University of Calgary : General Studies GNST

General Studies GNST

Instruction offered under the direction of the Faculty of Communication and Culture. For information visit the Faculty of Communication and Culture website, www.comcul.ucalgary.ca, or contact the Communication and Culture Faculty Office, 403.220.6343.

Additional interdisciplinary courses are offered under the course headings African Studies; Canadian Studies; Central and East European Studies; Communications Studies; Development Studies; East Asian Studies; Film Studies, Innovation Studies, Latin American Studies; Law and Society; Museum and Heritage Studies; Science, Technology and Society; South Asian Studies; and Women's Studies.

Junior Courses

General Studies 201

Inquiry Seminar in Communication and Culture

Small-enrolment inquiry-based seminars explore in depth an interdisciplinary topic such as gender, identity, urban life, technology, the landscape, diversity, and popular culture. These seminars provide an alternative to broad introductory courses by giving students the opportunity to develop their own questions around a topic area and the experience of conducting research in depth. Provides students with tools and approaches required in university-level scholarship.
Course Hours: H(3S-0)
Notes: Each seminar is built around a different topic. To choose a topic, consult the Communication and Culture Academic Programs Office or go to http://www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/GNST201.

General Studies 203

Great Ideas

Surveys influential ideas from a variety of disciplines. Seeks to articulate the fundamental issues that animate specific disciplines and to illustrate as well as to develop the connections between these ideas. Students will read classic or exemplary texts from fields of study such as science, religion, philosophy, history, politics, psychology, and will explore the possibilities for connecting and integrating the assumptions and methods of these disciplines.
Course Hours: H(3-0)

Senior Courses

General Studies 300

Heritage I - Perspective

Introduction to the interrelationships of disciplines, ideas and problems within contemporary life and their roots in Western European thought using primary source material in literature, philosophy and religion, science and technology, political, economic and social thought and the arts. Emphasis will be placed on understanding and critically evaluating the context of thought within which individuals raised in the Western European tradition think and view the world. Relationships to non-Western European tradition will be discussed. Tutorials will be used to develop skills in the written and oral analysis and evaluation of complex ideas and concepts.
Course Hours: F(3-1T)
Notes: This course is required of every student registered in a Major or Multidisciplinary (non-major) program in the Faculty of Communication and Culture and should be taken as early as possible in the program. Enrolment is restricted to students registered in the degree programs of the Faculty of Communication and Culture and in the collaborative Majors in East Asia and Latin American Studies. Registration information can be found on the Enrolment Services website: http://www.ucalgary.ca/registrar/.

General Studies 301

Special Topics in Interdisciplinary Studies

An examination of current topics in interdisciplinary studies.
Course Hours: H(3-0)
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT

General Studies 313

Interdisciplinary Research Methodologies

A critical introduction to interdisciplinary research methodologies. Students will explore, practice, and critique various quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and various perspectives on the processes of knowledge production.
Course Hours: H(3-0)
Antirequisite(s): Note: Credit for both General Studies 313 and any of Development Studies 407, Northern Planning and Development Studies 407 or Women's Studies 313 will not be allowed.
Notes: Enrolment is restricted to students registered in the degree programs of the Faculty of Communication and Culture, the Latin American Studies collaborative program, and the Minor program in Development Studies. Registration information can be found on the Enrolment Services website: http://www.ucalgary.ca/registrar/.

General Studies 345

Ideas, Science and Innovation

A course for non-science students about how scientific ideas and innovations shape human existence and human societies. Topics include complexity, self-organization, biological and memetic evolution, energy, biotechnology and nanotechnology.
Course Hours: H(2-1)

General Studies 359

Introduction to World Music

A survey of the world's music through the study of selected culture areas. Emphasis will be on the dynamics of each musical idiom, on the relationships between music and other aspects of culture and society, and on the interaction among various cultures.
Course Hours: H(3-0)

General Studies 401

Concepts in Comparative Heritage

Presents a thematic approach to interdisciplinary cultural studies and provides methods and experience for intercultural comparative studies with a global perspective. Aspects of three selected non-European cultures will be included.
Course Hours: H(3-0)
Prerequisite(s): General Studies 300 .

General Studies 407

Communication, Culture and Communities

This course examines concepts of "community," including the development of communities, the culture of communities, and the role of communication and representation in the maintenance of communities. It will focus in particular on the role of volunteerism in communities.
Course Hours: H(3-3)
Antirequisite(s): Note: Credit for both General Studies 407 and 301 .18 will not be allowed.
Notes: A major component of the course will be a volunteer placement in a Calgary community service organization. Students should expect to spend a total of approximately 15 to 25 hours on their volunteer project. Class activities will include critical reflection on this experience. Both the class component of the course and the community placement will require attendance at off-campus sites in the Calgary area.

General Studies 413

Critical Approaches to the Cultures of Research

This course will examine the process called "research" within those institutions that have chosen it as a basis for their evaluation, so-called research universities. Students will be invited to consider the culture in which they study and in particular will discuss the legal and ethical culture necessary to the continued acceptance of research as a social good.
Course Hours: H(3-0)
Prerequisite(s): General Studies 313 .

General Studies 500

Heritage II - Integration

A continuation of General Studies 300 emphasizing the integration of information acquired during the student's undergraduate career, developing interrelationships among the different subject areas that have dominated the Western European tradition, and exploring how these relationships might change in the future.
Course Hours: F(3-0)
Prerequisite(s): General Studies 300 .
Notes: This course is required of every student registered in a Major program in the Faculty of Communication and Culture.

General Studies 501

Research in Selected Topics

Supervised individual study of a special topic.
Course Hours: H(3-0)
Prerequisite(s): Consent of the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs).
Notes: Students should normally contact the office of the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs) at least two weeks prior to the first day of classes to arrange an independent study course.
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT

General Studies 502

Research in Selected Topics

Supervised individual study of a special topic.
Course Hours: F(3-0)
Prerequisite(s): Consent of the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs).
Notes: Students should normally contact the office of the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs) prior to the first day of classes to arrange an independent study course.
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT

General Studies 507

Collaborative Learning and Peer Mentoring

Students will become familiar with learning theories and learning processes, and will receive practical experience by helping learners in a Communication and Culture course under the supervision of that course's instructor. Activities may include facilitating discussion in classrooms or online, discussing topics for term papers, organizing and assisting study groups, or coaching peers in their oral presentation or writing skills.
Course Hours: H(0-3S)
Prerequisite(s): Eight full-course equivalents.
Notes: Prospective students must submit an application to the Faculty. Details are available on the Communication and Culture website http://www.comcul.ucalgary.ca under the Undergraduates tab. Restricted to the students in the Faculty of Communication and Culture.
Also known as: (formerly General Studies 501 .35)

General Studies 509

Research in Peer Mentoring and Higher Learning

Students continue to support peers in their learning processes using a facilitative, collaborative approach. As part of their mentoring hours, students in this course will assist new peer mentors to grow into their roles. Students will conduct a textual and field research project related to their peer mentoring roles.
Course Hours: H(0-3S)
Prerequisite(s): General Studies 507 and consent of the Faculty.
Notes: Prospective students must submit an application to the Faculty. Details are available on the Communication and Culture website http://www.comcul.ucalgary.ca under the Undergraduates tab. Restricted to the students in the Faculty of Communication and Culture.
Also known as: (formerly General Studies 501 .38)

General Studies 590

Honours Thesis: Directed Research

Supervised individual research and preparation of thesis.
Course Hours: F(3-0)
Prerequisite(s): Consent of the Honours Program Coordinator.
Notes: Required of and limited to senior students in the Honours program in Communication and Culture.

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