This audio-visual course focuses on the cross-cultural study of human diversity. Topics include patterns of subsistence, linguistics, social, political and economic organization, religion, aesthetics, and the future of humanity.
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- Campbell River
- Comox Valley
- Port Alberni
This course is an introduction to the sub-fields of anthropology: physical anthropology and archaeology. Through readings and audio-visual material, the origins and development of humans and their cultures are explored, including the development of the civilizations of the Old and New World.
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- Campbell River
- Comox Valley
- Port Alberni
- Port Hardy
This course surveys the methods and theoretical conceptions which archaeologists use to interpret world prehistory using selected sites from throughout the world. Weather permitting, location and excavation of a contemporary site may be attempted.
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This is an introductory course of forensic anthropology, a branch of physical anthropology. Forensic anthropology involves human osteology, and is directed towards identifying human remains for legal purposes. Students will learn to assess through physical remains the sex, stature, and 'age at death' of human specimens, as well as the validity of determining 'genetic heritage'. Students will learn to understand how teeth and bones can give evidence of behaviourial patterns, trauma and disease, and how to assess cause and manner of death, and the effect of a postmortem interval on determining the above.
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An introduction to the core concepts, basic data sources, and general research findings in the field of Criminology. A key focus is on elements of continuity and discontinuity between traditional and contemporary theories of crime, deviance, criminality, and social control. Particular attention is paid to the Canadian context.
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- Campbell River
- Comox Valley
An introduction to the structure and operation of the Canadian criminal justice system, including the police, courts, and corrections. Analysis of the patterns of crime and victimization, police discretion and decision-making; criminal sentencing; correctional institutions and community-based models; and the youth justice system. Patterns of contact and conflict between various social groups and the criminal justice system are also examined.
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An introduction to the fundamental principles or jurisprudence and the basic legal institutions of Canada. An examination of the history of Canadian law, the development of the Canadian constitution, the system of Canadian courts, and the roles and responsibilities of members of the legal profession. In addition, an analysis of the nature of legal reasoning, the doctrine of precedent, and the principles of statutory interpretation. Also introduces the fields of contract, torts, administrative law, and family law.
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This course offers an intensive introduction to the nature, purpose, sources and basic principles of Canadian criminal law. It will include analysis of what constitutes a crime, the basis of criminal responsibility, and the common defences used in criminal law. Fundamental legal concepts will be highlighted. The course includes a short community practicum designed to help students to apply their developing understanding of criminal law to that which occurs in local area courts.
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An introduction to the development and operation of correctional systems in Canada. Topics include the history of corrections, contemporary correctional institutions, relationships between inmates and staff, case management and treatment, community-based corrections, and life after prison.
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Beginners French I is the first of four courses in a complete introductory French program, which through the use of authentic, contextual language models, provides the students with a solid foundation to communicate proficiently in French as well as to function effectively within the culture in real life situations. Besides emphasizing language acquisition by providing a complete grammar scope, Beginners French I, II, III & IV also present important aspects of culture, customs and values of the French-speaking world providing students with a deeper insight into its diversity while exposing them to authentic language.
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Beginners French II is the second of four courses in a complete introductory French program, which through the use of authentic, contextual language models, provides the students with a solid foundation to communicate proficiently in French as well as to function effectively within the culture in real life situations. Besides emphasizing language acquisition by providing a complete grammar scope, Beginners French I, II, III & IV also present important aspects of culture, customs and values of the French-speaking world providing students with a deeper insight into its diversity while exposing them to authentic language.
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Beginners French III is the third of four courses in a complete introductory French program, which through the use of authentic, contextual language models, provides the students with a solid foundation to communicate proficiently in French as well as to function effectively within the culture in real life situations. Besides emphasizing language acquisition by providing a complete grammar scope, Beginners French I, II, III & IV also present important aspects of culture, customs and values of the French-speaking world providing students with a deeper insight into its diversity while exposing them to authentic language.
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Beginners French IV is the fourth of four courses in a complete introductory French program, which through the use of authentic, contextual language models, provides the students with a solid foundation to communicate proficiently in French as well as to function effectively within the culture in real life situations. Besides emphasizing language acquisition by providing a complete grammar scope, Beginners French I, II, III & IV also present important aspects of culture, customs and values of the French-speaking world providing students with a deeper insight into its diversity while exposing them to authentic language.
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Intermediate French I is the first of two courses in a complete intermediate French program, which through the use of authentic, contextual language models, provides the students with a solid foundation to communicate proficiently in French as well as to function effectively within the culture in real life situations. Besides emphasizing language acquisition by providing a complete grammar scope, Intermediate French I & II also present important aspects of culture, customs and values of the French-speaking world, providing students with a deeper insight into its diversity while exposing them to authentic language.
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Intermediate French II is the second of two courses in a complete intermediate French program, which through the use of authentic, contextual language models, provides the students with a solid foundation to communicate proficiently in French as well as to function effectively within the culture in real life situations. Besides emphasizing language acquisition by providing a complete grammar scope, Intermediate French I & II also present important aspects of culture, customs and values of the French-speaking world, providing students with a deeper insight into its diversity while exposing them to authentic language.
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This course is the first of two courses which provide a continuation of the study of French grammar at an advanced level. A study of selected literary Francophone readings (French & French-Canadian), together with a variety of up-to-date and provocative articles and texts will allow the student to further improve both written and spoken French through practice in conversation, comprehension and composition.
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This course is the second of two courses which provide a continuation of the study of French grammar at an advanced level. A study of selected literary Francophone readings (French & French-Canadian), together with a variety of up-to-date and provocative articles and texts will allow the student to further improve both written and spoken French through practice in conversation, comprehension and composition.
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This course focuses on the complex relationships between people and the environment. It provides an introduction to how the biosphere functions, examines the impacts of human activities and resource exploitation on the environment, and considers the potential for a sustainable society. Topics covered include; energy flow, biogeochemical cycles, ecosystem structure and dynamics, climate change, water resources, marine resources, biodiversity loss, protected areas and endangered species, human population growth, ecological footprint analysis, and environmental world-views.
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This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to examining climate change and includes scientific, social, economic, political, and ethical perspectives. Some key areas of focus include climate science, vulnerability of human and ecological systems, observed and projected impacts, climate change adaptation and mitigation, policy debates, and current and future challenges.
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This course provides a general chronological overview of Canadian history in the pre-Confederation era. It introduces some of the major political, social and economic events that shaped early Canadian development.
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This introductory course provides an overview of Canadian history since 1867, concentrating on the main lines of political, social and economic development. It analyses important issues such as the Riel Rebellion, the shift from a rural to an urban society, the effects of the two World Wars, the Great Depression, the relations between English and French Canadians, and provincial demands for autonomy.
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This course surveys world civilizations from ancient times to the beginning of the Medieval era. It will include study of such areas of history as ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Japan and India; classical Greece and Rome; Africa and pre-contact America; and Islam, Byzantium, Western Christendom. The focus will be upon identifying broad themes, issues and patterns in world history, and upon accounting for political, social, cultural, intellectual, religious and economic change.
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HIS 122 seeks to place contemporary international affairs within a broad historical and analytical perspective. The course highlights a number of events, trends and themes that have shaped the history of both individual nations and the international system since the end of World War II. Topics to be studied will include the history of the Cold War; decolonization and the struggle of developing nations to gain political and economic stability; the 'rise' of Asia: the Arab-Israeli Conflict; the Islamic resurgence; the collapse of Soviet-style communism and the nature of conflict in the post-Cold War world; the development of the global economy since Bretton Woods; and the relationship between the history of international institutions and world issues since 1945.
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The secret of life, explains the sacred tavern-keeper Siduri in an ancient Sumerian epic, is that there is no secret. "When the gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their own keeping", he tells the king Gilgamesh. "Fill your belly with good things, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice. Let your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water, cherish the little child that holds your hand, and make your wife happy in your embrace; for this too is the lot of man." This course will in some ways defy the strictures of Utnapishtim in returning to the questions that rest at the centre of world mythology. Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? What is the nature of the cosmos? What is the relationship between the individual, the family, the community and the transcendent? How are life and death intertwined? We will discuss such questions in a philosophical context but the thrust of the course will be to use an historical and comparative framework that analyzes particular mythic traditions. Rather than attempt to encompass all of world mythology within a one-term course, we will focus upon the myths of Babylonia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Northern Europe, Mesoamerica and the Pacific Northwest as case studies.
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This course surveys the world of early modern Europe from the flowering of the Renaissance in Italy and northern Europe, through the age of the religious wars in the seventeenth century, the eighteenth century Age of Enlightenment, and developments in eastern Europe and Russia, culminating in the great watershed of the French Revolution. In addition to covering military and political developments, the course also describes the changes wrought in the social and economic lives of the people of the emerging nation states of Europe.
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Major historical events are discussed, and their significance analyzed, in this survey course on British Columbia's history. The roles played by economics, geography, politics and social factors in shaping the province's development will also be examined.
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Once upon a time, a shipwrecked sailor washed up upon distant shores. He wondered about where he was. Then he saw a scaffold and gallows. "Thank god, "he exhaled, "I am in a civilized country." What is the relationship between civilization, crime and punishment? Why have dead bodies been the symbol of law at some times and places but not at others? Why did criminal trials begin? How can we account for the replacement of torture and the "bloody scaffold" with the rise of the penitentiary? This course will ask such questions as it provides an historical perspective on changing definitions of deviancy, societal reactions to violent or criminal activity, and public policies to counteract prohibited behaviour. The time span and geographical range will be vast; we will range from the Mesopotamia of 3,000 BCE to 21st-century North America. To provide focus, the curriculum will be organized around four intensive case studies: Crime and Punishment in the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean; Early Modern and Industrial Britain; American Justice from Colonial Times to Court T.V.; and Reactions to Crime and Deviance in 19th and 20th Century Canada and British Columbia.
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This course is designed as an introduction to the world's major religions, with an emphasis upon those of the Abrahamic tradition: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. It combines an intensive focus upon individual living faiths with study of the different scholarly approaches to understanding religion. Instruction will combine intensive reading, seminar discussion and lecture presentations. Students who have previously earned credit in NIC's HIS 130 are not eligible for credit in LIB 130.
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This course combines an introduction to the religions of Asia with comparative analysis of some key organizing themes for the study of all world religions. It examines the origins and historical development, the sacred texts, the central tenets, the institutions and rituals of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto. It also explores selected core concepts such as sacred space, sacred time, sacred rituals and sacred symbols in a comparative context that uses not only these seven eastern religions but also the Abrahamic tradition and other world religions as reference points. Instruction will combine intensive reading, seminar discussion and lecture presentations.
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The topic for Winter 2023 will be Spanish Civilization from the Carthaginians to the Catalan Independence Movement. Provides an intensive introduction to the culture and history of a particular world region or to a comparative global theme. Although the topics will vary from year to year, an integrated interdisciplinary approach, core readings of primary texts and student learning through participatory seminars and extensive critical written analyses will be recurring constants. Open to all students as an elective, the course may be coordinated with upcoming Spring Study-Abroad Field Schools.
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An introduction to selected problems in the philosophy of religion, metaphysics (theory of reality), and epistemology (theory of knowledge). Topics include the existence of God; the nature of mind and its relation to body; computers and consciousness; personal identity and mortality; freewill and determinism; the nature and sources of knowledge; and the justification of scientific beliefs.
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- Campbell River
- Comox Valley
- Port Alberni
An introduction to selected problems in philosophical ethics and social-political philosophy. Topics include the relativity or objectivity of values; egoism and altruism; the nature of right and wrong action; classical and contemporary ethical theories; applied ethical problems; the nature of justice; the relation between individuals and society; and approaches to the meaning of life.
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The course is designed to improve a fundamental ability needed for success in any discipline: the ability to think critically. The focus is on acquiring and sharpening the skills required for identifying, analyzing, and evaluating arguments. The emphasis is on reading and responding to a variety of real academic texts from across the curriculum. No specialized knowledge is presupposed. The course should make students more careful readers and more cogent writers.
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An examination of moral and social issues facing the contemporary world. Topics include animal and environmental ethics; conception and death in the medical context; hate literature and pornography; the ethics of violence. The principal aim is to teach students to think critically about their own views. To this end, philosophical attempts to apply various moral theories to these concrete problems will be assessed.
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An introduction to philosophical attempts to understand the nature and value of art. The course surveys influential Western theories of art from the ancient to the contemporary period. Issues discussed include attempts to define art, the social value of art, censorship, the nature of aesthetic experience, artistic creativity, problems surrounding interpretation, and the relation of art to political and gender issues.
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An examination of ethical issues arising in the contemporary business context. A number of classical ethical theories are introduced and applied to a variety of concrete problems such as whistle-blowing, product safety, employee rights, discrimination, international business, the environment, and investing. Emphasis is on mastery of the key ethical concepts and their application to real-life situations.
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- Campbell River
- Comox Valley
- Port Alberni
- Port Hardy
This course is designed to provide an introduction to law, politics, public policy and the administration of justice in Canada. The study of the judicial system as a branch of government will be emphasized. The course will examine key provisions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as interpreted by the courts, with a particular focus upon those cases most directly connected to the administration of justice.
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An introductory course designed to acquaint students with some of the fundamental concepts, theories, perspectives and debates in the International Relations field. Topics will include such issues as international security (war, peace, military force; international organizations, international law and human rights; North-South politics; global environment crises; and the growth of a global political economy. Although it is not a course in current affairs per se, integration of contemporary world events and issues will be used to enhance critical understanding.
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The course covers the following topics: research methods; biological bases of behaviour; consciousness; nature, nurture and diversity; development; sensation and perception; learning; and memory. Students are introduced to relevant psychological principles, theories and research findings, and are encouraged to develop an appreciation of the value of psychological research.
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The course covers the following topics: research methods; thinking and language; intelligence; what drives us; emotions, stress and health; social psychology; personality; psychological disorders; therapy. Students are introduced to relevant psychological principles, theories and research findings, and are encouraged to develop an appreciation of the value of psychological research.
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This course studies a variety of factors involving health and illness from a bio-psychosocial perspective. Topics include behaviours that affect health such as diet, exercise, stress and substance abuse. The impact of chronic and acute illness on the individual and the social support systems are also covered.
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An introduction to the biological bases of behaviour and mental functioning. Topics include neural structure, neural communication, motor and sensory processes, brain structure and function, rhythms and sleep, and regulation of internal body states. The biological basis for emotions, learning, and memory will be covered.
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The course covers selected disorders listed in the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), focusing on the nature of each disorder, biopsychosocial explanations of each disorder, and relevant treatments. Legal and ethical issues are also addressed. Students are introduced to relevant psychological theories and research findings, and are encouraged to develop an appreciation of the value of psychological research.
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This course provides an overview of child development up to, but not including adolescence. The impact of genetics and environment, major theories of human development, methods for studying child development, cultural diversity, and development in the physical, cognitive, emotional and social spheres are included.
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This course provides an overview of human development from adolescence through old age. Topics include the impact of genetics and environment, development in adolescence and adulthood, cultural diversity, change and development in the physical, cognitive, emotional and social spheres, and death, dying and grieving.
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The course introduces psychological perspectives on criminal behaviour, emphasizing theoretical and developmental issues, before considering specific crimes (e.g., white collar, domestic violence), and specific offender populations (e.g., sexual offenders, mentally disordered offenders). Students are introduced to relevant theories and research findings, and are encouraged to develop an appreciation of the value of psychological research. CRM 101, PSY 130 and PSY 131 are recommended.
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This course will introduce students to some of the major concepts, issues, and approaches in the discipline of sociology, including ethnicity, gender or sexuality. The course is designed to encourage the student to think more deeply about the relationship between personal troubles and public issues.
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- Comox Valley
- Digital
- Port Alberni
SOC 111 is the second course in a full 1st-year university level introductory sociology course. It addresses specific social institutions such as the family and education, work and politics as well as social problems such as social change and inequality. The course is based on a critical evaluation of the major institutions of modern capitalism.
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This course surveys a full range of sociological perspectives on crime and deviance including the social disorganization perspective, functionalist and strain perspectives, subcultural and learning theories, interactionist and social control theories a well as conflict and critical theories.
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Beginners Spanish I is the first of two courses in a complete introductory Spanish program, which through the use of authentic, contextual language models, provides the students with a solid foundation to communicate proficiently in Spanish as well as to function effectively within the culture in real life situations. Besides emphasizing language acquisition by providing a complete grammar scope, Beginners Spanish I & II also present important aspects of culture, customs and values of the Spanish-speaking world providing students with a deeper insight into its diversity while exposing them to authentic language.
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Beginners Spanish II is the second of two courses in a complete introductory Spanish module which through the use of authentic, contextual language models, provides the students with a solid foundation to communicate proficiently in Spanish as well as to function effectively within the culture in real life situations. Besides emphasizing language acquisition by providing a complete grammar scope, Beginners Spanish I & II also present important aspects of culture, customs and values of the Spanish-speaking world providing students with a deeper insight into its diversity while exposing them to authentic language.
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This course is the first of two courses designed to further expand students' language skills in Spanish as well as their awareness of the Hispanic culture. It focuses on real communication in meaningful contexts to develop and strengthen students' speaking, listening, reading and writing skills while introducing them to the richness of Hispanic literature and culture.
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This course is the second of two courses designed to further expand students' language skills in Spanish as well as their awareness of the Hispanic culture. It focuses on real communication in meaningful contexts to develop and strengthen students' speaking, listening, reading and writing skills while introducing them to the richness of Hispanic literature and culture.
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This first year level introductory course explores through feminist thought, where women are situated with regard to the political, economic and socio-cultural constraints that impact their lives. Core foundational concepts include the acquisition of gender identity, power and oppressive relationships as well as an introduction to a variety of "feminisms" through feminist theory.
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The first year level course provides an introduction to women's health issues from a feminist perspective. Some historical perspectives and the underlying socio-political and economic context of health, as well specific health issues that impact women are explored. Relationships are drawn between patriarchy, capitalism, the medicalization of women's health issues and the impact on women's reproductive and human rights.
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