Undergraduate Requirements
Atlantic Canada Studies (ACST)
Atlantic Canada Studies is an interdisciplinary major, minor, honours, concentration, and certificate option in the Arts Faculty which has developed out of an increasing demand by students, faculty and the community generally, for a more organized study of this region.
Students who complete a major, minor, honours, concentration, or certificate in Atlantic Canada Studies will have helped to prepare themselves for a fuller and more meaningful participation in the life of Atlantic Canada, and will have acquired a useful background for careers in teaching, trade and industry, and the various bureaus of the provincial and federal civil services. Their attention is particularly drawn to the advantages, from a career point of view, of taking Atlantic Canada Studies as part of a double major or honours.
Students are required to choose their courses in consultation with a member of the Atlantic Canada Studies Committee, and are strongly urged to select one of its members to advise them for the duration of the program, and to provide the necessary liaison with the Committee.
Graduate Studies
For detailed information on the Master of Arts in Atlantic Canada Studies, refer to the Graduate Academic Calendar.
Major in Atlantic Canada Studies
To complete a major in Atlantic Canada Studies, a student must meet the usual University requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree, and in particular, obtain forty- eight (48) credit hours from the courses listed below with a minimum GPA of 2.00 out of 4.3. At least 24 credit hours must be at the 2000 level or above.
- ACST 1000 Making Sense of Atlantic Canada
- a minimum of 3 credit hours in ACST 4000-level courses
- 18 credit hours from Group A below
- 24 credit hours from Group B below
Honours in Atlantic Canada Studies
To complete an honours program in Atlantic Canada Studies, a student must meet the usual University requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree, and in particular, obtain sixty (60) credit hours from the courses listed below with a minimum GPA of 3.00 out of
4.3. At least 48 credit hours must be at the 2000 level or above.
- ACST 1000 Making Sense of Atlantic Canada
- a minimum of 3 credit hours in ACST 4000-level courses
- ACST 4500 Honours Seminar
- 21 credit hours from Group A below
- 24 credit hours from Group B below
- 3 credit hours from either Group A or B
Concentration in Atlantic Canada Studies
To complete a concentration in Atlantic Canada Studies, a student must meet the usual University requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree, and in particular, obtain twenty- four (24) credit hours from the courses listed below with a minimum GPA of 2.00 out of 4.3. At least 18 credit hours must be at the 2000 level or above.
- ACST 1000 Making Sense of Atlantic Canada
- a minimum of 3 credit hours in ACST 4000-level courses
- 18 credit hours from Group A below
Minor in Atlantic Canada Studies
To complete a minor in Atlantic Canada Studies, a student must obtain twenty-four (24) credit hours from the courses listed below with a minimum GPA of 2.00 out of 4.3. At least 12 credit hours must be at the 2000 level and above.
- ACST 1000 Making Sense of Atlantic Canada
- 12 credit hours from Group A below
- 9 credit hours from Group B
Certificate in Atlantic Canada Studies
The Certificate in Atlantic Canada Studies is designed to meet the needs of students who wish to develop a more nuanced understanding of the region. It will be attractive for students from within Atlantic Canada who wish to improve their knowledge of the local culture that shapes and surrounds them. As well, it provides a valuable educational option for international students travelling abroad who may wish to follow an intense, but carefully planned curriculum that combines a variety of different academic opportunities into a one-year program of study. By creating a classroom environment where local and international students share their different perspectives on the region, the certificate stimulates a useful exchange of ideas and fully integrates the study of Atlantic Canada into a broader national and global analytical framework.
By striking this balance between courses that are tightly focused on the study of the region, and supplementary classes designed to provide a broader Canadian context, the certificate provides students with a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of Atlantic Canada’s historical, political, economic and cultural life, as well as the region’s natural environment.
To complete the Certificate, students are required to complete the following twenty-four (24) credit hours.
- 15 credit hours from Group A below
- 9 credit hours from Group B below
Admission requirements for the Certificate in Atlantic Canada Studies
The Certificate in Atlantic Canada Studies requires a formal application for admission and the official approval of the Undergraduate Coordinator for Atlantic Canada Studies. Students applying for admission to the program must have completed thirty (30) credit hours of undergraduate study at an accredited university or must show a demonstrated interest in the field. Students majoring in Atlantic Canada Studies at Saint Mary’s University are not eligible for this program.
Students admitted to the program must complete at least eighteen (18) credit hours at Saint Mary’s University. The official approval of the Undergraduate Coordinator for Atlantic Canada Studies is required for credit hours completed at another institution to be included in the certificate program.
Group A
Atlantic Canada Studies
ACST 1000 Making Sense of Atlantic Canada
ACST/IRST 1203 Scottish Gaelic I
ACST/IRST 1204 Scottish Gaelic II
ACST 1207 Mi’Kmaw Language – Introductory I
ACST 1208 Mi’Kmaw Language – Introductory II
ACST 2311 Inheriting Atlantic Canada: The Cultural Past
ACST 2313 Researching Atlantic Canada
ACST/HIST 2341 Atlantic Provinces History, to Confederation
ACST/HIST 2342 Atlantic Provinces History, from Confederation
ACST/ENGL 2380 Literature of Atlantic Canada
ACST 2400 Health and Social Policy in Atlantic Canada
ACST 2826–2849 Selected Topics in Atlantic Canada Studies I
ACST 3305 Atlantic Canada Film and Television
ACST 3312 Living in Atlantic Canada
ACST 3320 Gender in Atlantic Canada
ACST 3321 African Nova Scotian Culture
ACST/IRST 3325 The Irish and Atlantic Canada
ACST/GEOG 3340 Geography of Nova Scotia
ACST 3354 The Foreign Protestants and the Founding of Lunenburg
ACST 3364 Nova Scotia in the Romantic Age, 1768 –1836
ACST/HIST 3470 The British Black Atlantic
ACST 3826–3849 Selected Topics in Atlantic Canada Studies II
ACST 4400 Health, Illness and Disease in Atlantic Canada
ACST 4411 Atlantic Canada Seminar I
ACST 4412 Atlantic Canada Seminar II
ACST 4500 Honours Seminar
ACST 4511 - 4512 Honours Seminar
ACST 4543 Indigenous Peoples in Atlantic Canada: Contemporary Issues
ACST/HIST 4565 Scottish Migration
ACST 4632 Atlantic Canada Ecology and Resources
ACST 4633 Reading the Landscapes of Atlantic Canada
ACST 4876-4899 Directed Readings
Anthropology
ANTH 2316 Native Peoples of Canada
ANTH 3379 The Archeology of Acadia
ANTH 4466 Researching Halifax Heritage
Economics
ECON 3324 The Atlantic Economy
ECON 3325 Atlantic Economy Seminar
English
ENGL 2461 Mi'kmaq Storytelling and Literature
ENGL 4465 Indigenous Literature Seminar
Environomnetal Science
ENVS 3310 Field Course in Environmental Science
Geography
GEOG 3340 Geography of Nova Scotia
GEOG 3454 Bay of Fundy: Environments and Issues
Geology
GEOL 1202 Planet Earth: the Atlantic Canadian Perspective
GEOL 1203 Earth History: Atlantic Canada Perspective
GEOL 1208 Environmental Geology: Atlantic Canada
History
HIST 2346 Black Heritage in Maritime Canada
HIST 3470 The British Black Atlantic
HIST 4501 Public History
Political Science
POLI 2307 Provincial Government and Politics
Religious Studies
RELS 4390 Religion and Society in Atlantic Canada
Group B
Atlantic Canada Studies
ACST/IRST 2327 Scottish Gaelic – Intermediate
ACST/IRST 2328 Scottish Gaelic – Intermediate II
ACST 2471 History of Football
ACST 2472 History of Hockey
Anthropology
ANTH 2401 Anthropology of Work
ANTH 3329 The Arctic Cultural Area
ANTH 3377 Urban Anthropology
ANTH 3378 Landscape Archeology
ANTH/LING 3395 Language Issues in the Arctic
ANTH/LING 3396 Language Issues in Canada
ANTH 4462 Method and Theory in Historical Archeology
Criminology
CRIM 4610 Practicum in Community Development
Economics
English
ENGL 3343 Cultural Studies
ENGL 3344 Canadian Literature to 1920
ENGL 3345 Canadian Literature after 1920
ENGL 3367 Canlit: the 60s and 70s
ENGL 3437 Canadian Drama
ENGL 3471 Contemporary Canadian Fiction
ENGL 3472 Contemporary Canadian Poetry
Environmental Science
ENVS 4440 Environmental Policy
Finance
FINA 3364 Canadian Securities
French
FREN/LING 4440 Canadian French: Sociolinguistic Perspectives
Geography
GEOG 2310 Geography of Canada: Overview
GEOG 2315 The Oceans
GEOG 4434 Watershed Management
GEOG 4449 Tourist Geographies
History
HIST 1252 Canada to Confederation
HIST 1253 Canada: Confederation to the Present
HIST 1260 History of the Americas
HIST 3100 Canadian Women
HIST 3403 Invention of Canada
HIST 4527 Biography and History
HIST/IRST 4566 Irish Migration
Management
MGMT 3386 Industrial Relations
MGMT 4498 Small Business Consultancy
Political Science
POLI 1240 Politics and Business
POLI 2304 Canadian Politics in the 21st Century
POLI 3310 Government and the Media
POLI 3315 Canadian Foreign Policy
POLI 3450 Women and Canadian Politics
Religious Studies
RELS 1210 Introduction to Religion
RELS 1211 Introduction to Religious Experience
RELS 3354 Aboriginal Peoples, Religion, and the Justice System
RELS 3355 Religion and Social Issues in Canada
RELS 3358 Religious Diversity in Canada
Social Justice and Community Studies
SJCS 3408 Urban Social Justice
SJCS 3508 Corporate Crime