First year course selection
Welcome! New Student Course Selection
Please scroll down or click below for:
Required First Year Courses by Specialization
BA Distribution Requirements
Arts/Humanities Course Subjects
Social Science Course Subjects
Natural and Mathematical Science Courses Acceptable for BA Distribution
Elective Courses
All first year BA students will be able to select courses starting on Wednesday July 3, 2024
Required First Year Courses by Specialization
Below is more detailed course selection information for each specialization.
As a Bachelor of Arts (BA) student, you will select 2.50 credits (5 courses) if you plan to study full time. Your course choices should include a combination of 1000 level courses listed for your Area of Study, BA Distribution required courses and elective courses.
You can click on the specialization area to see additional information on future course requirements and to view course descriptions.
Anthropology (ANTH) and Anthropology: Co-op (ANTH:C)
- ANTH*1150 should be taken in the fall/winter semester.
- ANTH*1120 is also offered in the fall but is an optional course for the ANTH specialization.
- CLAS*1000 should be taken in the fall semester.
- You must also take GREK*1100 or LAT*1100 in the fall semester. If you took Greek or Latin in high school, you should not take these courses. Instead, you would take GREK*1110 or LAT*1110 in the winter semester. If this situation applies to you, please consult with the School of Languages & Literatures (1-519-824-4120 ext. 53884) to determine the appropriate course selection.
- CRWR*1000 should be taken in the fall semester.
- ENGL*1080 is also required in your first year. It is offered both fall and winter semesters and can be taken in either semester.
Criminal Justice and Public Policy (CJPP) and Criminal Justice and Public Policy: Co-op (CJPP:C)
- PHIL*1010 and SOC*1500 are both required in your first year. They are each offered in both fall and winter semesters and can be taken in either semester. It is recommended that you take one in the fall and the other in the winter semester.
Culture and Technology Studies (CTS) and Culture and Technology Studies: Co-op (CTS:C)
- CTS*1000 should be taken in the fall semester.
Economics (ECON) and Economics: Co-op (ECON:C)
- ECON*1050 and ECON*1100 are both required. They are both offered in the fall and winter semesters and can be taken in either order.
- You should also take one of MATH*1030, MATH*1080, or MATH*1200 in the fall semester.
- ENGL*1080 can be taken in the fall or winter semester.
- ENGL*1030 and ENGL*1200 can be taken in the fall but they are optional courses for the ENGL specialization.
Environmental Governance (EGOV) and Environmental Governance: Co-op (EGOV:C)
- ECON*1050, GEOG*1220, GEOG*1350 and INDG*1000 are all required courses for the major. They are offered in both the fall and winter semesters. A recommendation is to take two of these courses in the fall and two in the winter.
Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics (FARE) and Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics: Co-op (FARE:C)
- AGR*1110 should be taken in the fall semester (please note that this course is worth 1.0 credits so is the equivalent of taking two courses).
- ECON*1050 should be taken in the fall semester.
- One of MATH*1030, MATH*1080 or MATH 1200 should be taken in the fall semester.
- FREN*1200 should be taken in the fall semester.
- If you have graduated from a secondary school French Immersion program you must begin with one of FREN*2020, FREN*2060 or FREN*2520 in your first semester. Please consult with the School of Languages & Literatures (1-519-824-4120 ext. 53884) to determine the appropriate course selection.
Geography (GEOG) and Geography: Co-op (GEOG:C)
- GEOG*1200 should be taken in the fall semester.
- GEOG*1220 and GEOG*1300 are also required but are offered in both the fall and winter semesters. A recommendation is to take one in the fall semester and the other in the winter semester.
History (HIST) and History: Co-op (HIST:C)
- HIST*1050 can be taken in the fall or winter semester.
- One of HIST*1010, HIST*1150 or HIST*1250 are also required. These courses are offered in both the fall and winter semesters and can be taken in either semester.
International Development Studies (IDS) and International Development Studies: Co-op (IDS:C)
- IDEV*1000 should be taken in the fall semester.
Justice and Legal Studies (JLS) and Justice and Legal Studies: Co-op (JLS:C)
- JLS*1000 should be taken in the fall semester.
- ANTH*1150 and SOC*1100 are offered in both fall and winter semesters. Only one is required and can be taken either in the fall or winter semester.
Mathematical Economics (MAEC) and Mathematical Economics: Co-op (MAEC:C)
- ECON*1050 should be taken in the fall semester.
- MATH*1200 should be taken in the fall semester.
- CIS*1300 or CIS*1500 can be taken in the fall semester of your first or second year.
- MUSC*1160 should be taken in the fall semester.
- MUSC*1340 should be taken in the fall semester.
- MUSC*1410 should be taken in the fall semester.
- MUSC*1710 or MUSC*1910 should be taken in the fall semester.
- Special Instructions for MUSC 1710 & MUSC 1910. These are ensemble courses which require an audition. You MUST register in the XX section of the course you would like to be auditioned for. Once audition results have been announced, you will then be moved to an appropriate section.
- There are four first year Philosophy courses to choose from - PHIL*1000 (offered fall semester only), PHIL*1010 (offered fall and winter semesters), PHIL*1030 (offered winter semester only) and PHIL*1050 (offered fall and winter semesters).
- Any of these courses can be taken as preparation for upper-level courses.
- You can take more than one of these courses however, only two can be used towards your specialization in PHIL.
Political Science (POLS) and Political Science: Co-op (POLS:C)
- POLS*1150 can be taken in the fall or winter semester.
Psychology (PSYC) and Psychology: Co-op (PSYC:C)
- PSYC*1000 should be taken in the fall semester.
- PSYC*1500 is offered in both the fall and winter semesters. It can be taken in either semester.
- PSYC *1010 should be taken in the winter
Sexualities, Genders and Social Change (SXGN)
- SXGN*1000 should be taken in the fall semester.
- ANTH*1150 and SOC*1100 are both required and offered in the fall and winter semesters. A recommendation is to take one in the fall and the other in the winter semester.
- SART*1050 and SART*1060 are both required but cannot be taken in the same semester. It does not matter which course is completed first but it is important to take one in the fall semester and the other in the winter semester of your first year.
- ARTH*1510 is offered in the fall semester only and ARTH*1520 is offered in the winter semester only. Only one of these courses is required and can be taken either in the fall or winter semester.
- THST*1040 should be taken in the fall semester.
- THST*1200 isn’t required but it can also be taken in the fall semester and can be used as an elective towards a THST specialization.
Undeclared Specialization
During the first semester, a variety of courses should be chosen from the arts and social science areas that are of interest to you (see the Registration Handbook for New Students for the subjects that meet these areas). By taking different courses, you will have the opportunity to explore potential specializations. You are still on track for a B.A. degree by doing this.
BA Distribution Requirements:
By the time of graduation, all BA students must have completed:
- 1.50 credits (3 courses) from 2 different subjects in the arts/humanities (see list below)
- 1.50 credits (3 courses) from 2 different subjects in the Social Sciences (see list below)
- 1.00 credits (2 courses) from the Natural/Mathematical Sciences (see list below)
Arts/Humanities Course Subjects:
- ARTH Art History
- BLCK Black Canadian Studies
- CHIN Mandarin
- CLAS Classical Studies
- CRWR Creative Writing
- CTS Culture and Technology Studies
- ENGL English
- EURO European Studies
- FREN French Studies
- GERM German Studies
- GREK Greek
- HIST History
- HUMN Humanities
- INDG Indigenous Studies
- ITAL Italian Studies
- LAT Latin
- LING Linguistics
- MUSC Music
- PHIL Philosophy
- PORT Portuguese
- SART Studio Art
- SPAN Spanish and Hispanic Studies
- SXGN Sexualities, Gender, and Social Change
- THST Theatre Studies
FALL 2024 Arts/Humanities Course Offerings:
*Please note, some of these courses may be restricted to certain specializations. Please visit our Restrictions page for details*
Social Science Course Subjects
- ANTH Anthropology
- ECON Economics
- FARE Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics
- GEOG Geography
- IDEV International Development
- INDG Indigenous Studies
- JLS Justice and Legal Studies
- POLS Political Science
- PSYC Psychology
- SOC Sociology
- SXGN Sexualities, Gender, and Social Change
FALL 2024 Social Science Course Offerings:
*Please note, some of these courses may be restricted to certain specializations. Please visit our Restrictions page for details*
GEOG 1300 - Can also count as Natural and Mathematical Science
GEOG 1350 - Can also count as Natural and Mathematical Science
Natural and Mathematical Science Courses Acceptable for BA Distribution:
**As a first year student it is advised to take 1000 level if choosing to complete a Natural and Mathematical Science if completing in semester one or two.**Other acceptable courses which require 4U or university preparation:
BIOL 1XXX - Any BIOL course at the 1000 level
CHEM 1XXX - Any CHEM course at the 1000 level
CIS 1XXX - Any CIS course at the 1000 level
MATH 1XXX - Any MATH course at the 1000 level
PHYS 1XXX - Any PHYS course at the 1000 level
STAT 2XXX - Any STAT course at the 2000 level
Fall 2024 Natural Science Course Options:
Electives:
New students often wonder which courses are the "best" to take. In fact, there is no "best" option. An elective is just that - an elective! Take what interests you.