Pre-Education Certificate

This course adopts a holistic approach to understanding health and wellness within Indigenous communities. Students examine many factors and conditions that impact Indigenous community health from a strength based rather than problem focused approach. This course also focuses on Indigenous worldviews in terms of how community health and wellness is articulated and maintained.

Traditional knowledge and Indigenous scholarship are incorporated alongside anthropological perspectives. Whether delivered face to face or online, the course is treated as an interactive lecture series. Indigenous representatives from local communities and scholars knowledgeable about course topics share their valuable insights and knowledge with students.

This course uses Indigenous pedagogy to support students in understanding their relationships to Indigenous peoples and territories in British Columbia. Students will learn about contemporary issues facing some of the Indigenous nations within British Columbia from an Indigenous perspective. Through examining both local and larger provincial conversations surrounding Indigenous rights, treaties (or lack thereof), and the history of colonization, students will learn to consider concepts of cultural appropriation, and examine the idea of decolonization in action.

This course presents an overview of historical and modern astronomical knowledge. Topics include telescope design, astronomical methods, the planets of the solar system, the life cycle of stars, and our place among the galaxies. The accompanying lab introduces students to night sky observation and real world experience with astronomical photography.

This course is an introduction to the structure and function of organisms with particular reference to molecular, biochemical and physiological aspects of the living world. Designed for students seeking a degree or diploma in a field of science or technology, BIOL 101, with BIOL 102, lays the foundations on which the higher-level courses in Biology are based. It is also suitable as an elective course for general interest or arts students.

BIOL 102 is an introduction to organismic and population biology with emphasis on reproduction, genetics, developmental biology, evolution, diversity and ecology.

Biology 151 focuses on environmental and ecological topics within biology from a local perspective. BIOL 151 helps inform students about local and global environmental issues, current events, and new and emerging technologies from a scientific perspective. Students, with the help of their instructor, will design and implement a research project that focuses on a local environmental issue and present it to members of the community.

This course is an introduction to the structural and functional aspects of the human musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems. BIOL 181 is presented in a lecture-lab format. The physiology portion of the course is primarily taught during the lecture portion while the anatomy and application portion of the course is dealt with during the laboratory periods.

A continuation of BIOL 181, this course is designed to allow the student to explore the anatomical and physiological details of the nervous, endocrine, digestive, excretory, immune and reproductive systems. Attention is given to the integrated homeostatic balance of the body. BIOL 182 is designed to provide the student with a solid foundation in anatomy and physiology on which to build.

This course is an introduction to the fields of environmental studies and environmental chemistry. Qualitative and quantitative aspects of environmental processes are studied. Topics include atmospheric processes (including those involving carbon dioxide and ozone), air pollution, acid rain, natural waters, dissolved oxygen and the fate of chemical compounds in the environment. Where possible, examples involving local issues and current events are studied.

This course presents the fundamental principles of chemistry with particular reference to acid-base and redox chemistry, electronic structure of atoms and molecules, properties of liquids, gases, solids and their solutions, phase changes, andthermochemistry.  The associated laboratory exercises emphasize proper experimental techniques, data collection and analysis, safety and technical writing skills.

Together with CHEM 101,CHEM 102 provides a solid foundation in fundamental chemical principles. Topics include equilibrium, thermodynamics, kinetics, electrochemistry, chemistry of the main group elements and the chemistry of organic and biomolecules. The associated laboratory exercises emphasize proper experimental technique, data collection and analysis, safety and technical writing skills.

English 100 focuses on composition for academic purposes and develops a student’s ability to write clearly and effectively. Students also learn the fundamentals of critical thinking, persuasive writing techniques (including rhetorical appeals and devices), scholarly research, and academic reading.

An introduction to the critical reading of literature through the study and analysis of poetry and drama across historical periods from Shakespeare to twenty-first century poets and dramatists. While this course will teach students how to perform college-level literary analysis of canonical texts, it will also teach them how to question and evaluate the cultural narratives that literature circulates. As such, the class will explore questions of gender, class, race, nationhood/nation building, and the problematic literary canon in order to develop strategies for negotiating complex literary texts and to become better, more nuanced readers.

English 102 introduces students to the genre of literary fiction from the origins of the short story in early nineteenth century to the novels of twentieth and twenty-first century. The aim of ENGL 102 is to read fiction with an understanding of genre, technique and form; to apply various critical strategies to literary texts; and to develop analytical writing skills appropriate to essays at the university level. Ultimately, the course encourages students to consider how narrative forms can shape, challenge and respond to their moral, social, and political contexts.

In this course, students learn about the history and development of children’s literature, from eighteenth and nineteenth-century fairy tales to twenty-first century young adult fiction. Students read a selection of the fairy tales that provide the roots for what we consider children’s literature as well as novels written for children and young adults, including Lewis Carroll’s illustrated classic Alice in Wonderland. In addition, since illustration plays such a large role in children’s literature, students also study picture books aimed for young children.

This course introduces students to scientific analysis and communication of environmental issues. Students will learn about natural systems and the complex interactions among their biological, physical, chemical and anthropogenic components. Students will consider Western and Indigenous perspectives, governance, and economic factors to critically evaluate and communicate environmental problems. Students will investigate how those issues affect various aspects of the ecosphere, including humans, and will use integrated knowledge and perspectives to explore sustainable solutions. Laboratory activities, field trips and guest lectures will offer the opportunity to study regional environments and local environmental issues.

This course is an introduction to the multi-disciplinary field of Indigenous studies. The prehistory, history, and traditional/contemporary cultures of Indigenous peoples in Canada and their various perspectives are addressed. Additionally, the historical overview of Indigenous/settler relations and their effects are explored.

This course introduces students to concepts of Indigenous knowledges, worldviews and epistemologies through witnessing Elder teachings, insights from Indigenous scholars and experiences of Indigenous community members. This course begins with a review of knowledge creation and ways of knowing. It then explores the value, importance and uniqueness of Indigenous ways of knowing and pedagogy in comparison to Western ways of knowing and pedagogy through exploring questions that are important to Indigenous peoples, communities, and nations.

This course examines the concepts and processes of physical geography that govern the function of the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere using an earth-systems approach. Course lectures and lab topics introduce the sciences of cartography, meteorology, climatology, geomorphology, hydrology, biogeography, and soils. A focus on how human activities impact the environment, such as climate change and other real world issues will also be addressed.

An introduction to the major principles of physical and historical geology covering the origin and structure of the Earth, plate tectonics, volcanism and other mountain building processes, the erosion of the Earth's crust, and the formation and properties of minerals and rocks.

This course is an introduction to the major principles of structural and historical geology. Historical geology topics include geologic time, relative and absolute dating techniques, organic evolution, the study of fossils and the geologic history of the earth from the Precambrian to the present. Mineral deposits and natural resource issues will also be examined.

This course surveys Canada’s past before 1867. It looks at original Indigenous inhabitants through French settlers and English conquerors to colonial immigrants, labourers, businessmen, politicians, and women, a panoply of fascinating historical agents. In addition, significant events, such as group contact/relations, expansion/settlement processes, economic undertakings, military battles as well as rebellions, social developments, and political evolutions, are examined. Attention is paid to time's impact on continuity and change throughout the period, but greater emphasis is placed on understanding these agents and events through the major analytical categories of race/ethnicity, gender, and class. Doing so helps foster students' interest in the importance of understanding this country's past and allows them to acquire greater historical consciousness to critically understand Canadians’ current context.

A historical survey of Canada, this course traces the country’s development from the immediate aftermath of Confederation to contemporary times. Over that period, significant actors and events, like the World Wars and the Depression, will be considered. Greater attention, however, will be paid to changes and continuities arising from Canada's territorial growth; consolidation under the national policy, including incorporating large numbers of immigrants into the country; cleavages in their various manifestations; imperialism-continentalism choices; industrialization/urbanization/reform movements; post-war international and social decisions; Sixties' upheavals, and Indigenous marginalization. All of these areas of study will help foster students' interest in the importance of understanding this country's past and allow them to acquire greater historical consciousness to critically question whether Canadians’ attempts to create a great nation were best for all.

Canada and the United States’ relationship has been framed as special. For some time, it included Great Britain, so that adjunct partner must be incorporated. Over time, it was not always peaceful, so military, political, economic, and cultural annexation attempts must be studied. Finally, it featured demands and missteps, so disinterest and awkwardness must be explored. Ultimately, students come to understand a shared history based upon Canadians’ anti-American beliefs resulted in a mercurial, ambivalent, and three-sided relationship.

Twentieth century Canadian women’s experiences can be examined through a number of intriguing concepts. Domesticity and motherhood are studied via marriage rituals, childrearing practices, and contraceptive methods. The sexual division of labour is analyzed in terms of paid and unpaid work during the Great Depression and Second World War. Consumption is looked at through the shopping habits of the 1950s. Political involvement is measured not only in the progress women made in becoming persons, but also in becoming feminists. Attempts are also made to account for the varying experiences of immigrant and lesbian women.

Nature and humans have had a long, complex, reciprocal relationship, making for certain conceptions, processes, and complexities to develop. Those developments have led to three main areas of historical overview and deeper consideration: 1) How Canadians, including Indigenous people, have thought about the natural environment and colonized landscapes; 2) How development of resources and industrialization/urbanization in Canada have had short and long term effects; and 3) How Canada’s conservationists and environmentalists have responded at various junctures to address concerns. Using an array of interdisciplinary sources emerging in the burgeoning environmental history field, this course ultimately places the dynamic interplay between the environment and people under study to better understand that relationship over time.

This course introduces the student to basic human anatomy and physiology. The basic structure and function of various organ systems are discussed through a series of lectures and labs. Organ systems included in this course are skeletal, muscular, cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, urinary and endocrine systems.

This course is an introduction to the structure and function of the systems involved in the control and execution of human movement. Special emphasis will be placed on the musculoskeletal, nervous and endocrine systems that are responsible for the integration and control of human movement.

A continuation of KNES 200, this course is designed to allow students to continue to explore the anatomy and physiology of the human body. Special emphasis will be placed on the systems that play a significant role in human movement and physical activity. These include the cardiovascular, respiratory, urinary and digestive systems. The lymphatic, immune, reproductive and integumentary systems will also be examined.

This course is intended for students who require an appreciation of higher mathematics, but don’t require calculus. MATH 101 stresses a logical and critical thinking approach while investigating the following topics: an introduction to matrices and to linear algebra; linear programming and the Simplex method; set theory, counting techniques and probability; and introduction to statistics; and Markov Processes.

Discrete mathematics plays an important role in logical thought and in computer science programming. This course provides an introduction to a variety of post-secondary mathematics which do not require calculus. MATH 102 is intended both for students who wish to see useful and real life applications of mathematics and for those needing to learn more about algorithms and problem solving in the context of computer science. Topics include: binary, octal, and hexadecimal number systems, formal logic, set theory and set algebra, Boolean algebra, introductory graph theory, algorithms and simple coding, and an introduction to formal mathematical proofs.

This course is intended for students who are pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree. Topics include: functions, limits, continuity, derivatives, their interpretation, differentiation rules, techniques of differentiation, implicit differentiation, inverse functions, exponential functions, logarithms, applications of differentiation such as linear approximations, Newton’s method, related rates, analysis of graphs, and optimization, the Mean Value Theorem, definite and indefinite integrals, integration by substitution, Riemann sums, and applications of integration.

Calculus is a necessary step in any career in the sciences including Biology, Chemistry, Commerce, Computer Science, Engineering, Geology, Mathematics, Medicine, and Physics. It is also useful in any field which uses Statistics to analyze data.

Students work with polynomial, rational, logarithmic, exponential, trigonometric, inverse, and hyperbolic functions. They will learn integration techniques (substitution, parts, partial fractions, trigonometric substitution, numerical methods), applications of integration (volumes of revolution, work, fluid, force, surfaces, arc length, and centroids); I’Hôpital’s rule and improper integrals; sequences and series; convergence tests (divergence, integral, comparison, limit comparison, ratio, root, and alternating series tests), Power, Maclaurin and Taylor series, differential equations, polar curves (common graphs, slopes, area, arc length, and conics) and parametric equations (higher order derivatives, area, and arc length).

Calculus is a necessary step in any career in the sciences including Biology, Chemistry, Commerce, Computer Science, Engineering, Geology, Mathematics, Medicine, and Physics. It is also useful in any field which uses Statistics to analyze data.

Mathematics for Elementary Teachers I is a math course that covers the important concepts, mathematical methods, and ideas required to teach the elementary mathematics curriculum. It emphasizes the foundational concepts needed to support abstract calculation and it broadens   students' understanding of mathematics.  The course blends theory, teaching models, and the use of a variety of manipulatives which are appropriate for teaching mathematics in the elementary grades. This course emphasizes the foundational topics taught in the early elementary grades including problem solving strategies; whole number operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; fractions and decimals; and incorporates local Indigenous knowledge, content, ways of knowing, and perspectives into each unit of study.

Mathematics for Teachers II continues the learning from MATH 105 – Mathematics for Teachers I - and emphasizes topics taught in the upper elementary grades, such as ratio, proportion, and percent; geometry; relations, functions, and their graphs; coordinate geometry; and probability and statistics. Mathematics for Teachers II covers the important concepts, mathematical methods, and ideas required to teach the elementary mathematics curriculum. It emphasizes the foundational concepts needed to support abstract calculation and it broadens students' understanding of mathematics. The course blends theory, teaching models, and the use of a variety of manipulatives which are appropriate for teaching mathematics in the elementary grades. Students are required to explain various models for a particular concept, the relationships between them, and when it is appropriate to use them. This course incorporates local Indigenous knowledge, content, ways of knowing, and perspectives into each unit of study.

This course introduces the student to how calculus is used to build physical theory and to solve problems in kinematics, dynamics, momentum, and centre of mass calculations. In addition, the student is introduced to several conservation laws, in particular conservation of mechanical energy and linear and angular momentum.

This course builds on PHYS 103. Electric and magnetic fields are used as examples of vector fields, and the concept of flux and Gauss's theorem are used to calculate the electric field in simple cases. Line integrals and the gradient are introduced as a means of going between electric field and potentials. Students are taught the uses for resistors, capacitors, and inductors and how to do calculations for circuits which use them. Ideas from relativity and quantum mechanics are introduced.

This course introduces students to Canadian government and politics by concentrating on the theoretical constructs fashioned by political scientists. Students develop an even more in-depth comprehension of the historical foundation and current operation of the Constitution/Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as the four institutional components of the federal system. Students will be exposed to various issues surrounding these aspects of this national field of political science.

This course introduces the fundamental ideas of statistics and can be applied to any discipline. Topics include: collection, description, and presentation of data; calculating central tendency and dispersion; probability and statistical inference; hypothesis testing (means, proportions, variances, one and two samples); correlation and regression; decision making and sampling, Goodness of Fit Tests, and Contingency Tables.