Undergraduate STUDIES
The Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences offers programs that inspires students to engage critical global issues and ideas, and to become well-rounded, intellectually sophisticated and caring citizens.
Graduate studies
The Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences welcomes students from across the world who are interested in pursuing an advanced degree.
Interdisciplinary Learning
The Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences provides many paths to an elevated learning experience. Interdisciplinary learning allows students to make connections with other areas of study.
Sustainability
The Bachelor of Sustainability (BSust) is interdisciplinary to the core because no one academic discipline can address issues like climate change and biodiversity loss in their entirety.
At the same time, it asks students to learn within select concentrations that develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable them to take action and solve problems at local to global scales.
Gender and Women’s Studies
Learn about the world and our place in it through a deeper understanding of sexuality, femininity, embodiment, and social justice. This dynamic program, which draws from across the humanities, social sciences, and cultural studies, allows students to develop integrative and finely-tuned perspectives on how gender and sexuality are central components of everyday life.
Indigenous Studies
The interdisciplinary Indigenous studies program offers courses providing perspectives of Indigenous Peoples from the Okanagan, Canada, and world communities. The program’s partnership with the Okanagan nation and the En’owkin Centre ensures a strong foundation in the Okanagan community and a continuing input from Indigenous perspectives. Students learn about Indigenous governance, justice system, land claims, traditional ecological knowledge, the protection of heritage, and Indigenous theory.
International Relations
The program allows students to develop a solid background in related areas of political science, history, sociology anthropology, economics, and modern languages. It stresses critical thinking and essential communication skills and provides a solid foundation for diverse career options, including those associated with law, business, politics and government, foreign service, teaching, international development, and most professional programs. Post-graduate programs in IR are available at many universities in Canada and around the world.
Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)
The degree is constructed on the belief that the parallel study of related disciplines significantly enhances the student’s understanding of each discipline. The study of philosophy develops analytical rigour and the ability to criticize and reason logically. It allows students to apply these skills to questions concerning how we acquire knowledge and how we make ethical recommendations. The study of politics provides an understanding of the issues dividing societies, why democracies emerge, why states go to war or seek peace. The study of economics provides an understanding of the workings of contemporary economies and our consumer decisions in a global marketplace. The PPE major is recommended for students who wish to pursue a career in business or government or who intend to undertake studies in law, business, commerce, journalism, social work, education or public administration.
ACADEMIC Departments
The Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is organized into four departments that are responsible for the programs offered by our faculty.
Community, Culture and Global Studies
Anthropology | Gender and Women’s Studies | Geography | Indigenous Studies | Nsyilxcn Language Fluency
Economics, Philosophy and Political Science
Economics | International Relations | Philosophy | Political Science | Philosophy, Politics and Economics
History and Sociology
History | Sociology
Psychology
Psychology