September 6, 2005 Source: McGill University:
http://www.mcgill.ca/newswire/?ItemID=16610 Cutting-edge curricula at McGill New courses on the education menu this fall Let the lessons begin. It's back to school and McGill University students can expect some new and exciting courses, as well as innovative programs. From the Kathy Reichs style of forensic dentistry training to teaching medical students how to develop a good bedside manner, there is something to whet diverse students' appetites.
"Out of the Closet and into the Classroom": Sexual Diversity Studies This topic will be explored from all angles. An opportunity to earn a "minor" on a major and hot topic. McGill students now have the chance to receive a minor in Sexual Diversity Studies. The program takes an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural approach to teaching sexuality, gender and gender diversity. Sex is a topic that is discussed everywhere from bedrooms to courtrooms. Sexual identity, activism and ethics have become the objects of passionate debate for politicians, theologians, educators, scientists, journalists, artists and media producers of all kinds. Now a wide range of courses offered will provide a closer and more critical gaze than they have traditionally received in the classroom.
Contact: Brian Lewis, 514-398-1084.
"Shaping Future Healthcare Leaders": International Masters for Health Leadership (IMHL) Pundits cry that Canada's medicare system is in peril. Are healthcare institutions being mismanaged? Enter the McGill faculties of Management and Medicine, which have teamed up to teach professionals in the field how to improve the management of our healthcare institutions. Led by management guru Henry Mintzberg and professor Sholom Glouberman, this MBA is specially designed to meet the unique needs of healing and dealing with our healthcare systems. It is already generating international buzz from the U.S., Britain, Ireland and Italy. The IMHL starts in November 2005.
Contact: Henry Mintzberg, 514-398-4060, or Sholom Glouberman. Read more on the IMHL website.
"CSI-style Learning: Open Wide": Forensic Dentistry Clues gathered at the scene of the crime are crucial to piecing together the puzzle. But the ones that are found on a corpse are the most telling. McGill probes further into crime scene investigation with its course in Forensic Dentistry. In collaboration with the Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médicine légale, the course provides theoretical and practical knowledge in forensic dentistry. Students will learn how to analyze bite marks and lip prints and how to identify dental specimens at a crime scene. The first half of the course, focused on theory, is taught online. The second half is hands-on and students will study at the Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médicine légale in Montreal. Students must be licensed dentists.
Contact: Dr. Robert Dorion, 514-861-5085.
"Improving Bedside Manner: Putting the 'care' back in healthcare": Physicianship at the Faculty of Medicine McGill's Faculty of Medicine has prescribed a new curriculum for its students. As of September 2005, first-year medicine students will be taught the skills of how to develop a good bedside manner. The new undergraduate curriculum is based on the concept of "physicianship," which promotes the idea that a doctor dons two hats — one of a professional and one of a healer. Through this teaching method, students will learn how to improve their communication skills, observation skills and taking a medical history in order to foster a better relationship between the patient and doctor. It's about knowing how to put patients at ease while treating the disease.
Contact: Dr. Donald Boudreau, 514-398-5651.
"Investigative Learning": Faculty of Science's Office for Undergraduate Research Research is the cornerstone of an undergraduate education. The McGill Faculty of Science has created an Office for Undergraduate Research to expand research opportunities for qualified and interested students. The Office will coordinate research opportunities across the Faculty, in particular building on the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) undergraduate research program. The academic goal is for students to participate in laboratory research and research projects from the start of their degree and to continue to conduct research as part of their ongoing program requirements. The office will be established this September.
Contact: David Burns, 514-398-6572.
"Climate change, volcanoes and hurricanes, oh my!" Earth System Science (ESS) We are now aware that the Earth's environment is changing at an alarming rate, and that to better understand and manage these changes, we need to provide students with an ability to integrate the complex interactions that control them. McGill is introducing a new BSc Major Program in ESS, featuring team-taught courses that emphasize the cross-disciplinary integration of approaches. The program will focus on the physical, chemical and biological processes that extend over spatial scales ranging from microns to the size of planetary orbits, and span time scales from fractions of a second to billions of years. ESS will build upon disciplines such as Ecology, Environment, Geography, Geology, Meteorology and Oceanography. The program will address six "grand challenges": global biogeochemical cycles; climate variability and change; land use and land cover change; energy and resources; earth hazards, such as volcanoes, earthquakes and hurricanes; and earth-atmosphere observation, analysis and prediction.
Contact: Dr. Tim Moore, 514-398-4961. Read more on the Earth System Science website.
"Will that be Arts, Science or the Combo?" Faculties of Science and Arts McGill students can now have the best of both the science and art worlds. The faculties of Arts and Science are now jointly offering a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree. The BA&Sc is an interdisciplinary degree intended for students who want to pursue simultaneously a program offered by the Faculty of Arts and one offered by the Faculty of Science, or a program offered jointly by both faculties. This blend of disciplines will offer students more career opportunities in fields such as business, law and medicine.
Contact: Morton J. Mendelson, associate provost, 514-398-3109.
About McGill University McGill University is Canada's leading research-intensive university and has earned an international reputation for scholarly achievement and scientific discovery. Founded in 1821, McGill has 21 faculties and professional schools which offer more than 300 programs from the undergraduate to the doctoral level. McGill attracts renowned professors and researchers from around the world and top students from more than 150 countries, creating one of the most dynamic and diverse education environments in North America. There are approximately 23,000 undergraduate students and 7,000 graduate students. It is one of two Canadian members of the American Association of Universities. McGill's two campuses are located in Montreal, Canada.
Source:
Rita Kotzia
Communications officer
McGill University Relations Office
514-398-6751
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