Bachelor of Art (Honours) in Political Studies with (Specialization) Public Policy

at Trent University Peterborough Canada

Engage with dedicated faculty who are actively involved in research in areas like gender research, education, and advocacy – including the Canada Research Chair in Feminist and Gender Studies.

Explore the way gender relations have  shaped culture, history and contemporary society. In this program, you will explore a broad range of feminist perspectives from a lens of social justice. Dive deep into conversations about labour, health, history, popular culture, law, the environment, social policy, literature, and globalization. At Trent, you will develop an interdisciplinary understanding of feminist thought and practice, and the ways that feminism intersects with critical race, disability, decolonial and critical sexuality studies.

Resume Boosters:

• Put your knowledge to the test through a community-based gender research project working with organizations like The Elizabeth Fry Society or the Ontario Public Research Interest Group
• Calibrate a skillset that includes a gendered lens on key issues, invaluable for those seeking careers in social work, teaching or policing
• Access awards and bursaries exclusive to Gender and Social Justice students
• Engage with guest lecturers, authors, and leaders in the field

With 220 million French speakers worldwide (projected to be more than 700 million by 2050), French language and knowledge of Francophone cultures has become a highly sought after and valuable skill. French & Francophone Studies is about more than just learning a language. It’s also about understanding the world and culture that the language reflects. In this program, you’ll examine the diversity of Canadian and International Francophonies. Through explorations of history, literature, cinema and contemporary topics, you will discover where the words, phrases and slang you speak come from and reaffirm yourself as a French-speaking citizen.

Resume Boosters:

• Enhance your language comprehension through French language events, public readings, and student-run mini-conferences
• Build global connections in Trent’s longest-established study abroad program as you refine your French skills in a European context in Nantes, France.
• Study languages more in-depth through a Concentration in Linguistic
• Access other language courses through the Trent Centre for Language and Linguistics – study Chinese, German, and Spanish, all with no background required

Chemistry can help you make informed decisions not just about science, but about all of life. An intellectually challenging and rewarding subject, Chemistry explores the diverse makeup of our world and contributes to most other areas of physical and life sciences. You’ll learn about fundamental discoveries in chemistry and work towards contributing to them while gaining experience in modern chemical research, experimental design and technical laboratory skills.

Resume Boosters:-

• Assist in research project with leading experts in the field
• Gain experience working with special equipment for modern experimental and theoretical chemistry
• Get involved as a member of the popular Trent Chemistry Undergraduate Society

Are you a “people watcher,” curious about human societies and how they’ve evolved over time? This is the program for you. Anthropology is the study of the human experience, from our earliest ancestors to our contemporary digital society. Drawing on insights from archaeology, and cultural, linguistic, and biological anthropology, you’ll explore the extraordinary variability in human adaptation, organization and belief, discovering how the common circumstances we face unite us.

Resume Boosters:-

• Get your hands dirty on a global scale through our archaeological field schools in Greece or Belize
• Dig up the past right here on campus through the Ontario Archaeology Field School, a full-credit Anthro course that runs each summer
• Study different cultures first-hand through a year abroad program in virtually any country worldwide - Ghana, Ecuador, Thailand, France? The choice is yours

Gain critical and interdisciplinary understanding of criminalization and punishment, in a program that places critical focus on systemic oppression including the historical and contemporary realities of Indigenous peoples’, over-criminalization.

Justice served is about so much more than crime and punishment. In Trent’s new Criminology degree, you will gain a foundational understanding of the influence of social inequality as a cause of crime. Learning alongside faculty experts in Sociology, Law, Gender & Social Justice and Indigenous Studies, as well as the new Canada Research Chair in Community-Partnered Social Justice, you will apply your skills and knowledge to better understand the systems at play for both criminals and victims. This program is offered fully online or as a hybrid program with both online and on-campus, in-class learning. Students also have the potential to perform independent research on homelessness, the criminalization of women, as well as gain critical understanding of the realities of Indigenous peoples’ and the criminal justice system.

Resume Boosters:

• Complete a work placement with community organizations and agencies such as Correctional Services Ontario, the Crown Attorney, Kawartha Haliburton Children’s Aid Society, Elizabeth Fry Society, Canadian Mental Health Association or Youth Emergency Shelter
• Practice analyzing real crime data to answer pressing criminology-related questions in society today
• Form a dynamic and critical understanding of crime as a social justice issue with practical implications for research and policy
• Gain a solid foundation in legal research methodology and theoretical application that will prepare you for success in a variety of workplace settings

Working in state-of-the-art facilities, you will gain a solid grounding in chemistry, biochemistry, genetics and cell biology, preparing you for advanced studies in this dynamic and ever-changing discipline

How does chemistry influence health and disease? How are all living creatures alike – and how do we differ? And can we meet human needs by manipulating the DNA of bacteria, plants and animals?  The study of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology investigates these fundamental questions and more, exploring how molecules work in living systems and combining a wide range of chemical and biological disciplines. In this program, you’ll achieve a detailed understanding of the processes that control and mediate health, illness, reproduction, growth, and ultimately life itself.

Resume Boosters:-

• Pursue the Medical Professional Stream to access to a variety of supports and unique extracurricular opportunities and gain the competitive edge in your med or vet school applications
• Gain advanced access to top-of-the-line lab facilities, including genetic technology, in Trent’s exclusive DNA, Life & Health Sciences Building
• Study side-by-side with expert scholars and explore unique undergraduate hands-on research opportunities

Create a unique educational focus based on your passions and interests, with an interdisciplinary knowledge base
Trent’s joint major programs give you full license to create a degree that's uniquely your own, by combining courses in the arts, sciences, or professional programs. Have a passion for social justice? Combine your Politics degree with Gender & Women’s Studies. Interested in all things tech? Join Media Studies and Computing Systems. Mix and match programs that best appeal to your interests, preparing yourself for a future with more possibility.

Combine degrees. Expand your horizons.
At Trent, you have the flexibility to combine nearly any two programs of your choice. To help you narrow it down, here’s a list of some of our most popular combinations:

• Media Studies and Psychology 
• Anthropology and History 
• English and Media Studies 
• Biology and Psychology 
• Anthropology and Psychology 
• Environmental Studies and Biology 
• Anthropology and Sociology 
• Geography and Canadian Studies 
• Computing Systems and Media Studies 
• Economics and Philosophy 
• Economics and Psychology 
• English and Psychology 
• Psychology and Sociology 
• Computing Systems and Economics 
• English and Sociology 

You can also explore the popular joint major combinations within our professional programs like Business Administration and Forensic Science.

Anthropology:-
Anthropology is the study of the human experience, from our earliest ancestors to contemporary digital society. You will learn to see humankind as complex social and biological beings with the capacity for language and culture. Drawing on insights from archaeology, and cultural, linguistic, and biological anthropology, you will explore the extraordinary variability in human adaptation, organization and belief, and how the common circumstances we face unite us.

Forensics:-
Trent is the only university in Canada to offer students the chance to combine your study of forensics with one of several different academic disciplines. Choose a joint major in forensics
in combination with a vast array of complementary areas of study in either the arts or the sciences. Interested in a career in forensics specializing in ballistics? A joint degree with Physics could come in handy. Want to analyze the mental state of criminals, or become a criminal profiler? Combine your Forensics degree with a B.A. in Psychology. The emerging field of computer forensics means a joint major with Computing Systems can help you stand out from the crowd. No matter what your forensic career ambitions are, you have plenty of options at Trent.

Information Systems
Virtually every organization and field of study rely on computers in order to succeed in today’s hyper-digital age. As an Information Systems student, you’ll look for better ways to accomplish tasks using computing technologies, exploring how the world processes, manages, and communicates information. Over the course of your degree, you’ll develop a unique understanding of technical subjects such as databases, networks, data visualization and telecommunications, as well as non-technical matters such as ethics, law, and digital culture.

Science
With so many fascinating science programs offered at Trent, it can be difficult to know which degree to choose. If you’re interested in general sciences but haven’t yet decided on a specific program, this flexible first-year pathway is for you. Honours Science allows you to explore courses across various science programs before declaring a major or joint-major in your second year. You can even choose to combine different disciplines, taking courses from programs across both the sciences and arts.

Psychology is defined as the scientific study of behaviour and the mind. You will study the principles of behaviour through lectures, labs, seminars and research. Explore topics from sleep and dreams to health, sexuality, and perception. You will acquire both research skills and a broadly-based background in the basic content of the discipline, combined with the opportunity at upper levels to focus on more specialized topics.

Resume Boosters:-

• Undertake an undergraduate independent research thesis or research practicum and work one-on-one with award-winning faculty
• Apply the skills you learn in the classroom to a real-world healthcare setting through unique new research placement on aging
• Get excellent reference letters from your profs for grad school or your first job thanks to our highly-personalized learning environment

Are you a high achiever with a dream of working as a medical professional? Through this unique program, you will graduate career-ready with the broad range of interdisciplinary skills needed for a career in the medical and healthcare sector. Broaden your perspective as you spend your first two years exploring a range of scientific, social, and humanist theories and issues as a BAS student at Trent. From there, you will head across the Atlantic to complete a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Honours degree at Swansea University in the UK in one of their dedicated medical pathway programs, including Applied Medical Sciences, Medical Biochemistry, Medical Genetics, Medical Pharmacology, and Population Health and Medical Science.

The Dual Degree Advantage
Globalize your degree as you prepare to graduate with both a Bachelor of Arts & Science (B.A.S) and Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in just four years, preparing you to be a well-rounded candidate for your guaranteed interview with Swansea’s prestigious School of Medicine.

Graduates who meet academic requirements will be guaranteed an interview into Swansea’s prestigious School of Medicine. High achieving students, interested in taking their education further, also have the option of completing a graduate degree at Swansea, transferring to a Master of Science in Medical Biochemistry or Medical Genetics.