameworks.
• Use historical and sociological methods to understand and analyse complex phenomena.
• Understand the impact of structural inequalities (e.g., gender, race, class, legal status) on individuals and communities.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the socio-historical and global context of contemporary social relations and knowledge production, including ways in which a) structural inequalities and social injustice are manifested in individual and group identities; and b) social injustice, inequalities and identities have been legitimated, normalized, and institutionalized over time and c) people individually and collectively resist discrimination and inequality.
• Critically read, interpret, assess, conduct and evaluate research methods and methodologies used within sociology and history, while demonstrating an informed knowledge and respect for epistemological and ethical issues.
• Demonstrate social engagement by bridging academic thought and research in relation to practical challenges, policies and strategic organization in local, national and global communities and forums. Express the intellectual breadth to allow sociology specialists to explore new perspectives on identities, social relationships and the organization of social institutions.

The combination of intensive practical training and academic university theory truly distinguishes Ryerson’s Performance programs. While learning to achieve their professional goals, students gain a well-rounded education in the humanities and liberal arts. They develop valuable skills in problem solving, adaptability, critical thinking, research, and communication. These skills are essential for success in the current arts and cultural industry and they enrich all facets of the student’s life.

The four-year Acting and Dance programs offer an intensive conservatory approach in performance complemented by academics which are a crucial part of the program curriculum. Actors and dancers spend a portion of each day in the studio, and each year brings fresh opportunities to perform in productions of original, innovative and established works. The program trains performers who are distinguished by their capacity to generate original artistic material and their ability to bring a rich mixture of skills into the multi-disciplinary environment. Graduates of the program will be ready for immediate entry into a wide range of performance-related careers and for future professional growth.

The Program of Study
The Performance program challenges students with creative study, critical analysis, and exciting traditional and innovative areas of application for their performance skill development.

In the tradition of all Ryerson programming, the program offers a very strong conservatory perspective to the theoretical exploration of dance or acting. There is a wide variety of practical/studio work, active learning projects, and performance-related assignments. Everyone has the opportunity to perform under the guidance of working professionals who are leaders in the artistic community.

The Core Years - Dance
Throughout the four years of study, the Dance Program offers intensive professional training with daily dance classes in ballet, jazz, modern and contemporary dance. It is designed to develop versatile dance professionals prepared for immediate entry into the performance industry, arts education, and multi-media entertainment.

Well-known, experienced choreographers are invited to create, stage, and rehearse their works for annual fully produced mainstage presentations, open to the public. There is also an annual choreographic workshop featuring the students’ own original creations.

The first two years introduce the fundamentals of theatre performance including courses in Improvisation, Anatomy of Movement and Lifestyle, Time-lines of Performance History, Performance Arts in Canada, The Rudiments of Music, a Dance History, and the Basics of Theatrical Production and Creative Performance. Through these foundation courses, students learn to critically approach their work, to develop an entrepreneurial initiative, and to find joy in the creative process.

In the third and fourth years, students may further refine their career goals through professional and professionally related electives. Students may choose to focus on Business and Marketing oriented courses such as Entrepreneurship and New Venture Startup. Electives are also available in the more traditional theatrical applications of Film, Dance Pedagogy, Audition preparation, Acting, Staging the Theatrical Production, Musical Theatre Repertoire, Dance Criticism and many other courses.

The Business Technology Management (BTM) program provides students with the analytical and problem solving capacities to develop business solutions that leverage Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Our graduates help drive business strategies using ICT solutions, making the program a leading contributor to Canada’s ICT economy. 

The School also offers an optional co-op program which provides graduates with 20 months of work experience integrated into their academic program. Students wishing to be considered for this program must apply for admission into the co-op option after the second semester of the program. Admission into the co-op program is based on the following three items:

• An expected CGPA of 2.80 (or higher), subject to competition
• Evidence of superior oral and written communication skills
• A Resume/CV and interview

Students begin work terms upon completion of second year of the program and the co-op program extends the BTM program to five years from four. The School cannot guarantee work term jobs, but the Business Career Hub (BCH) will prospect for employers and make every effort to locate suitable positions, as well as be available to advise students on their search for program-related jobs. The co-op program enables students to earn prevailing wages for the level of responsibility and contribution of the jobs they perform and thus finance at least part of their university education.

Commensurate with the technological challenge it faces within an ever-evolving field, the program uses a variety of innovative teaching approaches to move students through an immersive, hands-on course of study.

Emphasizing creativity, New Media expands the idea of computing. It encourages risk taking and experimentation within a supportive, collaborative environment designed to address the emerging challenges of the communication age. To this end, students engage new technologies not only as a means of art production but as instruments of social, cultural, and artistic change.

The curriculum is unique both in its substance and in its structure, which emphasizes depth as well as breadth and flexibility. The remarkable learning environment offered by the Faculty of Communication and Design, combined with Ryerson's proximity to Toronto's art community, as well as the media production, telecommunications, and cultural industries, provide unparalleled opportunities for developing not only the tools, but an understanding of the medium in a field that is continually in the process of self-invention.

The New Media BFA prepares fine art students to become creators of digital art, mobile media, interactive storytelling and virtual worlds.

"This program is all about not only learning new languages, but learning about different cultures along with their similarities and differences when compared to others."

The focus of the four-year baccalaureate degree program in Language and Intercultural Relations is to give students both the linguistic and cultural competence needed to enter a global market, and the leadership skills particular to a global workforce.

Students will be prepared for a wide range of cultural encounters - from the known to the vastly unfamiliar. This requires a breadth of knowledge that stems from a humanities education. Based in language studies and anthropology, the degree also includes courses that focus on history, urban and gender studies, human development, political science and psychology.

Curriculum Information
Intercultural Relations constitute an interdisciplinary field of knowledge which draws on theories, practices and methods of enquiry that are related to a wide range of perspectives in the humanities and social sciences. One of the strengths of this BA (Hons) is that it rests on solid foundations: a first year of study that is common to several programs in the Faculty of Arts, with specialization in LIR beginning in Year 2.

Semesters One and Two: In the first year, which is shared with the programs in Criminology, English, Environment and Urban Sustainability, Geographic Analysis, History, Politics and Governance, Philosophy, Psychology and Sociology, students are introduced to Language and Intercultural Relations through courses that launch them on their path to getting better acquainted with the language they have chosen to study, and that provide an overview of intercultural relations as they are manifest around the world. Students also acquire skills and knowledge in Academic Writing and Research and Critical Thinking, and choose electives from a broad range of areas, such as Business, Law, and Natural Sciences.

Semesters Three and Four: In the second year, students study foundational practices in intercultural relations and negotiations through hands-on projects that help them learn how to navigate multicultural communicative events. They are also introduced to the quantitative and qualitative research methods that are necessary to study intercultural relations effectively. It is also in semester three that they choose their Concentration.

Semesters Five through Eight: In addition to becoming increasingly fluent in their language of study, students acquire a better sense of intercultural relations through the use of ethnographic tools and practices. In addition to their program courses, students choose from a broad range of subject areas that complement their professional studies and broaden their career preparation. These include courses in Business, Communication, Finance, Journalism, Law, Marketing, Economics, Geography, Politics, Fine Arts, Psychology, Sociology, and the sciences such as Chemistry and Biology. During that time, they can also work on the basics of a third language of study.

The curriculum in the School of Image Arts is designed to educate artists, storytellers and digital media practitioners. The programs lead to careers in film, photography, digital media, visual arts and the cultural industries.

Graduates are capable of performing responsibly in the relevant industries as professionals in both creative and managerial positions, ranging from the commercial to the artistic and experimental.

The curriculum provides students with the necessary grounding to pursue graduate studies in a variety of media-related academic and artistic disciplines. The Film and Photography Studies Programs and the Integrated Digital Option provide an experiential education with a foundation in design, art history, and cultural studies.

There is a strong link between theory and practice in each of these programs. The curriculum is enhanced by a broad offering of liberal studies courses, and professional and professionally related electives. In the third year of the Film and Photography Programs students can decide to pursue the Integrated Digital Option. The focus of this Option is on cross-disciplinarity, hybridity and digital fluency.

The School of Image Arts houses both analogue and digital resources and students are expected to develop a professional proficiency in these tools. Access to facilities is governed by School policies and curriculum. Students will be required to own certain items of equipment appropriate to the program they enter. Please refer to the sections on Special Department Charges and on the Cost of Attending Ryerson in the Student Services portion of this calendar.

Photography Studies Program
The Photography Studies Program offers an integrated academic framework for undergraduate studies in the theory and practice of photography and related media, leading to career possibilities in the many creative, artistic and commercial fields that use the photographic image, or to further study at the graduate level. The aim of the program is to produce graduates capable of working effectively in traditional and digital image-making systems. The curriculum is designed for maximum flexibility. The foundation years provide a base for working in an interdisciplinary mode at the upper year levels. An atmosphere of creative and critical inquiry across all four years gives students a rich awareness of the visual, aesthetic, technological, and cultural issues affecting the creation of images, as well as an enhanced appreciation of the rapid and radical changes occurring in the professions they will be entering.

Integrated Digital Option
The Integrated Digital (ID) Option is available to film and photography majors starting in third year. The Option is comprised of studio and lecture courses in image-based media and visual studies. The Option is designed to expand creative and analytical skills beyond the borders of film and photography. Areas such as multi-channel, titling, web-based image book design are among the many cross-platform, interactive art practices offered within the Integrated Digital Option.

Professional and Professionally-Related Courses
From second year, students choose electives from the professional and professionally related offerings. These courses are designed to enhance and deepen a student’s professional practice and critical-theoretical knowledge. For example, professional courses include studio and location lighting, sound design, art direction, screenwriting. Professionally related courses include advanced courses in photo and film history, visual culture, national cinemas, history of animation and gaming, curatorial practices and advanced topics in film and photo criticism.

Media Communications in Canada is a rapidly changing environment which requires motivated individuals who possess discipline, flexibility and creativity. The information age is open to those with analytical and conceptual skills and the flair to recognize and act on new opportunities.

An appropriate academic background for this program would include the foundation skills developed in the traditional secondary/post-secondary courses which stress research, information synthesis and application of process to achieve results. Performance, arts and media courses should be chosen sparingly to develop and indicate career interest.

The Media Production program centres on content creation/storytelling, media production, critical theory, the law and business of media in radio, television, music and new media industries. The BA in Media Production will offer seven Concentrations: Radio and Sound, TV and Video, Digital Media, Media Business, Screenwriting, Social Media, and Critical Media Theory.

Studying History will develop students’ proficiency in critical thinking, and enhance their ability to question, research, argue, understand, and communicate. All of these skills are vital in enabling them to succeed in a wide range of careers and participate in the life of the world around them as informed citizens.

History students take courses in the subject to pursue their interests (along with foundational, elective, and liberal studies offerings). They might wish to explore the formation of societies in the ancient world, or contemporary problems in historical perspective, or the great diversity of themes in the centuries between. Beyond examining significant issues that fascinate historians, Ryerson’s program has distinctive career-focused components. Students take a progression of specially designed foundational, historian’s craft, and senior seminar courses to develop their research, analytical, and communications skills in ways that will help them succeed in today’s knowledge-based world. They also may wish to explore distinctive options: heritage management courses for those thinking of museums, historic sites, and related fields as potential career choices; experiential learning opportunities to perform real-world work in History; and a thesis course for students considering graduate school or wishing to conduct in-depth investigations on historical topics that have captured their imaginations.

Curriculum Information
History draws on the theories, methods, and practices of a broad range of humanities and social sciences. Therefore, the History program builds on a common first-year platform shared with other programs in the Faculty of Arts, with specialization in History occurring in years two through four of the degree.

Semesters One and Two: In the first year, which is shared with the BA programs in Criminology, English, Environment and Urban Sustainability, Geographic Analysis, Language and Intercultural Relations, Philosophy, Politics and Governance, Psychology, and Sociology, students take their first two university-level History courses from a number of choices that explore the subject across a range of themes, time periods, and geographical contexts. Students also acquire skills and knowledge in two foundational courses, Academic Writing and Research, and Critical Thinking, and they choose electives from a broad range of areas.

Semesters Three through Six: In second year, students take their third foundational course, Research Design and Qualitative Methods, and the first of the Department of History’s signature Historian’s Craft (or H-Craft) offerings, Reading, Writing and Using History as well as Hearing, Seeing and Speaking History, followed by another two H-Craft courses in third year. Additionally, students select from a range of focused courses in History and other subjects during this two-year period, applying the skills developed in their foundational and H-Craft studies to their broader educational endeavours as they develop their intellectual and professional prowess.

Semesters Seven and Eight: In the last year of the program, as students consider the opportunities they will pursue after graduation, they solidify their historical expertise and sharpen their professional competence by taking two senior seminars (or a senior seminar and a thesis course), as well as other offerings to complete the 40 courses of the degree (of which 20 are in History).

The Business Management program provides students with a specialization in their chosen vocation, a practical and comprehensive knowledge of all basic functions of business, an awareness of social, political, and economic issues facing contemporary society, a questioning attitude to encourage and assist change, an ability to employ analytical skills for decision-making, and a desire to continue to learn and develop. It is considered important that all students in the Business Management program demonstrate an ability to write in clear and correct English. A lack of competence in written work submitted may be reflected in the final grade. Further development of writing and communication skills can be obtained through the elective English and Communication courses.

The first two semesters are common to all students. The curriculum provides students with a general overview of business in society, introduces them to all the basic business functions, and develops their awareness of social, human and economic issues through the introduction of the liberal studies.

In third-semester students enter their major in one of: Economics and Management Science, Entrepreneurship, Global Management, Human Resources Management, Law and Business, Marketing Management or Real Estate Management. The Marketing Management Major has a specific entrance requirement which is outlined within the curriculum. In addition, students continue studies in general business courses and the liberal studies area to broaden their perspective. The major started in the third semester is continued throughout the program.

The Marketing Department in the Ted Rogers School of Business Management co-ordinates an interdisciplinary Minor in Sales Management and Service Quality. This Minor provides students with the knowledge, skills and tools to manage customer relationships and to work effectively as a member of a sales team.

A limited number of students who have completed a three-year Business Administration diploma program with a minimum 'B' average from a recognized Community College, are admitted each year. These students are usually approved directly into the third year of the program. This opportunity is available on either a full- or part-time basis.

Experience has shown that our graduates are well-equipped to offer valuable services to the business community. Many graduates will go into the business world and will find complete satisfaction in their progress to greater responsibilities. The students are not simply learning to react to business pressures. They are prepared to operate pro-actively. Students work in the classroom and on real-life projects, learning how the process of solving problems works. The professors immerse the students thoroughly in their disciplines and then add the dimension of experience making Business education at Ryerson more relevant in the business world.

Optional Co-operative
The Ted Rogers School of Business Management also offers co-op options for each of the seven majors, providing graduates with 16 months of work experience integrated into their academic experience.

Students wishing to be considered for the co-op option can apply for admission as early as the end of the first year of their program. Please be advised that admission deadlines vary by major. Admission is competitive, with the assessment of applicants taking the form of a competition based on academic performance, non-academic requirements, and potential to succeed in co-op work terms.