Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability Courses

Description:

The fundamental ideas and assumption of the modern Western world were formed in the 17th-century European Enlightenment. This course begins with an historical overview of the Enlightenment, followed by an interdisciplinary investigation of the idea of modernity. It focuses on the central modern concepts of a person, society, nature, and good and evil, and looks at some challenges to the idea of modernity. Finally, it explores current pressures that have led to the contemporary form of thought known as postmodernism.

Component(s): Lecture

Description: The purpose of this course is to explore the broad set of interdependent phenomena that comprise the environments in which people live. These are: a) the natural environment of rocks, air, water, plants, and animals; b) the built environment including characteristics of cities, workplaces, and homes; and c) the cultural environment including the beliefs, attitudes, and institutions that affect how people perceive and behave in the environment.

Component(s): Lecture

Description: This course begins with an introduction to the science of ecology and to the concept of sustainability as an ecological principle. The concept of sustainability is then broadened to include humans, as students are introduced to ethics, economics, and resource management from an eco‑centric point of view. Students are encouraged to think critically about current environmental problems and to take action on an individual project.

Component(s): Lecture; Tutorial

• Students registered in a Biology program may not take this course for program credit.

• Students who have received credit for BIOL 205, BIOL 208 or for this topic under a BIOL 298 number may not take this course for credit.

Description: This course provides select coverage of aspects of the historical forces and events that shaped the 20th century. The historical background of issues such as wars and peace, colonialism and postcolonialism, economics and the environment, and questions about ethnic and national diversity and cultural perception are explored. The course is intended to develop critical thinking together with basic bibliographic and writing skills.

Component(s): Lecture

• Students who have received credit for HIST 283 or for this topic under a HIST 298 number may not take this course for credit.

Description: From a variety of perspectives, including historical, environmental, economic, and cultural, this course examines major issues facing the world today. These issues may include international trade and the economy, the regulation of garbage and pollution, the decline in cultural variability, the spread and control of disease, and the effects of mass communication. This course is intended to develop an appreciation of a global view of the challenges which the world is likely to face in the next few decades.

Component(s): Lecture

Description: This course explores the main differences between the world’s major cultures, religious beliefs, and philosophies, and addresses the tensions between establishing universal values and maintaining cultural diversity in an age of accelerating globalization. There is also an emphasis on the conception of different levels of social complexity, principally the role of the individual, the interpersonal, and the group within a society. This course is intended to develop team research and presentation skills, and the ability to communicate and work effectively within a small group setting.

Component(s): Lecture

Description: This course introduces students to collective action problems faced by governments, international organizations, corporations, advocacy groups, and scientists. Topics may include climate change, biodiversity conservation, hazardous waste disposal, water and food security.

Component(s): Online

• Students who have received credit for POLI 208 or POLI 394, or for this topic under a POLI 298 number, may not take this course for credit.

Description: Specific topics for this course, and prerequisites relevant in each case, are stated in the Undergraduate Class Schedule.

Description: This course explores the basic issues of the philosophy of science by examining the nature of science as an activity and a way of understanding the world. Cultural variations in the philosophy of science are discussed as well as contemporary disputes involving the interpretation of science: Darwinism; the “Science Wars”; science and religion; and feminist critiques of science. This course is intended to develop critical thinking and analysis, and deductive and inductive reasoning.

Component(s): Lecture

Description: The current state of biodiversity around the world and the forces that affect this diversity are the main focus of this course. It addresses the origins of this diversity, the advantages of variability in the environment for human life, and the contemporary challenges to this diversity. This course is intended to emphasize holistic thinking and system analysis.

Component(s): Lecture

Description:

This course examines, from a psychological perspective, how the concept of self varies across cultures. Whereas some cultures embrace the concept of the individual, other cultures emphasize the communal nature of social and personal existence. This theme is explored from several perspectives including theory about development, the treatment of “self” in literature, cultural variations in the concept of human rights, and the link between self and society. This course is intended to demonstrate the interface between the medical and social sciences and the analysis of change.

Component(s): Lecture

Description: This course is an anthropological approach to variations in cultural experience as they relate to communication. Students explore modes of expression and communication, including literature and film, with a view to examining questions of interpretation, aesthetics, and ethical judgment. Personal expression and communication are also discussed. This course is intended to develop an awareness of the role of imagination and creativity in expression and interpretation, and sensitivity to the role of cultural and other differences in processes of communication.

Component(s): Lecture

• Students who have received credit for LOYC 410 may not take this course for credit.

Description: This course offers students hands‑on experience working on a sustainability‑related project for approximately 120 hours. This internship course is designed to give students practical experience to complement other courses in the Minor in Sustainability Studies.

Component(s): Practicum/Internship/Work Term

• Students who have received credit for this topic under a LOYC 398 number may not take this course for credit.

Description: Specific topics for this course, and prerequisites relevant in each case, are stated in the Undergraduate Class Schedule.

Prerequisite/Corequisite:

Students must complete 12 credits of LOYC courses prior to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the College is required.

Description: This course focuses on the conceptualization of cross‑ disciplinary inquiry and the intersections of theory and practice. In consultation with a College advisor, this course allows students to acquire the necessary skills to complete a high‑level research paper or to complete and report on an internship in the community.

Component(s): Practicum/Internship/Work Term; Independent Study

Prerequisite/Corequisite: Students must be members of the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability to enroll in this course. Students must have completed 30 university credits. Permission of the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability is also required.

Description: The student works under the supervision of a Concordia faculty member on an in-depth research project approved by the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability as relevant to either Sustainability Studies or Diversity Studies. Note that the onus is on the student to find a supervisor willing to supervise their work.

Component(s): Independent Study

• Students who have received credit for this topic under a LOYC 398 number may not take this course for credit.

Prerequisite/Corequisite: Students must complete 30 credits of LOYC courses prior to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the College is required.

Description: Specific topics for this course and prerequisites relevant in each case are stated in the Undergraduate Class Schedule.

• Students who have received credit for this topic under a LOYC 398 number may not take this course for credit.