Summer 2023 course options
Courses are first come, first served—there are no waiting lists for courses that are full! We strongly advise you to register in your General Education course as soon as possible. This list of courses does not update when courses are full. When completing your registration you may need to try several courses before you find one that still has room for you to register.
The following courses are:
Online / Virtual Unscheduled / No Scheduled Hours / Asynchronous
3hrs per week (3hr online) | 3 credits each
Please note: Course options are subject to change without notice due to changes in planning. Please double-check course lists prior to completing your registration to ensure specific courses are still offered.
ANTH-1005-40 The Story of Us
Where did humans come from? What is our relationship with the rest of the animal world? How did we become a species that walks upright, and has an unusually large brain? Why are we so diverse today? These are the sorts of questions asked by physical anthropologists, as they seek to understand 'what it means to be human'. This course will introduce this discipline, and assist students in gaining an understanding of: human inheritance; an appreciation of human diversity; primatology; the origins of humanity; and the development of early human culture.
HIST-1009-40 Contemporary History
Only by knowing where we came from can we begin to know where we are going. This course explores the important events of the 20th century or what has been referred to as the 'revolutionary century'. Through a global perspective, we will examine such monumental events as the First and Second World Wars, the Russian Revolution, the rise of Fascism, the Cold War and how they shaped the world today. The course will also focus on the economic, political and cultural significance of these events globally, focusing on a number of different countries.
ENGL-1065-40 Crime Stories
Stories of crime and detection have been among the most popular narratives produced from the 19th century to the present. While popular crime stories have often been derided as cheap escapism, this course investigates a variety of fictional criminals and crime-fighters to show popular narratives holding up society's moral mirror to dark and horrible deeds and raising questions about the social and individual complexities of guilt, innocence, crime, and the means of punishment. ENVR-1038-40 Climate Change, Adaptation & Innovation To mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis, we must minimize the human activities driving climate change and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Communities must also implement resilient strategies to adapt to the changing climate and impacts already being felt around the world. Covering emerging, innovative solutions in energy, food, agriculture, land use, industry, transportation, buildings, carbon sinks, health, and education, this course invites students to explore creative responses to address climate change and its impacts locally and beyond. All of humanity is predicted to be impacted by climate change, albeit not equally. In this course, students will be encouraged to explore why climate change disproportionally impacts vulnerable communities and how multiple intersecting identity factors influence how individuals are affected by the changing climate. While we have faced, and will continue to face, many challenges to mitigate and adapt to the changing climate, our successes will not only benefit the planet, but our society and economy as well.
FILM-1009-40 Film Genres - Comedy
This course is for movie lovers who want to study the presentation of comedy on the silver screen. An analysis of different approaches to humour will show how audience interpretation is shaped by various directors. We will also study the ways in which comedy reflects the social tastes and anxieties of our times. Students will be required to watch one weekly film outside of class hours. Some of the films which we will study are Horrible Bosses, 21 Jump Street, Bridesmaids, and Groundhog Day.
GEOG-1007-40 Environmental Geography-Intro
This geography and sustainability course is designed to offer students an introduction to issues of environmental science and human activities that affect the wellbeing of the planet as a whole. Current and problematic issues will be explored through time and across space using case studies from both Canadian and global locations. The course will examine these issues from environmental, economic, and social perspectives in an attempt to better understand them and to recommend individual lifestyle choices to encourage positive change. Specific subjects to be investigated will include ecosystems and biodiversity, climate change, renewable energy resources, air and water pollution, food production, globalization, recycling and waste, and sustainable cities.
INDS-1033-40 Video Game Theory
This course will analyze the cultural and artistic significance of video games, and also the ways gaming reflects our larger relationships with technology. This course aims to discuss the relationship between video games and other media; gamers and the gaming community; and the important sociological, cultural, industrial, and economic issues that surround gaming. Note: Students in the Video Game Design and Development program (VGD) or Animation (ANI) cannot take this course as their General Education elective.
INDS-1058-40 Foodonomics
How can we have an epidemic of obesity when most of the world is starving? How can the very thing that's supposed to bring us strength and longevity make us ill? The answer is simple: Food is big business. In this course we discuss foodonomics or the business of food. We examine what we really know about the food we eat, the way food defines cultures and traditions, the plight of the local farmer, and controversies such as bioengineered and drug crops. We also discuss the validity of the organic and buy local movements, the positive and negative effects of globalization, and how and why our food is making us sick. Finally, we examine the true power of agriculture and why some are starved while others are stuffed.
INDS-1081-40 Personal Wellness
This course introduces students to the concept of wellness. Students develop strategies for a healthy lifestyle in all aspect of their lives. Through traditional lectures and learning activities, they learn through both individual and group processes. They investigate wellness as it applies to mindfulness, self-responsibility, social/emotional development, stress-management, physical activity, spirituality, substance abuse, nutrition, and complementary health. This course provides the opportunity for students to evaluate their present lifestyle, identify successes, and develop areas requiring personal growth.
INDS-1081-41 Personal Wellness
This course introduces students to the concept of wellness. Students develop strategies for a healthy lifestyle in all aspect of their lives. Through traditional lectures and learning activities, they learn through both individual and group processes. They investigate wellness as it applies to mindfulness, self-responsibility, social/emotional development, stress-management, physical activity, spirituality, substance abuse, nutrition, and complementary health. This course provides the opportunity for students to evaluate their present lifestyle, identify successes, and develop areas requiring personal growth.
INDS-1093-40 The Global Drug Trade
This course examines addictive substances as a global commodity, tracing their impact on issues of race, empire, and inequality. Beginning with the opium wars of the nineteenth century and concluding with narco violence in present-day Mexico, students will gain an understanding of the various impacts of the drug trade on the modern world. Beyond simple issues of criminality and policing, transnational flows of licit and illicit drugs shape how societies interact with one another and reveal persistent power imbalances. During the course, students will be introduced to an extensive and surprising cast of characters - from imperial administrators to Colombian drug lords; CIA agents to Central American villagers; mafia dons to pharmaceutical sales reps.
INDS-1105-40 Technology & War
From chariots thousands of years ago to drones today, humans have always used technology to gain an edge over their opponents in battle. This course will survey some of the major innovations and developments, such as the introduction of iron, the use of gunpowder, or the invention of the airplane, and examine how various peoples have employed military technology from Antiquity to the present.
PHIL-1009-40 Ethics & Society What is the right thing to do? Although this turns out to be a remarkably difficult question to answer, it is the central focus of this course, and we will try to come at it from two different directions. On the one hand, we will consider a number of ethical theories that attempt to give a general, theoretical underpinning for morality. On the other hand, we will approach the question of the right thing to do from the context of particular moral problems that confront modern society such as world poverty, euthanasia, and the freedom of speech. If you want to be better prepared to debate ethical topics by understanding the issues behind them, then this course is for you.
PSYC-1067-40 A Culture of Addictions
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 addiction 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.
SOCI-1050-40 Sociology of Sport
In this course we will examine the place of sport in modern societies, with particular attention to Canada. We will explore sport's 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. SOSC-1012-40 Discovering the Social Sciences This course connects the exciting world of social science to our everyday experiences. By highlighting discipline-specific tools and concepts used by anthropologists, psychologists, and sociologists, students gain insight into how people function and how relationships develop between individuals, society, and the global world. Discussions focus on current and controversial topics that deal with individual, social, and global concerns, allowing us to understand the origins and consequences for some of life's most pressing issues. This interdisciplinary approach leads to a better understanding of social science and gives students the foundation for future learning in all areas of study.