Undergraduate Program Information

With dynamic courses and focused instruction, our undergraduate programs empower students to engage the key issues that define our age. Beyond our rich in-class curriculum and online course options, we offer multiple possibilities for international experiential learning. By providing the foundational knowledge and tangible skills necessary to operate in an increasingly globalized job market, our programs open pathways towards a wide range of career choices and further study options.

To introduce students to the core themes of global development, DEVS offers two sequential first year courses: Development Studies in Global Perspective (DEVS 101) and Canada in the World (DEVS 102). These courses engage students with the core ideas and themes that run across Global Development Studies. They employ a variety of teaching and learning methods that combine new technologies with dynamic lectures and group workshops. While engaging important global issues, students also learn core skills of university-level writing, critical thinking and research techniques.

After taking our introductory courses, students enrolled in our programs move onto core foundational courses in Indigenous Studies, Political Economy, Culture and Development, Environmental Change, and Gender and Development. These are offered alongside an array of optional thematic courses. In their third and fourth years, students choose between increasingly specialized topics courses covering subjects from Business and Development through to Cities and Urbanisation. Third year students also have many opportunities to study abroad through the International Programs Office.

In fourth year, students doing a Major or Medial in DEVS select between a range of core seminars covering a wide range of themes. These capstone seminars operate with a maximum of 20 students, enabling close instruction by an expert in the field.

Overall, the courses in the undergraduate program cover a broad range of topics allowing students the flexibility to sample the field broadly or specialize in chosen areas.