New Programs
New Arts programs launching in Fall 2025
Major in Health, Wellness and Sport in Society
This new program explores the many ways health, sport and wellness shape individuals and communities, all through the lens of the social sciences. If you're interested in topics like mental health, sport culture, health equity and wellness promotion, the Major in Health, Wellness and Sport in Society (HWSS) could be the perfect addition to your academic journey.
Learn more in this SMU News article.
Here’s what you can expect:
✔ Study across sociology, psychology and health disciplines
✔ Learn about wellness, sport and health from a societal perspective
✔ Get involved with hands-on projects, research and community engagement
✔ Explore career options in public health, wellness programming, sport development and more
Minor in Archaeology and Material Culture
Through the Minor in Archaeology and Material Culture, learn scientific methods, theories and techniques for studying past human cultures and societies through the material record. Students can also participate in ongoing archaeological field research or field schools conducted by Saint Mary’s professors working in the Maritimes or Europe.
Minor in Science, Technology and Society
Broaden your understanding of the interactions between science, technology and society through an interdisciplinary approach. This new Minor in Science, Technology and Society is suitable for students who are completing majors or honours degrees in Arts, Business or Science.
Other recent program additions
- Interdisciplinary Major in Public Humanities and Heritage
- Major in Law and Ethics
- Minor in Climate Change Studies
Fall 2025 Special Topics courses
Spots are still available in these courses. For the most current course information, please refer to Banner and the Academic Calendar. Courses are in person on campus, unless otherwise noted.
ACST / POLI 4833 – Politics and Community in Atlantic Canada (CRN 19120/18692)
Tuesday and Thursday 8:30–9:45 a.m.
Instructor: Dr. Don Naulls
CRIM 3830 – Race and Racism in Criminal Justice (CRN 19173)
Tuesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Instructor: Robert Wright
CRIM 4830 – Politics of Policing (CRN 18852)
Wednesday 6:30–9 p.m.
ACST / POLI 4833 – Politics and Community in Atlantic Canada (CRN 19120/18692)
Tuesday and Thursday 8:30–9:45 a.m.
Instructor: Dr. Don Naulls
CRIM 3830 – Race and Racism in Criminal Justice (CRN 19173)
Tuesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Instructor: Robert Wright
CRIM 4830 – Politics of Policing (CRN 18852)
Wednesday 6:30–9 p.m.
Instructor: Robert Wright
ENGL 4555 – Works of Wonder: The Medical and the Mystical in 19th Century Culture (CRN 13490)
Thursday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Sara Malton
In this honours seminar course we will examine the intersection of religion and medicine in 19th century literature and culture, focusing on such matters as the revival of interest in witchcraft/earlier witch trials; “miracles” such as “fasting girls”; apparitions in what has been called the “Marian century”; and figures such as Florence Nightingale. Selected authors: the Brontës, Charles Dickens (fiction and journalism), George Eliot, Elizabeth Gaskell, Thomas Hardy and the historical fiction of Emma Donoghue.
HIST 2830 – China Before 1800 (CRN 19162)
Remote asynchronous delivery
Instructor: Dr. Xiaoping Sun
This course explores four millennia of Chinese history, from the distant origins of Chinese society to its zenith during the Qing Dynasty. Divided into three eras—Ancient, Early Imperial and Late Imperial—the class follows a topical approach that considers the dynamics of political, economic, intellectual and social change within each era. No previous study of China is required.
HIST 4831/6671 – Road to U.S. Civil War (CRN 19169/19100)
Remote synchronous seminar | Monday 2–5 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Shira Lurie
HWSS 2826/ANCS 2600 – Sport & Leisure in the Ancient World (CRN 19102/19110)
Monday and Wednesday 1–2:15 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Sveva Savelli
ENGL 4555 – Works of Wonder: The Medical and the Mystical in 19th Century Culture (CRN 13490)
Thursday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Sara Malton
In this honours seminar course we will examine the intersection of religion and medicine in 19th century literature and culture, focusing on such matters as the revival of interest in witchcraft/earlier witch trials; “miracles” such as “fasting girls”; apparitions in what has been called the “Marian century”; and figures such as Florence Nightingale. Selected authors: the Brontës, Charles Dickens (fiction and journalism), George Eliot, Elizabeth Gaskell, Thomas Hardy and the historical fiction of Emma Donoghue.
HIST 2830 – China Before 1800 (CRN 19162)
Remote asynchronous delivery
Instructor: Dr. Xiaoping Sun
This course explores four millennia of Chinese history, from the distant origins of Chinese society to its zenith during the Qing Dynasty. Divided into three eras—Ancient, Early Imperial and Late Imperial—the class follows a topical approach that considers the dynamics of political, economic, intellectual and social change within each era. No previous study of China is required.
HIST 4831/6671 – Road to U.S. Civil War (CRN 19169/19100)
Remote synchronous seminar | Monday 2–5 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Shira Lurie
HWSS 2826/ANCS 2600 – Sport & Leisure in the Ancient World (CRN 19102/19110)
Monday and Wednesday 1–2:15 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Sveva Savelli
IRST 2842 – Ireland, Colonial & Unfinished Rev (CRN 19177)
Tuesday and Thursday 1–2:15 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Edward Molloy
RELS 2317/WGSS 2826 – Monsters (CRN 19140/19139)
Wednesday 1–3:30 p.m. | Open to the public via Arts for Everyone
Instructor: Dr. Lindsay Macumber
The word monster is derived from the Latin monstrare (“show” or “reveal”) and monere (“warn” or “portend”). This course takes for granted that monstrous bodies are revelatory and it aims to uncover what they communicate about us. We explore foundational texts in monster theory and horror (film and literature), to consider how monstrous bodies are inextricably connected with existential, religious and spiritual impulses. We also examine how monsters and the monstrous are used to construct and police "otherness" (race, gender, sex, ability, class, etc.), while also subverting these norms and providing a space for community and liberation.
RELS 3830 – Jews & Muslims Connections (CRN 19142)
Fridays 1–3:30 p.m. | Open to the public via Arts for Everyone
Instructors: Dr. Syed Adnan Hussain and Dr. Eva Mroczek
SOCI 3828 – Sexualized Violence (CRN 18738)
Monday and Wednesday 8:30–9:45 a.m.
Instructor: TBA
SOCI 3833 – Sociology of Happiness (CRN 19105)
Monday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Mohita Bhatia
SOCI 4824 – Gender, Violence and Migration (CRN 19158)
Tuesday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Evangelia Tastsoglou
SOCI 4831 – Sociology of Everyday Life (CRN 19107)
Thursday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Mohita Bhatia
Monday and Wednesday 8:30–9:45 a.m.
Instructor: TBA
SOCI 3833 – Sociology of Happiness (CRN 19105)
Monday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Mohita Bhatia
SOCI 4824 – Gender, Violence and Migration (CRN 19158)
Tuesday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Evangelia Tastsoglou
SOCI 4831 – Sociology of Everyday Life (CRN 19107)
Thursday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Mohita Bhatia
SOCI 4832 – Sociology of AI (CRN 19157)
Tuesday and Thursday 10–11:15 a.m.
Instructor: Pauline Hoebanx
Winter 2026 Special Topics courses
ANTH 2827 – What’s The Deal with Taylor Swift? (CRN 28596)
Tuesday and Thursday 2:30–3:45 p.m. | Open to the public via Arts for Everyone
Instructor: Dr. Rylan Higgins
The social, cultural and economic noteworthiness of Taylor Swift is hard to overstate. Her influence and wealth are staggering, her reach, spectacularly global. Her appeal to hundreds of millions of people is mindboggling. This course takes these aspects of Swift’s celebrity status as a starting point and endeavours to interrogate and understand the nature of her appeal, power and influence. The anthropology of the celebrity reminds us that it is a social construct, the product of the public’s interactions with the entertainment industry. Indeed, celebrity figures have been referred to as “America’s royalty.” But even among this noble class, Swift stands out. In this course, we will explore Swift as a global celebrity juggernaut.
Tuesday and Thursday 2:30–3:45 p.m. | Open to the public via Arts for Everyone
Instructor: Dr. Rylan Higgins
The social, cultural and economic noteworthiness of Taylor Swift is hard to overstate. Her influence and wealth are staggering, her reach, spectacularly global. Her appeal to hundreds of millions of people is mindboggling. This course takes these aspects of Swift’s celebrity status as a starting point and endeavours to interrogate and understand the nature of her appeal, power and influence. The anthropology of the celebrity reminds us that it is a social construct, the product of the public’s interactions with the entertainment industry. Indeed, celebrity figures have been referred to as “America’s royalty.” But even among this noble class, Swift stands out. In this course, we will explore Swift as a global celebrity juggernaut.
ANTH 3833 – Are We Still Evolving? (CRN 28508)
Tuesday and Thursday 2:30–3:45 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Laura Eastham
CRIM 4826 – Gender-based Violence Prevention (CRN 28502)
Wednesday 6:30–9 p.m.
Instructor: TBA
CRIM 4829 – Queer Criminology (CRN 28254)
Tuesday and Thursday 1–2:15 p.m.
Instructor: Robert Wright
ENGL 3832 – Atlantic Canada Film & TV (CRN 28498)
Tuesday and Thursday 2:30–4:30 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Jennifer VanderBurgh
ENGL 4833 / ACST 4826/6621 – Literary Cultures of Atlantic Canada (CRN 28500 /27542/27543)
Thursday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Renée Houlan
FREN 4848 – Literature and Culture of the French Pacific (CRN 28556)
Remote asynchronous delivery
Instructor: Dr. Rohini Bannerjee
HIST 2827 – History of Vietnam (CRN 28614)
Monday and Wednesday 1–2:15 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Bill Sewell
HIST 2831 – China Revolution 1800-1949 (CRN 28613)
Remote asynchronous delivery
Instructor: Dr. Xiaoping Sun
HIST 2840 – Japan Before 1800 (CRN 28612)
Monday and Wednesday 10–11:15 a.m.
Instructor: Dr. Bill Sewell
HWSS/ICST 2827 – East/West Approaches to Sport (CRN 28283/28284)
Monday and Wednesday 1–2:15 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Charles Beaupré
HWSS 3826 – Sociology of Health and Illness (CRN 28546)
Monday and Wednesday 11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Instructor: TBA
HWSS 4826/SOCI 4849 – Sociology of Sport (CRN 28545/28552)
Tuesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Augie Westhaver
IRST 3832 – Unsettling "Ireland" (CRN 28627)
Remote synchronous | Tuesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Edward Molloy
POLI 4834 – Canadian Politics (CRN 28575)
Tuesday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: TBA
POLI 4846 – Political Theory (CRN 28597)
Thursday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Stella Gaon
SJCS 4826 – Sexuality and Rebellion (CRN 28549)
Tuesday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Val Marie Johnson
How does sexuality operate through intersectional unequal power relations, as a channel for rebellion and resistance, as well as regulation and the enforcement of normalcy? How is sexuality socially and historically constructed in relation to intimate and social experience, and power, through bodies, “biology,” selves or subjects, and collective dynamics?
SOCI 3834 – Men and Masculinities (CRN 28551)
Tuesday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Rui Hou
WGSS 3830 / RELS 3356 – Film and Religion (CRN 28620/27268)
Monday and Wednesday 1–2:15 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Lindsay Macumber
WGSS 4829 / WGST 6838 – The Academic Incubator (CRN 28132/28135)
Tuesday and Thursday 10–11:15 a.m.
Instructor: Dr. Michele Byers
This incubator course offers a playful space for experiments in taking academic knowledge out of the university into the wider world. Most students think about this transition but rarely get time or guidance to explore. You'll have the opportunity to creatively share knowledge with people beyond your own discipline and the space to brainstorm ideas, develop plans and try things out with them. It’s open to students from all faculties and fields of study because interdisciplinarity is a cornerstone of modern life.
FREN 4848 – Literature and Culture of the French Pacific (CRN 28556)
Remote asynchronous delivery
Instructor: Dr. Rohini Bannerjee
HIST 2827 – History of Vietnam (CRN 28614)
Monday and Wednesday 1–2:15 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Bill Sewell
HIST 2831 – China Revolution 1800-1949 (CRN 28613)
Remote asynchronous delivery
Instructor: Dr. Xiaoping Sun
This course explores the collapse of imperial China and the ensuing efforts to renew Chinese society. While chronological, the course follows a topical approach, considering the dynamics of political, economic, intellectual and social change within the Late Imperial and Republican eras. No previous study of China is required.
HIST 2840 – Japan Before 1800 (CRN 28612)
Instructor: Dr. Bill Sewell
HWSS/ICST 2827 – East/West Approaches to Sport (CRN 28283/28284)
Monday and Wednesday 1–2:15 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Charles Beaupré
HWSS 3826 – Sociology of Health and Illness (CRN 28546)
Monday and Wednesday 11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Instructor: TBA
HWSS 4826/SOCI 4849 – Sociology of Sport (CRN 28545/28552)
Tuesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Augie Westhaver
IRST 3832 – Unsettling "Ireland" (CRN 28627)
Remote synchronous | Tuesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Edward Molloy
POLI 4834 – Canadian Politics (CRN 28575)
Tuesday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: TBA
POLI 4846 – Political Theory (CRN 28597)
Thursday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Stella Gaon
SJCS 4826 – Sexuality and Rebellion (CRN 28549)
Tuesday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Val Marie Johnson
How does sexuality operate through intersectional unequal power relations, as a channel for rebellion and resistance, as well as regulation and the enforcement of normalcy? How is sexuality socially and historically constructed in relation to intimate and social experience, and power, through bodies, “biology,” selves or subjects, and collective dynamics?
SOCI 3834 – Men and Masculinities (CRN 28551)
Tuesday 4–6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Rui Hou
WGSS 3830 / RELS 3356 – Film and Religion (CRN 28620/27268)
Monday and Wednesday 1–2:15 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Lindsay Macumber
WGSS 4829 / WGST 6838 – The Academic Incubator (CRN 28132/28135)
Tuesday and Thursday 10–11:15 a.m.
Instructor: Dr. Michele Byers
This incubator course offers a playful space for experiments in taking academic knowledge out of the university into the wider world. Most students think about this transition but rarely get time or guidance to explore. You'll have the opportunity to creatively share knowledge with people beyond your own discipline and the space to brainstorm ideas, develop plans and try things out with them. It’s open to students from all faculties and fields of study because interdisciplinarity is a cornerstone of modern life.
The project possibilities are virtually endless. Here are just a few:
- Start a business or develop a product
- Generate policy
- Community build and engage in direct action and / or advocacy
- Create art, craft or literature
- Produce a short film, podcast or website
- Make something accessible that wasn’t before
Contact us
Faculty of Arts
Mailing address:
Saint Mary’s University
923 Robie Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3C3