Undergraduate Requirements

Atlantic Canada Studies (ACST)

Atlantic Canada Studies is an interdisciplinary major, minor, honours, concentration, and certificate option in the Arts Faculty which has developed out of an increasing demand by students, faculty and the community generally, for a more organized study of this region.

Students who complete a major, minor, honours, concentration, or certificate in Atlantic Canada Studies will have helped to prepare themselves for a fuller and more meaningful participation in the life of Atlantic Canada, and will have acquired a useful background for careers in teaching, trade and industry, and the various bureaus of the provincial and federal civil services. Their attention is particularly drawn to the advantages, from a career point of view, of taking Atlantic Canada Studies as part of a double major or honours.

Students are required to choose their courses in consultation with a member of the Atlantic Canada Studies Committee, and are strongly urged to select one of its members to advise them for the duration of the program, and to provide the necessary liaison with the Committee.


Graduate Studies

For detailed information on the Master of Arts in Atlantic Canada Studies, refer to the Graduate Academic Calendar.


Major in Atlantic Canada Studies

To complete a major in Atlantic Canada Studies, a student must meet the usual University requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree, and in particular, obtain forty- eight (48) credit hours from the courses listed below with a minimum GPA of 2.00 out of 4.3. At least 24 credit hours must be at the 2000 level or above.

  • ACST 1000 Making Sense of Atlantic Canada
  • a minimum of 3 credit hours in ACST 4000-level courses
  • 18 credit hours from Group A below
  • 24 credit hours from Group B below

Honours in Atlantic Canada Studies

To complete an honours program in Atlantic Canada Studies, a student must meet the usual University requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree, and in particular, obtain sixty (60) credit hours from the courses listed below with a minimum GPA of 3.00 out of
4.3. At least 48 credit hours must be at the 2000 level or above.

  • ACST 1000 Making Sense of Atlantic Canada
  • a minimum of 3 credit hours in ACST 4000-level courses
  • ACST 4500 Honours Seminar
  • 21 credit hours from Group A below
  • 24 credit hours from Group B below
  • 3 credit hours from either Group A or B

Concentration in Atlantic Canada Studies

To complete a concentration in Atlantic Canada Studies, a student must meet the usual University requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree, and in particular, obtain twenty- four (24) credit hours from the courses listed below with a minimum GPA of 2.00 out of 4.3. At least 18 credit hours must be at the 2000 level or above.

  • ACST 1000 Making Sense of Atlantic Canada
  • a minimum of 3 credit hours in ACST 4000-level courses
  • 18 credit hours from Group A below

Minor in Atlantic Canada Studies

To complete a minor in Atlantic Canada Studies, a student must obtain twenty-four (24) credit hours from the courses listed below with a minimum GPA of 2.00 out of 4.3. At least 12 credit hours must be at the 2000 level and above.

  • ACST 1000 Making Sense of Atlantic Canada
  • 12 credit hours from Group A below
  • 9 credit hours from Group B

Certificate in Atlantic Canada Studies

The Certificate in Atlantic Canada Studies is designed to meet the needs of students who wish to develop a more nuanced understanding of the region. It will be attractive for students from within Atlantic Canada who wish to improve their knowledge of the local culture that shapes and surrounds them. As well, it provides a valuable educational option for international students travelling abroad who may wish to follow an intense, but carefully planned curriculum that combines a variety of different academic opportunities into a one-year program of study. By creating a classroom environment where local and international students share their different perspectives on the region, the certificate stimulates a useful exchange of ideas and fully integrates the study of Atlantic Canada into a broader national and global analytical framework.

By striking this balance between courses that are tightly focused on the study of the region, and supplementary classes designed to provide a broader Canadian context, the certificate provides students with a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of Atlantic Canada’s historical, political, economic and cultural life, as well as the region’s natural environment.

To complete the Certificate, students are required to complete the following twenty-four (24) credit hours.

  • 15 credit hours from Group A below
  • 9 credit hours from Group B below

Admission requirements for the Certificate in Atlantic Canada Studies
The Certificate in Atlantic Canada Studies requires a formal application for admission and the official approval of the Undergraduate Coordinator for Atlantic Canada Studies. Students applying for admission to the program must have completed thirty (30) credit hours of undergraduate study at an accredited university or must show a demonstrated interest in the field. Students majoring in Atlantic Canada Studies at Saint Mary’s University are not eligible for this program.

Students admitted to the program must complete at least eighteen (18) credit hours at Saint Mary’s University. The official approval of the Undergraduate Coordinator for Atlantic Canada Studies is required for credit hours completed at another institution to be included in the certificate program.

Group A
Atlantic Canada Studies

ACST 1000 Making Sense of Atlantic Canada 
ACST/IRST 1203 Scottish Gaelic I 
ACST/IRST 1204 Scottish Gaelic II
ACST 1207 Mi’Kmaw Language – Introductory I
ACST 1208 Mi’Kmaw Language – Introductory II
ACST 2311 Inheriting Atlantic Canada: The Cultural Past 
ACST 2313 Researching Atlantic Canada
ACST/HIST 2341 Atlantic Provinces History, to Confederation
ACST/HIST 2342 Atlantic Provinces History, from Confederation 
ACST/ENGL 2380 Literature of Atlantic Canada
ACST 2400 Health and Social Policy in Atlantic Canada 
ACST 2826–2849 Selected Topics in Atlantic Canada Studies I
ACST 3305 Atlantic Canada Film and Television
ACST 3312 Living in Atlantic Canada
ACST 3320 Gender in Atlantic Canada 
ACST 3321 African Nova Scotian Culture
ACST/IRST 3325 The Irish and Atlantic Canada 
ACST/GEOG 3340 Geography of Nova Scotia
ACST 3354 The Foreign Protestants and the Founding of Lunenburg
ACST 3364 Nova Scotia in the Romantic Age, 1768 –1836
ACST/HIST 3470 The British Black Atlantic
ACST 3826–3849 Selected Topics in Atlantic Canada Studies II
ACST 4400 Health, Illness and Disease in Atlantic Canada
ACST 4411 Atlantic Canada Seminar I 
ACST 4412 Atlantic Canada Seminar II 
ACST 4500 Honours Seminar
ACST 4511 - 4512 Honours Seminar 
ACST 4543 Indigenous Peoples in Atlantic Canada: Contemporary Issues
ACST/HIST 4565 Scottish Migration 
ACST 4632 Atlantic Canada Ecology and Resources
ACST 4633 Reading the Landscapes of Atlantic Canada
ACST 4876-4899 Directed Readings

Anthropology

ANTH 2316 Native Peoples of Canada
ANTH 3379 The Archeology of Acadia
ANTH 4466 Researching Halifax Heritage

Economics

ECON 3324 The Atlantic Economy
ECON 3325 Atlantic Economy Seminar

English

ENGL 2461 Mi'kmaq Storytelling and Literature
ENGL 4465 Indigenous Literature Seminar

Environomnetal Science

ENVS 3310 Field Course in Environmental Science

Geography

GEOG 3340 Geography of Nova Scotia
GEOG 3454 Bay of Fundy: Environments and Issues

Geology

GEOL 1202 Planet Earth: the Atlantic Canadian Perspective
GEOL 1203 Earth History: Atlantic Canada Perspective 
GEOL 1208 Environmental Geology: Atlantic Canada

History

HIST 2346 Black Heritage in Maritime Canada
HIST 3470 The British Black Atlantic 
HIST 4501 Public History

Political Science

POLI 2307 Provincial Government and Politics

Religious Studies

RELS 4390 Religion and Society in Atlantic Canada


Group B

Atlantic Canada Studies

ACST/IRST 2327 Scottish Gaelic – Intermediate
ACST/IRST 2328 Scottish Gaelic – Intermediate II
ACST 2471 History of Football
ACST 2472 History of Hockey

Anthropology

ANTH 2401 Anthropology of Work
ANTH 3329 The Arctic Cultural Area
ANTH 3377 Urban Anthropology
ANTH 3378 Landscape Archeology
ANTH/LING 3395 Language Issues in the Arctic
ANTH/LING 3396 Language Issues in Canada
ANTH 4462 Method and Theory in Historical Archeology

Criminology

 CRIM 4610 Practicum in Community Development

Economics

ECON 3307 Money and Banking 
ECON 3319 Public Finance
ECON 3322 Canadian Economic Issues 
ECON 3340 Human Resource Economics
ECON /WMST 3349 Women and the Economy 
ECON 3362 Natural Resource Economics 
ECON 3363 Environmental Economics

English

ENGL 3343 Cultural Studies
ENGL 3344 Canadian Literature to 1920
ENGL 3345 Canadian Literature after 1920 
ENGL 3367 Canlit: the 60s and 70s
ENGL 3437 Canadian Drama
ENGL 3471 Contemporary Canadian Fiction 
ENGL 3472 Contemporary Canadian Poetry

Environmental Science

ENVS 4440 Environmental Policy

Finance

FINA 3364 Canadian Securities 

French

FREN/LING 4440 Canadian French: Sociolinguistic Perspectives

Geography

GEOG 2310 Geography of Canada: Overview 
GEOG 2315 The Oceans
GEOG 4434 Watershed Management
GEOG 4449 Tourist Geographies

History

HIST 1252 Canada to Confederation
HIST 1253 Canada: Confederation to the Present 
HIST 1260 History of the Americas
HIST 3100 Canadian Women 
HIST 3403 Invention of Canada 
HIST 4527 Biography and History
HIST/IRST 4566 Irish Migration

Management

MGMT 3386 Industrial Relations
MGMT 4498 Small Business Consultancy

Political Science

POLI 1240 Politics and Business
POLI 2304 Canadian Politics in the 21st Century
POLI 3310 Government and the Media
POLI 3315 Canadian Foreign Policy 
POLI 3450 Women and Canadian Politics 

Religious Studies

RELS 1210 Introduction to Religion
RELS 1211 Introduction to Religious Experience
RELS 3354 Aboriginal Peoples, Religion, and the Justice System
RELS 3355 Religion and Social Issues in Canada 
RELS 3358 Religious Diversity in Canada

Social Justice and Community Studies

SJCS 3408    Urban Social Justice
SJCS 3508    Corporate Crime

Contact us

Faculty of Arts
Atlantic Canada Studies
McNally North 214