Program Requirements
The Major Concentration in Liberal Arts exposes students to texts from and histories of a suitably wide range of cultures and societies. Students are able to choose among three intellectual streams: literature and the arts (including theatre and architecture); history, culture and society; and philosophy and religion. Students in each stream must satisfy distribution requirements in relation to minimum number of 300/400+ level courses; maximum number of courses in one discipline; geographical areas and historical periods.
All students majoring in Liberal Arts are also required to complete a Minor Concentration in a language program (other than English). Students who are native speakers of a language other than English are strongly encouraged to fulfill this requirement in a third language.
The approved language minors are:
Minor Concentration in Classics (Language Stream)
Minor Concentration in East Asian Language and Literature or Supplementary East Asian Language
Minor Concentration in German Language
Minor Concentration in Hispanic Languages
Minor Concentration in Italian Studies
Minor Concentration in Jewish Studies
Minor Concentration in French Language and Literature – French Language
Minor Concentration in World Islamic & Middle East Studies
Minor Concentration in Russian
Minor Concentration in Scriptural Languages
Required Courses
Liberal Arts students are required to take two courses designed to help them reflect on the contemporary significance of a Liberal Arts education and on their experience in the Liberal Arts program.
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LIBA 202 Introduction to Liberal Arts (3 credits)
Overview
LIBA : An introduction to the compass and significance of a Liberal Arts education, focusing on contemporary developments and challenges in the humanities. It considers the contribution of a range of disciplines and approaches across a wide range of linguistic traditions, geographical areas and time periods and pays particular attention to the global dimension of contemporary humanistic culture.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Pratt, Daniel (Fall)
Restriction(s): Only open to students in the Liberal Arts program.
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LIBA 402 Seminar in Liberal Arts (3 credits)
Overview
LIBA : Readings and discussions on liberal arts.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Soranzo, Matteo (Winter)
Restriction: Open only to U2 and U3 students
Complementary Courses (30 credits)
Students must complete 30 credits in one of the three specialized streams set out below.
The distribution requirements for all streams are the following:
(a) at least 6 credits from the 200-level introductory courses within one stream;
(b) at least 15 credits must be from courses at the 300 level or above; at least 6 credits must be at the 400 level or above (language courses cannot count toward satisfying this requirement);
(c) no more than 18 credits can be from a single discipline;
(d) geographical area: at least 6 credits in coursework primarily emphasizing Africa and/or Asia, and at least 6 credits in coursework emphasizing Europe and/or the Americas or Australasia, and
(e) historical periods: at least 6 credits in coursework primarily emphasizing texts or history from before 1500, and at least 6 credits in coursework primarily emphasizing texts or history from 1500-1900 (a given course may satisfy both the geographical area and the historical period requirement).
Stream 1: Literature and the Arts (including Theatre & Architecture)
This stream is designed for students whose primary interests lie in the study of literature and the arts across geographical boundaries and historical traditions.
Approved courses are listed below. The courses appearing in List A are introductory in nature and should be taken early in the program. The courses appearing in List B are of two kind: (a) courses taught in the "core" disciplines in this stream, and (b) courses taught in other disciplines which are nevertheless pertinent to this stream. Though wide ranging, the choice of courses is limited by the stream's orientation, as well as by the overall objectives of the Liberal Arts Program.
The additional courses may be substituted with the approval of the Program Director.
Students must choose 30 credits as follows:
6 credits from the courses in List A
24 credits from the courses in List B
List A (6 credits)
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ARTH 204 Introduction to Medieval Art and Architecture (3 credits)
Overview
Art History : Surveys the arts from late Antiquity to the fourteenth century in Western Europe. Focuses on the body and space to introduce artistic and architectural concepts, practices, and styles from the late Roman, Byzantine and Carolingian empires to monastic and royal patronage of the French Kings.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Moubayed, Anna-Maria (Winter)
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ARTH 205 Introduction to Modern Art (3 credits)
Overview
Art History : The course is an introduction to the modern period in art history which begins around 1750. It examines the development in both painting and sculpture and relates to changes in the social and political climate of the times.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Makarova, Evgeniya (Fall)
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ARTH 207 Introduction Early Modern Art 1400-1700 (3 credits)
Overview
Art History : Surveys visual culture of early modern Europe across various social spheres and geographical locations.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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ARTH 209 Introduction to Ancient Art and Architecture (3 credits)
Overview
Art History : Survey of ancient art and architecture: pre-historic Europe, ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Focus is on issues of political power, gender, sexuality, race, the formation of individual and group identities, and the relation between the body and social space.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Moubayed, Anna-Maria (Fall)
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CLAS 203 Greek Mythology (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : A survey of the myths and legends of Ancient Greece.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Kozak, Lynn (Winter)
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CLAS 301 Ancient Greek Literature and Society (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Survey of ancient Greek literature in translation, covering the key genres and texts in their social and historical contexts. The material to be discussed includes Archaic epic, lyric, and elegy; Classical tragedy, comedy, and historiography; Hellenistic poetry, and literature of the Roman Imperial period.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Kozak, Lynn (Fall)
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken CLAS 200.
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CLAS 302 Roman Literature and Society (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : An exploration of Roman texts written during the Republican and Imperial periods (200 BCE-400 CE) and the study of social contexts in which they were written.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken CLAS 208.
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EAST 211 Introduction: East Asian Culture: China (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : This course provides a critical introduction to central themes in Chinese culture. The course will also examine the ۲ݮƵ representations of the Chinese cultural tradition in the West. Readings will include original sources in translation from the fields of literature, philosophy, religion, and cultural history.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Gvili, Gal (Fall)
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EAST 212 Introduction: East Asian Culture: Japan (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : An introduction to Japan which presents various aspects of Japanese literature, culture, history, religions, philosophy and society.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Bergstrom, Brian (Winter)
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EAST 213 Introduction: East Asian Culture: Korea (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : This course provides a critical introduction to central themes in Korean culture, including Korean literature, religions, philosophy, and socio-economic formations.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Chung, Kimberly (Fall)
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EAST 215 Introduction to East Asian Art (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Introductory survey of some of the major developments in the visual arts of Japan, China, and Korea. Emphasis will be placed on the diversity of artistic traditions in East Asia and the intersections among these traditions.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Luce, Davin (Fall)
Restriction: Not open to students taking or who have taken ARTH 215.
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ENGL 202 Departmental Survey of English Literature 1 (3 credits)
Overview
English (Arts) : A survey of English literature before 1750 for students registered in English programs.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Kilgour, Margaret A; Rousselle, Taylor; Barnes, Alex (Fall)
For the most detailed and up-to-date descriptions of course and seminar offerings please see the Department of English website at .
Fall
Restriction: Limited to students in English programs only
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ENGL 200
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ENGL 203 Departmental Survey of English Literature 2 (3 credits)
Overview
English (Arts) : A survey of English literature after 1750 for students registered in English programs.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Brubacher, William (Winter)
For the most detailed and up-to-date descriptions of course and seminar offerings please see the Department of English website at .
Winter
Prerequisite: ENGL 202 or permission of instructor.
Restriction: Limited to students in English programs only
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ENGL 201
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ENGL 215 Introduction to Shakespeare (3 credits)
Overview
English (Arts) : A study of a selection of plays, in their intellectual and theatrical context, with an emphasis on the interplay of text and performance.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Borris, Kenneth H; Abousidou, Mona (Fall)
For the most detailed and up-to-date descriptions of course and seminar offerings please see the Department of English website at .
Winter
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ENGL 230 Introduction to Theatre Studies (3 credits)
Overview
English (Arts) : An introduction to dramatic literature, text analysis, textual and performance theory, and theatre history.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Zien, Katherine; Pearce, Molly (Fall)
For the most detailed and up-to-date descriptions of course and seminar offerings please see the Department of English website at .
Fall
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FREN 250 Littérature française avant 1800 (3 credits)
Overview
French (Arts) : Introduction à la littérature française des origines à la fin du 18e siècle.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Sarrasin Robichaud, Philippe (Fall)
Fall
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FREN 251 Littérature française depuis 1800 (3 credits)
Overview
French (Arts) : Introduction à la littérature française des 19e et 20e siècles.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Fall, Winter
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FREN 252 Littérature québécoise (3 credits)
Overview
French (Arts) : Introduction à la littérature québécoise des origines à nos jours.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Brissette, Pascal (Winter)
Fall, Winter
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GERM 259 Introduction to German Literature 1 (3 credits)
Overview
German (Arts) : Introduction to the major authors, genres, and topics of German literature from the Middle Ages to the Age of Goethe, including the Nibelungenlied, Faust, classical tragedy, and the rise of the novel.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Holmes, Tove (Fall)
Fall
Given in English
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HISP 225 Hispanic Civilization 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Hispanic Studies (Arts) : A survey of historical and cultural elements which constitute the background of the Hispanic world up to the 18th century; a survey of the pre-Columbian indigenous civilizations (Aztec, Maya and Inca) and the conquest of America.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Jouve-Martin, Jose (Fall)
Fall
Taught in English
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HISP 241 Survey of Spanish Literature and Culture 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Hispanic Studies (Arts) : From the origins to the Golden Age through a study of representative works.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Carnemolla, Cristina (Winter)
Fall
Taught in Spanish
Prerequisite: successful completion of HISP 220D1/D2, HISP 219 or equivalent
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ISLA 200 Islamic Civilization (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : An introduction to, and survey of, the religious, literary, artistic, legal, philosophical and scientific traditions that constituted Islamic civilization from the 7th Century until the mid-19th Century.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Abdel-Latif, Sara (Fall)
Fall
Note: All readings are in English.
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ISLA 210 Muslim Societies (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : An introduction to the different, often disparate, ways in which Muslims live and think in the modern world (19th-21st centuries). Muslim social contexts across the globe and cyberspace.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Manoukian, Setrag (Winter)
Winter
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ITAL 230 Understanding Italy (3 credits)
Overview
Italian (Arts) : An introductory critical perspective on a series of issues (North/South, Church/State, the family, regionalism, Fascism) related to contemporary Italy through novels, films and essays.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Soranzo, Matteo (Fall)
Course will be taught in English
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ITAL 295 Italian Cultural Studies (3 credits)
Overview
Italian (Arts) : A cultural studies approach to contemporary Italian society. Focus on distinctive traits of Italian popular culture through literature, film, television and other media.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Zampini, Tania (Fall)
Fall
Given in Italian
Prerequisite: ITAL 215D1/D2 or 216 or permission of instructor
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ITAL 328.
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LLCU 220 Introduction to Literary Analysis (3 credits)
Overview
LLCU : A literary analysis course that introduces the tools and critical terms needed for studying poetry and prose fiction, discussing formal and stylistic differences, organizing and writing critical essays.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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RELG 203 Bible and Western Culture (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : To provide students of the humanities with knowledge of the Bible as a tool for interpreting religious references in Western literature, art and music. Biblical stories (e.g. Creation, Exodus), key figures (e.g. David, Job, Mary), and common motifs (e.g. Holy City, Pilgrimage, Bride) are explored, then illustrated by later cultural forms.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Fishley, Daniel; Rosini, Amanda (Fall)
Fall and Winter
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RUSS 223 Russian 19th Century: Literary Giants 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Russian (Arts) : The Golden Age of Russian literature: from Pushkin, Lermontov, and Gogol to the first works of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. This course traces the rise of a coherent literary tradition in Russia, exploring authors’ relationships to the burgeoning tradition and to their historical and cultural context.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Pratt, Daniel (Fall)
Fall
Given in English
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RUSS 224 Russian 19th Century: Literary Giants 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Russian (Arts) : This course explores the masterpieces of late nineteenth-century Russian literature. From psychological realism and the novel of ideas to the rise of the great short story; Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Leskov, and Chekhov.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Pratt, Daniel (Winter)
Winter
Given in English
Music: up to 6 credits of Music courses (labelled MUAR) can be selected in consultation with the Program Director.
List B (24 credits)
Students in the Literature and the Arts (including Theatre and Architecture) stream may choose from:
- any course (other than a course dedicated to teaching a language) at the 200 level or above in the following departments and programs: Architecture (ARCH), Art History and Communication Studies (labelled ARTH), Classics (CLAS), English (ENGL), French (FREN), German Studies (GERM), Hispanic Studies (HISP), Italian Studies (ITAL), Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (LLCU), and Russian Studies (RUSS); and
- any course (other than a course dedicated to teaching a language) at the 200 level or above in Jewish Studies (JWST) listed in the eCalendar under the headings “Biblical Studies,” “Languages and Literatures – Hebrew” and “Language and Literature – Yiddish.”
Students in this stream may also choose a maximum of 9 credits from the following list:
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AFRI 401 Swahili Language and Culture (3 credits)
Overview
African Studies : Basic knowledge of the Swahili language and culture with emphasis on handling circumstances that might be encountered in field research: everyday conversation, developing aural and oral skills and mastering basic grammar rules, understanding cultural norms and practices, issues of culture sensitivity and appropriateness.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Kipchumba, Mathew (Fall)
Note: Priority to students in the African Studies Program and/or participants of the Canadian Field Studies in Africa program and to students with a demonstrable need related to internship or research. Approval by African Studies Program Adviser required.
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ARCH 250 Architectural History 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Architecture : The study of architecture and cities from ancient times to 1750.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Henni, Samia (Fall)
(3-0-6)
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ARCH 251 Architectural History 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Architecture : The study of North American architecture and cities from 1950 to the present.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Adams, Annmarie (Winter)
(2-1-6)
Prerequisite: ARCH 250
- ARCH 354 Architectural History 3 (3 credits)
- ARCH 355 Architectural History 4 (3 credits)
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ARCH 531 Architectural Intentions Vitruvius - Renaissance (3 credits)
Overview
Architecture : Architectural intentions embodied in buildings and writings of architects from antiquity to the Renaissance. Special emphasis is placed on the cultural connections of architecture to science and philosophy.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Caicco, Gregory (Fall)
(2-0-7)
Prerequisite: ARCH 251
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ARCH 532 Origins of Modern Architecture (3 credits)
Overview
Architecture : Examination of architectural intentions (theory and practice) in the European context (especially France, Italy and England), during the crucial period that marks the beginning of the modern era.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
(2-0-7)
Prerequisite: ARCH 251
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ARTH 352 Feminism in Art and Art History (3 credits)
Overview
Art History : A consideration of the impact of feminism on recent art history, focusing on the examination of gender constructions in art and theory.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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EAST 307 Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Consideration of selected topics and aspects of East Asian literature and/or language.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Fall
Prerequisite: EAST 211 or permission of instructor
The topic of the course may vary from year to year.
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EAST 308 Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Consideration of selected topics and aspects of East Asian literature and/or language.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
Prerequisite: EAST 211 or permission of instructor
Restriction: Departmental approval required
The topic of the course may vary from year to year.
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EAST 350 Gender and Sexuality in Chinese Literature (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Gender and sexuality in modern and/or premodern Chinese literature with emphasis on representation of gender relations, notions of masculinity and femininity, morality and sexuality. Readings from fiction, drama, poetry, and/or other genres are approached from a variety of critical perspectives.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Wang, Guojun (Winter)
Prerequisite: EAST 211 or permission of instructor.
Note: Readings in English translation.
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EAST 351 Women Writers of China (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : A study of fiction, drama, and poetry by women writers in imperial, modern, and/or contemporary China.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Core course for the Women's Studies program
Prerequisite: EAST 211 or permission of instructor.
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EAST 352 Critical Approaches to Chinese Literature (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : This course will examine traditional and/or modern genres of Chinese literature with a focus on different forms of Chinese and Western literary analysis.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: EAST 211.
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EAST 353 Approaches to Chinese Cinema (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Development of Chinese film in the 20th century, with an emphasis on both critical approaches to film as well as film history.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Suher, Dylan (Fall)
Prerequisite: EAST 211.
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EAST 356 Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Examination of modern Chinese art and visual culture from the 1920's to the present. Emphasis will be placed on the formation of the artistic avant-garde in the 20th century and its relation to socialist and post-socialist mass culture.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Restriction: Not open to students taking or who have taken ARTH 356.
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EAST 362 Japanese Cinema (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : This course will study the development of film in Japan during the 20th century with a particular focus on the analysis of film form, genres and history.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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EAST 453 Topics: Chinese Literature (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Advanced seminar in selected genres, themes and issues in Chinese literature.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: A 300-level course in any literature.
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EAST 454 Topics: Chinese Cinema (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Advanced seminar in selected themes and issues in Chinese film.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisites: EAST 353, a 300-level film studies course, or permission of the instructor.
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EAST 461 Inventing Modern Japanese Novel (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : An examination of the modern Japanese novel as a form which both affirms and resists the form of the European novel. Readings explore the particular problems of the Japanese novel in the context of modernization, westernization, and colonialism.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: Any course in literature or cultural studies above the introductory level, or permission of instructor
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EAST 464 Image, Text, Performance (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Drawing on theoretical approaches from a variety of cultural and media studies, including cinema, performance and performativity, and elsewhere, this course addresses cultural production in premodern and/or modern East Asia. Topics to be addressed range from calligraphy and writing, to theatre, and film.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: Any East Asian Studies course above the introductory level, or permission of the instructor
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EAST 467 Topics: Japanese Cinema (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Topics in the study of Japanese cinema.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Tarcov, Marianne (Fall)
Prerequisites: EAST 362 or permission of the instructor.
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EAST 550 Classical Chinese Poetry Themes and Genres (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : A study of major themes and genres of classical Chinese poetry from its beginnings to the Yuan dynasty (14th century), with emphasis on critical analysis of text and context. Readings of poems in the original.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite (Undergraduate): EAST 533 or permission of the instructor
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EAST 562 Japanese Literary Theory and Practice (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : This course examines Japanese theories of literary production and practice with an emphasis on 20th century thought.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite (Undergraduate): Any course in EAST above the 200 level and at least a year of an East Asian Language, or permission of instructor
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EAST 569 Advanced Topics: Japanese Literature (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Japanese literature. The content of the course may vary from year to year from contemporary to modern to pre-modern literature.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: one advanced course in EAST or permission of instructor
Restriction: Departmental approval required
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HIST 345 History of Italian Renaissance (3 credits)
Overview
History : An introduction to the economy, society, politics and intellectual developments in Italy from approximately 1300 to the early 16th century.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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HIST 405 Topics in Intellectual History (3 credits)
Overview
History : In depth analysis of a selected subject or topic in intellectual history and/or the history of ideas.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisites: HIST 320 or permission of the instructor.
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HIST 411 Topics in African History (3 credits)
Overview
History : In depth examination of a specific topic or individual in African or African diasporic history.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Monaville, Pedro (Fall)
Prerequisite: A previous course in African history or permission of instructor.
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HIST 426 Topics: British Cultural History (3 credits)
Overview
History : Selected topics in intellectual and cultural history of Britain and Ireland, focusing on discussion of primary texts.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: HIST 215 or a course in British history or permission of instructor
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ISLA 385 Poetics and Politics in Arabic Literature (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : Major issues in classical and modern Arabic literature; how poetics and politics interact in classical and modern, popular folktales and high literature, novels and poetry. The politics of translation from Arabic into English.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
Note: Reading and discussion in English.
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ISLA 388 Persian Literature (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : Examination of literature produced in the Persian-speaking world from the mid 10th to the late 20th century C.E. A broad selection of texts (prose and poetry) will be studied in translation.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Keshavmurthy, Prashant (Fall)
Fall
Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
Note: Readings in English.
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ISLA 392 Arabic Literature as World Literature (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : Consideration of Arabic literature as part of world literature, including exploration of tensions between reading Arabic literature as local, discrete and self-contained and as part of larger global phenomena.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
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ISLA 488 Tales of Wonder-Islamic World (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : Reading of literary masterpieces of Islamic world focused on three collections of marvelous tales in Arabic, Persian and Urdu: The Arabian Nights, the Shahnameh, and the Adventures of Amir Hamza. May include film screenings, visual art, viewing of rare materials.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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ISLA 585 Arab Women's Literature (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : Explorations of writings by Arab women. Issues include: translation/reception, gender and genre, categories of knowledge about Arab women, feminist and post-colonial theories/methodologies.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: ISLA 392 or permission of instructor.
Note: Readings in English translation.
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LIBA 395 Individual Reading Course (3 credits)
Overview
LIBA : Individual reading course in any topic pertinent to Liberal Arts as approved by the Director of the Liberal Arts program.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): LIBA 202: Introduction to Liberal Arts Minimum Grade or Test Scores : C
Restriction(s): Registration in this course is subject to the approval of the Director of the Liberal Arts Program.
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PHIL 336 Aesthetics (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : An introduction to issues central to aesthetic theory; the nature of aesthetic judgment, perception of the aesthetic object, the nature of the art object.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Davies, David (Fall)
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PHIL 436 Aesthetics 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : An advanced discussion of issues in aesthetics.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Davies, David (Winter)
Prerequisite: PHIL 336 or written permission of the instructor
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RELG 210 Jesus of Nazareth (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A critical study of selected ancient and modern accounts of the aims and person of Jesus. Attention will be given also to the question of the historical sources and to the relationship between faith and history.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Henderson, Ian H (Fall)
Fall, Winter and Summer
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RELG 302 Literature of Ancient Israel 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the literature of Ancient Israel in English translation. Reading and interpreting representative selections.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Kirkpatrick, Patricia (Fall)
Fall
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RELG 303 Literature of Ancient Israel 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Approaches to historical-critical scholarship and to the historical background of the Old Testament. Part of the course will be an examination of methods of biblical analysis through the use of learning cells.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Oegema, Gerbern (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 307 Bible, Quran and Interpretations (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures as responses to earlier sacred texts and in the light of post-scriptural interpretations. The debates, polemics, interpretative strategies, and intellectual and spiritual sharing produced by these three religions in accepting, explaining, amplifying, modifying, and selectively rejecting their and other sacred scriptures.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Oegema, Gerbern (Fall)
Winter
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RELG 311 Formation of the New Testament (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the formation and interpretation of the New Testament, excluding the Gospels.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Henderson, Ian H (Fall)
Fall
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RELG 312 The Gospels (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the critical study of the Gospels.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Henderson, Ian H (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 313 Topics in Biblical Studies 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Topics in biblical studies. Topic varies by year.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
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RELG 455 Religion and the Performing Arts in South India (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : This course focuses on the place of religion in historical representations and performance practices of "classical" South Indian performing arts such as Bharatanatyam dance and Karnatak music. In particular, it lays emphasis on politics of the twentieth-century reinvention of these arts by elites in the Tamil and Telugu-speaking regions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Fall
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken RELG 363
Stream 2: History, Culture, and Society
This stream is designed for students whose primary interests lie in the study of history, culture, and society across geographical boundaries and historical traditions.
Approved courses are listed below. The courses appearing in List A are introductory in nature and should be taken early in the program. The courses appearing in List B are of two kind: (a) courses taught in the "core" disciplines in this stream, and (b) courses taught in other disciplines which are nevertheless pertinent to this stream. Though wide ranging, the choice of courses is limited by the stream's orientation, as well as by the overall objectives of the Liberal Arts Program.
The additional courses may be substituted with the approval of the Program Director.
Students must choose 30 credits as follows:
6 credits from the courses in List A
24 credits from the courses in List B
List A (6 credits)
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CATH 200 Introduction to Catholicism (3 credits)
Overview
Catholic Studies : This course offers an exploration of the Roman Catholic tradition in its intellectual, religious, moral, and cultural dimensions. It provides an interdisciplinary study of the ways in which Catholicism has shaped Western civilization.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: A Butcher, Brian (Fall)
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COMS 200 History of Communication (3 credits)
Overview
Communication Studies : The social and cultural implications of major developments in communications from prehistory to the electronic era. Thematic and conceptual introduction to the underlying media technologies and to some key issues and practices of historical thinking about their role in society.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Restriction: Not open to students who have ENGC 200.
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COMS 210 Introduction to Communication Studies (3 credits)
Overview
Communication Studies : The social and cultural implications of media. Surveys theory and case studies relevant key issues such as the ownership, structure and governance of media industries; the significance of emergent media technologies; and the roles of media as cultural forms and practices.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Sanger, Malcolm (Fall)
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ENGL 278 or ENGC 210
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COMS 230 Communication and Democracy (3 credits)
Overview
Communication Studies : Introduction to investigation of the relationship between communication, media practices and democracy. Examines the role of media and communication in existing and emerging democratic contexts, and the challenges of constructing and maintaining a democratic media and communication environment on the domestic and international levels.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Lloyd, Mark (Winter)
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EAST 211 Introduction: East Asian Culture: China (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : This course provides a critical introduction to central themes in Chinese culture. The course will also examine the ۲ݮƵ representations of the Chinese cultural tradition in the West. Readings will include original sources in translation from the fields of literature, philosophy, religion, and cultural history.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Gvili, Gal (Fall)
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EAST 212 Introduction: East Asian Culture: Japan (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : An introduction to Japan which presents various aspects of Japanese literature, culture, history, religions, philosophy and society.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Bergstrom, Brian (Winter)
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EAST 213 Introduction: East Asian Culture: Korea (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : This course provides a critical introduction to central themes in Korean culture, including Korean literature, religions, philosophy, and socio-economic formations.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Chung, Kimberly (Fall)
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EAST 215 Introduction to East Asian Art (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Introductory survey of some of the major developments in the visual arts of Japan, China, and Korea. Emphasis will be placed on the diversity of artistic traditions in East Asia and the intersections among these traditions.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Luce, Davin (Fall)
Restriction: Not open to students taking or who have taken ARTH 215.
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HIST 200 Introduction to African History (3 credits)
Overview
History : This course stresses the interactions of the peoples of Africa with each other and with the worlds of Europe and Islam from the Iron Age to the European Conquest in 1880.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
-
HIST 201 Modern African History (3 credits)
Overview
History : While covering the general political history of Africa in the twentieth century, this course also explores such themes as health and disease, gender, and urbanization.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Monaville, Pedro (Winter)
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HIST 202 Survey: Canada to 1867 (3 credits)
Overview
History : A survey of early Canada, from periods known mainly through archaeological records to the Confederation era. Social, cultural, economic and political themes will be examined.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Heaman, Elsbeth (Fall)
Fall
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HIST 203 Survey: Canada since 1867 (3 credits)
Overview
History : A survey of the development of Canada from Confederation to the present day. Social, economic and political history will be examined in a general way.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Dunsworth, Edward (Winter)
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HIST 205 Ancient Mediterranean History (3 credits)
Overview
History : An introduction to the history of the ancient Mediterranean world, focusing on Greek and Roman civilization.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Kleinman, Brahm (Fall)
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken HIST 275.
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HIST 207 Jewish History: 400 B.C.E. to 1000 (3 credits)
Overview
History : An overview of Jewish history from the period of Ezra and Nehemiah to the death of Hai Gaon, c. 1035. Focus on the experience of the Jews in Hellenistic and Islamic civilizations. Topics include Jewish sects, rabbinic literature in its various genres, the Karaite schism, and the rise of the Gaonate.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken JWST 216
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HIST 208 Introduction to East Asian History (3 credits)
Overview
History : An introduction to the history of East Asian civilization from earliest times to 1600, with emphasis on China and Japan, including social, intellectual, and economic developments as well as political history.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Porter, David (Fall)
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HIST 213 World History, 600-2000 (3 credits)
Overview
History : A thematic and comparative approach to world history, beginning with the rise of Islam and ending with globalization in the late twentieth century. Trade diasporas, technology, disease, and imperialism are the major themes addressed.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
-
HIST 214 Early Modern Europe (3 credits)
Overview
History : Survey of European history from the Late Middle Ages to the eighteenth century.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Soroka, Hannah (Fall)
-
HIST 215 Modern Europe (3 credits)
Overview
History : Survey of European history from the eighteenth century to the present.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Lewis, Brian D A (Winter)
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ISLA 200 Islamic Civilization (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : An introduction to, and survey of, the religious, literary, artistic, legal, philosophical and scientific traditions that constituted Islamic civilization from the 7th Century until the mid-19th Century.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Abdel-Latif, Sara (Fall)
Fall
Note: All readings are in English.
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ISLA 210 Muslim Societies (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : An introduction to the different, often disparate, ways in which Muslims live and think in the modern world (19th-21st centuries). Muslim social contexts across the globe and cyberspace.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Manoukian, Setrag (Winter)
Winter
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POLI 212 Introduction to Comparative Politics – Europe/North America (3 credits)
Overview
Political Science : An introduction to fundamental comparative politics concepts and research that focuses on Europe and North America. Topics include: state and state institutions, parties and party systems, elections, protest and social movements, rule of law, corruption, regime transitions— democratization and autocratization.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Popova, Maria (Fall)
Note: The field is Comparative Politics.
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POLI 227 Introduction to Comparative Politics - Global South (3 credits)
Overview
Political Science : An introduction to politics across the Global South. A comparative examination of the legacies of colonialism, the achievement of independence, and political and socio-economic development in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Topics include modernization, dependency, state-building, political violence, revolution, the role of the military, authoritarianism, and democratization.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Douek, Daniel (Winter)
Note: The field is Comparative Politics.
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POLI 231 Introduction to Political Theory (3 credits)
Overview
Political Science : The course introduces students to political theory through critical examination of classic texts in the history of political thought. In addition to gaining an understanding of several different traditions of political thought, students are encouraged to develop their skills in textual interpretation, critical reasoning, and essay-writing.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025
Instructors: Levy, Jacob (Fall) Roberts, William (Winter)
Note: The field is Political Theory.
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POLI 243 International Politics of Economic Relations (3 credits)
Overview
Political Science : An introduction to international relations, through examples drawn from international political economy. The emphasis will be on the politics of trade and international monetary relations.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Baccini, Leonardo (Winter)
Note: The field is International Politics.
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POLI 244 International Politics: State Behaviour (3 credits)
Overview
Political Science : Offers a comprehensive introduction to the behaviour of nation states. Explores how states make foreign policy decisions and what motivates their behaviour. Other covered topics include the military and economic dimensions of state behaviour, conflict, cooperation, interdependence, integration, globalization, and change in the international system.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Nuñez-Mietz, Fernando (Fall)
Note: The field is International Politics.
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SOCI 210 Sociological Perspectives (3 credits)
Overview
Sociology (Arts) : Major theoretical perspectives and research methods in sociology. The linkages of theory and method in various substantive areas including: the family, community and urban life, religion, ethnicity, occupations and stratification, education, and social change.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025
Instructors: Filkobski, Ina (Fall) McMahan, Peter (Winter)
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SOCI 211 Sociological Inquiry (3 credits)
Overview
Sociology (Arts) : An introductory review of methods of sociological research including research design, elementary quantitative data analysis, observation, and use of official statistics. Detailed examination of published examples of the use of each of the major techniques of data analysis and collection.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Eidlin, Barry (Fall)
Prerequisite or Corequisite: SOCI 210
List B (24 credits)
Students in the History and Culture stream may choose from any course at the 200 level or above in the following departments and programs: History (HIST), Political Science (POLI), Sociology (SOCI) and Art History and Communication Studies (labelled COMS).
Students in this stream may also choose a maximum of 9 credits from the following list:
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ANTH 202 Socio-Cultural Anthropology (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : An introduction to ways of understanding what it means to be human from the perspective of socio-cultural anthropology. Students will be introduced to diverse approaches to this question through engagement with a wide range of ethnographic cases.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Kohn, Edward (Fall)
Fall
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ANTH 206 Environment and Culture (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Introduction to ecological anthropology, focusing on social and cultural adaptations to different environments, human impact on the environment, cultural constructions of the environment, management of common resources, and conflict over the use of resources.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Fall
-
ANTH 212 Anthropology of Development (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Processes of developmental change, as they affect small communities in the Third World and in unindustrialized parts of developed countries. Problems of technological change, political integration, population growth, industrialization, urban growth, social services, infrastructure and economic dependency.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Kraichati, Cyntia (Winter)
Winter
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ANTH 318 Globalization and Religion (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : The interactions between religion and the economic, social and cultural transformations of globalization: relations between globalization and contemporary religious practice, meaning, and influence at personal and collective levels.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
-
ANTH 322 Social Change in Modern Africa (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : The impact of colonialism on African societies; ۲ݮƵ families, religion, arts; political and economic transformation; migration, urbanization, new social categories; social stratification; the social setting of independence and neo-colonialism; continuity, stagnation, and progressive change.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
-
ANTH 327 Anthropology of South Asia (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : An introduction to anthropological research in India and greater South Asia. Topics include politics, caste, class, religion, gender and sexuality, development and globalization.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Rathee, Vineet (Fall)
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ANTH 338 Indigenous Studies of Anthropology (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Introduction to Native American and Indigenous studies (NAIS) as a means of critically engaging with the discipline of anthropology.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Sabiston, Leslie James (Winter)
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ANTH 355 Theories of Culture and Society (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Contributions to contemporary anthropological theory; theoretical paradigms and debates; forms of anthropological explanation; the role of theory in the practice of anthropology; concepts of society, culture and structure; cultural evolution and relativity; interpretive anthropology, post-modernism.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Stevenson, Lisa (Winter)
Winter
Prerequisites: one 200-level anthropology course and one other anthropology course at any level
Restriction: Honours, Joint Honours, Major and Minor students in Anthropology, U2 standing or above
-
ANTH 422 Contemporary Latin American Culture and Society (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Themes central to the culture and society of contemporary Latin America and the Caribbean, including globalization, questions of race and ethnicity, (post)modernity, social movements, constructions of gender and sexuality, and national and diasporic identities.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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ARTH 310 Postcolonialism (3 credits)
Overview
Art History : Examines selected art historians who respond to postcolonial theorists and analyse how paintings, sculpture, buildings, and visual culture participated in or resisted European imperialism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
-
CATH 315 Catholicism and Ethics (3 credits)
Overview
Catholic Studies : A critical examination of the evolving engagement of Catholicism with contemporary ethical issues.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: CATH 200, or permission of instructor
-
CATH 340 Catholicism and Public Policy (3 credits)
Overview
Catholic Studies : An examination of Catholic social thought, including intellectual and institutional engagement with a wide range of key public policy issues in spheres such as politics, law, economics, diplomacy, and international development.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: CATH 200, or permission of instructor
-
CLAS 203 Greek Mythology (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : A survey of the myths and legends of Ancient Greece.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Kozak, Lynn (Winter)
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CLAS 308 Gender in the Ancient World (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : An exploration of gender roles in the Ancient Mediterranean world.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Kaloudis, Naomi (Winter)
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken CLAS 370.
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CLAS 404 Classical Tradition (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Examines the evolution of Classical Antiquity's social and cultural status from the 17th c. to the present day. Particular consideration is given to the processes of the ongoing professionalization of history and archeology as academic disciplines, the emergence of new political usages of the past, the transformation of cultural practices from the Grand Tour to the modern museum and tourism.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: CLAS 202 or related courses or permission of instructor
-
CLAS 406 Greek and Roman Historiography (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Seminar on the works of the Greek and Roman historians (in translation) who founded a new literary genre for the exploration of past and present events; interpretation of their approaches towards history and theories for their study.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): 3 credits in Classics at the 300 level or up or permission of instructor.
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken CLAS 490.
-
EAST 303 Current Topics: Chinese Studies 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Consideration of important issues in Chinese Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Gvili, Gal (Winter)
Fall
Restriction: Departmental approval required
-
EAST 304 Current Topics: Chinese Studies 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Consideration of important issues in Chinese Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Lai, Rongdao (Fall)
Winter
Restriction: Departmental approval required
-
EAST 305 Current Topics: Japanese Studies 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Consideration of important issues in Japanese studies. The content of the course will vary from year to year.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Bergstrom, Brian (Winter)
Fall
Restriction: Departmental approval required
-
EAST 306 Current Topics: Japanese Studies 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Consideration of important issues in Japanese studies. The content of the course will vary from year to year.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
Restriction: Departmental approval required
-
EAST 313 Current Topics: Korean Studies 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Consideration of important issues in Korean Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Fall
Restriction: Departmental approval required.
-
EAST 314 Current Topics: Korean Studies 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Consideration of important issues in Korean Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
Restriction: Departmental approval required
-
EAST 364 Mass Culture and Postwar Japan (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : This course addresses a number of analytic approaches to mass culture in order to examine the culture industry of post-war Japan. Emphasis on narrative strategies in popular or consumer fiction and on the problems of marginalized writers.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Tarcov, Marianne (Fall)
Prerequisite: Any introductory course in literature or cultural studies, or permission of instructor
-
EAST 370 History of Sexuality in Japan (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Social and cultural history of sexuality in Japan. Possible topics include pre-modern sexuality and relations to court, religion and anthropology; pre-modern sex and gender relations; modern sexuality and gender identities; sexuality and the rise of science; relation to nationalism; feminism and queer movements.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
-
EAST 385 Global Korea (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : This course considers Korean culture and society in the modern period by examining ۲ݮƵ attitudes about the relationship between the national and the global, across social institutions, political discourse, and popular media.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
-
EAST 390 The Chinese Family in History (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Exploration of the Chinese family in history both as an institution - in its religious, legal, economic, political aspects - and as a lived reality.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
-
EAST 462 Japan in Asia (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : This course introduces theories of cultural interaction, interpellation, and intertexuality in order to reconsider Japanese modes of reception and selection of Chinese texts and technologies. Readings range from early Japanese to 20th century texts. Readings in translation.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: Any East Asian Studies course above the introductory level, or permission of the instructor
-
EAST 493 Special Topics: East Asian Studies 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Advanced reading course under supervision of instructor on certain aspects of East Asian Studies. Topics will vary from year to year.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025
Instructors: Chung, Kimberly (Fall) Porter, David (Winter)
Fall
Prerequisite: Any EAST course at the 300-level or above or permission of instructor
Restriction: Departmental approval required
-
EAST 494 Special Topics: East Asian Studies 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Advanced reading course under supervision of instructor on certain aspects of East Asian Studies. Topics will vary from year to year.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025
Instructors: Porter, David (Fall) Hong, Jeehee (Winter)
Winter
Prerequisite: Any EAST course at the 300-level or above or permission of instructor
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FREN 336 Histoire de la langue française (3 credits)
Overview
French (Arts) : Histoire de la langue française, du bas-latin à la langue moderne. Étude de l'évolution phonétique, syntaxique, sémantique. Étude de textes des différentes époques.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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GERM 331 Germany after Reunification (3 credits)
Overview
German (Arts) : The events which led to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the reunification of Germany in 1990 and the ۲ݮƵ cultural, social, political and economic landscape of the 'New Germany'. Highlighting issues of cultural and social politics, texts discussed include historical, literary and film material.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
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GERM 357 German Culture in European Context (3 credits)
Overview
German (Arts) : A comparative examination of selected moments in German literary, artistic and cultural history in relation to broader European movements; focus on influences, exchanges and dialogues across national boundaries.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Fall
Course given in English
Prerequisite: A culture or literature course at the 200 or 300 level
-
GERM 364 Gender and Society in German Literature and Culture (3 credits)
Overview
German (Arts) : In connection with notions of identity, nationhood, political change, and cultural difference, this course investigates concepts and issues of gender in contemporary German Society. The readings include critical essays and literary texts by writers, scholars, philosophers, journalists, politicians, and political activists.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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GERM 365 Modern Short Fiction (3 credits)
Overview
German (Arts) : A study of short prose forms in German throughout history.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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GERM 368 Fin-de-Siècle Vienna (3 credits)
Overview
German (Arts) : Interdisciplinary study of one of the formative periods of modern European culture; examination of literature, art, thought, culture and politics in Vienna around 1900.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: A culture or literature course at the 200 or 300 level
Course given in English
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HISP 437 Colonial / Postcolonial Latin America (3 credits)
Overview
Hispanic Studies (Arts) : A study of the dialogue between colonial and postcolonial Latin American texts and theories.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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ISLA 310 Women in Islam (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : The socio-legal status, conditions, and experiences of various groups of women in Middle Eastern societies. These features are explored within the framework of Islamic feminism and Western feminist discourses, and the tensions and conflicts between them. The dynamics of seclusion, veiling, and polygamy are explored in connection to Medieval Arab ruling elites as a background to some of the discussions and debates over the status of women in modern postcolonial Arab society. Socio-economic divisions, state policies, patriarchy, and colonialism are investigated as key factors in understanding the modern historical transformation of gendered relations and women's roles.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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ISLA 325 Introduction to Shi'i Islam (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : Developments in doctrines, legal school, rituals and political thought of Twelver Shi'ite Muslims during early and late medieval periods (centuries VII-XIII). The emergence of the earliest Shi'ite communities in Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and Iran stressing the relationship of the Shi'ite Imams and their religious scholars to the Sunnite Caliphates.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
-
ISLA 350 From Tribe to Dynasty (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : The political and intellectual developments shaping Arab and Persian societies from the rise of Islam in the 7th century until the early mid 8th century, including the major social changes, political revolts, religious schisms, and the consolidation of lasting cultural institutions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Fall
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ISLA 355 Modern History of the Middle East (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : Assessment of the historical transformation of the modern Middle East concentrating on its internal socio-economic changes, as well as the colonial experience and encounters with the West since the early 19th century. Examination of the historical conditions that led to the rise of nationalism, the nation-state, the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Abisaab, Malek (Winter)
Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
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ISLA 360 Islam and Politics in Africa (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : Assessment of the relationship between Islam and politics in the contemporary Africa through various analytic themes, including political economy, social movement and gendered analysis.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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ISLA 365 Middle East Since the 1970's (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : Changes that have occurred in the Middle East since the 1970's, viewed through the lens of themes such as migration, consumerism, war, communications, and ideology.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
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ISLA 410 History: Middle-East 1798-1918 (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : A study of the Middle East from Napoleon's invasion of Egypt to the end of WWI. Emphasis will be on the emergence of nationalisms in the context of European imperialism; political, social, and economic transformation; religion and ideology; and ۲ݮƵ patterns of alliances.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
3 hours
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ISLA 411 History: Middle-East 1918-1945 (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : The impact of WWI on Middle Eastern society and politics; the British and French mandates; the growth of nationalisms, revolutions and the formation of national states; WW II and the clash of political interests within the region.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
3 hours
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ISLA 415 Modern Iran: Anthropological Approach (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : The modern history, social, and cultural anthropology of contemporary Iran.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
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ISLA 420 Indo-Islamic Civilization: Medieval (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : The rise of Islam in South Asia in the 8th Century and its subsequent expansion; evolution of Indo-Islamic civilization and its apogee during Mughal rule up to 1707. Themes include state and religion; ruling institutions; political theory, Sufism and the process of conversion, as well as the formation of a composite culture.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
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ISLA 421 Islamic Culture - Indian Subcontinent (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : Survey of Islamic culture (faith systems, literature, music, art) on the Indian subcontinent from the early modern period to the present, with a focus on conflict and relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, and between majority and minority Muslim groups.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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ITAL 230 Understanding Italy (3 credits)
Overview
Italian (Arts) : An introductory critical perspective on a series of issues (North/South, Church/State, the family, regionalism, Fascism) related to contemporary Italy through novels, films and essays.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Soranzo, Matteo (Fall)
Course will be taught in English
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ITAL 295 Italian Cultural Studies (3 credits)
Overview
Italian (Arts) : A cultural studies approach to contemporary Italian society. Focus on distinctive traits of Italian popular culture through literature, film, television and other media.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Zampini, Tania (Fall)
Fall
Given in Italian
Prerequisite: ITAL 215D1/D2 or 216 or permission of instructor
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ITAL 328.
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ITAL 356 Medieval Discourses on Love (3 credits)
Overview
Italian (Arts) : Medieval ideas, attitudes and behaviour surrounding love as represented in literature: readings will include excerpts from early Italian love lyrics, Dante's Vita Nuova, Petrarch's Canzoniere, Boccaccio's Decameron.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
Given in Italian
Prerequisite: ITAL 215D1/ITAL 215D2, ITAL 216, or equivalent
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ITAL 362 Post-World War 2 Literature and Society (3 credits)
Overview
Italian (Arts) : A study of Italian prose fiction and non-fiction in the context of some of the events and issues that marked these years: the aftermath of Fascism, the economic boom, terrorism, the Mafia, the North-South question.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
Given in Italian
Prerequisites: ITAL 215D1/D2, ITAL 216 or equivalent
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ITAL 363 Gender, Literature and Society (3 credits)
Overview
Italian (Arts) : Questions of gender identity and literary representation as they emerge from women's texts or from comparisons of women's and men's texts, in relation to specific social and historical conditions. May focus on any time period in Italian history, from medieval to contemporary.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
Given in English
Course for the Women's Studies Concentrations
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ITAL 365 The Italian Renaissance (3 credits)
Overview
Italian (Arts) : A presentation of the main ideas and literary masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance (13th-17thC), in the context of Italy's social, political, religious and cultural climate. Reading and discussion of selected literary texts and visual material.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Soranzo, Matteo (Fall)
Winter
Given in English
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ITAL 371 The Italian Baroque (3 credits)
Overview
Italian (Arts) : An analysis of the Italian Baroque period through an interdisciplinary overview of its major figures (Caravaggio, Bernini, Galileo, Marino, Vico) and cultural genres (commedia dellâ•Žarte, opera, still life)
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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ITAL 400 Italian Regional Identities (3 credits)
Overview
Italian (Arts) : The course explores tensions between national and regional narratives in Italy's literature, culture, language, and society.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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JWST 211 Jewish Studies 1: Biblical Period (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : The history, literature and beliefs of Judaism's formative period. Both Biblical and non-Biblical materials will be studied. The Bible in the context of cognate literatures of the Ancient Near East; non-Biblical documents will be analysed for their bearing on the Jewish tradition.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Abecassis, Deborah (Fall)
For detailed course content go to .
All texts will be read in English
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JWST 216 Jewish Studies 2: 400 B.C.E. - 1000 (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : The history, literature and intellectual developments in Judaism during late antiquity. Special emphasis will be placed on rabbinic literature e.g. Babylonian Talmud, Palestinian Talmud, the midrashim both as literary works and for the light they shed on the events and ideologies of the period.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
For detailed course content go to .
All texts and discussions will be in English
Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken HIST 207
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JWST 217 Jewish Studies 3: 1000 - 2000 (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : The Jewish experience from the rise of the European centres to the present.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
For detailed course content go to .
All texts will be read in English
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JWST 240 The Holocaust (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : Consideration of the history of the Holocaust and the literary, theological and cultural responses to the destruction of European Jewry.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Madej-Krupitski, Urszula (Fall)
For detailed course content go to .
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken JWST 252 "The Holocaust"
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JWST 306 The American Jewish Community (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : Issues affecting American Jewry in the post-World War I era until today and the American Jewish community's responses to those issues. Special emphasis on understanding the community responses and reactions to developments in both the American society and in the Jewish world.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
For detailed course content go to .
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JWST 361 The Shtetl: 1500-1897 (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : Using historical, sociological, literary and cultural sources, this course will examine various aspects of communal and individual life in the shtetl, the Jewish - or largely Jewish - town in Eastern Europe.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
For detailed course content go to .
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JWST 365 Modern Jewish Ideologies (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : The rise and development of the various ideologies which attempt to define the Jews in historical, national and socio-cultural terms will be analyzed within the context of modern European nationalism. Selected texts of the Jewish Enlightenment, Science of Judaism, Peretz Smolenskin, Leon Pinsker, Simon Dubnow, Chaim Zhitlowsky and Ahad Ha-Am.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
For detailed course content go to .
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JWST 366 History of Zionism (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : An examination of the development of the Zionist idea, the most influential expression of modern Jewish nationalism, which led to the creation of the Jewish state. The transformation of elements of traditional Jewish messianism into a modern political ideology. Hibbat Zion, Political Zionism, Cultural and Synthetic Zionism will be discussed.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
For detailed course content go to .
Recommended: JWST 365
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LIBA 395 Individual Reading Course (3 credits)
Overview
LIBA : Individual reading course in any topic pertinent to Liberal Arts as approved by the Director of the Liberal Arts program.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): LIBA 202: Introduction to Liberal Arts Minimum Grade or Test Scores : C
Restriction(s): Registration in this course is subject to the approval of the Director of the Liberal Arts Program.
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LLCU 212 Understanding Digital and Social Media (3 credits)
Overview
LLCU : Lectures will explore a range of topics related to technologies of contemporary digital and social media, with particular attention to understanding technical, historical, ethical and legal issues. Tutorials will help students to express themselves effectively with digital media, and especially on the web (HTML, images, audio, video).
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Students need a laptop computer.
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LLCU 250 History and Future of the Book (3 credits)
Overview
LLCU : A survey of the 2000-year history of the medium of the book with a look towards its future durability and translation into digital media.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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RELG 201 Religions of the Ancient Near East (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Introduction to the religions of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Syria-Palestine (excluding Israelite religion) from the fourth to first millennium B.C.E. Themes that will be discussed include: gods and goddesses, divine kingship, deification of kings, temple cult, death and afterlife, magic, piety, oracles, prayer, lament, myth and epic.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Kirkpatrick, Patricia; Rosini, Amanda (Fall)
Fall
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RELG 203 Bible and Western Culture (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : To provide students of the humanities with knowledge of the Bible as a tool for interpreting religious references in Western literature, art and music. Biblical stories (e.g. Creation, Exodus), key figures (e.g. David, Job, Mary), and common motifs (e.g. Holy City, Pilgrimage, Bride) are explored, then illustrated by later cultural forms.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Fishley, Daniel; Rosini, Amanda (Fall)
Fall and Winter
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RELG 204 Judaism, Christianity and Islam (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the beliefs, practices, and religious institutions of these three world religions.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Cere, Daniel M; Salvatore, Armando; de Carvalho, Matheus (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 270 Religious Ethics and the Environment (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Environmental potential of various religious traditions and secular perspectives, including animal rights, ecofeminism, and deep ecology.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Chandler, Katie; Newing, Gregory (Winter)
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RELG 322 Church and Empire to 1300
(3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A survey of major institutional developments in the history of Western Christianity in Church and Empire from the end of the apostolic age to 1300.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Kirby, W J Torrance (Fall)
Fall
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RELG 323 Church and State since 1300 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Significant events and persons in the history of Western Christendom from 1300 to the present.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Kirby, W J Torrance (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 326 Christians in the Roman World (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A social-historical examination of Christians within the complex cultural, political, ethnic and religious contexts of later Greco-Roman antiquity, focusing on ۲ݮƵ relations among different varieties of Christian, as well as on interactions and conflicts among Christians, Jews and polytheists. Other topics to be considered include martyrdom, orthodoxy and heresy, and Gnosticism.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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RELG 331 Religion and Globalization (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An exploration of the distinctive ways in which the world's religions are shaping and are shaped by the dynamics of globalization. It examines the multiple intersections of religion and globalization through a variety of themes and case studies in human rights, development, education, ecology, gender, and conflict
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Nelson, Samuel (Fall)
.
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RELG 334 Theology of History (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of Christian readings of history, and especially of the present age, including apocalyptic literature and political theology.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter and Summer
Prerequisite(s): One prior course in Christianity, or permission of the instructor.
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RELG 338 Women and the Christian Tradition (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Survey of women's involvement in the Christian tradition. Topics include feminist interpretation of scripture, ideas of virginity, marriage and motherhood, mysticism, asceticisms, European witchhunts, contemporary women's liberation theories.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Kirkpatrick, Patricia; Rosini, Amanda (Winter)
Fall
Core course for the Women's Studies Minor program
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RELG 375 Religion, Politics and Society (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of contemporary religious traditions in the light of debates regarding secularization, the relation of religion and politics, and the interaction of religion with major social institutions.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Nelson, Samuel (Winter)
Fall
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RELG 559 Caste and Dalits: Historical and Political Perspectives (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : This seminar addresses religion, caste, and the Dalit community (formerly known as "untouchables" in India through a range of historical and ritual contexts. Topics include representation in the Hindu textual tradition, colonialism, conversion, caste-based violence, caste and nationalism, non-Brahmin political assertion, and the contemporary reservation system.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
Prerequisites: RELG 252 and one 300 level course or higher in South Asian Religions
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RUSS 217 Russia's Eternal Questions (3 credits)
Overview
Russian (Arts) : Exploration of cultural archetypes defining continuity and change from Peter the Great to the present; the Russian national identity, double-faith, Western and Slovophile influences, Mother Russia, superfluous men and the Eternal Feminine, anarchism, the avant-garde, Stalinism. Recurring themes traced in literature, art, film, music, pop culture and the applied arts.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Fall
Given in English
Restriction: Permission of the instructor
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RUSS 229 Introduction to Russian Folklore (3 credits)
Overview
Russian (Arts) : An introduction to Russian folklore and folk belief: "dual-faith," traditional mentality, fairy tales, calendar rituals, folk songs, witches, healers and house spirits. The course will explore classic approaches to folklore studies as well as the influence of folk culture on Russian "high art."
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Taught in English
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RUSS 427 Russian Fin de Siècle (3 credits)
Overview
Russian (Arts) : Russian poetry, prose, drama, book design and the visual arts from the Silver Age to WWI, from Chekhov to Blok and Belyi. The crisis of realism, decadence, symbolism, and its waning traced through the eternal feminine, the devil, the city, poetry as pure creation, and millennial crisis. Not open to students who have taken or are taking RUSS 465.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Course offered in English.
Prerequisite(s): At least 2 courses (6 credits) in literature and/or cultural studies.
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken RUSS 465.
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RUSS 428 Russian Avantgarde (3 credits)
Overview
Russian (Arts) : Russian poetry, prose, drama, the manifesto, street festivals and the explosion of experiment in the visual arts from WW1 to 1930. The avant-garde anticipates, transcends, responds and then succumbs to revolution.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): At least 2 courses (6 credits) in literature and/or cultural studies.
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken RUSS 466.
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RUSS 430 High Stalinist Culture 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Russian (Arts) : Novels, films, art, architecture, pageantry, rhetoric and routine of the Stalinist 1930s-40s, including socialist realism as an aesthetic doctrine, utopian blueprint, target of parody, amalgam of a submerged avant-garde and state-controlled pop culture, precursor of the postmodernist simulacrum, self-proclaimed international style and/or uniquely Russian 20th-century project.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken RUSS 510
Given in English
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RUSS 454 Narratives of Desire (3 credits)
Overview
Russian (Arts) : An exploration of desire as it was narrativized in Russian literature 1860-1900. The course draws on comparative examples from European literature as well as various theoretical approaches for conceptualizing love and desire.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): At least two literature courses at the 200 or 300 level or permission of the department.
Stream 3: Philosophy and Religion
This stream is designed for students whose primary interests lie in the study of philosophy and religion across geographical boundaries and historical traditions.
Approved courses are listed below. The courses appearing in List A are introductory in nature and should be taken early in the program. The courses appearing in List B are of two kind: (a) courses taught in the "core" disciplines in this stream, and (b) courses taught in other disciplines which are nevertheless pertinent to this stream. Though wide ranging, the choice of courses is limited by the stream's orientation, as well as by the overall objectives of the Liberal Arts Program.
The additional courses may be substituted with the approval of the Program Director.
Students must choose 30 credits as follows:
6 credits from the courses in List A
24 credits from the courses in List B
List A (6 credits)
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ISLA 200 Islamic Civilization (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : An introduction to, and survey of, the religious, literary, artistic, legal, philosophical and scientific traditions that constituted Islamic civilization from the 7th Century until the mid-19th Century.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Abdel-Latif, Sara (Fall)
Fall
Note: All readings are in English.
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ISLA 210 Muslim Societies (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : An introduction to the different, often disparate, ways in which Muslims live and think in the modern world (19th-21st centuries). Muslim social contexts across the globe and cyberspace.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Manoukian, Setrag (Winter)
Winter
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JWST 211 Jewish Studies 1: Biblical Period (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : The history, literature and beliefs of Judaism's formative period. Both Biblical and non-Biblical materials will be studied. The Bible in the context of cognate literatures of the Ancient Near East; non-Biblical documents will be analysed for their bearing on the Jewish tradition.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Abecassis, Deborah (Fall)
For detailed course content go to .
All texts will be read in English
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JWST 216 Jewish Studies 2: 400 B.C.E. - 1000 (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : The history, literature and intellectual developments in Judaism during late antiquity. Special emphasis will be placed on rabbinic literature e.g. Babylonian Talmud, Palestinian Talmud, the midrashim both as literary works and for the light they shed on the events and ideologies of the period.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
For detailed course content go to .
All texts and discussions will be in English
Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken HIST 207
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PHIL 230 Introduction to Moral Philosophy 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : A survey of a number of historically important and influential theories. Philosophers to be discussed may include Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Bentham, Mill, and Moore.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Howard, Christopher; Magal, Oran (Fall)
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PHIL 240 Political Philosophy 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : An introduction to contemporary philosophy of politics by concentrating on a number of contested concepts, such as freedom, justice and equality, in contemporary political philosophy and practice.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Magal, Oran (Winter)
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POLI 231 Introduction to Political Theory (3 credits)
Overview
Political Science : The course introduces students to political theory through critical examination of classic texts in the history of political thought. In addition to gaining an understanding of several different traditions of political thought, students are encouraged to develop their skills in textual interpretation, critical reasoning, and essay-writing.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025
Instructors: Levy, Jacob (Fall) Roberts, William (Winter)
Note: The field is Political Theory.
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RELG 201 Religions of the Ancient Near East (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Introduction to the religions of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Syria-Palestine (excluding Israelite religion) from the fourth to first millennium B.C.E. Themes that will be discussed include: gods and goddesses, divine kingship, deification of kings, temple cult, death and afterlife, magic, piety, oracles, prayer, lament, myth and epic.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Kirkpatrick, Patricia; Rosini, Amanda (Fall)
Fall
-
RELG 203 Bible and Western Culture (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : To provide students of the humanities with knowledge of the Bible as a tool for interpreting religious references in Western literature, art and music. Biblical stories (e.g. Creation, Exodus), key figures (e.g. David, Job, Mary), and common motifs (e.g. Holy City, Pilgrimage, Bride) are explored, then illustrated by later cultural forms.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Fishley, Daniel; Rosini, Amanda (Fall)
Fall and Winter
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RELG 204 Judaism, Christianity and Islam (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the beliefs, practices, and religious institutions of these three world religions.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Cere, Daniel M; Salvatore, Armando; de Carvalho, Matheus (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 207 Introduction to the Study of Religions (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : This course is an introduction to classic and contemporary approaches to the academic study of religions. This includes perspectives from philosophy, theology, anthropology, sociology, psychology, phenomenology, and feminism. Students are also exposed to applications of these perspectives from visiting scholars who treat some aspect of a religious tradition in light of current-day interests and events. The primary objective is to introduce students to the principal theories and methods that have shaped our understanding of religion, its various meanings as well as its roles and functions in society.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Kanaris, Jim (Winter)
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken RELG 255.
Winter
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RELG 252 Hinduism and Buddhism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : The interaction of Hinduism and Buddhism in India with special reference to the law of Karma, caste, women, ritual, death, yoga, and liberation. Determination of interpretative principles for understanding the religious psychology of Hindus and Buddhists.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Stainton, Hamsa; Braitstein, Lara E (Fall)
Fall
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RELG 253 Religions of East Asia (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : This course introduces East Asia's major religions comparatively by addressing the continuous exchange of ideas and practices between traditions. Rather than adopting a mere chronological approach, Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism will be discussed thematically, taking in to account topics such as gender constructs, the secular and the sacred, material culture, and the apparent contrast between doctrine and practice.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Lai, Rongdao (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 321 Western Intellectual Tradition (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Introduces essential sources in western philosophy and theology; examines the interdependence of these disciplines in their historical development; exposes students to the means and methods of argumentation that will allow them to compare and contrast these sources, and to develop and defend their own positions with respect to them.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: U0 students must obtain permission from instructor
-
RELG 334 Theology of History (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of Christian readings of history, and especially of the present age, including apocalyptic literature and political theology.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter and Summer
Prerequisite(s): One prior course in Christianity, or permission of the instructor.
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RELG 341 Introduction: Philosophy of Religion (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Introduction to the subject. Faith and reason, theistic arguments, values and destiny, the problem of evil, religious language.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Smith, Adam; Bossoletti, Francesco (Winter)
Fall
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RELG 373 Christian Ethics of Love (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : This course will focus on the philosophical sources of love and on their uses by Christian authors. By comparing both their premises and methods, we will see how different authors in a particular tradition (Christianity) offer various answers to the themes of love, friendship and charity.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Fiasse, Gaelle (Fall)
Winter
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RELG 380 Religion, Philosophy, Modernity (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Through primary source readings, this class will examine the intellectual history of this change, will identify the agents of this change, both philosophical and theological, and will consider the significance and implications of inhabiting a 'modernity' that is, and understands itself as, 'secular.' Charles Taylor's recent book, A Secular Age, narrates a historical development, from a 'pre-modern' condition, in which it was 'virtually impossible not to believe in and encounter God,' to a modern and contemporary situation in which 'faith is an embattled option.' Within the 'context of our self-understanding,' 'secularism' has become a 'default option.'
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
List B (24 credits)
Students in the Philosophy and Religion stream may choose from:
- any course (other than a course dedicated to teaching a language) at the 200 level or above in the following departments and programs: Philosophy (PHIL), Religious Studies (RELG), Catholic Studies (CATH), Islamic Studies (ISLA), and Jewish Studies (JWST); and
- any course in Political Science (POLI) listed in the eCalendar under the heading “Political Theory.”
Students in this stream may also choose a maximum of 9 credits from the following list:
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ANTH 209 Anthropology of Religion (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Nature and function of religion in culture. Systems of belief; the interpretation of ritual. Religion and symbolism. The relation of religion to social organization. Religious change and social movements.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Lemons, Katherine (Winter)
Winter
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ANTH 318 Globalization and Religion (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : The interactions between religion and the economic, social and cultural transformations of globalization: relations between globalization and contemporary religious practice, meaning, and influence at personal and collective levels.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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CLAS 203 Greek Mythology (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : A survey of the myths and legends of Ancient Greece.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Kozak, Lynn (Winter)
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CLAS 303 Ancient Greek Religion (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Focus on the history of Greek religion in the Classical Period. Particular attention will be paid to the Greek concept of divinity, local pantheons, civic festival calendars, the topography of myth and ritual, ideas concerning the afterlife, mystery cults, oracles and games and the literary representations of religion.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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ENVR 203 Knowledge, Ethics and Environment (3 credits)
Overview
Environment : Introduction to cultural perspectives on the environment: the influence of culture and cognition on perceptions of the natural world; conflicts in orders of knowledge (models, taxonomies, paradigms, theories, cosmologies), ethics (moral values, frameworks, dilemmas), and law (formal and customary, rights and obligations) regarding political dimensions of critical environments, resource use, and technologies.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025
Instructors: Kosoy, Nicolas; Freeman, Julia (Fall) Hirose, Iwao; Janzwood, Amy (Winter)
Fall - Macdonald Campus; Winter - Downtown
Section 001: Downtown Campus
Section 051: Macdonald Campus
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ENVR 400 Environmental Thought (3 credits) *
Overview
Environment : Students work in interdisciplinary seminar groups on challenging philosophical, ethical, scientific and practical issues. They will explore cutting-edge ideas and grapple with the reconciliation of environmental imperatives and social, political and economic pragmatics. Activities include meeting practitioners, attending guest lectures, following directed readings, and organizing, leading and participating in seminars.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025
Instructors: Kosoy, Nicolas; Freeman, Julia (Fall) Sieber, Renee; Horner, Hervé Robert; Janzwood, Amy (Winter)
Fall - Macdonald Campus; Winter - Downtown
Section 001: Downtown Campus
Section 051: Macdonald Campus
Prerequisite: ENVR 203
Restriction: Open only to U3 students, or permission of instructor
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GERM 355 Nietzsche and Wagner (3 credits)
Overview
German (Arts) : This course examines the relationship between the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and the composer Richard Wagner. It explores their intellectual kinship, their view of art, music, and philosophy in the context of Nietzsche's critique of modernity and decadence and analyzes the Third Reich's and Hollywood's appropriation of Nietzsche and Wagner.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
Given in English
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GERM 367 Topics in German Thought (3 credits)
Overview
German (Arts) : A variety of issues significant to the development of German cultural and intellectual life.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
Given in English
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HIST 320 Themes in Intellectual History (3 credits)
Overview
History : Examination of a selected theme or subject in intellectual history and/or the history of ideas.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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HIST 350 Science and the Enlightenment (3 credits)
Overview
History : Explores the relationship between the natural sciences and the eighteenth-century Enlightenment. Examination of works in post-Newtonian science as well as their broader cultural meaning, the history of material practices, the origins of social science, and the role of geography and international context beyond Western Europe.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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HIST 440 Fiction and History (3 credits)
Overview
History : This course examines why and how books are classified as fiction or history. Topics include: social expectations and uses of literature; evidence and verification; the author as authority. Readings include history and fiction from various historical periods, and relevant scholarship.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: 6 credits at the 300 level in either history or literature
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ITAL 355 Dante and the Middle Ages (3 credits)
Overview
Italian (Arts) : An introduction to the work of Dante Alighieri, a pillar of medieval European literature. The times in which he lived, the institutions and cultural shifts of that era, the influence exercised by Dante's work, as well as how it has been perceived in our time.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Soranzo, Matteo (Winter)
Fall
Given in English
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ITAL 465 Religious Identities in Italy (3 credits)
Overview
Italian (Arts) : This course examines the role played by religion in shaping Italian identities by looking at the works of Dante, Marsilio Ficino, Giovanni Pico, Galileo Galilei and other Early Modern authors in their cultural and institutional contexts. By looking at how these authors expressed their beliefs and interacted with religious institutions, students are invited to critically engage on the concept of "religion".
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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LIBA 395 Individual Reading Course (3 credits)
Overview
LIBA : Individual reading course in any topic pertinent to Liberal Arts as approved by the Director of the Liberal Arts program.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): LIBA 202: Introduction to Liberal Arts Minimum Grade or Test Scores : C
Restriction(s): Registration in this course is subject to the approval of the Director of the Liberal Arts Program.
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LLCU 301 Topics in Culture and Thought (3 credits)
Overview
LLCU : Special topics focusing on European or transatlantic intellectual traditions and movements.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
A fee of $3500 will be required to cover the costs of professors room, meals, and airfare, Project Coordinator stipend, accommodation and meals; accommodation will be based on double occupancy, two meals a day, ground transportation, academic materials, city taxes and various activities/excursions while in Italy (La Sapienza University in Rome). Students will pay their own airfare