Flexible Major Program

Cross Cultural Communication (Departments: Anthropology, Linguistics, Modern Languages and Literature, and Psychology) This study of communication looks across cultural and language acquisition barriers and explores such issues as bilingualism, code mixing, multi-lingualism, code switching, second language acquisition and communicative competence.

Rhetoric, Gender and the Bible (Departments: Religious Studies, Rhetoric, Writing and Communications, and Women and Gender Studies) This major explores gender stereotyping through metaphors in the Hebrew Bible. The focus is on the gendering of apostasy - the way that biblical rhetoric frequently uses feminine metaphors to describe unfaithfulness to Yahweh.

Physics and Neuroscience (Departments: Chemistry, Physics, and Psychology) This major combines physics and neuroscience to meet medical school requirements. It provides the vocabulary and understanding of physics behind neuroimaging and the physiological and psychological background for further studies in neuroscience.

Restorative Justice (Departments: Conflict Resolution Studies, Criminal Justice, and Sociology) This major deals with a restorative approach as an alternative to current traditional court interventions when dealing with offenders in Canada. With a particular focus on policy design and implementation, the program also includes study of adaptive and dynamic processes of crime prevention through environmental design. 

Ritual and the Performance of Identity (Departments: English, Religion and Culture, and Theatre and Film) This major is an exploration of how cultural, religious, social, and personal rituals contribute to the construction of identity in both communities and individuals.

Science as a Catalyst to Social Change (Departments: History, Physics, and Politics) This major focuses on the historical relationship between scientific paradigm shifts and major changes in political thought, identifying the process through which themes in science (especially physics) have been absorbed into political ideology.

Urban Planning and Social Justice (Departments: Geography, Political Science, and Sociology) This course of study will investigate how physical and social urban landscapes influence each other and how can they be manipulated for the purpose of creating more livable and equitable cities. 

You must complete at least 30 credit hours (one full year) of study before submitting a proposal to the University Registrar for a Student-Designed Major. Entry into the program is upon completion of 60 credit hours. Choose first-year courses in departments related to the theme you intend to explore in your Student-Designed Major. You may also choose to fulfil the University’s Academic Writing, science, or humanities requirements in your first year.