Departments & Programs

American Studies

Western’s American Studies program is one of only a handful in Canada. This exciting and innovative interdisciplinary program introduces students to the social, political, historical, and cultural dimensions of the United States in an effort to better understand the meaning and significance of the American identity, and to also examine America’s role in the world and its relationship with other countries.

American Studies program courses include American history, politics, literature, film, anthropology, and arts courses; depending on your program of choice.

American Cultural Studies: Students examine American culture through courses in literature, history, film, the media, and popular culture.

Canadian-American Relations: Students address the political and economic links, security issues, and cross-cultural identities of the United States and Canada.

Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of people and culture in all periods of history and in all areas of the world.

Sociocultural Anthropology students seek to understand and explain the everyday social and cultural lives of people in societies, including their own, and the diversities and similarities among human beings. Students discuss concepts of progress, ethnicity, human-environment interaction, and globalization.

Biological Anthropology and Archaeology students study how biology and culture are interrelated and study the biological diversity and evolutionary history of humans and their close biological relatives.

Linguistic Anthropology students examine the connection between language, culture, and society.

Environment and Culture students focus on the study of cultural, social, political, and economic aspects of human relations with the environment.

Refugee and Migrant Studies students focus on the study of the movement of populations in a variety of contexts world-wide.

Commercial Aviation Management Program

This program, offered by the Aubrey Dan Program in Management & Organizational Studies, allows students to pursue academic training in conventional business subjects (accounting, finance, marketing, human resources management, etc.) while pursuing a Commercial Pilot’s License. (Note: students may choose the non-flight option within this program if they are interested in management/business for the aviation industry).

Economics

Economics and Financial Economics program: Students study the behaviour of individuals, organizations, and governments, as well as the implications of that behaviour on markets, national economies, and the global economy. Economists analyze a wide variety of questions, such as: how do individuals decide whether to go to university and what products to purchase? How do businesses decide what to produce, how many workers to employ, and whether to invest in new technologies? What determines prices, incomes, exchange rates, inflation, unemployment, and international trade flows? What explains economic growth and recessions? Other topics include the economics of taxation, crime, marriage, sports, poverty, social justice, and the environment.

Economics, Politics, and Philosophy: This interdisciplinary program with an economics base prepares students to be critical thinkers and informed citizens. This program will appeal to students interested in the relationships between economic issues, social justice and public policy. A degree in EPP prepares students for a career in areas such as politics, government, law, journalism, and business.

Global Economics: This program is designed to give students a strong foundation in economics combined with the understanding of international issues and foreign cultures. Students can combine their studies in economics with courses in foreign language(s), society, and culture. This program provides a path to careers in areas such as international business, diplomacy, international law or government, and world affairs.

First Nations Studies

Students explore the role of First Nations peoples in Canadian society, with special emphasis on the Hodenosaunee (Iroquoian) and Anishnabwe (Ojibwe, Delaware, Potawatomi) traditions of southwestern Ontario. Some courses are offered within the First Nations Studies program while others are courses from other Social Science disciplines, Arts and Humanities, Information and Media Studies and Western’s professional schools. The First Nations Studies program engages political, legal, cultural and linguistic perspectives on the First Nations through the standpoints and voices of Aboriginal people.

Geography

Geography is the study of the way the world works. Geographers are interested in some of today’s most pressing social and environmental issues through research that links human activity and natural systems, such as the issue of global warming. Geographers are interested in the processes that form the physical environment, as well as the social, cultural, political and economic forces that shape human landscapes. Some Geography programs can be completed as either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.

Geographic Information Science: This program, which can be done as either a BA or a BSc, is designed for students seeking careers in the exciting field of Geographic Information Science. It provides theoretical background, as well as practical, technical, and analytical skills in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), including the use of GIS software. Geographic Information Systems are used for the collection, maintenance, storage, analysis and output of geographical data and information. They can be applied in a variety of fields, such as environmental studies, natural disaster studies, urban development, transportation, forestry, agriculture, business etc.

Urban Development provides students with an intensive education on the nature of urbanism, the social and economic processes driving the growth of cities, and the factors influencing the planning, design, and development of urban environments. Students are highly trained in the leading methods and techniques used to analyze urban markets, land use, and urbanization.

History

Western’s History program is one of the largest in Canada and offers a wide variety of courses relating history to: society and culture, international relations and conflict, business and economy, technology, health, and the environment. Students will develop their abilities in writing, speaking, argumentation and analysis as they consider the central issue of change over time and the ways in which gender, class, and race have shaped the experience of people in past times.

Jewish Studies is an examination of the experience of Jewish peoples over time. This is a new program offered collaboratively by The Department of History at Western, The Department of Religious Studies at King's University College and The Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Huron University College.

Latin American Studies students choose from courses which offer a focus on Latin American culture, geography, language, politics, and history.

International Relations

Have had a profound impact on the world in which we live. In the 21st century people around the world are connected in so many ways. Students in this program study issues such as Canadian peacekeepers in Afghanistan; global warming; nuclear weapons testing in North Korea; global initiatives to combat HIV/AIDS; earthquakes in South America; the World Wide Web; spring break in the Dominican Republic; SARS; and the dizzying price of filling your gas tank. Western’s program in International Relations is genuinely interdisciplinary, blending history and political science approaches and methods in courses such as International Justice and American Foreign Policy.

Linguistics

Language is an important part of what makes us human and how we communicate with one another. Linguistics is the scientific study of language. Students study the properties of language, how language is used in social situations, how it is acquired in infancy, how it is learned as a second language, and how it evolves. Linguistics is a growing field with connections to other disciplines, such as: anthropology, computer science, philosophy, psychology, speech disorders/ audiology, and the teaching of languages (including English as a Second Language).

Management and Organizational Studies (MOS)

MOS is a unique undergraduate program in Canada dedicated to the belief that students are best equipped for careers in management, both in the private and public sectors, when their academic training combines a strong foundation in the social sciences with conventional business subjects. A BMOS degree will equip you with valuable skills in accounting, finance, marketing, operations management, human resources management and strategic management. It is also a solid foundation for those interested in earning the CA, CGA, CMA, or CHRP professional designation after graduation.

Migration and Ethnic Relations

The Collaborative Graduate Program in Migration and Ethnic Relations brings together graduate students and faculty to study questions of migration, ethnic relations, cultural diversity, conflict, acculturation and the integration of migrants, from the perspective of various social science disciplines. The collaborative experience for students is an add-on to existing well-established graduate programs in Anthropology, History, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology.

Neuroscience

The University of Western Ontario offers students the opportunity to pursue graduate studies in the interdisciplinary field of Neuroscience which draws from the Faculties of Science, Social Science, Health Sciences and the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. Western's new program enables students to obtain an M.Sc. or Ph.D specifically in Neuroscience.

Political Science

Students explore the ideas, activities, and problems associated with the governance of nations, states, and societies, both past and present. Western’s Political Science program is one of the largest in Canada and is designed so that students can explore issues that have a profound impact on shaping the nature of domestic and international politics. Students learn about the impact of globalization, the making of American foreign policy, the role of the courts in politics, the multilevel governance of Canadian cities, and how the policies and principles, which governments endorse and follow, shape our societal values, our careers, and our freedoms.

Psychology

Western’s Psychology students explore the biological, social, and psychological roots of human and animal behaviour under the guidance of world-class researchers in state-of-the-art research facilities. Psychologists examine behaviour from a variety of different perspectives ranging from how our brain controls our behaviour (behavioural cognitive neuroscience) to how we interact in small groups (social psychology). We look at how we perceive, process and remember information (cognitive psychology; sensation and perception) and how behaviour changes over our lifetime (developmental psychology). We examine individual differences in behaviour (personality psychology), and apply our knowledge of psychology to understanding behaviour in the workplace (industrial/organizational psychology).The Department of Psychology at Western offers a comprehensive undergraduate program providing courses in all the different branches of psychology. Some of these programs can be completed as either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.

Animal Behaviour: This program examines the science of animal behaviour, from the role of genes, hormones and the nervous system, to the ecology and evolution of behaviour in the natural world. This program draws on teaching and research expertise in the Departments of Psychology and Biology.

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience: As children develop, they acquire increasingly sophisticated knowledge and skills that are essential for mastering everyday challenges. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience aims to better understand how nature and nurture combine to affect the development of skills such as language, mathematics, and self-regulation. Researchers in this area hope to understand more about how the mind and its disorders evolve out of an interaction of biology and experience.

Sociology

Sociology is the study of how society influences what we do and how we think. Sociologists study social behaviour and relationships in an attempt to understand and explain differences, for example, between men and women, the young and the old, people of different nationalities, ethnicities, etc. Comparing and analyzing the different ways that people live and work together is an important aspect of Sociology.

Criminology students in the Criminology program analyze concepts like the effect gun control has on crime rates, how the media reports crime, and explores the causes and consequences of deviant and criminal behaviour.

Sociology of Health and Aging: Western’s Sociology of Health and Aging program explores the process of aging and how it is influenced by such factors as gender, social class, and health care.

Theory and Criticism

The Theory Centre is an Internationally renowned cross-disciplinary forum for research and advanced study in theory. It is widely recognized for its unique approach to theory as a distinct object of inquiry with its own intellectual genealogies and discursive history. Graduate programs in Theory and Criticism offer opportunities for interdisciplinary and critical research in theory, its genealogies, and its literary, philosophical and cultural production. Students study texts from such theoretical directions as poststructuralism, psychoanalysis, feminism, Marxism, semiotics, Frankfurt School critical theory, phenomenology, cultural and media studies.

Women’s Studies and Feminist Research

Women’s Studies students explore the ways in which gender, race, class, sexual orientation, and (dis)ability intersect to shape social structures and ways of thinking. The interdisciplinary nature of Women’s Studies affords students the opportunity to pursue their interests across a wide array of subject areas, including: feminist theory, feminist perspectives in health, philosophy, law, sociology, psychology, political science, and the history of women.

Feminist Theory: In this program students examine the application of feminist theory to topics in the arts, social sciences, and sexuality studies, as well as acquire a background in the foundations of feminist thought.

Gender, Sexuality, and Culture students will explore the cultural, historical and theoretical issues related to sexuality, and its intersection with gender, by drawing on courses from a range of different disciplines (such as, history, philosophy, film, geography, and psychology), which focus explicitly on these topics.

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