Global Inequalities and Social Change
(Thematic, Disciplinary)
| Program Requirements: Specialization in Global Inequalities and Social Change Stream in Global Inequalities and Social Change Sample Course Selections: First Year: Global Inequalities and Social Change Second Year: Global Inequalities and Social Change Affiliated Faculty Members: Sponsoring Unit Website: |
“My time at the BGINS program has been extremely beneficial for not only my academic growth, but also for making human connections. From the distinguished BGINS faculty, to the faculty in the Sociology Department. I have been well supported intellectually and challenged both inside and outside of my specialization. My experience has given me the confidence to pursue an Honours Thesis with the Department of Sociology in my final year. The Honours Thesis has been a great hands-on way to prepare for either graduate school or for social research positions in the workforce.”
Becky Pottruff Global Inequalities and Social Change |
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The Specialization in Global Inequalities and Social Change critically engages major social issues facing the global community today. This Specialization will attract students concerned with understanding structures of injustice, the lived experience of marginalization, and strategies for challenging inequalities. Global Inequalities and Social Change mobilizes sociological and interdisciplinary tools to interpret the social, cultural, political and economic forces that shape relations of power in our globalized world. Indeed, at the core of the sociological tradition is the critical capacity to connect the everyday realities of individuals to larger public issues and problems, while understanding people as active agents of transformation to realize a just world.
This Specialization takes both theoretical and applied approaches to today’s most pressing questions, including class inequality, poverty, and homelessness; political violence and security; colonialism; labour; health; and, various dimensions of identity such as nation/citizenship, race, gender and sexuality. Students of Global Inequalities and Social Change will also develop knowledge of various forms of resistance to oppression, including social movements like the “Idle No More” or “Occupy” movements, and transnational solidarity. Students will be offered opportunities to learn directly from people working in social justice communities, and may choose to pursue hands-on, community-engaged learning.
Graduates of the Global Inequalities and Social Change Specialization may pursue careers in Canada or abroad in the non-profit sector, social justice communities or social services, government or private sector industries or pursue graduate studies in Sociology or interdisciplinary programs. The Specialization builds transferable knowledge and fosters a wide range of transferable skills, including: research design, applied skills in qualitative and/or quantitative data gathering and data analysis, information literacy and media literacy, oral and written communication skills, the ability to work independently and in teams, and analytic/problem-solving skills. With the knowledge, experience and skills developed in this Specialization, students will be equipped to grapple with the most urgent problems of our globalized world.