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If there is a prerequisite for the course, it will be listed in the calendar course description on .  Most courses that have a prerequisite also state “or consent of instructor”.  This means you can ask the instructor for permission to take the course without the stated prerequisite.  To do this, please email your request to the instructor listed on Bear Tracks. You can locate instructor emails through . Include your full name, student ID#, the course, section and term the course is offered in. For example, you may title your email: Sociology 321 LEC A1 Fall 2020 Request to Waive Prerequisite. We also recommend including relevant information to support your request, such as your degree program, major/minor, year (based on credits), other relevant courses or relevant background you have. 

If there are available seats in the course on Bear Tracks and the instructor approves your request, please forward the instructor's email to the Undergraduate Advisor at socundergrad@ualberta.ca, who will register you in the course (space permitting).

If the course is currently full on Bear Tracks, please add it to your Watchlist.  Please attempt to register when a space opens up. You will receive an error message (because you don't have the prerequisite). If the error message states "course is full", then another student got the available space before you.  However, if the error message states "requirements not met", then please email socundergrad@ualberta.ca , by forwarding the email with the instructor's approval and indicating your registration attempt.  We will review the enrolment log summary and see if it is possible to manually add you to the course in this instance, if you were the first person to attempt to register when the space opened up, and all students who require the course for their program have been accommodated.

If the course you are trying to register in has a prerequisite that you completed at a different university, Bear Tracks will not recognize this and will give you an error message when you attempt to register. Please email the Sociology Undergraduate Advisor at socundergrad@ualberta.ca to request registration in the course.  Please include the course, section, term, and your U of A Student ID#.  In addition, please attach a transcript showing the course was completed (an unofficial transcript or screenshot is acceptable).

If the course that you want to get into is full, you will need to do the following:

Put yourself on the watchlist on Bear Tracks. You will receive a notification if a space in the course opens up.  If this happens, quickly log on to Bear Tracks to attempt to register.  Some of our courses are very popular and have lots of students on the watchlist, which can sometimes make it difficult to get a spot.  Students can continue to add and drop courses up to the registration deadline for each term.  Instead of waiting for a spot, we suggest making sure you register yourself in another course that does have space, in the event that you are not able to get into the course(s) on your watchlist.

If the course is a degree requirement and you need to take the course during the current academic year, please send an email to socundergrad@ualberta.ca, explaining why you require the course during the current academic year (in other words, why taking it later in your degree program will not work). Exceptions to be added to a course that is full are only considered in extenuating circumstances to maintain fairness for all students who are hoping for a space. We recommend registering in required courses as soon as your enrollment date opens in March.

A list of courses that are available to Open Studies students can be found on the Office of the Registrar website.  You should be able to register yourself in these courses on Bear Tracks, as long as you have any prerequisites required for the course (if applicable).  If the course has a prerequisite, but you haven't taken it (or an equivalent), or you have taken the prerequisite but it was at a different university, please refer to the appropriate frequently asked question for what to do.  

If there is a Sociology course you would like to take that is not on the list, we can still register you in the course (assuming any priority registration in place for Sociology/Criminology students has passed, you present any prerequisites, or have received consent of the instructor if you do not have the prerequisite, if applicable).  Please send a registration request to the department Undergraduate Advisor at socundergrad@ualberta.ca stating the course, section, and term you are requesting registration in.  Please also include your U of A Student ID#.  If you had to get permission from the instructor to waive a course prerequisite, please include the instructor's email as well. 

Undergraduate Students can now withdraw from courses in Bear Tracks.  Instructions on how to withdraw from a course in Bear Tracks are available on the Office of the Registrar's website.

Dropping a course after the Registration Deadline is a withdrawal and is maintained on your academic record. Students who are contemplating withdrawal are encouraged to contact their Instructor or a Department of Faculty Undergraduate Advisor with questions relating to their withdrawal decision.

First, check the registration deadlines for the term you want to withdraw from a course in.  If the registration add/delete deadline has not passed, go to Bear Tracks and drop the course using the Drop feature. If you do this before the Registration Add/Delete deadline, you will not see this course on your transcript.  If it is after the Registration Add/Delete Deadline, the course will remain on your transcript with a W beside the course, indicating you withdrew. There is a 50% fee refund deadline and then a final Withdrawal deadline (no fee refund) later in the term.

First of all, you should make an appointment with the instructor and discuss your grade with them. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of this meeting, please contact the Director, Undergraduate Programs, at socugdir@ualberta.ca.

While a student is entitled to an explanation of why any grade was awarded, the following do not constitute grounds for an appeal:

• Disliking the instructor’s marking scheme
• Coming close to the instructor’s cut-off point for a higher grade
• Disagreeing with the instructor’s judgment about the quality of submitted work

Only the following may constitute grounds for an appeal:

• Errors in calculation
• Procedural errors
• Failure to consider all relevant factors
• Bias and/or discrimination

Students must initiate Grade Appeals with the instructor by the following deadlines: a) No later than February 1 for courses taught during the immediately preceding Fall term; b) No later than June 25 for Winter-term or full-year courses taught during the immediately preceding Fall/Winter term: c) No later than thirty Calendar Days after the posting of final grades on Bear Tracks for courses taught in Spring/Summer terms (e.g. 30 days after grades are posted on Bear Tracks).

Full Grade Appeal Procedures can be found on the Faculty of Arts website.