​Following an already busy year filled with launching new initiatives, an additional two new plans are being introduced by the Faculty of Arts and Science for the 2017-18 academic year, just in time for plan selection for first-year students. The two new plans are a Politics-Philosophy-Economics Specialization and a major in Languages, Literatures and Cultures.

Politics- Philosophy-Economics Specialization
By combining the studies of economics, philosophy and politics, students will be prepared for graduate studies in their area of specialization, law, public service, international development, policy design and analysis, or any career path that calls for strong analytical and communication skills. The plan will approach contemporary social issues and how society responds to these issues by bringing complementary intellectual skills together in analytical and critical ways. The plan is structured as an augmented medial, without sacrificing advanced skills areas of specialization. With more than 50 courses to choose from, students will have flexibility to create a degree path that works for them, with a focus that will stand out in the marketplace.

“The three departments involved are very excited about the students who will be attracted to the new PPE plan,” says Ian Keay, Undergraduate Chair, Department of Economics. “The plan’s focus on analytical rigor, critical thinking and communication, applied to a wide range of social issues, will draw intellectually curious students with a broad set of complementary interests and skills.”

To learn more visit the PPE webpage.

Major in Languages, Literatures and Cultures
A new major for the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures (LLCU), the plan builds upon the breadth of the unit which covers Arabic, Chinese, German, Hebrew, Inuktitut, Italian,

Japanese, Mohawk, Portuguese and Spanish languages and cultures, as well as Linguistics and general/minor plans in Indigenous Studies and World Language Studies. The main aim of the new major is to develop students’ intercultural competency, providing them with an understanding and awareness of cultural diversity grounded in second language acquisition. Its strong interdisciplinary and intercultural approach, together with an international perspective and collaboration with the Queen’s University International Centre (students will concurrently earn an Intercultural Competence Certificate) means that it addresses the issues of today’s world in a unique way. The plan’s goal is to provide students with a set of diverse and flexible core competencies, supporting a solid and practical foundation for a remarkably wide range of post-undergraduate careers, graduate degree options, and professional programs.

“In addition to learning at least two languages, students will take courses from a variety of multi-, cross-, and inter-disciplinary topics,” says Donato Santeramo, Head of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures.  “These will help students develop an understanding of literary and cultural traditions, and examine the influences of key social, historical, political and artistic developments within varied cultural traditions. The plan is designed to be an excellent platform for study abroad opportunities and for students to gain additional experiential learning.”

To learn more visit the LLCU webpage.