Bachelor of Arts and Science - Women and Gender Studies & Chemistry (Optional Co-op)

For the Bachelor of Arts and Science, students must complete two majors: an Arts major, and a Science major.

Women and Gender Studies

Whether as activists, scholars or labourers, women have generated significant changes in society. Women and Gender Studies offer students the opportunity to learn how these changes were initiated and gives them the tools to actively participate in the creation of an inclusive society.

Using feminist theory and research methodologies, Women and Gender Studies examine the historical and contemporary conditions of women and men in society. The department draws on a vibrant community of scholars and activists both inside and outside the university to explore a wide range of issues.

Students in the program will increase their knowledge of women’s lives, bodies, experiences, labour and scholarship. They will also explore feminism as an influential political and social global movement that has generated significant change in all aspects of daily life for men and women.

The department encourages all students to enroll in women and gender studies classes to discover enlightening perspectives applicable to their chosen field of study. By participating in these classes, they will develop an in-depth understanding of how current and historical events, ideas and institutions have been structured by gender, ethnicity, race, age, ability, class and sexuality.

Chemistry

Chemistry studies the elements that comprise all matter. Everything in the world — the air, water, food, cars, even human bodies — are made from these elements. There are five main branches of chemistry: • analytical focuses on the detection and measurement of chemical species used in fields like forensics. • organic deals with carbon compounds, which are the main components of living matter. • inorganic delves into all the remaining elements, most of which are found in the mineral world. • physical looks at the study of the fundamental principles governing the behavior of matter. • theoretical starts by exploring basic physical theories like quantum mechanics in order to provide frameworks within which all chemical phenomena can be understood.

The primary focus of the program is to provide students with extensive theoretical knowledge in all five branches, in addition to enhancing their technical and practical skills with hands-on experience. Throughout the program, they will receive intensive laboratory instruction on the transformation and safe handling of chemical compounds, as well as hands-on training in advanced instrumental techniques such as elemental analysis, optical spectroscopy, magnetic resonance, X-ray diffraction and mass spectrometry. Chemistry graduates will have access to state-of-the-art research facilities that provide the infrastructure to support the research interests of University of Lethbridge’s award-winning faculty, the instructors, as they investigate diverse areas of the chemical sciences including catalysis, nanomaterials and food chemistry.