First-Year Foundations

The course explores ideas of intellectuals who carved transformative theories during war times or under repressive regimes in the twentieth century. Intellectuals featured in the course include Rosa Luxemburg, Frantz Fanon, Walter Benjamin, Lu Xin, Audre Lorde. Further, it would examine cultural representations of them, such as, graphic novels, fictions, essays, films and videos on them or relatable to their ideas. For example, it would assign reading of Red Rosa, a graphic novel of Luxemburg together with her own work Theory of Imperialism. Or it would juxtapose Lorde’s classic, Sister Outsider, with Octavia Butler’s science fiction, Parable of the Sower. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

What do the Great Lakes mean to people living here? Especially Indigenous people? When and how do people care about the Great Lakes? Poems, stories, social science offer perspectives on the water from anthropology and arts. Field trips including paddling on a river, hiking; talks with local activists and artists. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This seminar series aims at building up general scientific literacy, by discussing selected topics in current astronomy, cosmology, and space science. We will delve into the physical foundation behind the questions being asked and how the answers are being sought. Students will have an opportunity early in the course to select topics of particular interest to them and this will govern the choice of readings as well. Topics could include: formation of stars; lives and deaths of stars; stellar corpses: white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes; planets around other stars; recent results from Hubble and other telescopes; architecture of the solar system; exploration in the solar system; the invisible universe: dark energy and dark matter; first light; formation of galaxies; the age and future of the universe. Participants should be comfortable with basic mathematics and quantitative reasoning. Students will be expected to do independent research for essays, presentations, etc. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

A First Year Foundations seminar focused on exploring Canada's colonial history and recent efforts to enact appropriate settler relations through an interdisciplinary lens. Topics will include contemporary land claims and treaty-making processes, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, governmental apologies for the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, land acknowledgements, practices of allyship through social movement such as Idle No More, and efforts to influence Canada's overseas mining practices. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

There is a tension between creativity and the search for truth, which in science can be looking for patterns in nature. With examples drawn particularly from reports of scientific discoveries that have generated controversy, this seminar course will introduce the underlying principles and history of science, as well as how science and its boundaries are evolving, and how these influence human values. Restricted to first-year students. Not available for CR/NCR option.

This course seeks to demystify quantum mechanics and equip students to critically analyze popular depictions of quantum phenomena. While quantum mechanics provides a reliable description of the behavior of atoms, molecules and photons, most people are uncomfortable with some of its predictions, such as "quantum entanglement" between distant particles. In this course we will delve into key aspects of quantum mechanics and its more comfortable classical limit, focusing first on its manifestations in nature and then on fundamental issues such as uncertainty, interference, entanglement, and decoherence. This course will appeal to students with enthusiasm for physics. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This breadth course introduces uses of and key ideas behind biosensor technology. Sensors will be familiar to all, playing key roles in our everyday lives, for example in touch screens or in automotive technology. Biosensor devices are fabricated from an electrical transducer which is intimately connected to a biochemical probe such as an enzyme or antibody. The idea is that a detectable electrical signal can be obtained when a target molecule or ion binds to the probe. Such a device offers many applications. These range from the detection of biological markers in blood and serum to test for genetic and infectious disease, to the selective monitoring of biomolecules for public safety, or in biotechnology or other industrial processes. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course will survey creative works inspired by Homer’s Odyssey. First we will read through the Odyssey, contextualizing the Homeric epic within the larger story of the Trojan War and the subsequent heroic return in the "Epic Cycle." Then we will study various "receptions" of the Odyssey, ancient and modern. Ancient works will include the satyr play Cyclops by Euripides and portrayals of a love-sick Cyclops in Theocritus and Ovid. In True Story Lucian calls Odysseus a liar but rivals his travel tale with episodes placed on the moon and inside a whale. Modern works include Atwood’s Penelopiad, Walcott’s stage version of the Odyssey, and the film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” Themes will include travel literature, truth and lying, localization of the wanderings of Odysseus, culture clash, and the definition of home. All this material, various in date, media, and fidelity to their Homeric source, will provide us with a well-rounded sense of how the Odyssey has been re-imagined over the ages. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Gaius Julius Caesar (100 – 44 BC) was a writer, an orator, a reformer, and a builder, as well as a general, a conqueror, an explorer, and a dictator. After his death, he was even worshipped as a god with a temple in the very heart of Rome. According to his critics, both ancient and modern, he was also a megalomaniac, an enemy of the state, a war criminal, and a tyrant. Only a very few individuals have left such an extensive and controversial mark on the history of the ancient world. We shall consider as many aspects of his life and his legacy as we can, from his conquest of Gaul to his decision to plunge Rome into a horrific civil war, from his love-affair with Queen Cleopatra of Egypt to his brutal assassination on the Ides of March. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

With the completion of the human genome sequence, we now have access to more information than ever before about our genetic make-up. This course addresses topics such as what are genes, how are they identified and how does knowledge about genes impact society. Students will learn basic concepts in genetics. Using this conceptual foundation, the significance of genomic research for understanding human biology, and the social consequences that may result from it, will be discussed. Evaluation is based on class discussions, homework, oral presentation and written assignments. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

The pace of knowledge creation in the fields of cell and molecular biology has greatly increased in the 21st century and with it, the need for greater scientific literacy. In this course, we will teach students to find reliable sources of information in order to understand the basic concepts underlying the research reported in these media releases, with the ultimate aim of critically evaluating these reports. Through exploration of various media articles in cell and molecular biology (with an emphasis on humans), students will be able to apply what they have learned to current events, as well as relevant issues in their lives and society as a whole. Students will be assessed through short-written assignments, class discussions, an oral presentation, and a final project where they will get the opportunity to explore the research behind a media article of their choice. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

The rapid advance of technology has brought remarkable changes to how we conduct our daily lives, from how we communicate, consume news and data, and purchase goods. As we increase our online activity, so too do we increase the amount of personal data that we're sharing, often without realizing it. The questions of exactly what data is being collected, who is collecting and accessing this data, and how this data is being used, have significant implications for both individuals and our larger social and political institutions. Organized by a wide variety of case studies drawn from current events, we'll study how personal data can be collected and tracked, how personal and social factors may influence our own decisions about whether and how much to share our data, and what broader political and legal tools are used to either protect or subvert individual privacy. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

What is human intelligence? How close are we to replicating it? How productive/reductive is the brain-computer analogy? What ethical challenges are posed by AI on workers, society, and the environment? Can we put a hold on "progress"? Is Silicon Valley the seat of a new techno-religion? What can they teach us about today's research priorities? What insight (or inspiration) can we get from works of science fiction about the future of human-AI interaction? Through reading discussion, written assignment, and workshops, this seminar will present students with the opportunity to integrate their computer science interests with philosophy, history, and literature. There is an equivalent course offered by St. Michael’s College. Students may take one or the other but not both. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course explores the roles that consumption and taste play in personal and public lives in East Asia. Course focus may include the cultural histories of food, fashion, tourism, sports, or forms of audio and visual media. (No prior knowledge of East Asian languages or cultures is necessary.) Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option. 

What can we learn about East Asian history and culture through its rich tradition of narratives featuring the martial arts? This course introduces short stories and novels dealing with combat and warfare from nearly two thousand years of East Asian literature, exploring issues such as self and society, gender, power, the body, and identity. All texts will be provided in translation, and no prior knowledge of any East Asian language or culture is necessary. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This seminar examines the basic ideas of the five most notable economic thinkers before 1870: Aristotle, Adam Smith, Thomas Malthus, David Ricardo, and Karl Marx. We focus on demand as the basis of price in Aristotle; the ambiguity in Smith between a labour theory of value and a demand/supply theory of value; the principle of population in Malthus; Ricardo’s labour theory of value and his theory of rent and economic growth; and Marx’s labour theory of value as the explanation for the development of capital. The understanding in these authors of economics as an historical process of production gives fascinating insights into modern economic development that contrast with the modern economic concentration on the distribution of resources in a world of scarcity. Restricted to newly-admitted first-year students. Restricted to first-year students.  Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Economic growth has been a powerful force through history in improving living standards throughout the world. At the same time, there is a growing recognition that environmental damages frequently accompany this growth, whether it be at the local level (soil degradation and deforestation), or the global level (climate change). Economics studies the allocation of scarce resources, but how can it incorporate "the environment" in a meaningful way that can help guide policy-makers in the 21st century? This course is a fast review of economic approach and tools, and a review of a wide range of environmental policies, designed to manage the possible adverse impacts of economic expansions. The major emphasis in this course is on the market-based policies that guarantee incentive compatibility of these policies, thus, a higher chance of success. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

In this course you will experience the new paradigm in behaviour genetic research. You will learn why the concept of a nature-nurture dichotomy is passé and that it has been replaced by a new understanding gained from animal and human research in the areas of gene by environment interaction and epigenetics. We will discuss how our genome listens to our environment and the effect this has on our health and behaviour. We will learn why our early experiences are critical for the development of our brains and our bodies. Together this new body of knowledge will help us understand how individual differences in behaviour and health arise. For non-science students in all years and disciplines. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

From H.G. Wells to Star Trek to Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, tales of time travelers remain captivating. What does our fascination with time travel tell us about storytelling and narrative? This course will explore the questions that time travel raises about narrative as well as history, temporality, subjectivity, and agency. We will look at examples of time travel in film, television, and books as well as philosophical and scientific writing about it. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

For thousands of years, stories of disaster at sea have been among the most widespread and popular of literary genres. These stories raise fundamental questions about the relationship between human beings and the non-human world and the nature of humanity itself. This course will explore the treatment of such questions in some great literary accounts of disaster at sea, from Homer's Odyssey to the twenty-first century. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

The course examines current environmental issues for which there is no easy answer or consensus position. For instance, to help solve climate change should we generate more electricity from nuclear power-plants, which have no greenhouse gas emissions? Or instead, should we phase out nuclear plants because of possible accidents, costs and radioactive wastes? The seminar examines the scientific and political aspects of such issues and debates the pros and cons of each. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This seminar will look through the lens of earth history to explore drivers of change in the biosphere and the impacts of these changes. We will focus on episodes of mass extinction, and the spectacular landscape changes and speciation events which often followed. Abrupt or gradual climatic changes, massive volcanism, asteroid impacts, catastrophic carbon releases, and human activity will be evaluated as the causes of major extinction events in Earth history. The course will involve reading of scientific literature, student-led discussions, oral presentations and research projects, as well as potential field trips to sites in Southern Ontario. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Modern Earth Sciences touches on virtually all aspects of modern life, from the atmosphere to large scale natural disasters. This course will explore how earth sciences has shaped our society and our understanding of the earth as a system. Potential course topics include (but are not limited to) the great climate change crisis and what we know about climate change in the past to the literally earth moving ideas of plate tectonics (and the associated natural disasters). The course will involve reading of scientific literature, student-led discussions, oral presentations and research projects. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course explores the visual and material worlds of the Italian traveller Marco Polo, which are described in his Travels. Together we will read sections of this text and explore their meaning with respect to the objects and monuments of Marco Polo’s time from the regions to which he travelled. By studying cartography, art, architecture, and urban form in the expansive medieval world of Marco Polo, the course will introduce us to the global world of the Middle Ages. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Art causes scandals for many reasons, provoking a range of consequences, including censorship, cuts to government funding of the arts or even destruction of the work in question. In this course we will consider a number of kinds of art scandal arising from exhibition in public galleries and urban spaces, including those that have to do with legal issues such as plagiarism and vandalism; aesthetic objections on the part of the public, ranging from perceived obscenity to simple resentment of abstract art; racism; sacrilege; and political subversion, amongst others. We will consider the work of artists including Chris Ofili, Joep van Lieshout, Paul McCarthy, Damien Hirst, Michael Snow, Sally Mann, Banksy, Rachel Whiteread, Richard Prince, Andres Serrano, Robert Mapplethorpe, Carl Andre, Maya Lin, and Jeff Koons, amongst others. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

“R texting n tweeting like” ruining the language? Do young people speak differently than older people? Are teenagers causing language change? How do we adapt the way we speak in certain situations? Are some varieties of French better than others? In this practical introduction to variationist sociolinguistics, we will investigate these and similar questions through the analysis of linguistic variation and change in multiple varieties of French. No knowledge of French is necessary. The course will be held in English. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This interdisciplinary course will analyze the different forms of the imagination of future and the debates between different conceptions of modernity in 19th-century France. From different perspectives, the students will be invited to reflect on the role of utopian imagination, on the emergence of social sciences, and on the force of the philosophies of progress. The course will be held in English. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Grimms Fairy Tales – we all know and love them. But what do we really know? Which versions are we familiar with? Most likely not the ones by the Brothers Grimm. And certainly not in German! This course is a journey into the mythical German Schwarzwald, a place of wolves and witches, the realm of the fantastic. It is not a traditional language course, as we won’t be cramming grammar and vocabulary, at least not excessively. Rather, we will learn German playfully by reading, analyzing and acting out original folk tales, their Romantic adaptations and modern retellings. In the process we will enrich our understanding of German language and culture. Please note that basic knowledge of German is required to participate in this course (i.e. at least one year of solid high school instruction). Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Technology has changed our lives, and scientific knowledge has enhanced human capacities. At the same time, though, this development is also experienced as a threat. Killing missiles, controlling 'Big Brothers,' and monstrous creatures are often considered the flip-side of technological advancement. This course asks: What is the relationship between technology and the "human"? Can there be progress of technology without a regress of humanity? Or is technology liberating us from the bonds of nature? We will discuss possible answers to these questions by looking at key texts in German literature, philosophy, and cultural history from the eighteenth century to Post-Modernity. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Have you wondered why we find a ladybug ‘picturesque’ but a cockroach ‘disgusting’? Have you thought of butterflies as feminine and sublime, and bees as an army? Have you ever received advice in your workplace or school to avoid behaving like a ‘mosquito,’ meaning to resist engaging in micro-aggressive conducts? Have you been curious about why the film industry created an enlarged half human/half ant ‘alien’ creature to feed our worst fears? This course engages with these and other contradictory and complex renderings of insects in Western culture and around the world to investigate how we define the limits of social belonging in relation to space and place. The course explores how the anxieties and wonders around insects’ behaviour are related to aspects of the human/nature relationship. By tracking the political ecology of insects, the course provides a first approximation to arguments about the connection between nature and culture and “lived-in” environments; also exploring themes of class, gender, race and settler colonialism. Because this is a first-year seminar, reading and engaging actively with the course material is important for this course.

The course also serves as an introduction to other subjects that are relevant to navigating post-secondary life, such as: critical reading; conducting university-level research; presenting and communicating ideas in the classroom; teamwork; and how to benefit from it; and developing social networks.

Restricted to newly admitted first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Is space political? In what ways? What are the implications of thinking about politics geographically? How do political conflicts both invoke and transform space and place? What kinds of alternative political relationships to space and alternative mappings can we imagine? This course will attempt to answer those questions while exploring a wide range of possible contexts in which political spaces are evident. These may include: conflicts over the intimate spaces of the body, identity, and the home; the racialization and gendering of space; the politics of cities and urbanization; the boundaries of public and private space; struggles over land, property, resources and ‘nature’; the political geographies of labour, citizenship and migration; globalization of economic markets and alternative economic political and social cartographies; borders, geopolitics, and the territorial politics of empire; and the geographic projects of colonialism, post-coloniality, modernity, and modernization. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Histories of wine or beer or vodka often focus either on the production of these alcoholic beverages and their role in national economies, or the ways that drinking is part of celebrations. But drunkenness enters the historical record in other ways, too--not just as a social lubricant but as a social ill, one associated with intimate violence or violence to the self and with mass protest. From worries about the Gin Craze to the rise of temperance movements and eventually the passing of Prohibition, from tax policies to policing, this class will consider the many ways that drunkenness has been accepted, denounced, and legislated about in societies around the world. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

How do historians make arguments and tell stories? How does the scale of their gaze affect their narrative strategies? In this course, we will consider a number of topics and themes related to these questions: the difference between microhistory and biography (or microhistory and regional history); the relationship of microhistory to global history; the role of the historian in these kinds of history; and the ways that microhistory and global history both pose particular problems of narrative. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This seminar proposes to consider the history of the world's most popular sport, soccer, in broader political, social, economic, and cultural context. We will consider the emergence of the modern game in industrializing Britain in the 19th century; its globalization; its mobilization as a vehicle for political expression, as well as social cultural, and gendered identities; supporter culture; and soccer as an industry. Students will read scholarly works from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including history, cultural anthropology, sociology, literature, and economics. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

An introduction to the concept of the city as a creative environment promoting not only growth and wealth but also social justice, equality, cooperation, and civility. Students will learn to build their own blog to help them to observe, interpret, and reflect upon the process of urban interaction and the relationship between creativity and justice. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

An introduction to literary journalism, in which students study the craft of storytelling along with interviewing, reporting, and the journalist’s ethical stance. Guest speakers, field trips, writing activities and course readings will help students engage deeply with their environment and develop the skills and sensitivity required for literary reporting. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Why do we work? What does work mean to the average person? These questions are not as straightforward as they appear. We work for the bulk of our lives and most of our days are spent with coworkers who are neither family nor our closest friends, but we often fail to realize how self-defining work really is. This speaks to work’s centrality but also to its invisibility in reflective discourse. However, through “popular” representations of work (e.g., such as in story-telling, cave drawings, hieroglyphs, music, writing, painting, television, film, video games, etc.,) we can begin to better understand the meaning of work and how this has changed over time. Readings in anthropology, history, economics, sociology and employment relations plus film and art criticism will help us explore these questions from an interdisciplinary perspective; assignments will encourage students to reflect on their own experience of work. Developing strong analytical and communication skills is an important goal of the course. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Since its inception in the Nineteenth century, detective fiction has been one of the most popular literary genres, proving adept at both entertaining and shining a critical light on social and political problems. This course will explore the many faces of detective fiction addressing questions such as: Why does crime hold such a fascination for modern audiences? What kind of pleasure do we derive from reading stories that often follow established conventions and rules? What do these novels about crime and punishment tell us about broader social and political issues? Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

The course will explore the role of the Church in the history of Italian culture, including the literary, visual and performative arts. Special attention will be paid to its important functions in different periods of the history of Italy. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

We will explore the ways in which information is communicated in conversation. We will consider systematic ways in which what a speaker intends to communicate with language goes beyond what one says in conversation. The goal of the course is to investigate the ways in which speakers rely on knowledge of language and implicit “rules” to enrich and transform the literal content of someone’s utterance.

Students will familiarize themselves with some fundamental concepts in linguistic semantics and pragmatics. They will develop analytic skills necessary to analyze a text in an academic context and beyond. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

There are estimated to be about 7000 languages currently spoken in the world. What do they have in common? In what ways are they different? This course will explore these questions, covering such topics as meaning, sound systems, the structure of words, the order of words in sentences, question formation, concepts such as subject and object, tense systems, pronoun systems. We will also discuss language loss and revival. Students will develop analytic skills as they consult published grammars and other resources to address these issues. Students will share their findings through oral and written presentation. Examples will be drawn from a wide range of languages. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

In this course we will look at magic tricks! Not just any magic tricks, but ones that involve only Mathematics and maybe a flair for the presentation. Some magic tricks involve only elementary Mathematics, others involve very deep Mathematics. In the discussions, we will talk about the tricks and the Mathematics behind them. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

The course is offered in a seminar/workshop format. Each week students solve puzzles, and develop initial and essential intuitions for the fundamental ideas of each puzzle. Then in the lectures and through the reading materials, the mathematical foundations of each puzzle are studied. Students learn to apply mathematical techniques to strengthen and generalize the puzzles, and to enrich their initial problem solving intuitions.

Topics covered include mathematics of numbers, counting, base and modular arithmetic, geometry and geometric constructions, graph theory, games, decision theory, logic puzzles, and recursion. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Governing public goods has been an age-old concern for social scientists and policymakers alike. This is not surprising since the provision of global public goods is riddled by problems of collective action. In this course, we focus on how to implement solutions through states, markets and communities.

The first objective is to familiarize students with the concept of global public goods, the different mechanisms that can provide these goods and the challenges that emerge from lacking incentives to secure their provision. To this end, the course will introduce theories from sociology, political science, philosophy, and history to help us understand different types of governance mechanisms and how they may be used to scale global solutions. Theories can help us explain the tensions between cooperating for the public good at the expense of sacrificing individual goals, or why certain areas of our lives, like the Internet, seem to produce public goods without any formal mechanism of cooperation.

The second objective is to use the class and subject of study as an arena to model and practice the kind of learning that is expected of university students. The main skills that the course will help students target and develop are: research (finding, evaluating and assimilating reliable information); writing (developing ideas into logically written arguments); and critical analysis of arguments presented in the readings and debated in class (this includes identifying the key assumptions that are implicit in different theories as well as inherent in our own positions on various questions related to governance). Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

How often do we reflect on the environmental, social and economic impact of our everyday food choices? This course offers an introduction to the key concepts, terms and theories that underlie our current food system. The course links the food we eat to global forces and considers how these forces affect food distribution, access and consumption. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR.

While the internet and other forms of digital technology have created new forms of social relationships and widened access to information, they have also raised concerns. This course explores issues such as surveillance, addiction and bullying as well as the potential of digital technologies (e.g. smart cities, Big Data, and the internet of things). The course engages students' own experience of digital technology. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR.

This interdisciplinary course addresses a current issue that exemplifies the themes of "Learning Without Borders" in New One. It investigates how this issue is implicated in connecting us with others around the globe; it engages different kinds of knowledge and community perspectives; and integrates students' own experience as related to the issue. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR.

How do we produce and ensure access to nutritious and environmentally sustainable food for all? This course explores what is involved in achieving ethical food production and food security, examining topics such as: the paradox of food waste amidst scarcity, the relationship between food production and climate change, community-led alternatives to dominant food systems, and the role of biotechnology. Research projects allow students to focus on an issue of particular interest. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR.

What are the social and material implications of the digital technologies we use every day - for the present and for the future? This course explores how digital technologies have been remaking the world and affecting our lives by tracing their historical development, their social effects, and the impact of their physical presence. It also peers into scenarios of the future in this digital world. Students engage in research on a topic of their own interest. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR.

Building on the integrated learning from any New One course, this course explores, in more depth, the social and ethical implications of a current issue exemplifying the themes of "Learning without Borders." Normally, this course would address the same current issues as offered in NEW105H1 in the preceding term. The course also considers examples of policy and community organizing responses. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR.

A study of French cultural history with respect to the French reputation for the indulgence and refinement of all the senses in visual arts, music, cuisine, perfume and fashion. Supporting mythologies are investigated, along with stereotype formation, exoticism and cultural appropriation. Through various research, writing and presentation techniques, including mini-essays, poster displays and pecha kucha, students will explore what is left of this reputation in an era of globalization. No knowledge of French is necessary. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Are human beings basically evil or good? What creates order in society? Coercion? Religion? Can societies operate without law? This course explores different systems of authority and control through ancient texts, focusing on the very first ideas of law in human history. We examine actual law codes, court cases on real estate disputes and conspiracy to commit murder and rape, as well as alternative means of regulating communities such as ideology, ritual and magic. While most courses on ancient law approach the topic from the perspective of modern concerns, this course situates the first law in its own historical, social and political context. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

The narrative of women speaking out begins in Iran in the first decades of the 20th century. In this course, we will look at an early generation of educated Iranian females who although from varied backgrounds have a common desire to make their lives public. We will refer to a mix of sources including memoirs, interviews and poems to explore how feminist aspirations are repressed or expressed in a society dominated by patriarchal values. We will analyse how a woman’s childhood experience affects her personal expectations for the future and whether the cultural environment restricted this generation or encouraged women to make a social contribution. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course will critically examine the role of cinema in the construction and exploration of the figure of the racial, ethnic, cultural and social "other". Our topics will include (1) racial, ethnic and cultural identity and its reciprocal relationship with cinema, (2) the notion of realism in relation to the representation of race and ethnicity in film, (3) the cinematic representation of inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic conflict, (4) the position of cinema in the debate between assimilation and multiculturalism, and (5) the ways in which cinema can help illuminate a cluster of relevant notions in political philosophy including citizenship, communitarianism, cosmopolitanism, and the relation between individual rights and group rights. Films will be screened in class and discussed against the background of focused critical readings. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

The passage of time is a fundamental aspect of human experience: we are born, we grow older, and eventually we pass away. During our lives our experience of the past, present, and future are distinct. We can influence the world in the present and the future, but it does not seem that we can influence the past. We have hopes about the future, memories of the past, and experiences of the present. In this seminar we will explore insights from contemporary philosophy and physics concerning the nature of the passage of time. Questions to be considered may include the following: What does it mean to say that time passes? Does time really pass at all? How do we experience time? Why can we influence the future but not the past? Is it possible to travel backward in time? Is time even real? What is time? Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

The universe is not a rigid clockwork, but neither is it formless and random. Instead, it is filled with highly organized, evolved structures that have somehow emerged from simple rules of physics. Examples range from the structure of galaxies to the pattern of ripples on windblown sand, to biological and even social processes. These phenomena exist in spite of the universal tendency towards disorder. How is this possible? Self-organization challenges the usual reductionistic scientific method, and begs the question of whether we can ever really understand or predict truly complex systems. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR.

A limited enrollment seminar course for First Year Science students interested in current research in Physics. Students will meet active researchers studying the universe from the centre of the earth to the edge of the cosmos. Topics may range from string theory to experimental biological physics, from climate change to quantum computing, from superconductivity to earthquakes. The course may involve both individual and group work, essays and oral presentations. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

China’s meteoric rise to great power status has triggered an intense international debate over its global implications. While many analysts see Beijing’s rise as posing a threat to global political and economic stability, Chinese leaders have argued forcefully that China’s efforts to regain its historic preeminence will result in a ‘win-win” outcome for all states. This course will assess the merits of these contending positions through an historical examination of China’s 20th century renaissance. The course will begin by tracing the long period of imperial decline in the 19th century, culminating in China’s revolutionary rebirth as a Marxist state in 1949. A major focus will be on the Mao-era legacy of revolutionary diplomacy and the foreign policy consequences of its later transformation into a market-authoritarian powerhouse. Restricted to first-year students. Not available for CR/NCR option.

Who benefits and who loses from urban transformation? This course is an introduction to the concept of social justice from an urban perspective. It will highlight how unequal relations of race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability operate through the urban environment, and how these conditions can be contested through political mobilization. A variety of cases from cities around the world are used to explore issues related to segregation, gentrification, policing, migration, and access to public spaces and services. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Explore the thought processes, logic, motivation, techniques, analysis and impact of recent high-profile publications to gain insight into the enterprise of science. Outstanding scientists present recent high-impact papers, and students will examine the research in depth, focusing on the underlying questions, experimental approach, results and significance. Restricted to first-year students. Not available for CR/NCR option.

How does one develop a sense of individuality? Can individual will and freedom be reconciled with the interests of society? Are we determined by society or culture or do we, in some important sense, determine our own behaviour and futures? In this course, we will use classic and contemporary readings from psychology, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, and law to explore general characterizations of the individual and society. Basic questions will be examined in light of these characterizations such as: Is there a universal human nature? Who is a “person”?, and What is the ideal society? We will examine these questions in light of various social issues, such as debates about multiculturalism and democracy, whether children have rights to freedom of speech, and women’s equality in society. Throughout the course, the emphasis will be on the different views of the person underlying and informing contrasting perspectives on important social questions. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This seminar will examine the historical and contemporary use of drugs. Students will be introduced to the general psychological and neuroscientific mechanisms by which drugs affect human behavior, and explore highlights of current research on drug effects in animals and humans. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course will examine the “what ifs” and imagined worlds of ideal utopias and oppressive dystopias through the lens of religion and gender in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland. Because science fiction and utopian/dystopian literature expresses what an author sees as possible or hopes is possible, but also fears is possible, we will consider science fiction as a political and social critique. Themes to be covered include fundamentalism, totalitarianism, the relationship between technology and religion, religion and reproductive rights, and the potential relationship between religion, gender and oppression. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This First-Year Foundations seminar will explore sexuality at the intersections of race, gender, class, disability, citizenship status, and geography, among other social relations and processes as a foundational practice in Sexual Diversity Studies. In an intimate seminar setting, students will develop reading, writing, and presentation skills necessary for engaging in Sexual Diversity Studies across a wide array of disciplinary traditions. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

What makes literature ‘visible’? How do the verbal and the visual coexist? This seminar explores the relationship between words and images, texts and pictures through history, in Russia and the West. Special attention will be paid to the figure of the artist. Is it a writer’s alter ego, the incarnation of creativity, or just a character among others? Literary texts (mainly short stories) from Balzac and Gogol to Chekhov and O. Henry, Maugham and Bunin, Nabokov and Camus will be studied along with the paintings of some major 19th-20th century artists. The comparative dimension of the course will help students contextualize Russian literature and think about its relationship with the Western canon. We will also watch some 21st century films about artists (such as Julie Taymor’s Frida [2002], Milos Forman Goya’s Ghosts [2006], and Mike Leigh Mr. Turner [2014]). All texts will be in English. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

The course examines the genesis and evolution of the image of the Jew, central to all European cultures, from the theology and psychology of Christian anti-Judaism to their reflection in folklore, visual, plastic, and verbal arts, and to the survival of the imaginary Jew in secular forms. Special attention is given to the Jews of Slavic and East European imagination. All readings are in English. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Galicia was an invented province of Austria-Hungary, created at the first partition of Poland in 1772. From the moment of its creation, it stimulated a very wide range of literary representations. As if to mirror its invented political status, the Galicia that appears in fiction is a world of fantastic wonders, strange delights, and ferocious terrors. Whether in Austrian, Jewish, Polish, or Ukrainian national imaginations, Galicia is a place with a uniquely hybrid culture. We explore this imaginary place through the writings of Ivan Franko, Joseph Roth, Stanislaw Lem, Bruno Shultz, Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch, Andrzej Stasiuk and other authors from a variety of traditions.

The course focuses on the cultural understanding of geography with a specific focus on a place where a variety of national cultures interact.

A number of short assignments offer students an opportunity to develop and polish their writing skills. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This seminar introduces students to university-level studies through an interdisciplinary exploration of Celtic influences in the mediaeval world, with a particular focus on early books and historical artifacts as physical objects and bearers of meaning. Students will learn how to read and analyse these books and artifacts to decode their meanings, and, in support of that, take introductory language instruction in Latin or Irish. Subjects discussed will include intercultural encounter and dialogue, research methods with historical sources, and the relationship between the written word and lived experience, then and now. There is a co-curricular travel opportunity to Dublin, Ireland associated with this course which is strongly recommended. The costs of this travel opportunity are covered by the University of St. Michael's College. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option. (A fee of up to $1000 will apply for travel costs.)

This course provides an intensive international learning experience in Rome, Italy. It offers contemporary and historical models of integrating faith with reason, and religious practice with intellectual, creative, and public engagement, specifically the roles that the Catholic Church and Vatican play in Rome, in ecology, science, literature, and public life. This course includes a mandatory travel component to Rome, Italy, the costs of which, including transportation, room and board, are covered by the University of St. Michael's College. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option. (A fee of up to $2000 will apply for travel costs.)

What is beauty? A quality of fragile things? Or a manifestation of something transcendent? Is beauty human, divine—or both? This seminar will take up these questions by exploring the great works—and intense debates—inspired by the encounter between Christianity and beauty. We will consider the tensions and paradoxes that arise when artists work with religious subject matter, how Christianity’s central claims expand conventional aesthetics categories, and how secular artists respond to these expressions and developments. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Games and play are a fundamental part of human society, and today digital games occupy a central place in popular culture, media industries, and the imaginations of players around the world. This seminar introduces students to the growing academic field of game studies, with an emphasis on close analysis of specific games as cultural objects. Through lectures, discussions, and in-class play sessions, students will build a critical vocabulary and toolbox of techniques for understanding the unique formal, aesthetic, narrative, and thematic properties of games in a variety of platforms and genres, and develop basic academic reading, writing, and research skills. No previous experience or expertise with video games is required to take this course. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Some people are worried that we risk becoming less human if we allow ourselves or others to engage is widespread self-transformation through the insertion of some kinds of devices into human bodies (e.g., computers, becoming cyborgs) or as a result of interventions such as genetic engineering , etc. Others are concerned that the use of some technologies, or barriers to their use, will increase global inequalities. In this course we will read, talk, and write about these and related issues. We will take a sociological approach, which means that we will attend to contextual forces that shape practices, and material flows, and the meaning of objects. Students will present their final paper in class. Restricted to first-year students. Not available for CR/NCR option.

This seminar examines how people use time in their everyday lives: the content, the interpersonal and structural circumstances, and the implications. The seminar will include an examination of seminal writings about people's use of time and hands-on practice in the strategies and techniques of analyzing available data, including the formulation of questions and approaches to answering them. Students will acquire an appreciation not only of the concept of time and how it helps explain important issues in the social sciences but also of how they use time in their daily lives and how time-use analysis can help them better understand many situations. Several skills will be developed in this seminar, including reading, writing, expressing points of view, and asking and answering research questions by using numerical data and computers to organize, analyze, and show results clearly. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Spain built up a world empire in the sixteenth century, by unifying its monarchy in the Iberian peninsula and Europe and conquering territories in the New World. Writers and thinkers recorded the progress of this empire with praise, but they also commented on ethical issues related to rule over other peoples and the impact of armed violence on the lives of soldiers and civilians. We will study these questions by reading important Spanish texts that describe the conduct and impact of wars of conquest and of civil unrest. Through a focus on writings that deal with warfare, this course offers an introduction to an important period in European history. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course examines the meaning and mathematics of probabilities, and how they arise in our everyday lives. Specific topics may include: the nature of coincidences, the concept of luck, games involving dice and cards, long run averages in casinos, margins of error in polls, the interpretation of medical studies, crime statistics, decision making, pseudorandomness, and Monte Carlo algorithms. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Can the immune system be strengthened? Are some diseases incurable? What is the best way to stop the spread of a virus? This course examines the scientific principles underlying contemporary issues in the science of human health with the goal of exposing students to the current state of biomedical research. We will develop three distinct types of understanding that are essential to literacy about the science of human health: the basic concepts in science; the nature of scientific research; and the rules that govern how scientists do their work. This course will explore topics such as stem cells, gene editing, regenerative medicine, vaccination, drug development, and personalized medicine. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR.

In this course we consider when our health policies support the highest standards of medical care, consistent with the latest discoveries in medical research. We examine the ways in which debates around ethics, effectiveness and efficiency shape global and national health policy. We begin by exploring the most important advancements in global health policy over the past two decades. We then assess Canada’s experience in providing health care, identifying lessons for national policy reform and for Canada’s role as a leader in global health research and policy. We explore a range of health challenges including universal health care, anti-microbial drug resistance, HIV AIDS, tuberculosis, reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, cardiovascular care, oncology, environmental health, indigenous health, violence against women and mental health. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course introduces students to fundamental issues in environmental science with a multi-disciplinary focus on human impacts on physical and biological systems, and on identifying pathways to sustainability. Key themes will include energy and resources, climate change, land use, contaminants and protecting biodiversity in the context of the Anthropocene. The course challenges students to apply the scientific method to environmental monitoring, research and problem solving through project design, data collection and analysis. The course also emphases information literacy, skills to distinguish science from pseudo-science, and considerations around representation of environmental science in the media. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR.

Terrorism, the proliferation of arms (including weapons of mass destruction), environmental degradation, globalization, technological change, and the rise of non-state actors all pose challenges to statecraft and the management of global order. This seminar course explores the changing dynamics of global politics and the responses to them by states (and others). Topics will include an examination of new forms of international collaboration that have developed in the wake of crises in the years following the Second World War. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR.

What is public policy? Is there such a thing as the public good? This seminar course examines the notion of the “public” through investigating possible answers to a central political question: what is the purpose of government? Drawing on readings in philosophy and political theory, the course considers a variety of approaches to interpreting the nature of the public good and asks how policy makers should respond when competing goods (e.g., freedom and security) clash with each other. The course involves discussion of contemporary issues in public policy. Restricted to newly admitted first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR.

What is the relationship between capitalism and democracy? How can studying rational choice theory inform public policy? This course will introduce students to the methods of studying the interplay between economics and political goals. We will focus on specific topics to guide our quantitative analysis, which may include intergenerational poverty, the transfer of wealth, efficiency, and social stratification. Students will learn how to situate a society’s economic institutions within their broader political context, and study how economic outcomes interact with broader policies relating to, for example, health, equality, social mobility, and well-being. We will analyse empirical results while developing critical skills for interpreting economic data and research. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR.

What does it mean to be morally required to do something? What rights do we have over ourselves, our bodies, our privacy, our choices? In this course, we will read texts from philosophy, history, political science, cultural studies and beyond that engage with the theme of ethics in the public arena. These will provide valuable analytic tools as we go on to confront contemporary issues that raise urgent ethical questions. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR.

In response to contemporary terrorist attacks and natural disasters, many are led to cry, “The world will never be the same!” How should such statements be evaluated? What impact do they have on social and political life? This course explores religious and cultural responses to human tragedy and cultural shock. Discussion will attend to debates over the meaning of suffering, public reactions to terrorism, the traumas of natural disasters, and the role of media in covering such events. These themes are engaged from the perspectives of ethics, cultural theory, religious studies, and theology. The course focuses on popular responses to events that include: the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755, the First World War, the Holocaust, Hurricane Katrina, the Japanese experiences of Hiroshima and Fukushima, 9/11, and more recent examples of terrorism and disaster. Attention will be given to concerns such as the impact of trauma on social and political debate, the function of religious discourse in the face of tragedy, the nature of ideology, and the relationship between religion and violence. A thematic concern throughout the course will be the nature of ethical commitment in the midst of confusion and social disruption. Restricted to first-year students. Not available for CR/NCR option.

This is a health systems course. It deals with illness care, individual health, and health insurance. It will take a comparative and historical approach. We will look at the genesis of Canadian healthcare, our benefits and those other countries provide (e.g., pharmacare, dental care). We will look at indirect contributors like childcare and basic income. We will examine the public-private debate. We will also take some novel approaches. One is that the university has an expanded role in the 21st century, one that involves public outreach, a role that includes healthcare. Recent academic literature on healthcare notes that it is nation-building. We will look at why. We will examine some cutting-edge ideas, like integrated care, the learning health system, the concept of customer-owners. We will explore whether our healthcare system needs to be anchored by ‘institutions of excellence’ and identify these. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course explores contemporary literary works that redefine heroism in light of personal and cultural trauma. What does recent literature (mostly 21st-century fiction) show us about the nature of heroism in our time? To answer this question, the course examines theories of psychological trauma, studies in the field of positive psychology, and research on gothic and dystopian literature. Critical thinking, scholarly reading and database research are foundational skills that the course strengthens in order to prepare students for their writing in disciplines across the university. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Although rarely attested during the historical era when they were active, since the early nineteenth century the word “Viking” has been popularly applied to describe groups of Scandinavian adventurers who marauded along the frontiers of Medieval Europe: in this respect, the image of “the Viking” may be regarded as much a modern, as it is a medieval, creation. The legacy of historical “Viking activities” was a factor in the development of modern nation states in Scandinavia and the Baltic region, and their contributions to the heritage of people residing in Britain, continental Europe, the Middle East, and even the Atlantic coast of Canada have been and continue to be cited to the present day. Aspects of culture attributed to “the Vikings”—their assumed independence, courage, resourcefulness, and tenacity in the face of adversity, as well as the occult characteristics of their cosmology—have, for better and worse, inspired modern artists, writers, composers, intellectuals, explorers and even political leaders, and persist in present day literature, art, music, sport and popular culture as well. Why and how do elements of historic Viking culture continue to evoke traditions and characteristics popularly attributed to “the Vikings”? What are some implications of “Viking-ness” for those people in the post-Viking Age past and/or present who we may regard—or may regard themselves—as the “cultural descendants” of the Vikings? In this seminar, participants will study selected cultural artifacts of the “post-Viking Age,” along with recent multidisciplinary research, to observe how various “post-Viking Age” cultures and subcultures have selectively appropriated elements of the “Viking” past. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

In the first part of the course, via lectures and readings, we will be examining the Enlightenment, the French and Industrial Revolutions, and the Romantic Conservative Reaction to these revolutions. In part two of the course, we will study Karl Marx, who coined the term “capitalism” to describe the new type of society that had emerged as a product of the Industrial Revolution. Marx, as the severest critic of the capitalist system, called attention to its alienating character. In the 19th Century, his ideas provoked a response that accounts, in large measure, for the character of Western political thought. The discussion of Marx is therefore followed by the intense debate with his “ghost,” the Marxian legacy. We will engage with the participants in the debate - - Weber, Pareto, Mosca, Michels, Durkheim, and Mannheim. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course explores the nature and impact of public health policy in Canada. The course describes the origins of Canadian health policy, its evolution towards its current form and the choices resulting from aging populations and the increasing costs associated with a high standard of health care.

Who belongs? Who governs? Who decides? In this course, you will examine the concepts of citizenship, public space, political membership, civic responsibility, and belonging. You will address topics such as Indigenous sovereignty claims, urban multiculturalism, public housing, and greening the city. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

In this course, you will examine how Toronto’s varied communities access and use health care, and how they may encounter barriers in doing so. You will study how economic disparities, shifting demographics, and government policies affect health policy and the right to access resources. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Further exploration of connections between the performing arts, urban spaces, and cultural diversity; complementing UNI102H1. How does theatrical performance affect how people perceive the city? What are the alternatives to established theatres, and how does community activism inform performing arts in Toronto? Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Is higher education about job preparation or about giving students an opportunity to learn about themselves and the world around them? Can higher education in Canada achieve both these aims? This course engages with the spirited conversations and scholarly debates about the ideals of a liberal arts education and how these connect with ancient and contemporary arguments about citizenship. We explore the impact on higher education of globalization and what some call the “corporatization” of universities. Students will be encouraged to think, read, research and write about various models of higher education and explore questions suggested by these debates. Restricted to newly admitted first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course is a general orientation to conflict theory, and develops a basic understanding of essential conflict resolution principles that will complement the study of conflict theory. The course will examine the differences between conflicts and disputes, the functions and desirability of conflict, and the conditions that facilitate conversion of conflicts from destructive to constructive. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Metaphors and motivations of journeying have long intrigued human beings as they have attempted to understand the meaning of their existence: the setting out, the seeking for a desired object, the pilgrimage of religious observance, and the longing to return home. Through texts, art, music and film, this course will explore some of the shaping journey-myths of our culture from classical, Hebrew, medieval and modern sources. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

In this course we examine major episodes in the history of evolution and genetics in the twentieth century. Topics include Darwinian evolution, sociobiology and evolutionary psychology, eugenics, and genetic screening and therapy. We will examine different views about the control of evolution and genetic manipulation in their socio-cultural-economic context and discuss the ethical and social implications of those views. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

A study of the ideas and concerns of innovators who questioned traditional views and values. The course includes creative thinkers who challenged basic concepts on politics, literature, religion, and society. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

There has never been a period of time, nor has there ever been a culture, without some kind of puzzle tradition. Are puzzles just playful artefacts, intended merely to entertain? Or are they mirrors of something much more fundamental in human life? The course will take a close look at what puzzles tell us about the human mind and human culture. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course explores the depiction of the Renaissance in a wide range of plays, films and novels. The focus is on the exchange between film, fiction, and ‘fact’, and on how the values and concerns of the present shape creative recreations of the past in popular culture. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

A study of how literature challenges prevailing political beliefs and social norms. We will situate our discussion in the broader context of human rights and freedoms. We will examine cases where literature has been censored and writers have been imprisoned or driven into exile. Part of this course involves a community service-learning component. We will consider how this literature contributes to debate and advocacy around issues of social justice. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course provides an introduction to modern forms of ancient narratives, exploring the ways in which selected ancient literary sources and myths have been adapted to modern Canadian literature. Ancient narratives or ‘old stories’ are often reused, reinterpreted or reconstructed in modern narratives and given new relevance in a contemporary context. Students will encounter sources and contexts of ancient narratives. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course investigates issues arising from the translation of scientific evidence for public consumption, including in the development of public policy and in confronting problems of social and global significance. Areas of focus will include climate change, global health, and clinical medicine. Students will explore concepts including the perception and communication of risk, the generalizability of research findings, probabilistic and mechanistic thinking, and the use and abuse of scientific authority and “expertise” in public discourse. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

In The Origin of Species Darwin concluded there was no evidence to suggest that life was designed by a higher power. A corollary of this is that our lives lack any necessary purpose or meaning. Our readings will be directed to the question of what it means to lack ‘Meaning’. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Based on reading and discussion of science fiction and popular science in the context of social issues, this seminar course explores the fantastic visions of humanity's future inspired by scientific advances during the twentieth century. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

The name of Machiavelli unleashes powerful opinions and responses and conjures up trickery, duplicity and cynicism. Yet Machiavelli himself is arguably the least Machiavellian of political figures of the Italian Renaissance. This course examines the writings of Niccolò Machiavelli, placing them in their historical context in order to understand this most controversial figure of the Renaissance, his influence and his lasting legacy. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course focuses on connecting theories and practice of teaching with a view to having students develop their personal understanding of teaching. Students will be involved in a practicum. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Topics vary from year to year. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

A study of culture with a view to developing basic concepts with examples drawn from the visual arts, music, film, architecture, and/or local urban artefacts. We will emphasize how contemporary thought has affected the practice of everyday life. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

A study of art, with a focus on poetry, as an essential mode of experience and knowledge, in the context of contemporary and modern society. Along with literary artists, the course includes writers on history and sociology and presents the interplay between artistic vision and socio-political situations. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course examines how political ideas are formed and developed through literature, art, plays, essays and philosophical works in the twentieth century. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course examines different values, beliefs, and traditions relating to the natural and social world, ethical living, and the common good. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

An examination of scientific theories and their logic in life and physical sciences. Experimental design, novel device production, data analysis and modeling will be discussed using examples drawn from primary source material in the natural sciences. Students will prepare a research paper on a topic designed in consultation with the instructor. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course introduces students to some of the issues in the philosophy of science, in general, and in the philosophy of physics, in particular. Topics include the scientific method and its controversies, the meaning of time and its properties, realism versus competing approaches, thought experiments, and quantum mechanics. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course explores how public service and citizenship are developed. Topics may include the role of law and government, civil liberties, rights and responsibilities, and the role of protest. Emphasis on individuals and movements that have shaped modern memory. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course uses events to discuss the nature of society including major revolutions, economic crises, and the impact of significant artistic, cultural and technological developments. Emphasis on our responsibilities towards social justice. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course introduces policy applications of measurement tools and economic concepts by analyzing current issues in the news, such as public spending and debt, health care, social security, energy, climate change, innovation, and education. Concepts from the philosophy and history of economic thought will be used to address such questions as: What is the nature of economic explanations? Do they tell us the truth about reality? Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

The artist, filmmaker, poet or dramatist has changed society and how we imagine our future. The course explores a number of paradigm cases of how the arts have interacted with social problems. Both historical and current examples of the role of the imaginative arts will be explored. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course will examine the materiality of objects with a view to understanding how artefacts are made, their circulation, consumption, and the importance of things to social and cultural life. An investigation of artefacts from various collections in and around the university will be undertaken to develop basic methods for the study, description and analysis of material culture. In addition to hands-on exploration of objects, topics may include antiquarians and their methods, material culture in colonial contexts, and materials in contemporary user-friendly design. Restricted to newly admitted first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Building on the questions and theoretical perspectives discussed in WDW151H1, this interdisciplinary seminar introduces students to some of the methods used by scholars and researchers in sociology, political science, philosophy, and history to develop, test, and debate possible solutions to the problems of social order and disorder. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Building on the general introduction to the subject provided by WDW153H1, this interdisciplinary seminar examines one major area of popular culture in greater depth: popular music, genre fiction, online culture, etc. The focus will be different each year, and in some years more than one option may be available. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Since the mid-twentieth century, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have become classics of children’s and fantasy literature. In this course, we read Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and investigate the world-building and imagined history that lies behind the books. We trace how Tolkien’s own life experience informed his work—his experience as a soldier of the Great War and a civilian during World War Two; as a scholar of medieval language and literature, and of fairy tales; as a Catholic thinker; and as a lover of nature and the past. We also survey the afterlife of the novels in fantasy, film, and the popular imagination. Restricted to first year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.