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

This course will examine a number of questions related to Indigenous identities as they have been constituted through collective belonging and cultural representation. Topics covered may include: language, the arts, cinema, ecology, religion, ritual, and the enduring legacy of colonialism. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

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

By means of short texts, film or art works this course explores such themes as the effect of technology on the political, the nature of democracy, the question of resistance through art and the role of violence in the social. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

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

This course will study accounts of world travelers and explorers from the Middle Ages to the present, including representative examples drawn from the Age of Exploration, the Grand Tour, scientific and map-making expeditions, and the contemporary genre of travel writing. Particular attention will be given to the trans-cultural nature of travel, and the interactive aspects of the gulf between the observer and those observed. Students will analyze the diverse motivational factors behind excursions and expeditions, and apply a critique to written accounts in light of such factors as self-discovery, knowledge and imagination, Eurocentrism, orientalism, cultural relativism, colonialism/imperialism, race, gender, and eco-tourism. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

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

In this course we will study a number of literary and cinematic works that take up questions of power, duty, rights, responsibility, and freedom. Our texts will be drawn from a long history, and from many parts of the world. The sequence however will not be chronological. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

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

This course examines two key issues about the performing arts that concern both artists and theorists: the nature of interpretation and of expression. What might we mean when we say that a work, a piece of music or a dance for example expresses something? What is it to express? And what is the nature of interpretation? Are there any constraints or boundaries on interpretation? We will draw on both philosophers and non-philosophers to explore these sorts of questions. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

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

This course introduces students to the study of healthcare by asking foundational questions about how evidence and knowledge are produced in the context of healthcare problems. Students will explore how different frameworks for clinical practise (e.g. Evidence-based Medicine, Person-Centered Healthcare) conceptualize evidence and how different methodologies impact how healthcare research is conceived, reported, and understood. Students will learn to critically appraise healthcare research studies and assess their evidence value and implications for clinical practice. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

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

This interdisciplinary course explores the contemporary character of globalization. The world is shrinking as money, goods, people, ideas, weapons, and information flow across national boundaries. Some commentators assert that a more tightly interconnected world can exacerbate financial disruptions, worsen the gap between rich and poor nations, undermine democracy, imperil national cultures, harm the environment, and give unconstrained freedom to predatory corporations. Others proclaim that globalization - understood as capitalism and free markets - fosters economic growth, encourages creative collaboration, inspires technological breakthroughs, and enhances human prospects for a better life, in rich and poor countries alike, in unprecedented ways. Our task is to evaluate the evidence and draw our own conclusions. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

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

An introduction to the academic study of everyday life. A cross-disciplinary discussion class drawing on a wide variety of examples from ordinary life, fantasy, and culture. We situate the apparently innocuous within larger patterns of social relations and social change. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

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

This course examines the emergence of a global modern world in relation to the upheavals of the Renaissance (1350-1700) and its discoveries and innovations in culture and society. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

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

This course introduces past and contemporary theories and perspectives on teaching and learning in schools and broader society. While there is consensus on the fundamental role that both learning and teaching play in society, a range of perspectives exists on what comprises “teaching” and “learning”, how they occur, and how they might be facilitated through designed environments. The course begins with an exploration of major theories of learning and their implications for practice. It then examines several pedagogical frameworks and perspectives of teaching and their implications for educational practice. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course introduces the theories and practices of teaching through analysis of three main themes: planning and implementing inclusive instruction, establishing a classroom context to support diverse learners, and analyzing professional concerns for teachers. Students will be involved in a volunteer placement in a school or community-based setting. Field experience is central to the course with students expected to apply course ideas in their volunteer work and reflect on their experiences in seminars. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course investigates the historical and contemporary roles of the school and formal education system and explore changes in these organizations over time. The course examines schools and learning as social, political, intellectual, and economic phenomena. Topics covered include the history of Canada' education system, the purposes of formal schooling, the role of the school, education and the law, education policy and school curriculum. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course will examine education as a human right and through a human-rights- based lens, explore themes of equity and diversity, global education, Indigenous knowledge and perspectives, and decolonizing education. Contexts of discussion will include early-years learning, elementary and secondary school, post-secondary education, and other community-based learning settings, both locally and globally. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Topics vary from year to year. Not eligible for CR/NCR option. Breadth requirement will vary from year to year depending on the course topic. Please refer to course website for more information: https://vic.utoronto.ca/academic-programs/special-topics-courses/vic159h

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

A study of culture with a view to developing basic concepts with examples drawn from the visual arts, music, film, literature, architecture, and/or local urban artefacts. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

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

A study of the ideas and concerns of creative thinkers and their impact upon cultures. The course includes literary, scientific and/or religious intellectuals from the major traditions. Attention to modes of reasoning, cultural definition and expression. Emphasis on philosophical and artistic concepts. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

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

Vice is popular: a prestigious university press has brought out a series of seven books on the Seven Deadly Sins. This course examines such questions as the following. Are greed, lust and gluttony just bad names for necessary and otherwise acceptable instincts? What is the place, in a good human life, of such qualities as honesty, trust, civility and the like? Are vices and virtues culturally determined or a matter of individual preference? Can character be taught, or is it rather a matter of genes and luck? Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.