Vancouver Summer Programs 2013
Potential Course Offerings
Enhance your students’ learning experiences with study in an international setting in Vancouver, BC
Canada! Each university will organize a cohort of a minimum of 24 students who will study the same
two courses all in the beautiful campus of the University of British Columbia. The two courses for each
cohort may be selected from any of the following courses below. We are also open to your ideas for
courses in other areas. For further information, please contact us:
Ms. Teresa Sham
Coordinator, International Academic Projects
Office of the Provost and Vice President Academic
University of British Columbia, Vancouver
teresa.sham@ubc.ca
1.604.822.0563
Ms. Winty Cheung
Executive Director
UBC Asia Pacific Regional Office, Hong Kong
winty.cheung@apro.ubc.ca
852.2111.4401
Business
International Business Management
Development of general environmental framework for international business studies by drawing on
international and development economics, research into government-business relations and studies in
comparative socio-cultural systems and political systems.
International Marketing
An analysis of the scope and significance of contemporary international business operations with
particular reference to the marketing management problems encountered by firms with multinational
branches and subsidiaries.
Arts
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Explores the ways in which social categories such as race, class, gender, and sexuality vary crossculturally. Students use issues from the contemporary world to learn about the way anthropological
approaches and concepts can be applied in the real world within which we all live.
Culture and Communication
This course critically examines the relationship between language and culture by covering key debates in
the field such as animal vs. human communication, language change and language standardization.
Explore how language is involved in cultural constructions of race, gender, class and ethnicity. The
course will analyze how language has been understood in relation to power, political economy and
language ideologies.
Vancouver Summer Programs 2013
Potential Course Offerings
Arts (cont’d)
Introduction to Museums and Museology
In this introductory course, students will examine the historical and contemporary relations between
museums, cultural heritage, art and anthropology--probing into theories of the object, collections and
the politics of collecting. The course focuses on the crisis and the re-imagining of the museum in the
late twentieth and twenty-first century. We will trace the move to democratize and “decolonize” the
museum field through innovative architecture, exhibitions and curatorial practices; through indigenous
strategies of representation and repatriation; through public programming and education; through the
dynamics of globalization and new media technologies, as well as other strategies and forms.
Introduction to Comparative Politics
This course provides an introduction to comparative politics. It explores the core concepts, theories, and
methods required to analyse political systems according to social scientific standards. This course equips
students with the terminology and critical thinking skills that can be used to research and understand
politics in both the developed and developing world, with special attention given to the analysis of
political institutions in democratic countries. Areas to be covered include: states and nations, regime
types and their consequences, electoral and party systems, and executive-legislative structures.
International Politics
This course is designed to introduce students to the field of Global Politics (or International
Relations). Accordingly, the course will examine international relations theory, decision-making analysis,
international security and conflict management, the evolution and future of the international economy,
development, the role of institutions and non-state actors, globalization, and the politics of climate
change. The course material is oriented toward issues of contemporary and future relevance, and
students will be expected to incorporate current issues into their work.
Natural Resources (Forestry, Food, Environment and Sustainability)
An introduction to the ecology, economics, and politics of carbon
An introduction to three important aspects associated with the buildup of atmospheric CO2 and the role
played by forests in its mitigation. The first topic concerns the ecology of carbon. The second addresses
the economics of carbon - the various means by which a monetary cost (and value) is attached to carbon
emissions and storage, and how this is used to regulate emissions. In the third component, the politics
of carbon, we review subnational, national and international agreements to restrict CO2 emissions.
Vancouver Summer Programs 2013
Potential Course Offerings
Natural Resources (cont’d)
Sustainable natural resource management: concepts and challenges in the modern world
An introduction to the important principles and concepts of sustainable natural resource management,
with a particular emphasis on forestry.
International Forestry
A meaningful analyses of global forest issues, policies and governance. The course will equip the
students with a deepened understanding of the existing and emerging topics in international forestry,
and of the interactions of actors involved in forestry.
Sustainable Forest Management
An examination of how recent developments in sustainable forest management have evolved and been
applied, as well as investigating their implications and trends. The overview of the bases of forest
ecology will be augmented by the discussion of the complexity of the current forest management issues.
Exploring Our Food
An introduction to key concepts related to the science of food: the Canadian food system, chemical and
physical properties of foods, government regulations, food additives, food preservation techniques,
food safety, and trends in foods for nutrition and health. Students will learn to arrive at an informed
position about controversial issues relating to the food that they encounter as consumers in the
marketplace, and that they hear about in the media.
Introduction to Wine Science
Primary course topics are the elements of viticulture & vinification involved in quality wine production,
wine industry regulations, the terroir and classic wines of certain significant wine-producing areas of the
world, and trends in wine production. Consideration is given to the role of wine on health and society,
and the marketing of wine.
Food Safety
An overview of food safety within the food processing environments and the regulatory systems in
various jurisdictions such as the US, Canada, as well as the Codex Alimentarius. The course enables
students to identify physical, chemical and biological hazards and understand the process of developing
a food safety management system. Students will learn about the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control
Points (HACCP) system and how to proactively apply the food safety concept to any other food safety
and quality management systems, such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 22000,
British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Safe Quality Food (SQF).
Vancouver Summer Programs 2013
Potential Course Offerings
Natural Resources (cont’d)
Sustainable Food Production
An opportunity to experience the inner workings of a sustainable, campus farming operation, and to
make connections between the ecosystems that nourish the thriving, urban communities surrounding
the farm. Students will participate in plenary sessions with course instructors and guest lecturers from
the UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems, in guided group discussions, field trips on and off campus,
and in a variety of seasonal, hands-on farming activities.
Kinesiology
Leisure and Sport in Society
An overview of contemporary perspectives on the social, cultural, environmental, and economic
dimensions of leisure and sport. The course is intended to help students develop the capacity to think
critically about present-day issues in leisure and sport, offer experience working/presenting in small
groups, and provide some familiarity with the ways that various sociological concepts and methods can
be applied. The course will provide opportunities to visit sports facilities in Vancouver, BC.
Pedagogical Approaches in Physical Education
An overview of a range of pedagogical approaches in physical education. The course is intended to help
students develop the capacity to think critically about the current status of physical education, offer
experience teaching and presenting in pairs and small groups, and provide opportunities to critically
examine topics of interest. The course will comprise visits to a number of outdoor locales in Vancouver,
BC.