Need Help Choosing Electives?

In your first term, we suggest combining the required courses for your intended major with one or more elective courses.  Where possible, choosing electives which also fulfill WQB (Writing, Quantitative and Breadth) requirements is a good idea. 

To get you started, we've put together a list of several first and second year Arts and Social Sciences courses to be offered this Spring.  Most of these courses have no pre-requisites and are open to students in any program/Faculty. Many also carry a breadth designation (keep in mind that breadth courses must be taken in a subject area outside of your intended major).  

FASS SPRING 2025 Recommended Lower Division Electives

Note - the courses below are just a few of the many available to you at SFU.  You are welcome to select courses outside of this list or from Faculties other than Arts and Social Sciences.  If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to an advisor for assistance.

  • ARAB 100-3 Introduction to Arabic
  • CHIN 100-3 (B-Hum) Introduction to Mandarin Chinese I
  • CRIM 101-3 (B-Soc) Introduction to Criminology 
  • CRIM 131-3 (B-Soc) Introduction to the Criminal Justice System – A Total System Approach
  • CRIM 135-3 (B-Soc) Introduction to Canadian Law and Legal Institutions: A Criminal Justice Perspective
  • ECON 104-3 (B-Soc) Economics and Government
  • ECON 113-3 (B-Soc) Introduction of Microeconomics
  • ECON 115-3 (B-Soc) Introduction of Macroeconomics
  • ENGL 112W (B-Hum) Literature Now
  • ENGL 114W (B-Hum) Language and Purpose
  • ENGL 115W (B-Hum) Literature and Culture
  • GERM 100-3 (B-Hum) Introduction to German
  • GRK 100-3 Introduction to Modern Greek I
  • GSWS 100-3 (B-Hum) Sex Talk: Introduction to Contemporary Issues in Sexuality Studies
  • GSWS 101-3 (B-Soc) Gender Talk
  • GSWS 103-3 Body Talk
  • GA 101-3 (B-Hum, B-Soc) Introduction to Global Asia
  • GA 202-3 Asian Popular Cultures
  • GA 210-3 How Asia Became Global
  • HIST 102W-3 (W/B-Hum) Canada since Confederation
  • HIST 104-3 (B-Hum) The Americas from Colonization to Independence
  • HIST 111-3 (B-Soc, B-Sci) Histories of Technology
  • HUM 101-3 (W/B-Hum) Introduction to Global Humanities
  • HUM 102-3 (W/B-Hum) Classical Mythology
  • HUM 130-3 (B-Hum) Introduction to Religious Studies
  • INDG 101-3 (B-Hum, B-Soc) Introduction to Indigenous Studies
  • INDG 201W-3 (Writing) Indigenous Peoples' Perspectives on History
  • IS 101-3 (B-Hum, B-Soc) Global Challenges of the 21st Century: An Introduction to International Studies
  • IS 200-3 (B-Hum, B-Soc) Security and Global Governance:  Interdisciplinary Perspectives
  • IS 230-3 (B-Hum, B-Soc) Beyond the Nation-State: Identity and Belonging in a Globalized World
  • ITAL 100-3 (B-Hum) Introduction to Italian
  • JAPN 100-3 (B-Hum) Introduction to Japanese I
  • LBST 100-3 (B-Soc) Equality and Inequality at Work
  • LBST 101-3 (B-Soc) Work and Worker's Rights: Introducing Labour Studies
  • LBST 201-3 (B-Soc) Workers in the Global Economy: Globalization, Labour and Uneven Development
  • LING 100-3 (B-Soc) Communication and Language
  • LING 111-3 (B-Soc) The Wonder of Words
  • PERS 100-3 Introduction to Persian
  • PHIL 100W-3 (B-Hum) Knowledge and Reality
  • PHIL 105-3 (Q, B-Sci, B-Soc) Critical Thinking
  • PHIL 120W-3 (B-Hum) Moral and Legal Problems
  • PLCY 200-3 Introduction to Public Policy
  • POL 100-3 (B-Soc) Introduction to Politics and Government
  • POL 132 (3) (B-Hum, B-Soc) From Dictatorship to Democracy in the Global South
  • POL 151-3 (B-Soc) Justice and Law
  • PORT 100-3 Introduction to Brazilian Portugese
  • PSYC 100-3 (B-Soc) Introduction to Psychology I
  • PSYC 102-3 (B-Soc) Introduction to Psychology II
  • PUNJ 100-3 Introduction to Punjabi
  • SA 101-4 (B-Soc) Introduction to Anthropology
  • SA 150-4 (B-Soc) Introduction to Sociology
  • SA 200W-4 (B-Soc) Power, Conflict and Change in Canadian Society
  • SPAN 100-3 (B-Hum) Introductory Spanish I
  • URB 201 - 3 Urban Inquiry and Practice
  • WL 100-3 Introduction to World Literature
  • WL 101W-3 Writing in World Literature
  • WL 103W -3 Early World Literature