Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

at University of Prince Edward Island Canada

Diversity and Social Justice Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island explores scholarship and theories about identity categories (gender, sexuality, race, etc) and their relationship to power and knowledge. Through core and cross-listed courses students examine identity as a category of analysis, investigate the construction of social differences, and explore the impact that these considerations have on social structures and practices and knowledge production.

Diversity and Social Justice Studies recognizes that questions of social identity make a difference to people's lives; it researches how taking identities into account changes what we know and can know about social formations; it explores the importance of "differences" between people, recognizing that "difference" is often about (unequal) power relations; it investigates how identity markers such as gender, race, sexuality, (dis) abilities, national identity, etc. make a difference to people’s positioning in the world and thus also to what a more just world can look like; and it creates new scholarship that acknowledges the difference that considerations of identity make to how we know and can act in the world.

Diversity and Social Justice Studies is a self-reflexive project - that is, in addition to generating new knowledge that takes social identities into consideration, it also always asks questions about the construction of those categories of identity themselves. Thus, in Diversity and Social Justice Studies, identity is more than a description or variable to take into consideration; it is an area of constant question and contestation even as its overall concern is to explore what is meant by “social justice.”  The academic field of Diversity and Social Justice Studies involves the critical examination of existing theories and research and the expansion of knowledge through generating new questions across a wide variety of disciplines and issues.

Diversity and Social Justice Studies gives students expertise and flexibility in a number of different fields, and provides them with critical-thinking skills and the kind of background and training more and more relevant to today's world. In Diversity and Social Justice Studies, students acquire: knowledge and social awareness about differences between groups of people and respect for that diversity; the capacity to ask critical questions about how the world is organized-and to  posit other possibilities; and broad communication skills and the ability to see, understand, and translate multiple points of view for different audiences. Pursuing a program of study in Diversity and Social Justice Studies strengthens individual intellectual and personal development, and is valuable preparation for a variety of career fields after graduation, including (although not limited to!) law, administration, non-profit organizations and NGOs, social work, education, health professions, life sciences, academia, government service, business, counselling, journalism, leisure and recreation, and library science, among others.

The MSc degree of the University of Prince Edward Island requires the demonstration of a reasonable mastery of a concentrated field of study. The latter is attested by the achieving of satisfactory standings in the minimum number of graduate courses required by the respective Faculty, the completion of a research project, and the writing of a thesis based upon the research. There will be considerable interaction and co-operation among the departments/faculties to provide courses and research facilities to meet the needs of individual students and their research projects.

We encourage our students to fully engage in the process of liberal education. We encourage work across a broad range of elective courses in the arts and sciences, so that psychology study is enriched by a diverse context of academic disciplines and ways of experiencing, enquiring into, and making sense of our world.  Our students build skills in critical and creative thinking, effective reading, writing, and oral communication, research, and independent and collaborative problem solving.

In addition to teaching students in a wide range of psychology courses, members of our faculty have exciting programmes of research, often engaging both UPEI students and colleagues from across Canada and the world.  Our faculty members include award winning teachers and scholars, and people committed to service in the university and the broader community.  
 

Economics belongs to the branch of knowledge known as the "Social Sciences." The social sciences deal with both intergenerational and intra-generational interactions between human beings in a society.

Human activities can, of course, be studied from many different perspectives. We could look at humans as political, psychological, historical, or economic beings. A political scientist, for example, would analyze the political activities of the people while an economist would examine activities related to their livelihood. Human beings, in order to fulfil their innate desire for food and shelter, engage in activities that lead them to the production of goods such as food, clothing, and housing, as well as services. These acts of production and consumption to satisfy human wants form the very basis of the subject matter of Economics. Perhaps observing people engaged in this pursuit, Alfred Marshall defined economics as "a study of mankind in the ordinary business of life."

Since the ordinary business of life involves the use of limited natural and human-made resources (capital), people have always been interested in making the best possible use of these resources. This efficient use of resources has been the underlying theme in economics. Hence, the most succinct definition of economics would be that economics deals with the efficient utilization of scarce resources to satisfy human wants. Scarcity gives legitimacy to economics. If there is no scarcity, there is no economic problem.

The discipline of Economics is built upon two strands of theory: Microeconomic Theory and Macroeconomic Theory. Microeconomic deals with the study of individual units in an economy, such as consumers, producers, and the interaction of these units in a given market structure. Macroeconomic theory, on the other hand, deals with the economy as a whole. Here we analyze the problems related to unemployment, growth, inflation, and the balance of payments. Most of the other courses in Economics are applied courses which use the concepts of Microeconomic Theory and/ or Macroeconomic Theory. An understanding of the relationship between these two theory courses and other fields in economics is usually helpful in planning your selection of courses.

The Faculty of Business is committed to providing students with a high quality, integrated business education in a personalized learning environment. It is structured to provide the broad-based, cross-functional business education required for leaders of business, government, and not-for-profit organizations. The Faculty's personalized learning environment provides opportunities for extensive interaction between students, faculty and practitioners.

The Faculty of Business holds a unique position within the province’s education system. As the only university school of business, it is committed to intellectual leadership, and to excellence in developing new knowledge and conveying that knowledge to its students and to the public. In order to attract, develop and retain students, faculty and staff, the Faculty recognizes that it must sustain an intellectually stimulating environment.

The Faculty views its students not as customers, but rather as partners in the development of a high quality business education. Graduates are expected to have developed competency in integrating the core functional business disciplines; ethical, social, historical and global awareness; critical thinking and problem solving; quantitative analysis; communication skills and leadership; team work as well as personal initiative; technological application in business; and using business research to support evidence-informed practice.

The degree program in the Faculty of Business is designed to fulfill this mission and to provide the educational breadth and depth needed by business leaders.

Co-Operative Education

The UPEI Co-op Program is an integrated approach to university education which enables students to alternate academic terms on campus with work terms in suitable employment. The success of such programs is founded on the principle that students are able to apply theoretical knowledge from course studies in the workplace and return to the classroom with practical workplace experience.

Students accepted into the program, complete at least three 14-week paid work terms and three professional development courses.

The Co-op option is available to full-time students in any specialization within the Faculty of Business. Applications to the Co-op Education Program are normally made after completion of the first year of study. Students who successfully complete all the requirements of the program will have the notation entered on their transcripts and on the graduation parchment.

The Bachelor of Business Studies (BBST) program is a post-diploma degree. It will require a minimum of two years of academic study at UPEI, the curriculum of which will consist primarily of core courses and a few electives.

To be eligible for program admission, students must have already completed a two-year business diploma in specified programs at a recognized college and have achieved an overall average of 70%. Students must meet the UPEI admission requirements for this degree. In the BBST, students must obtain grades of at least 60% in at least 12 of the 16 required business courses in order to qualify for the degree. Students are subject to all of the Academic Regulations of the University.
 

The Faculty of Business is committed to providing students with a high quality, integrated business education in a personalized learning environment. It is structured to provide the broad-based, cross-functional business education required for leaders of business, government, and not-for-profit organizations. The Faculty's personalized learning environment provides opportunities for extensive interaction between students, faculty and practitioners.

The Faculty of Business holds a unique position within the province’s education system. As the only university school of business, it is committed to intellectual leadership, and to excellence in developing new knowledge and conveying that knowledge to its students and to the public. In order to attract, develop and retain students, faculty and staff, the Faculty recognizes that it must sustain an intellectually stimulating environment.

The Faculty views its students not as customers, but rather as partners in the development of a high quality business education. Graduates are expected to have developed competency in integrating the core functional business disciplines; ethical, social, historical and global awareness; critical thinking and problem solving; quantitative analysis; communication skills and leadership; team work as well as personal initiative; technological application in business; and using business research to support evidence-informed practice.

The degree program in the Faculty of Business is designed to fulfill this mission and to provide the educational breadth and depth needed by business leaders.

International Business (specialization):
The international opportunities in today’s world are vast. Doing business internationally is also challenging.

The specialization in international business includes four business courses that provide an overview of those opportunities and challenges, as well as five electives to be chosen from a large multi-disciplinary set of courses that can enrich a student’s understanding of the world beyond our borders. The specialization also includes an international exchange term or an international work term.  

The Co-op option is available to full-time students in any specialization within the Faculty of Business. Applications to the Co-op Education Program are normally made after completion of the first year of study. Students who successfully complete all the requirements of the program will have the notation entered on their transcripts and on the graduation parchment.

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers major/minor programs in Sociology (SOC), Anthropology (ANTH), and a Combined Major in Sociology/Anthropology (S/AN). We also offer honours programs for each major. Members of our internationally-recognized faculty possess a wealth of expertise acquired through study and research in a variety of countries and social settings. Since we cover nearly every topic in society and culture, you are sure to find courses that add to your knowledge of the world and provide you with the communications and analytical skills/insights required to succeed in a wide variety of careers.

• Our graduates have also successfully entered a variety of post-graduate programs, including Masters study in sociology and anthropology, social work, education, law, international development, criminology, and law enforcement, to mention only a few.
• Because of Sociology's broad areas of interest, a degree in sociology is an excellent preparation for a variety of careers, including further postgraduate studies in the social sciences (sociology, social work, education, law, criminology and law enforcement, international development). Sociology graduates have always been valuable players in both public and private sectors; their rich and multifaceted understanding of society, together with their skills in social analysis, communications and problem solving, make them in-demand in this constantly shifting social and economic world.
• Similarly, a degree in Anthropology is a springboard for entry into a variety of professions. Our graduates have distinguished themselves in education, the legal and law enforcement professions, overseas development projects, large and small-scale corporations (including NGO's), museums, human resource departments, advertising and product research/development (some corporations even have their own anthropology units). The possibilities are endless.

The Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Music is a four-year program (120 semester hours) designed for those who wish to study music in a more general Arts curriculum.  As a general program, it will not prepare students for teaching music, but will prepare them for further study toward careers such as music librarian, musicology, music publishing, communications media, and sound recording.

• Music (Bachelor of Music)
• Music Education