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CONTINUE YOUR
LEARNING JOURNEY

Living Cultures, Year 2

Program established September 2024

The second-year program at Beinn Mhàbu is carefully crafted to integrate Community Studies courses, core to the BACS (Bachelor of Arts in Community Studies) degree at Cape Breton University with the Beinn Mhàbu experience.

The BACS program:

The BACS program at CBU works well with Beinn Mhàbu’s vision of being a cornerstone for community and cultural renewal. It is CBU's inaugural degree program, first offered in September 1975. George Leith, a psychologist, from the Department of Educational Research and Development, University of Utrecht, was the first Dean of this program. The core BACS courses were modelled after an educational approach at Utrecht University Medical School. Leith's experience with the success of this approach provided the foundation for the core Community Studies course curriculum and delivery. [CBU]

The aim of Community Studies (COMS) courses is to facilitate the development of skills valuable to graduates in their capacity as engaged citizens, workers in rapidly changing economic environments, and as creative individuals.

To develop these attitudes and capabilities, Community Studies encourages cooperative, non-competitive pedagogies. Students work together in small groups of six-eight students. A high degree of self-direction and independent organization grow as students conduct research and write essays or plan presentations collaboratively on topics of mutual interest. Students will acquire problem solving, research, analysis, communication, and group skills through experiential and discursive learning. Throughout this process, the faculty advisor adjusts their role depending on the learning needs of individuals and groups.

Alongside these Community Studies courses, Beinn Mhàbu students will complete courses which in CBU's new major in Gaelic Language & Cultural Sustainability, including Language Decline & Revitalization, Ethnography & Research Methods, Gaelic Language, and Music courses.

The year is divided similarly to the Foundation Year, with four modules of six weeks each, with the whole year running from September to April. There are two week breaks in the middle of both Fall and Winter terms (along with the typical Christmas break), providing students with an opportunity to wrap up projects, prepare for exams, and have a rejuvenating break before immersing themselves in the next course of study.

PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

September - April

Second year, university accredited, full-time (30 credit hours) program
Transfer and auditing students welcome.
Four consecutive 6-week modules
- Gaelic language content is built into each course, but no knowledge of Gaelic required
- Texts assigned as reading material but no prescribed “textbooks”
Simultaneous year-long course in Scottish Gaelic language
Takes place in newly renovated, historical and educationally significant Beinn Mhàbu
These courses build skills in research, analysis, and problem-solving while exploring Gaelic language, music, and global cultural traditions. Students engage in hands-on projects, fieldwork, and the study of language revitalization and ethnography.
Scholarship opportunities of up to $10,000 available!

Introduction to Community Studies | COMS 1100

Sep - Dec (6 credits)

Within the context of a small group, students are encouraged to develop and employ a variety of skills including problem solving, critical analysis, research, and writing. Both individual and group projects are required.

Advanced Gaelic | GAEL 2101

Sep - Dec (3 credits)

Building on GAEL 1103, this course is designed to develop students' language proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, writing, and grammatical awareness.

Global Language Revitalization | ANTH 1105

Sep - Oct (3 credits)

This course will introduce students to signs of language decline and the approaches by which language revitalization can occur. Case studies from around the world will illuminate methods of language revitalization.

Experiencing Music | MUSI 1101

Oct - Dec (3 credits)

This course introduces musical fundamentals such as pitch, rhythm, timbre, texture and other elements. By using a wide cross-section of world musics as exemplars, this course helps students to develop listening and music analysis skills. Students will be introduced to musics both familiar and unfamiliar, providing a culturally diverse musical environment in which to build their vocabularies for describing musical sound and performance. Through hands-on in-class activities and individual analysis assignments, students receive grounding in the basics of music theory and practice as it is relevant to musical traditions in many parts of the world.

Applied Research Methods | COMS 2100

Jan - Apr (6 credits)

Students engage in group projects which apply the problem-solving skills of the first year and develop additional abilities and techniques of primary research, analysis, and evaluation.

Advanced Gaelic II | GAEL 2103

Sep - Oct (3 credits)

Continuation of GAEL 2101. Emphasis is on the reinforcement of language skills through more complex listening, speaking, reading and writing activities.

The Stories We Tell | HIST/ANTH/FOLK 2123

Jan - Feb (3 credits)

This course explores the ways in which the past is remembered, represented, and used in the present. Important themes include: the nature of human memory, the political uses of history, and the research methods used by scholars. Students will learn how to conduct original, independent research. Activities and assignments will stress debate and dialogue and explore the connections between scholarly disciplines and students of varying backgrounds and academic interests.

Ethnography & Research Methods | FOLK 2114

Mar - Apr (3 credits)

This course will prepare students to conduct ethnographic research and incorporate their research into their writing. Topics covered include the ethics of fieldwork, interview, transcription, field notes, participant observation, object documentation, the uses of photography and video, library and archive research, ethnographic writing, and alternative knowledge transfer. Objects of study include custom, material culture, verbal art, oral history, music and dance.

Faculty