Wilfrid Laurier University
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

Laurier's Strategic Academic Plan (SAP) outlines strategies to advance Laurier’s mission and vision over the next five years. Laurier continues to endorse the core principles expressed in the 2010 plan: discovery and innovation, civic engagement, diversity, integration, global citizenship, sustainability, justice, quantitative and scientific analysis, communication and performance. Academic programming and research at Laurier remain best understood as grouped under the Pillars listed in the SAP. Pillar 2 is focused on expanding experiential learning with the goal of building an intentional structure of experiential learning connected to program learning outcomes which themselves are connected to the “communities of interest” critical to Laurier’s graduates. Part of this goal is to focus more intentionally on integrating experiential learning by emphasizing the importance of tying program learning outcomes to the skills required for students to engage the complexity of the 21st century and the many communities of interest to which they belong: geographic, virtual, cultural, social, professional, environmental and economic. More details can be found here: https://www.wlu.ca/about/discover-laurier/strategic-initiatives/strategic-academic-plan.html

Programs with sustainability focused learning outcomes: Applied Water Science, BSc Upon graduating, students will be able to: Establish themselves in a variety of stimulating careers ranging from environmental consulting to teaching, from planning to intelligence work, and from public administration to development work overseas A comprehensive understanding of the physical, chemical and biological properties of water and its critical role in maintaining ecosystem and human health How to identify and solve ongoing and emerging threats to our water resources including those caused by human activities and climate change Give students the scientific knowledge as well as the analytical, computing and communication skills and experience needed to contribute to society’s need to maintain and improve the availability and safety of Canada’s and the world's water resources Environmental Science, BSc Upon graduating, students will be able to: Establish themselves in a variety of stimulating careers ranging from environmental consulting to teaching, from planning to intelligence work, and from public administration to development work overseas Use ideas from biology, chemistry and geography to understand how physical and chemical processes affect rock, soil, air and water, which then affect the distribution, abundance and performance of living organisms Develop a broad range of skills that will allow you to identify the scope of environmental challenges Learn to devise ways to counter problems caused by human activities based on fundamental principles of how organisms perform in their interactions with their biological, geochemical and physical environment Global Studies , BA Upon completion of an undergraduate Global Studies degree, students should have a diverse array of knowledge, broadly conceived to include self-awareness and affect. They should be able to identify, explain and critically engage with: Multiple disciplinary perspectives and theoretical lenses by which to examine key local, national and global issues; The key theoretical and methodological approaches employed in the historical and contemporary study of global issues; The important similarities and differences in cultural, social, and political life around the world, as well as the role of globalization in generating processes of encounter, exchange, hybridity and homogenization with respect to these spheres of life; Globally prevalent normative principles—such as equality, justice and peace— that have a key role in shaping global institutions, policies and social movements; The power-infused relationships between self and others, as well as the social, economic, political and religious influences that shape our own worldview and positionality within those relationships. Human Rights and Human Diversity, BA Prepares you for careers and further study by equipping you with an understanding of human rights (their origins, the laws and institutions designed to protect them, the range of rights, and controversial issues) Prepares you for careers and further study by equipping you with an understanding of human diversity (the forces and processes that are diversifying societies, policies that have been put in place to manage and accommodate diversity, as well as issues and opportunities that are accompanying diversity) Social and Environmental Justice, BA Upon graduating, students will understand: Poverty and policies to reduce income inequality Climate change and sustainable communities Sociology, BA, MA Upon graduating, students will be able to: Demonstrate an understanding of how culture, socialization, social situations, and social structure affect personal behaviour, ideas, choices and social opportunities. Demonstrate awareness of social justice issues and the processes by which social inequality is generated, sustained, and potentially overcome. Where appropriate, develop skills for reflexive action (praxis) geared towards transformative social justice. Engage in critical social inquiry into contemporary social issues in Canada and globally, as well as be able to apply resulting knowledge to everyday life. Demonstrate foundational knowledge of the historical contexts and contemporary conditions of Indigenous people in Canada Women and Gender Studies, BA Upon graduating, students will be able to: Conduct an analysis of gender in relationship to power that recognizes the intersectionality of privilege and oppression rooted in race, class, age, ability, sexuality, ethnicity nationality and post-coloniality.

Environmental Science Option Students required to take one or more sustainability courses for successful completion. Courses include: GESC290 Environmental Studies, BA Students required to take one or more sustainability courses for successful completion. Courses include: ES101, ES102, GG102, GESC290 Geography, BA, BSc, MA Students required to take one or more sustainability courses for successful completion. Courses include: GESC290 International Development Option Students required to take one or more sustainability courses for successful completion. Courses include: HR328 Social Entrepreneurship Option Students required to take one or more sustainability courses for successful completion. Courses include: UU101 Sustainability Option Students required to take one or more sustainability courses for successful completion. Courses include: ES101, ES102, ES296