Degree Students

HUMA-7030-60: Alienation & Society 

Degree Level: Upper 

This course uses literature, film, and theory on topics such as war, race, gender, and class to examine the concept of alienation and its consequences for both individuals and society.  From World War One poetry to David Fincher's Fight Club, the western world has long been fascinated with the experience of alienation and the lure of the alienated character.  How does a person come to feel so isolated from his or her society?  What motivates outsider figures to behave in the ways they do?  Through studying diverse genres from different time periods, students will be exposed to a variety of representations on the theme while developing and enhancing their skills in critical analysis, essay writing, and digital presentation. 

SOSC-7042-60: Intro to Mind & Behaviour 

Degree Level: Intro 

Have you ever wondered why you think the way you do? Why you behave the way you do? And why others are so similar yet so different from you? In this introductory psychology course, we examine the biological, social and cognitive factors that make us who we are. We discuss our development, the power of our brain, how we learn and remember, and how we interpret the world around us. We delve into our complex though processes, the motivations behind our behaviours, and the influence of social relationships, emotions, and stress on our health and well-being. Finally, we examine the causes and treatments of psychological disorders, such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and antisocial personality disorder. Through this course, students will gain insights into the factors that influence the way they think and behave. 

SOSC-7002-60: Perspectives on Sport 

Degree Level: Upper 

In this course we will examine the vital place of sport in modern societies. We will explore sports in relation to other social institutions such as the media, education, and government; we will examine sport in relation to aspects of social difference and inequality such as gender, race, class, and age; and finally, we will study sport and social processes such as socialization and deviance. We will also look at how sports help promote a particular system of values, shape national identity, and contribute to economic development. This part of the course provides students with an understanding of the relationship between sports, the economy, and the political system. Students explore both government approaches to sports and political issues related to sports in society.

GBLC-7001-40: Global Pop Culture 

Degree Level: Upper 

What discipline examines cars, khakis, non-fat lattes, viral videos and zombie-infested medieval fantasies as correlated events? Popular Culture Studies is the answer, and if the question seems more like a set-up for an old joke, that too falls under the scope of the discipline -- jokes as survivors of folk culture. Our diverse nationalities and backgrounds notwithstanding, we are surrounded by the same products of popular culture, from video games and Reality TV to Twitter, fan-fiction-turned-bestsellers, superhero franchises, and the transient royalty of pop music. We depart from a Starbucks in Country A, and arrive in a far-and-away Starbucks in Country B. In any mall anywhere, we will eventually find the food-court since mall architecture is standard. In addition to the world's six thousand languages, most people speak Smartphone and Facebook fluently. Our goal is to examine twelve such products or phenomena of popular culture as assemblages of distinct lifestyles and spaces, in their aesthetic, economic and ideological relations to commodification, visualisation, technology and entertainment. Ultimately, the study of Popular Culture illuminates the construction of everyday life -- the medium we live in as global citizens. 

GBLC-7012-40: Green Revolutions 

Degree Level: Upper 

The twentieth- and twenty-first centuries have undergone what some environmental scholars call a "green revolution." We have all heard the buzz words-sustainability, "going green," global climate change, renewable energy-but rarely do we consider how environmental science influences history, social movements, and cultural output. In other words, how does all this eco-friendly terminology impact societies at an individual and cultural level? This course will consider the larger social and cultural implications of environmental science, particularly, how environmental concerns shape politics, culture, and the arts. We will consider not only how the green revolution has influenced various film genres (e.g., fantasy and science fiction), but also how individuals participate in constructing the mythological components of the science. 

GBLC-7015-40: Environment and Culture 

Degree Level: Intro 

The goal of this readings-based course is to provide students with a framework for understanding their local, national, and global environments, and especially the environmental challenges we presently face as people living in Canada and in the world at large. We will examine the interrelations of nature, technology, and culture by analysing what it means to live at the tolerance margins of our uses of fossil fuels, water, modern food systems, and pollutants such as plastic. We will also examine past environmental collapses and survivals to learn for the future and research communities engaged in environmental activism today. 

HUMA-7026-40: Role of Garbage in Society 

Degree Level: Upper 

Garbage is all around us. We create and dispose of it every day. Yet for the most part we do not pay much attention to the material and symbolic role it plays in human society. This course begins with the following question: can garbage tell us something about ourselves? Through academic essays, popular articles, documentaries, television shows and commercials, artwork, literature, and Hollywood film, we will study trash from numerous perspectives to account for its prominence in our daily lives and understand its relationship to our contemporary society. 

HUMA-7043-40: Narratives of Travel & Tourism 

Degree Level: Intro 

This course is concerned with the way contemporary travel writing engages with and tries to reconcile socio-political struggles, such as the protection of human rights, the promotion of democracy, the management of equality within multiculturalism, and the reduction of inequality, that continue to persist despite the forces of globalization. In their attempt to combat regimented and outmoded ideas of foreignness, travel writers continue with these struggles and stereotypes that shape the experience of modern travel. Narratives of Tourism and Travel is a thoroughly interdisciplinary course that draws from international relations, literary theory, political theory, geography, anthropology, and history. 

HUMA-7046-40: Women in Film 

Degree Level: Upper 

Many of us can name a favourite actress or a favourite female movie character who seems to epitomize everything we value about women. At the same time, most of us could quickly list films where female characters play supportive or decorative functions and behave in disappointingly stereotypical ways. In either case, women in film are often unrealistically perfect. In addition to examining female actors and characters, this course explores films that question gender norms and reflect on changing perceptions concerning the role of women in society and culture. We also examine what happens when women are not in front of, but behind the camera, as directors, script writers, or cinematographers. The course covers both positive and negative examples of how women are depicted on the silver screen, in films made by male, as well as female directors. 

HUMA-7054-40: Genius, Creativity & Innovation 

Degree Level: Intro 

This course gives students the freedom to explore the history of genius, creativity, and innovation in any way that suits their learning interests. Structured in a non-linear way, the course reflects on the greatest innovations in human history, from the telescope to human rights to Greek philosophy to the internet. Students will learn about a range of interdisciplinary topics centred on specific events, inventions, and historical figures as a way of gaining a fuller understanding of the nature of creativity: how does innovation happen? what are the myths and facts behind creativity? how can we encourage and nurture our own personal creativity? what has creativity and innovation made possible in our contemporary and past human societies? 

HUMA-7059-40: Indigenous Literature  

Degree Level: Intro 

This course introduces students to literature written by Indigenous authors across geographical borders, including authors from a variety of historical, political, and cultural contexts. Students will study works selected from various genres and mediums, including oral and written storytelling, fiction and non-fiction, short stories, and poetry. They will write reflective and academic analyses in response to criticism by Indigenous and Western scholars. Students will demonstrate critical appreciation of the meaning, style, theme, and appeal of each selection. 

SOSC-7011-40: Social Implications of Addiction 

Degree Level: Intro 

As an introductory and interdisciplinary survey of the role of addiction in human cultures, this course is designed to expose students to how narcotic as well as non-narcotic- related addictions manifest themselves within various individual and institutional practices. In particular, students will explore the major biological, psychological and social/cultural theories applied to addiction. Focus is given to the nature of drug use, conceptions of 'the addict,' how drugs impact the brain, the impact on family, and consequences for changing social drug behaviors. This course also explores current theoretical and practical treatment approaches and education and prevention strategies. Emphasis will be given to special issues and hot topics in drug addiction, including youth, women, media portrayal of drug use and current debates on the war on drugs. Finally, understanding common perspectives on treatment and prevention strategies related to drug dependence and education will be studied. 

SOSC-7012-40: America & The Bomb 

Degree Level: Upper 

The nuclear bomb cast a long shadow over American culture throughout much of the twentieth century. In this course, we will examine the historical aspects of this phenomenon and imaginative responses to it; these responses include science fiction, film, poetry, short stories, and Dr. Seuss. The students in this course will gain an appreciation for the degree of fear generated by the Cold War, and for how this fear shaped artists, including those who were racially marginalized. 

SOSC-7030-40: Anarchism 

Degree Level: Upper 

What is anarchism? Often misrepresented as being equated with chaos, vandalism and terror, anarchism instead is a political philosophy with a particular view of human nature and particular visions around political, economic, and social organization. It began in the 19th century in response to slavery, authoritarianism and capital exploitation, and has over its history had supporters around the world. Direct expressions of anarchist ideas have re-emerged in recent years, through the sharing economy, the Occupy movement, popular culture depictions (e.g. Mr. Robot, Rage Against the Machine), and the development of cryptocurrencies. Today, anarchism is often focused on corporate capitalism, environmental sustainability, indigenous rights, and sexual freedom. This course will explore the diversity of anarchist ideas, anarchist critiques of political power and hierarchy, and review concrete examples of anarchism in practice. 

SOSC-7040-40: Miskâsowin and Ethics 

Degree Level: Intro 

Framed within the Truth and Reconciliation process underway in Canada, this course utilizes the Cree concept of Miskâsowin to convey the responsibility one has to undestand oneself in relation to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. The interconnectedness of the truth of Indigenous people's experiences and the call for creating ethical relationships through Miskâsowin are integral to this course. Concepts of equity (inequity), justice (injustice), and intent vs impact as they relate to the determinants of well-being are discussed within Indigenous understandings of wholism, interconnectedness, and relationships. Relevance of Miskâsowin to accountability and responsibility offer a pathway of reciprocity in relationships with all one's relations.