Courses with a Global Focus

This list is a sampling of globally-oriented courses offered across the disciplines at UBC – check individual listings for details of prerequisites. Because new courses are always under development, this list is necessarily incomplete. Do you know of a course that should be listed here? Let us know!

AGRO 315 – Animal Welfare and the Ethics of Animal Use. Scientific assessment of animal well-being, ethical concepts applied to animal use, and animal welfare issues arising in agriculture, biomedical research and other areas.

ANTH 303A – Ethnography of Special Areas. A specialized study of ethnographic and theoretical problems in one area. Different culture areas or regions may be selected each term. Consult the Department for this year’s offerings.

ASIC 200 – Global Issues in the Arts and Sciences. Selected global issues explored through the methodologies and perspectives of both the physical and life sciences and the humanities and social sciences.

CONS 101 – Introduction to Conservation. Seminars on current natural resources conservation and forest sciences topics.

CONS 330 – Conservation Biology. Fundamental concepts in conservation biology. Different philosophies and perspectives on setting priorities for managing biodiversity.

EDST 588 – Environmental Philosophy and Environmental Education Sustainability, Education and the 2010 Olympic Games (Also offered as HKIN 574)

FNH 355 – World Problems in Nutrition. Conceptualization and scientific analyses of global problems in food and nutrition; complexities of food habits and malnutrition in various cultures around the world.

GEOG 121 – Geography, Modernity and Globalization I. Human geography of the modern world, c. 1750 – 1945, including: pre-industrial societies, global encounters and conflicts,urbanization and regional growth; global migrations, trade and communications; imperialism and anti-imperialism; environment and war.

GEOG 122 – Geography, Modernity and Globalization II. The human geography of the modern world since 1945: global interdependence in economic geography, geopolitics, and cultural geography; consequences of modernization, including demography, urbanization and environmental effects; regional case studies; reactions to modernization. May be taken separately from GEOG 121.

GEOG 329 – Introduction to Political Geography. The heritage of political geography; the spatial structure of political organization including regional and global structures.

GEOG 353 – Geographies of Migration and Settlement. International regimes regulating migration, changes in global demographics, immigration policies of nation states, international migration patterns, settlement policies and outcomes.

GEOG 424 – Feminist Geographies. An introductory survey of contemporary feminist approaches to human geography.

GEOG 496 – Geography of Africa. A critical introduction to social, political and economic geographies of Africa from pre-colonial times to the present, with a focus on contemporary environmental and development issues.

IHHS 300 – Introduction to International Health. Tutored, web based course on planning/preparing for work in a developing country. Causes of ill health amongst populations living in poverty; analysis of available solutions. Health Science background not essential.

INDS 502S – Global Health and Human Security (Also offered as SPPH 523). Global threats to human health stemming from conflict, poverty, and environmental degradation.

LLED 480B – Literacy and International Development. This course seeks to investigate the complex relationship between literacy and development, focusing on a range of themes including globalization, gender, health literacy, formal and informal education, digital literacy, language planning, and linguistic human rights.

POLI 370A – Issues in International Conflict Management. Problems of managing conflict in the international system (e.g., intervention, mediation, sanctions). Topics will vary from year to year.

POLI 461/561 – Peace and Conflict Studies. A seminar on a selected topic concerning the causes of war and strategies for the promotion of peace. For specific content in a given year, consult the departmental website.

POLI 464 – Problems in International Relations. Content varies from year to year. Consult the departmental website.

RMES 500E – Resource and Environmental Workshop – Energy Systems. Faculty and students from different disciplines act as an interdisciplinary team studying specific resource problems with ecological, economic, demographic and social dimensions. Techniques and methods are emphasized to show their value in integrating knowledge, defining policy and facilitating communication. Several sections with different emphasis offered each year.

RMES 500G – Resource and Environmental Workshop – Climate Change. Faculty and students from different disciplines act as an interdisciplinary team studying specific resource problems with ecological, economic, demographic and social dimensions. Techniques and methods are emphasized to show their value in integrating knowledge, defining policy and facilitating communication. Several sections with different emphasis offered each year.

RMES 500T – Resource and Environmental Workshop – Biofuels for Transport. Faculty and students from different disciplines act as an interdisciplinary team studying specific resource problems with ecological, economic, demographic and social dimensions. Techniques and methods are emphasized to show their value in integrating knowledge, defining policy and facilitating communication. Several sections with different emphasis offered each year.

SOCI 430 – Perspectives on Global Citizenship. Interdisciplinary approaches to global citizenship, including its contested nature and intellectual lineage.

Also, the Global Resources Systems (GRS) program offered in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems has as its focus the sustainable use of our world’s resources.

…and The Learning City offers regular summer courses on Urban Sustainability at the Great Northern Way Campus.