General Culture & Society   

Environmental Citizenship is based on the principles of national citizenship, yet it goes beyond political borders to emphasize global environmental rights and responsibilities. An environmental citizen is committed to learning more about the environment and to taking responsible environmental action. Through a combination of interactive activities, assignments and discussions, students learn how they are personally connected with current environmental issues. Students are also encouraged to adopt attitudes and behaviours that foster global environmental responsibility. This course has mandatory chats. No Textbook Required.

Environmental Citizenship is based on the principles of national citizenship, yet it goes beyond political borders to emphasize global environmental rights and responsibilities. An environmental citizen is committed to learning more about the environment and to taking responsible environmental action. Through a combination of interactive activities, assignments and discussions, students learn how they are personally connected with current environmental issues. Students are also encouraged to adopt attitudes and behaviours that foster global environmental responsibility. This course has mandatory chats. No Textbook Required.

Students taking this course will be introduced to the study of intercultural communication, focusing on topics such as  media, levels of communication, gestures and microaggressions. Students will learn how they can apply principles of intercultural communication to their daily lives and how they can understand and appreciate cultural differences relating to communication. The main objective of this course is to gain an understanding of varied communication styles, tools, and methods to help improve communication in the workforce. As part of the course, students will communicate with classmates on the Discussion board about current readings related to Intercultural Communication. This course will be of interest to workers in health services, education, human resources, and business as well as those people who want to enhance their communication skills and expand their understanding of intercultural communication. No Textbook Required.

This course is designed for the business traveller, individuals employed in the tourism and hospitality fields and any member of the general public who would like to gain a basic understanding of conversational Japanese. Elementary Japanese vocabulary and grammar, phrases, expressions, and dialogue drills will be studied. Students will also examine Japanese culture, customs, and society. Textbook required. NOTE: Microphone required.

This subject is an introductory study of the universal and enduring presence of myths and legends. Students explore creation myths, hero/heroine myths, dominant archetypes, "modern" myths, and other topics. This fabulous journey showcases how a distant past connects to our contemporary world. Prerequisite: College English or equivalent. Textbook required. *NOTE: Students wanting to register for a General Education course as part of their certificate or diploma program should make sure to receive formal approval from their Program Coordinator. It should be noted that some general education courses are too close to the vocational specializations of specific programs and are therefore excluded as an option for students. It’s therefore important to receive formal approval before registration.

Sociology is the study of people and how they interact with each other and various social groups. This course deals with the study of people's lives, their relationship to society as a whole, and how people are affected by the society in which they live. The concepts, theories and methods of the discipline will be introduced and discussed with particular emphasis on the dynamics of Canadian society and Canadian social problems. No Textbook Required.

This course investigates the relationship that beer has had with humanity from the dawn of history to the present day. Along the way, we will explore the mystery of fermentation; beer’s central role in the development of ancient civilizations; the move from medieval kitchens to commercial breweries; how beer shaped the New World; the link between location and style; the development of a global beer; and the current craft beer revolution. No textbook required. 

Students survey the 4000-year-old history of chocolate: from its ancient Mesoamerican origins as a bitter drink of ritual and medicine, to the growth of a modern “chocolate culture” and its place as a mass-produced globalized product of the twentieth century. Students investigate how chocolate came to be imported into Europe by the Spanish during the sixteenth century and transformed into a sugary drink of the nobility, as well as its later importance to colonization, the slave trade and the Industrial Revolution. Students explore, through six module videos with integrated reading assignments, podcasts and other media, current academic research on the topic and encounter a wide range of primary sources including art, literature and the economic and administrative documents of daily life. Students also have the opportunity to analyse several primary sources (historical documents, paintings, photographs and maps) relevant to the study of chocolate’s cultural history. Textbook Required.

This online course will allow students to explore North American history & issues, technological developments, and contemporary societal connections via the Western video game genre. Following an introduction to the history of the North American West and the Western genre, students will be grounded in a basic understanding of video games and then will study select Western games & related aspects. Themes to be examined include westward expansion, the growth of technology, race relations, historical figures, and the video game in popular culture. Assignments will allow students to creatively explore the contemporary connections to such themes. No textbook required.