Image credit: Finnegan, Shannon. Lone Proponent of Wall-to-Wall Carpet. 9 Feb. - 23 Aug. 2020, Carleton University Art Gallery, Ottawa.
How can we address the societal challenges of our time in socially just ways? Carleton’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) offers many avenues to critically analyse the intersections of identity and experience, and to study how people in social movements and communities across the world come together to achieve positive change.
If you're passionate about the nuances of Identities, Communities and Social Justice, a flexible FASS degree—with 38 different areas of study and dozens of interdisciplinary Majors, Minors, and Streams to choose from—is an excellent choice.
FYSM 1104Human Rights: Issues and InvestigationsArguments that have been used to defend differing positions on rights issues, past and present. The validity of contending arguments; social factors influencing wide-spread acceptance of popular views.Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
FYSM 1107Social Justice and the CityStruggles over social and economic inequality in the city, and their relationship to processes of urbanization and global change. Theories and case studies explaining how urban lives and form are shaped by social movements and urban politics. Broad introduction to critical urban geography.
FYSM 1211Looking at PhilosophyAn examination of the following: What is logical thinking? Does God exist? Are values relative? Do we have responsibilities? What is a just society? Do we have free will? What is the mind? What is the nature of reality?
FYSM 1212Contemporary Moral, Social, and Religious IssuesPhilosophical problems associated with such topical issues as feminist, critical race and disability theories; atheism vs. theism; the meaning of life; moral relativism vs. moral objectivism; egoistic vs. non-egoistic ethics; euthanasia, abortion, capital punishment and environmental ethics; legal paternalism; freedom of the will.
FYSM 1306Diversity in Psychological World ViewsTheories, research and applications of psychology from the perspective of different cultures and sub-cultures. The validity of psychology across society; how it defines and changes people, and how it reflects and engineers particular social values and norms.
FYSM 1401Multiculturalism in CanadaIssues relating to the development of and interaction among cultural communities, with major emphasis on the realities of “doing multiculturalism in Canada”; Research teams; organized seminars with volunteers from Canadian cultural and community groups.
FYSM 1402Introduction to LGBTQ StudiesAn interdisciplinary introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer studies, from the historical emergence of the field to the contemporary cultural and political issues that remain central to the discipline.
FYSM 1406How Ottawa Works: Exploring National InstitutionsThe fundamental political, judicial, and administrative institutions that made Canada a unique nation. Students will learn how government institutions are dealing with preservation and maintenance of Canadian cultural and social values.
FYSM 1409Social Change in CanadaInterdisciplinary analysis of social change and how people change Canada, through an examination of movements like environmentalism, feminism, peace, and antiracism. Examination of broader efforts to reshape Canadian society, including culture-jamming and change through popular culture.
FYSM 1600Contemporary Controversies in Canadian SocietyAn interdisciplinary exploration of key debates that currently affect Canadian society and culture. Topics may include nationalism, race, language and ethnicity, sexuality, gender, Aboriginal governance, globalization, the environment, and human rights.
PHIL 1500Contemporary Moral, Social and Religious IssuesMoral theories, atheism or theism, feminism, and free will. Moral arguments concerning abortion, affirmative action, racism, human rights, children's rights, world hunger, capital punishment, euthanasia, censorship, pornography, legal paternalism, animal rights and environmental protection.
INDG 1011Introduction to Indigenous-Settler EncountersAn interdisciplinary examination of the history of relations between different Indigenous peoples and settler populations from first meetings to the mid-20th century. Topics vary by year but may include diplomatic relations, trade, spirituality and religion, military alliances, policy, education.
WGST 2801Activism, Feminisms, and Social JusticeA comparative, interdisciplinary examination of feminist activism in the modern era. A range of perspectives and materials are used to examine the objectives, scope, and impact of feminists' efforts to effect social and political change in different historical, cultural, and national settings.
ANTH 2680Anthropology of "Mainstream" North AmericaExamination of contemporary North American society. Topics may include social class, success myths, schooling, immigration, cities, the self, television, romance, youth sub cultures; how what is seen as “mainstream” is determined.
ENGL 2926African LiteraturesAn introductory survey of modern African literatures, discourses, and cultural production in the first half of the 20th century.
CDNS 2300Critical NationalismThis course questions whether a national identity is possible or even desirable within an increasingly diverse and complex Canada. Examination of the construction of Canadian identities, competing nationalisms within Canadian borders and critical evaluation of the role of nationalism.
SOCI 2170Foundations in Social JusticeIntroduction to the study of social justice and the theorization of social justice sociology. Critical examination of resistance to oppression, social movements and solidarity both in Canada and transnationally. Exploration of the relationship between the university and community-based action.
RELI 2800Indigenous TraditionsThis course illuminates a recent category of “World Religions” by examining cases from all five continents, as well as in diaspora (e.g., Brazilian Candomblé, Roma/Sinti religion). Considerations include the study of minority religions, religion in oral cultures, myth & ritual studies, colonialism, globalization.
FINS 2510Introduction to Québec Society This course surveys geographical, historical, demographic, cultural, political and social developments in Québec, relations with English Canada and debates on identity and nationalism.
ALDS 2705Language and PowerHow social conditions engender different linguistic choices. Attention to linguistic resources for expressing ideological beliefs and for maintaining and reinforcing power structures in institutional and social sites.
HUMR 2401Political RepressionCanada is home-in-exile to many who have faced severe and often life-threatening political repression such as imprisonment, torture, surveillance, population transfer, etc. This course examines the impacts on survivors of political repression, and strategies used to overcome its legacies.
AFRI 2006Southern AfricaThe economic, social and political challenges facing the countries of southern Africa, including the legacies of apartheid. These countries may be discussed: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
GEOG 2300Space, Place and CultureIntroduction to social and cultural geography, including how theories of space, place, landscape, power, and knowledge can be used to understand the geographic dimensions of social and cultural life. Topics include culture and identity, migration and transnationalism, nature, gender, sexuality, race, colonialism, consumption, and work.