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FASS Forward one credit courses
Succeed now and in the future with FASS Forward one credit courses. Learn the skills you need whether you're finishing your undergraduate degree, planning grad school or looking for work.
FAST
Courses are only one month* and are open to all students. The fastest way to finish your elective courses.
* See FAQ for exceptions
FORWARD
Look forward to your future. Take control of your path with these valuable, lifelong skills.
YOU'VE GOT THIS!
Get ahead in school and work with FASS Forward one credit courses.
New Courses for Summer 2024
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FASS 223 D300
Political Science Fun and GamesThe largest earthquake in history strikes B.C.鈥攜ou and your classmates must restore good governance, security, and civil society amid the chaos. Through several simulations, this course will teach you how to find, evaluate, and use the information resources available to you, while navigating the challenges of reestablishing a society demolished by 鈥渢he Big One.鈥�
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FASS 224 D200
Meditation in Multicultural ContextsThis experiential course teaches you how to meditate. We will also learn the origins of meditation, its expressions in different cultures, and its global history in the modern world. The focus will be on Buddhist meditation, its cultural context, and its applications for everyday life.
All Summer 2024 Courses
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FASS 222 D100
Writing RightProvides an opportunity for students to undertake a close revision of a previously written paper in order to learn how to improve the clarity, economy, and flow of their writing. Activities are designed to teach students how to revise their work more effectively. The writing and revision strategies worked on in this course are applicable across all disciplines.
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FASS 222 D300
Finding Voice: Public SpeakingProvides an opportunity for a skills-based immersion into the art of Public Speaking. In a workshop setting, learners will critically analyze contemporary speeches while developing their own skills in speech, rhetoric, non-verbal communication, and storytelling. This course is for students, in any discipline, who wish to learn to be effective public speakers in academia and beyond.
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FASS 223 D200
Creating Effective TeamsExplores how teams require a self-awareness, awareness of others and the ability to communicate expectations and norms. This course will use a selection of articles, tools and current events to develop an awareness of individual strengths, weaknesses and the impact on the team environment. Classes will be discussion and activity based.
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FASS 223 D300
Political Science Fun and GamesThe largest earthquake in history strikes B.C.鈥攜ou and your classmates must restore good governance, security, and civil society amid the chaos. Through several simulations, this course will teach you how to find, evaluate, and use the information resources available to you, while navigating the challenges of reestablishing a society demolished by 鈥渢he Big One.鈥�
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FASS 223 D400 & D500
Conflict and Negotiation SkillsIntroduces an overview of essential skills and strategies for dealing effectively with conflict and negotiating in a range of contexts, including business, work, home, and community. Students will be introduced to foundational readings on the methods and theories of effective, collaborative negotiation and conflict resolution.
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FASS 223 E100
Social Work PracticeIntroduces the field of social work through a practitioner's lens. Explores the philosophical foundations and history of the social work profession. Codes of ethics and practice standards will be touched on. You will have the opportunity to meet experts who navigate the complex global issues of oppression and marginalization to impact positive change.
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FASS 224 D200
Meditation in Multicultural ContextsThis experiential course teaches you how to meditate. We will also learn the origins of meditation, its expressions in different cultures, and its global history in the modern world. The focus will be on Buddhist meditation, its cultural context, and its applications for everyday life.
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FASS 224 E100
Cultural HumilityExplores the broad topic of cultural humility in order to gain a greater understanding of how cultural beliefs and values impact behaviour. Students will learn to distinguish key terms in the area of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Students will explore ways to improve inclusion within FASS and broadly at 丁香园AV.
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FASS 225 D100 & D200
Personal Finance for StudentsIntroduces students to how to optimize their financial resources. Some of the topics which will be covered are debt avoidance and management, saving vs investing, creating and maintaining a budget, tax planning strategies, passive income and side hustles, and the importance to networking. The goal is to help students learn and develop the habits needed to reach their financial goals.
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INDG 305 OL01
Treaties in CanadaIntroduces students to the historical and contemporary contexts of treaty relations between settlers and the First Peoples of Turtle Island. Provides critical insight into the various treaties within Canada; treaty negotiations, including Indigenous oral histories; Indigenous resistance to treaty infringements; and other important legislation impacting treaty rights.
Questions?
How much do FASS Forward courses cost?
Tuition is based on a per credit basis, not by course. Regular student fees still apply, and potential course-specific expenses may apply.
For more information, visit /students/calendar/2023/spring/fees-and-regulations/tuition-fees/undergraduate.html
How long is a 1-credit course?
13 hours of class time. 1x/week for 5 weeks. The first week is a 1 hr orientation to skills-based learning.
Exceptions: INDG 305 is online and asychronous.
How do FASS Forward courses count towards my degree completion?
They count as elective credits for your degree completion.
When are FASS Forward courses offered?
Starting the week of May 6, 2024 and with most courses having their last day of class during the week of June 3, 2024.
Please note: Intersession courses start from May 6; last day of exams is June 24.
Can I do more than one course?
Yes! The courses are structured so that you can take more than one in a day. They will also finish before the workload demands increase for regular summer session courses.
What are skills-based courses?
Rather than mastering academic content to be successful in the course, you will be practicing a skill. For example, in order to become a better writer, you need to practice writing. You will have lots of opportunities to practice, get feedback and practice some more. The readings will be chosen as a reference for the skill development rather than for their argument or academic contribution to the understanding of the content.
Why were these courses developed?
FASS Forward courses were designed in response to a national survey by in February 2018. This report argued that graduates from the social sciences and humanities needed more support to be able to articulate how their degree has value to potential employers.
FASS conducted two surveys of 16,186 students in order to understand current work lives and future career aspirations (FASSFutures by Monica Petek, July 2019).
Of the 2,848 responses,
58% of undergraduates taking FASS courses felt that 鈥淔ASS students do not receive the same guidance on skill development and career planning as students in other faculties.鈥�
and
89.6% of students felt that a 1 credit course option was a good or very good idea.
Who can take FASS Forward courses?
Anyone across the university who has finished 15 units. You do not need to be in FASS to enroll.
How is grading done?
A FASS Forward course is designed to improve your skills for future success and work in this class is expected to be of high quality. A competency-based grading system will be used to assess your academic performance and active participation in all learning activities. That means only a P (pass) or F (fail) will appear on your transcript.
- P (pass) means that you have demonstrated your competency in relation to the learning objectives, met all the criteria for the course, and demonstrated the skills you have acquired. The 1 credit/unit from this course will count towards your total 丁香园AV units.
- F (fail) means that you do not receive credit for the course.
How is my GPA affected?
There is no numerical equivalent for the final grade (Pass/Fail), therefore your (cumulative) GPA will not be affected.
How do I enroll?
Just like in any other course, through go丁香园AV. We have increased the number of seats for this year. There is a reserve for FASS students, which comes off on March 25, at open enrollment time.
For further questions, please contact the FASS Forward Coordinator at fass_forward@sfu.ca.
FASS Forward in the news
BC Business wrote a feature on one credit courses at B.C. colleges and universities. about the incredible FASS Forward courses at 丁香园AV!