Spring Courses 2025

(Spring CRN 14578) This course will provide an in-depth, scientifically based understanding of development in adolescence and emerging adulthood. Important changes in physical, cognitive, social/emotional development will be discussed, as well as psychosocial issues experienced by adolescents and young adults (e.g., identity, intimacy, risk behaviors) and the contexts in which these developmental tasks occur, including family, relationships, and culture. Credit will be granted for only one of PSYC 383 or PSYC 385(2022-2023). Three credits.   

(Spring CRN 14579) This course is an introduction to the use of supernatural imagery and themes in current tales of superheroes. How are supernatural beings and forces incorporated 148 Religious Studies 2024-2025 StFX ACADEMIC CALENDAR into the stories? How do superheroes function as divine beings? In which ways are the messages presented by DC and Marvel derived from those of world religions? In which ways do they serve as substitutes for religion? Credit will be granted for only one of RELS 216 or RELS 298. Three credits.

(Spring CRN 14580) A study of cults in the context of 20th-century North American society, beginning with defining cults in relation to sects and churches. Topics include neo-paganism; Hare Krishna; the theosophical tradition; the Unification Church; tragic endings to cults such as the Branch Davidians and Heaven’s Gate; why people join cults; and the religio-cultural significance of cults today.  Three credits.

(Spring CRN 14581/14582) Students gain an understanding of the diversity of Islam and Muslims in Canada. The course examines how Muslims negotiate their religious identities in Canadian civic society. Students engage critically with different theoretical models shaping conceptions of identity and consider their relevance to public policy debates. The course uses Muslim and non-Muslim authors representing diverse points of view that have an impact on questions of immigration, multiculturalism, and religious pluralism. Cross-listed as SOCI 374. Three credits.

(Spring CRN 14583) This course introduces students to the origins and development of sociological thinking and research, beginning with the foundations of the discipline in the 19th century. Students are then introduced to the concepts and methods within sociology. The objective is to explore the extent and limits of our capacity to change the social world by reference to sociological research in both a Canadian and global context. Credit will be granted for only one of SOCI 101 or SOCI 100. Three credits.

(Spring CRN 14586) The course introduces students to social justice theory and research. Students will examine social movements and theories (e.g., postcolonial theory, black feminist thought, and indigenous perspectives) that helped shape conceptions of social justice. Students will examine social justice research in areas such as environmental racism, barriers to health care, education, and employment, and barriers and challenges to achieving social justice. Credit will be granted for only one of SOCI 237 or SOCI 297 (2020-2021). Three credits.

(Spring CRN 14587) An introduction to the field of disability studies, this course examines the ways in which disabled people and disability issues are defined and treated in contemporary society. Social and political conceptions of disability are contrasted with medical and individualistic definitions of disability with the aim of developing a critique of taken-for-granted conceptions of normal bodies, minds, and senses. Communitybased contributions and responses to disability knowledge are emphasized and common ideas and assumptions about disability are situated historically to illustrate changing relations to disability over time, and to the role of disability knowledge in social change. The experience of disability will be stressed. Three credits.

(Summer CRN 23032) In this course we investigate drug and alcohol addiction as an epidemic social problem from several key perspectives. Social theories are used to explore subcultures of addiction, race and racism, addiction’s impact on women, and how addiction is understood and experienced in Canada. Credit will be granted for only one of SOCI 315 and SOCI 395 (2018/2019). Three credits.

(Spring CRN 14584/14585) This course analyzes the marriage and family life from a sociological perspective. It provides an overview of social changes over the past century, such as the falling birth rate, the rise in cohabitation and the legalization of same-sex marriage. Topics include marriage and fertility trends, the rise of intensive parenting and the dual earner family, the normalization of separation and divorce, the social cost of family violence, and how technology is influencing parenting. Cross-listed as WMGS 221. Three credits

(Spring CRN: 14520) This is an intensive second-year language course offered in cooperation with the University of Salamanca, Spain. Over four weeks, students attend 80 hours of language classes designed to consolidate grammar and common idiomatic expressions and increase active vocabulary. In addition, students take part in daily two-hour oral-culture sessions. Students are also encouraged to participate in university community activities and weekend field trips.