Psychology Profile in Social Science

Description: What is research? What is science? How do the disciplines of Anthropology, Economics, Geography,
History, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology contribute to our understanding of human life? To answer these
questions, students explore the process of scientific research and communication in the social sciences. Specifically,
they learn to carry out a literature search, evaluate the relevance and reliability of varied information sources, summarize these sources using scientific conventions and communicate their ideas clearly, both orally and in written form.
Throughout, students also learn about, and experience, the role of teamwork and feedback in the research process

Description: What connects humans throughout history? Discover fascinating people and events that changed
the world and tie it together. After setting the scene with premodern global history, dive into the state of the
world in the 1500s, including colonialism, imperialism, slavery, and cultural assimilation. In the Modern Era,
juxtapose Enlightenment ideals and global revolutions with the slow and difficult application of human rights
and creeping industrialization. Conclude your journey with the past century, its conflicts, authoritarianism,
nationalism, decolonization, technological revolutions, globalization, and fights for the environment and civil
rights. Along the way, add to your historical, research, and writing skills.

Description: Learn the principles and tools of macroeconomic analysis and apply them to understand real world
economic events and policies. Topics include: economics systems, economic incentives, macroeconomic indicators (such as inflation, unemployment, and gross domestic product), business cycles, economic growth, fiscal and
monetary policies, and the aggregate demand and aggregate supply model.

Description: How do people learn? What is memory and why do we forget? How does the brain work? You get to
answer these and many more questions in Introduction to Psychology. The topics discussed help you understand
how various factors can influence your behaviour and brain processes in different situations and give you a new
perspective on some of your own experiences. Strategies to help with your memory, study habits, and learning
methods are discussed, which will help you apply course topics to your own life.

Description: How do we collect and quantify data? How does the data we gather help us understand the social
world? In Quantitative Methods, we learn descriptive and inferential statistical operations, and how to analyse
statistics in popular media and scholarly texts. Summarizing, interpreting and critically evaluating quantitative information, we become familiar with the fundamental concepts and basic techniques of the quantitative methods
in the Social Sciences.

Description: Have you ever considered what truly makes us human? Have you ever wondered why humans think and
act in such varied ways across the world? Tracing our human origins and development, explore our past and present
as cultural and biological beings and learn about the unique anthropological approach to the study of humanity.
Learn about the practical use of the different fields of anthropology (archaeology, biological, linguistic and cultural)
by using case studies and experiential activities that may include fossil and artifact analysis, field observations and
museum visits.

Description: How do we distinguish between scientific and non-scientific knowledge? What are the ethical guidelines that direct research in the social sciences? What are the theories and techniques used by social scientists to
obtain and analyze qualitative data? Investigate the social world using qualitative research methods such as interviews, participant observation and thematic analysis. Apply your critical thinking skills to contextualize research
results and produce scientific research papers.

Description: Humans are social beings that live in groups. What kinds of groups exist in society and how are they
formed? How do power and inequality affect the functioning of a group? Why is an individual attracted to one group
and not another? How do groups resolve conflicts and make decisions? Using theories and concepts from Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology, we first examine the evolutionary, cognitive, interpersonal and socio-cultural dimensions of groups. Students then complete an observation period outside of the classroom in a context that aligns with
their interests and where they apply course material to a real-life setting.

Description: Examine the basic characteristics of life and how they are exhibited in humans. After an introduction
to the cell and its functions, we investigate how the nervous and endocrine systems regulate the body’s activities and
maintain a constant internal state in a changing environment. We then conclude with a brief introduction to human
reproduction and human genetics. Throughout, take part in laboratory exercises that provide you with an opportunity
to better visualize aspects of human anatomy and physiology.

One of the following (Student Choice):
385-S01-LA Introduction to Political Science
320-S01-LA Introduction to Geography
387-S01-LA Introduction to Sociology
401-S01-LA Introduction to Business

Description: Scholarly conventions of the social sciences dictate how we plan, carry out and evaluate academic
work, including following ethical guidelines and expressing ideas clearly. The final integrative research project
is a guided multidisciplinary comprehensive assessment of the knowledge and skills acquired through the social
science program. It offers a broadened understanding of the social world and the chance to evaluate one’s own
learning journey in the Social Sciences.

Description: Studying the world around us can be fascinating. Is spending too much time playing video games a cause
of violent behaviours? How do we know whether meditating is effective at reducing stress? What does it mean when a
poll reports results with a 95% confidence interval? We get to answer these and many more in Quantitative Methods
2. Building on notions learned in the first Quantitative Methods course, we further develop skills needed to calculate
statistics and to understand the meaning of numbers, as well as explore the value of statistical tests in research. Doing
so allows us to more easily understand various sources in our respective fields and to apply skills needed to answer a
variety of research questions.