Faculty of Social Sciences

New Brand Launch Sponsorship
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Interdisciplinary Field School opportunity this summer in Ghana
The 4 week Field School is operated as Sociology 4330: Global Community Service and is worth 6 credits. Students will take part in 2 week internships with a non-government organization (NGO), gain hands-on experience, attend cross-cultural classes, travel and sightsee throughout southern Ghana and participate in dance and music lessions.The Field School is open to all Kwantlen students but those in the Humanities and Social Sciences are particularly encouraged to apply. Here is a slide showfrom last year’s successful field school. Application deadline is Jan. 31.

You are invited to attend an information session to learn more! (nature of program, costs, dates, insurance, immunizations, credits, etc)

RICHMOND CAMPUS
Mon Jan. 16; 1 – 2 pm
Richmond Rm. 1820

SURREY CAMPUS
Tues Jan. 17; 1 – 2 pm
Surrey, Cedar Rm. 3065

No longer a 'lost cause'. High school underachiver from Fort Erie earns PhD in criminology

By ALISON LANGLEY Niagara Falls Review

An admitted underachiever in high school, a former Fort Erie resident is proving that obstacles can be overcome with hard work and dedication."I didn't do well in high school at all. My grades were very low," Lisa Monchalin recalled with a slight laugh.The 30-year-old doesn't look back at her high school years with fondness."I was thought of as a lost cause," she said.

Flash forward a few years and Monchalin has a number of degrees under her belt and earlier this month earned her PhD in criminology from the University of Ottawa. According to her adviser at the Ottawa school, she's the only aboriginal woman in Canada to earn a PhD in that field. Her thesis was a case study on reducing crime affecting aboriginal people in Winnipeg. She hopes to have her thesis published, so it can be used as an aid to policy makers across the country. "I'm passionate about the issue because of my background," said Monchalin, who is a mix of Algonquin, Metis and Huron Nations. "I chose Winnipeg as a case study, but this is a major issue facing all Canada."

Since May, she has been a professor in the department of criminology at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia. Her focus is on aboriginal people and justice issues, and evidence-based crime prevention. Unlike some of her former teachers, Monchalin vows to help students any way she can.She said teachers can motivate students by helping them to discover and cultivate hidden strengths and talents.

Monchalin discovered her strength through the support of a rowing coach. While she lacked motivation in the classroom, she excelled as the coxswain for her high school's rowing team. She enrolled in a 12-month program at Niagara College to boost her academic standing and then attended Eastern Michigan University on an athletic scholarship. She earned her bachelor's degree in criminology and started her master's degree in the same field of study.
She returned to Canada to complete the degree after receiving an academic scholarship to the University of Ottawa, followed by her PhD at the bilingual school's department of criminology.

As one of the newest professors at Kwantlen, Monchalin has immersed herself in the aboriginal student club and nearby aboriginal centre. She recently received funding to have an aboriginal elder teach students how to make traditional native drums, so the school can start its own drumming group. She also plans to launch the school's first rowing team in the near future. For now, she's busy catching up with friends and family in Fort Erie before returning to B.C. in early January.

"I'm very proud of my sister," said her younger sibling Renee. "She let's me know that anything is possible so, if I don't do good in a class, I shouldn't get upset about it."

CURA Project Researches Prevention of Teen Violence
SURREY, B.C. – (Dec 9, 2011) A study of hundreds of local high school youth has linked gratitude, self-esteem, humility, authenticity, and parental monitoring to a lower level of violence.

The preliminary findings are from the Powerful Teen Study, one of several studies undertaken by the Surrey-based Acting Together SSHRC-CURA project involving Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey School district, and Simon Fraser University. Preliminary findings suggest that character strengths and connections with adults are related to lower risks for violence.

Dr. Roger Tweed said, "Schools and some youth programs already seek to build character strengths. These findings confirm the relevance of character strengths and suggest there may be value in additional efforts to build gratitude, humility, self-esteem, and authenticity."

In youth ages 12 to 14, findings so far reveal that:

* Gratitude and authenticity (i.e., belief in being true to oneself) are associated among boys with lower rates of fighting and fewer beliefs justifying violence.
* Self-esteem and humility are both associated with fewer beliefs justifying violence.
* Youth can have both self-esteem (belief that oneself has value) and humility (belief that others are as important as oneself).
* Involvement in adult-directed leisure activities (arts, community groups organized by adults, religious activities, school clubs, and volunteer work) is associated with self-reported authenticity.
* Students who reported that their parents generally know where they are and who they are with, have both fewer delinquent beliefs and higher life satisfaction.
* Most students agreed that a teacher or other adult at school shows concern for them.
* Most students do not see many benefits to gang membership, but some are aware of only one or two of the many costs of gang membership.

With an extensive support from teachers and school administrators, over 400 eighth graders participated in the study by filling out confidential 22-page surveys that asked questions about their character strengths, social connections, and beliefs about crimes and gangs. The students were surveyed twice in the 2010-2011 school year, with a follow-up survey tentatively scheduled to take place in 2012-2013. Some parents and teachers were also surveyed.

These findings are preliminary and are based on data collected in the initial youth survey. As such, results are subject to change with further analysis including the later surveys. Results are also based on a selected subsample of students because some students chose not to participate. The study does not provide conclusive evidence of cause-and-effect factors for violence, but, rather, identifies associations that deserve further consideration within youth violence prevention efforts.

The Acting Together project is federally funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), through a $1 million federal Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) grant. As a CURA project, it is comprised of four post-secondary institutions, 12 community partners, and numerous prominent individuals.

To learn more about Acting Together, visit www.actingtogether.ca

Kwantlen Polytechnic University Students Speak Out About Truth-telling, Reconciliation and the Path Forward
METRO VANCOUVER, BC – (December 1, 2011) – Kwantlen Polytechnic University sociology students will once again invite Native Elders, leaders, and Indian residential school survivors to educate community members about the ongoing consequences of colonial oppression for Indigenous Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation process that has begun in Canada. "Reconcile This: Telling Truths About Colonization, Indian Residential Schools and Violence Against Native Women in Canada" is the fourth of a series of public education symposiums that invite the public to contribute to local and national dialogue about colonization, social justice, and reconciliation.

The event takes place on December 6, which is Canada's National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Speakers include Survivors and Community Organizers from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside Women's Centre; Dr. Paulette Regan, author of Unsettling the Settler Within (UBC Press); and Chief Robert Joseph of the Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society. This event is part of a project initiated by Seema Ahluwalia, chair of Kwantlen's Department of Sociology, called "Teaching and Learning for Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation".

"My intention is to provide opportunities for Canadians to reflect upon the ongoing injustices faced by Aboriginal Peoples in Canada by considering how the exclusion of Indigenous voices in mainstream Canadian institutions impoverishes our national memory and how our historical amnesia and collective denial inhibits the process of truth-telling, reconciliation and the path to peaceful co-existence" says Ahluwalia.

"Through this project, students engage in meaningful social action by helping to organize an event that brings diverse members of the community together and makes Indigenous knowledge and experience central to our understanding of who we are as Canadians. Students organize poster presentations and co-host the symposium, while also fund-raising and supporting community-led initiatives. They develop important research, teamwork, and global citizenship skills in the process of empowering themselves by acting on issues of social justice with compassion, commitment, and leadership," Ahluwalia says. "Public education is a reciprocal gift – students share what they learn while also accepting, with gratitude, the gifts of Indigenous Traditional Knowledge, stories, and scholarship."

Public Education Symposium Details:
What: A public education symposium exploring the effects of colonization on Aboriginal Peoples and move us all beyond collective denial and historical amnesia to peaceful coexistence
Who: Presented by the Kwanten Polytechnic University Department of Sociology
When: December 6, 2011 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Where: Richmond Campus Conference Centre, 8771 Landsdowne Road, Room 2550 Sides A&B

Kwantlen student was among 30 Canadians to attend summit in France
By Amy Reid, Surrey NOW

SURREY - A Surrey student entrepreneur represented Canada at the G20 Young Entrepreneur Summit, held in Nice, France from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2.

Kassandra Linklater, a Kwantlen Polytechnic University political science major, was one of 30 young Canadian entrepreneurs - and one of six from B.C. - who formed the official Canadian delegation at the annual international summit. About 400 entrepreneurs from G20 countries took part.

Linklater, who is a member of Kwantlen's Presidential Ambassadorial Team as well as the board of governors, said she applied for the G20 YES summit "without a hope" but was ecstatic to be selected, "not only to put Surrey entrepreneurship on the map but to represent myself as a student entrepreneur, Kwantlen and my company as well."Linklater is a co-founder of D.L. Strategic Online Media Corporation.

At the summit, delegates worked together to identify the ways that governments and business communities can best harness the potential of young entrepreneurs, while also driving public policy, raising awareness and providing a voice for young entrepreneurs around the globe. The resulting recommendations were handed over to the G20 leaders on Nov. 3.

"The over-arching component of the program was to put together a communique," Linklater said, adding the goal is to get G20 leaders to issue an entrepreneurial declaration: "A recognition by the leaders on how important entrepreneurship is for fostering growth in the economy, creating jobs and creating innovation."Linklater said most of the delegates had multi-million dollar companies with several hundred employees and, while she was overwhelmed to be the "kid at the party," she felt affirmed about her mindset and what she is trying to accomplish.

Linklater's company started University Confidential, an online publication (myuniversityconfidential.com) designed to help students acquire the skills needed to make the most out of their university experience. The publication draws on the expertise from a panel of "trailblazers" from coast to coast who have successfully maximized their university experience.The company has four full-time employees and more than 40 writers. "Our little company is growing so quickly," she said. "I think that people realize that young people do have solutions to things."

For all media and announcements, please visit:

Discover Your Arts Degree in Langley

Choose from a variety of Arts programs at Kwantlen, Langley, and get the courses that you need close to home. Complete the first two years in any one of our Bachelor of Arts programs to receive priority registration every semester. Click here for more information!

Finish Your Bachelor of Arts Degree in Richmond

Starting in Fall 2011, the Faculty of Social Sciences allows students to complete their full degree on the Richmond Campus in the following programs:

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Major and Minor)
Bachelor of Arts in Criminology (Major and Minor)
Bachelor of Arts Double Minor (CRIM/PSYC)

Click here for more information about Richmond course offerings!

Get a taste of what Journalism is all about
Journalism and Communication Studies

One of the best things to come from a complete revision of the Journalism program is a whole new batch of courses for all Kwantlen students, not just those who want a Bachelor of Journalism.

And yes, they are Arts courses, and so qualify as "breadth."

In the Fall of 2011:
You can learn how Journalism fits in a world of Twitter and blogs: Intro to Journalism (JRNL 1160).

You can learn to use the tools and research methods that professional journalists use to have an impact on the world: Citizen Journalism (JRNL 1220).

You can explore how television shows impact and reflect society: Television and Social Change (COMM 1110).

Select courses from Journalism are open for students in all programs! This Fall, check out:

JRNL 1100 Explorations in Mass Communication (No prereqs)
JRNL 2301 Media and Audiences (No prereqs, JRNL 1100 recommended)

And there's much more to choose from! See www.kwantlen/ca/journalism.

Check them out in the online timetable!

For more information please visit:
Bachelor of Arts, Major and Minor in Asian Studies
Bachelor of Arts, Major in Sociology

About the Faculty of Social Sciences

The social sciences offer a highly adaptable and transferable set of skills that allow graduates to meet the demands of our rapidly changing world. By developing strong analytical and communication skills, the ability to think critically, and technical skills appropriate to their specific discipline, social science graduates prepare themselves for challenging and varied careers, and for advanced study.

The Faculty of Social Sciences at Kwantlen Polytechnic University is committed to excellence and innovation in teaching, research and scholarship. Through their teaching and research, our faculty seeks to increase human knowledge and engage students through the study and practice of disciplines devoted to culture and society. We create innovative learning opportunities in the classroom, and in the community, where students learn and apply leading edge theory and techniques.

Browse through these pages to learn more about our broad range of offerings, from one year certificates through four year, Bachelor of Arts degrees. We have a program that will fit your needs today, and prepare you for tomorrow.

Kwantlen offers Associate of Arts degrees in the following concentrations with the Faculty of Social Sciences: