Arts & Science
www.mcmaster.ca/artsci
HAMILTON O N TA R I O CANADA mcmaster.ca/future
mcmaster.ca/artsci
Arts & Science Program The Program stresses active, self-directed and interdisciplinary learning with emphasis on the development of skills of analysis, evaluation, synthesis and communication. The Program is unique in offering an extensive integrated core curriculum, designed specifically and exclusively for its students that bridges the divide between the arts and the sciences and also between academia and public concern. The majority of its graduates go on to graduate or professional schools in a wide variety of fields. This is a limited enrolment, interdisciplinary program that brings students together in an intimate intellectual environment conducive to collaborative learning, not only among students, but also between students and faculty and among faculty members as well.
Is the Arts & Science Program Right for You? The answer may be yes if‌ You love learning and have interests in both the arts and the sciences and want to continue them. You value opportunities to develop skills, such as communication, inquiry and critical thinking, that support intellectual activities. You look forward to being a member of a small community of very able peers who are dedicated to academic and extracurricular activities.
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Inquiry Seminars Our program remains small by design. With relatively low enrolment, we can do the kind of teaching that is essential to the continued success of the Program. A clear example of our philosophy of education can be found in the Level III Inquiry courses, which are designed to develop skills basic to the systematic investigation of public issues. These skills include those involved in formulating questions, gathering and interpreting evidence from a variety of sources, evaluating arguments and reaching well-considered conclusions. The courses emphasize active personal engagement of the student in knowledge discovery; using a variety of approaches such as self-directed and instructor-guided activities, individual and group projects, simulations and experiential learning (within a context of collaborative learning). Level I Inquiry (Arts & Science 1C06) is currently focused on development issues in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Upper-level Inquiry topics have included: environment, the context of scientific research, native peoples, human rights, media, diversity and multiculturalism, climate change and global warming. The Program stresses active and self-directed learning and interdisciplinarity with emphasis on the development of skills of analysis, evaluation, synthesis and communication.
Arts & Science Program Curriculum Level I Western Civilization Writing and Informal Logic Inquiry Calculus Biology/Chemistry/Environmental Science
Level II Economics Modern Western Civilization Physics Statistics Elective Elective
Timing of Offers of Admission MANDATORY SUPPLEMENTARY APPLICATION
Deadline: February 1, 2012 We anticipate that most offers of admission will be made in early May. Admission to the Arts & Science Program is by selection. All Arts & Science applicants are required to provide additional information on the supplementary application to assist us in making admission decisions. The purpose of the Supplementary Application is to help us learn more about your ideas, interests and activities. The submission should not be a rewrite of the Program description in the Undergraduate Calendar. There is no formula for a ‘good’ supplementary application. The deadline for receipt of the Supplementary Application at the University is February 1, 2012. Supplementary applications are available as an electronic form at: www.mcmaster.ca/artsci
Combined Degree Options
Admission Requirements
Approximately one-half of the Arts & Science students register in a Combined Honours Arts & Science program in their second or third year.
Students must present the following required Grade 12 U and/or M courses with a minimum admission average of 88% to be considered for admission.
Such students will thus meet the academic requirements for an Honours degree in specific disciplines. There are at least 29 Combined Honours programs. It is also possible to do a minor in a selected area of concentration.
Level III Literature Technology and Society Inquiry or Elective Elective Elective
Level IV Eastern Studies Individual Study/Thesis Inquiry or Elective Elective Elective
Required Grade 12 U/M courses: English U One of: Advanced Functions (MHF4U) or Calculus & Vectors (MCV4U) (Calculus & Vectors is strongly recommended) Two of the four additional courses must be at the U level
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Level I Program Total = 30 units Required: 30 units Arts
& Sci 1A06 Arts & Sci 1B06 Arts & Sci 1C06 Arts & Sci 1D06 6 units from the following list*: Biology
1A03, 1M03 Chemistry 1A03, 1AA3 Environmental Science 1A03, 1B03, 1G03 * These science courses may be postponed to allow for elective course work, but must be completed by the end of Level II.
Level I Course Descriptions Note: The last digit of the course code indicates the unit value of a particular course (e.g. 1A06 = 6 units).
Arts & Science 1A06
Biology 1A03
Western Civilization
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Examines some of the central themes in Western social, religious, and cultural history, from classical Greece to late eighteenth-century Europe. Topics will include theories of historical change; the influence of such factors as class, race and gender on the evolution of social systems; the relationship between political movements and the rise of experimental science.
As a combined lecture/laboratory course, Biology 1A03 is a prerequisite for many health-related professional programs including medicine, optometry and dentistry. It is also a prerequisite for many higher level biology courses. Topics covered include structure, molecular composition and function in sub-cellular and cellular systems. The laboratory component emphasizes skill development, scientific communication and problem-based learning.
Arts & Science 1B06
Prerequisite: SBI4U or Biology 1P03 and registration in any Level I program from the Faculty of Science or registration in Arts & Science I.
Writing and Informal Logic Develops the student’s critical and analytical skills in dealing with the written word. Students will receive individual attention in expository writing.
Arts & Science 1C06 Level I Inquiry Taken by all students, but divided into three subgroups, this course is currently focused on development issues in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Arts & Science 1D06 Calculus Aims to provide a thorough understanding of the principles and major applications of differential and integral calculus, so that you will be able to apply and communicate your mathematical and technical ideas.
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Biology 1M03 Biodiversity, Evolution and Humanity This course covers fundamental evolutionary and ecological concepts with particular reference to biodiversity and human evolution. We examine the dynamics of species diversity and explore the evolution and impact of humans. Emphasis is placed on evolution, ecology, behaviour and conservation as related to the gain and loss of biodiversity. The PBL (problem-based learning) tutorials reinforce the lecture topics and develop skills facilitating the interpretation of scientific observations. The course is a prerequisite for many programs and most relevant to those focusing on evolution and ecology. Prerequisite: SBI4U or Biology 1P03.
Chemistry 1A03
Environmental Science 1B03
Introductory Chemistry I
The Living Environment
This course provides the first part of a fundamental background in chemistry for students proceeding to more advanced chemistry in the physical sciences, life sciences and earth sciences. Topics include descriptive chemistry of selected non-metals and metals, atomic and molecular structure, thermodynamics and electrochemistry.
This course provides an introduction to the characteristics of the biosphere and to major environmental processes and issues. It includes discussion of soil, nutrients, population, micro and macro evolution, and biodiversity. The labs will emphasize fieldwork and techniques in data analysis and presentation.
Chemistry 1AA3
Environmental Science 1G03
Introductory Chemistry II
Earth and the Environment
This course continues from Chemistry 1A03 with the principles and practice of chemical equilibrium, introduces chemical kinetics and lays the foundation of organic chemistry. Lecture demonstrations are an integral part of the course.
This course provides an introduction to environmental geology and geomorphology. It includes discussion of the composition and structure of the Earth’s crust, plate tectonics, volcanism, weathering, and mass movement. Fluvial, glacial and coastal systems will be the main landform systems studied. The labs will emphasize fieldwork and techniques in data analysis and presentation.
Environmental Science 1A03 Atmosphere and Hydrosphere This course offers an introduction to the controls on and behaviour of weather, climate and surface waters. The course will focus on the atmospheric processes that are essential to understanding climate and climate change, climate variability, distribution and pollution of surface waters. The labs will emphasize fieldwork and techniques in data analysis and presentation.
Typical Timetable – Term 1 Time
Monday
8:30 a.m.
Tuesday
Wednesday
Arts & Science 1DO6 – Calculus (lecture)
Thursday Arts & Science 1DO6 (lecture)
9:30 a.m.
Arts & Science 1DO6 (lecture)
10:30 a.m.
Arts & Science 1BO6 – Writing and Informal Logic (lecture)
11:30 a.m.
Biology 1AO3 – Structural and Functional Relations in Living Systems (lecture)
12:30 p.m.
Arts & Science 1AO6 – Western Civilization (lecture)
1:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m.
Friday
Arts & Science 1BO6 (tutorial) Arts & Science 1BO6 (lecture)
Biology 1AO3 (lecture)
Arts & Science 1CO6 – Inquiry (lecture) Biology 1AO3 (lab)
Arts & Science 1A06 (lecture) Arts & Science 1CO6 (lecture)
Biology 1AO3 (lecture)
Arts & Science 1CO6 (tutorial)
3:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m.
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Beyond Arts & Science. Our Graduates One year after graduation virtually all Arts & Science graduates have pursued further education in a variety of fields, for example: Anthropology
Comparative Literature
Forensic Biology
Nutrition
Biochemistry
Diplomacy
Geography
Pharmacology
Biology
Ecology
Gerontology
Philosophy
Bio-statistics
Economics
History
Physics
Botany
English
International Development
Political Science
Business Administration
Environmental Studies
Library Science
Psychology
Classics
Epidemiology
Linguistics
Religious Studies
Community Development/ Planning
Fine Arts
Mathematics
Resource Management
French
Medical Sciences
Sociology and Statistics.
Communication Many former students also entered professional or technical programs such as: Architecture
Journalism
Nursing
Social Work
Chiropractic
Law
Occupational Therapy
Speech Pathology
Dentistry
Medicine
Photography
Teaching.
Engineering
Naturopathy
Physiotherapy
The remaining graduates are travelling or working, but many of them return to further studies within two years.
Kat Kinch was listed among the “Best and the Brightest – Twenty-five faces for the Future” in the May 24, 2004 edition of Maclean’s magazine. She is a graduate of the University of British Columbia Law School, where she won the law faculty’s award for best all-round graduating student. “ Being an Artsci can lead to many things: realizing the goals you set for yourself when you were five (or twenty-five), surprising yourself with careers you hadn’t heard of before you arrived at the program, or, at a minimum, discovering that you are surrounded by students, professors and staff who are committed to a discipline of adventurous learning. Caution: you might lose the capacity to sit still, be quiet, and accept what you’re told... a phenomenon that later pushed the boundaries of my law degree into human rights activism and feminist legal research. While I was at McMaster, I knew I was part of an amazing academic community; when I left, I realized that I had been given the foundation to keep on educating myself, critically and energetically, in the world.”
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Farah Mawani is an epidemiologist who is currently National Coordinator for the New Canadian Children and Youth Study which involves 40 team members spread across six cities in Canada. “ I was attracted to the opportunity to take a variety of courses from different disciplines throughout the program, with a particular emphasis on writing and critical thinking skills. I was especially attracted to the interdisciplinary (Inquiry) courses focusing on global issues – I wanted to be able to apply what I was learning in my coursework to real and important issues, so that I could continue to do that beyond my university career.”
Brenda Matthews holds a Ph.D in Astronomy and is a researcher at the University of California at Berkeley focusing on star and planet information. “ I remember the great atmosphere of being in classes where discussion was such a large component of the learning process. What I think was great about Arts & Science was not necessarily what we were learning, but how the program was broad enough that it let students discover where their interests really were and, most importantly, pursue them. I think it honed my ability to express ideas and formulate theories, which has served me very well as a scientist.”
tours.mcmaster.ca
Visitor Information Regular Campus Tours Campus tours take about 1½ hours and are conducted by McMaster students. The entire campus is covered in the tour including a visit to at least one residence building. Please note: advanced notice of two to three working days is required tours are available Monday to Friday, from October 3 to December 6, 2011 and January 9 to April 5, 2012 tour times are 10:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. campus tours may be scheduled on some Saturdays with at least one week’s advance notice campus tours are also available throughout the summer, from mid-May to the beginning of August
Special Visit Events Fall Preview Saturday, October 29, 2011
Virtual Tour tours.mcmaster.ca Unable to visit McMaster in person? Explore our picturesque campus via one of our online tours. You can take a Guided Tour that follows the same route as an in-person walking tour, create a personalized tour or simply explore major campus hotspots. We also offer a basic version for users with a slower internet connection or older computer.
visit display areas and talk with reps from academic, service areas and student groups in a relaxed and informal Roam Around Session tour the campus
March Break Monday, March 12 – Friday, March 16, 2012
To register for a campus tour, contact the Student Recruitment & Admissions Office: Tour Portal tours.mcmaster.ca e-mail liaison@mcmaster.ca phone 905-525-9140 ext. 23650 fax 905-524-3550
regular campus tours faculty-specific activities available be sure to register in advance as group sizes are limited
May@Mac Saturday, May 12, 2012 Complimentary parking passes will be provided for registered campus tour visitors upon arrival. Please refer to your tour booking confirmation e-mail for further details. It is best to enter the campus via the Sterling Street entrance (Central Campus). Directions can be found online at: www.mcmaster.ca/welcome/findus.cfm
University-wide Open House event applicants will be sent information in the Spring includes campus bus tours, special facility tours, sample lectures and lab demonstrations, opportunities to speak with professors, staff and students
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Still have questions? ask.mcmaster.ca
Hamilton, Ontario Canada L8S 4L8 905-525-9140 ext. 23650 mcmaster.ca/future