Courses: General Psychology (350-101-DW) + Introduction to Philosophy (340-101-DW) Eligible students: 1st semester General Studies Social Science Teachers: Finch + Redekopp “How Can I Know Who I Am?” is an integrated team-taught pairing of General Psychology and Introduction to Philosophy.  Designed especially for first-semester General Studies Social Science students. Who am I? What do I want to become? These questions can involve tremendous pressure: pressure to conform, pressure to know now what one’s path is going to be, pressure to make the right moral choices in a world in peril, and the anxiety that comes with all of this. This learning community will explore how Philosophy and Psychology investigate the self and identity and apply these investigations to our own paths of self-discovery. In the Psychology course, we will explore current and historical perspectives in the field, the brain and its many functions, why people behave the way they do, and more. In the Philosophy course, we will explore questions such as the nature of the self (and whether there even is one), how free one is to create one’s own identity, the nature of self-love and self-knowledge, the possibility of altruism, and the existential roots of anxiety.

Courses: Western Civilization (330-101-DW) + General Psychology (350-101-DW) + Introduction to Anthropology (381-101-DW) Eligible students: 1st semester General Studies Social Science Teachers: Peters, Hamdani, Howell “Race, Ethnicity and Migration” is an integrated team-taught cluster of three courses – Western Civilization, General Psychology and Introduction to Anthropology – designed especially for first-semester General Studies Social Science students.  Students take a History course, a Psychology course and an Anthropology course that explore issues that are very much in the public view today: race, ethnicity and migration. In anthropology, we learn where humans came from and how they migrated over the entire planet. We can also learn why biology is not the place to search for an understanding of “race.” From psychology, we can learn how individuals define their identity, how they cope with the effects of discrimination, and how these effects can influence the genetic make-up of offspring and their coping mechanisms. In history, we explore when and why we shifted away from distinguishing between ethnic groups and toward using the idea of “race” to oppress non-whites. In this cluster, course work and assignment will allow students to make connections across these key social science disciplines, and to also get comfortable with their program, their teachers and their fellow students.

Courses: Quantitative Methods (360-300-DW) + Canadian History (330-201-DW) Eligible students: General Studies Social Science students who have passed Research Methods Teachers: Lander + Kirkland “Social Justice in Canada?” is an integrated team-taught pairing of Quantitative Methods (QM) and Canadian History.  Available to General Studies students who have passed Research Methods (RM).  Second of three Methods courses in the vertical integration sequence for Decolonization and Indigenization Certificate students.  This course pairing begins by looking at the current state of our society and then digs back into the past to explore the roots of these social justice issues through hands-on research. We will be exploring our communities, watching documentaries, hearing from experts, and getting our hands dirty in the digital archives in order to build research projects that bridge classroom learning and social activism. What is environmental racism and does it exist in Canada? Is Canada really the safe haven for refugees that it purports to be? What is life like for refugees in Canada? What happens when we include Indigenous nations in the story of Canada? Is police violence really an issue in Canada? These are just some of the big social justice issues confronting us today that will serve as launching points for Counting the Cost: Social Justice in Canada.