Undergraduate program
The Major in Community, Public Affairs and Policy Studies is an undergraduate program designed to provide an interdisciplinary training and education in public policy analysis and policy advocacy by offering students a unique, bilingual university experience in a small, personalized learning environment. The School of Community and Public Affairs (SCPA) seeks to educate its students to be sensitive to the broad social, economic and political factors that are part of the public policy process.
The policy process cannot be conveyed successfully without access to a “real world” laboratory. Hence, we emphasize practical experience to help develop the judgment necessary to complement traditional academic training. Drawing on an innovative combination of theory and practice, the SCPA helps its students to become familiar with the fundamental, intellectual tools that enable them not only to formulate their own educated critique of their sociopolitical environment, but also to participate actively and knowledgeably in the improvement of that environment.
In addition, the School regularly fulfills an outreach mission that has significantly contributed to Concordia's visibility outside the university. It is central to the role of SCPA faculty, fellows and staff to extend the educational mission of the School beyond the immediate needs of its students to include the community at large. Through numerous, free-access public lectures, symposia, and public debates organized by its members, the School brings in scholars, activists, and policy makers of national and international reputation. As such, the SCPA acts as an important forum in the Montreal area for the discussion and understanding of the key policy, public affairs and community issues of our times.
The School's faculty and fellows are actively engaged in new areas of research which is integrated regularly into the material and knowledge imparted to students. The School has become over the years one of Montreal's major centers of scholarly and intellectual exchange on social, political and economic issues
Our location at 2149 Mackay Street is an ideal setting. As a home for our members, it is the site of classes, social events, public lectures and meetings, and opens up onto numerous cafés, bookstores and art galleries.