Introduction

New College courses have in common a commitment to socially engaged learning and to explorative and inventive pedagogy that widens students’ experience by critically examining relationships among academic disciplines. We offer two degree programs: Buddhism, Psychology and Mental Health; and Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity. These programs are open to all students in the Faculty of Arts and Science.

We also offer interdisciplinary courses that can enhance any degree program. Integration of student experience is a major priority in a college with students from all faculties in the University. The Independent Studies courses provide an opportunity for students to design their own programs and to test their research, analytic, synthetic, and creative skills by writing a major research paper. The Community Engaged Learning program supports course-based service learning and independent community engaged learning opportunities. These allow students to integrate their theoretical knowledge with practical experience, while engaging in meaningful work in campus and community organizations.

Contact:

Program Administrator's Office:
New College, Room 133 (416-978-2667) or nc.undergradadmin@utoronto.ca)

New One:
new.one@utoronto.ca

Registrar’s Office:
New College, Room 107 (416-978-2460)

New One: Learning Without Borders

New One provides first year students with a comprehensive foundation for successful undergraduate study. It encourages active, engaged learning and creative forms of inquiry, and supports students in developing their research, writing and oral communication abilities. In New One, students develop skills in research and knowledge presentation, showcasing their projects at our Knowledge Fair.

New One offers up to ten interdisciplinary small-class seminars annually. Students join the program by simply registering in one of our courses, whether in the Fall or Winter term. The courses explore themes that connect to our daily lives such as the food we eat, the languages we speak, the technology we use, the art that we create and surrounds us, and the science that impacts our lives. We encourage students to take a course in both the Fall and Winter terms for a more complete experience.

New One gives students the tools to think deeply, critically, and creatively and to see the ways our lives are connected "beyond borders." Inspired by the social advocacy focus of New College's academic programs, the program grapples with the core question: how do we imagine responsible global citizenship and build a more equitable and just society?

New One courses meet for 3 hours each week. The first two hours are usually dedicated to course content, while the third hour is allocated to "Learning Labs." All students come together in these Learning Labs to engage in joint activities and explore issues that are common to the themes of the courses. Both in seminars and Learning Labs, students will experience a variety of ways of learning (through, for example, guest lectures, group work, workshops, field trips to local community organizations, and panels of senior students sharing their experience and insights).

New One does not require a specific application. All first-year students in the Faculty of Arts and Science on the St. George campus are eligible to register in our courses. Students, however, can only take courses in one College One program in the same term. For more information about the program, go to http://uoft.me/NewOne or contact new.one@utoronto.ca.

The Buddhism, Psychology and Mental Health Program

(Minor) The Buddhism, Psychology and Mental Health (BPMH) Program is an interdisciplinary undergraduate Minor that allows students to choose from a wide range of courses in Buddhist Studies, cognitive science, medical anthropology, psychology of religion, health psychology, and sociological analyses of physical and mental health. With this training, students acquire an understanding of how Buddhist traditions have interacted with and contributed to global and diverse understandings of consciousness, mental health and distress, and determinants of health. Students study global and diverse models of mental health and well-being through a self-reflective, meta-cognitive, and phenomenological study of Buddhism and health in contexts of relational, intersectional, and global interconnections.

Consult Acting Program Director, Dr. Eleanor Weisbaum via email at elli.weisbaum@utoronto.ca. For general enquiries, call 416-978-2667 or email nc.undergradadmin@utoronto.ca.

Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity

(Major, Minor) Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity (CSES) is an interdisciplinary program that explores how social relations and practices of power and privilege are (re)produced locally and transnationally. In CSES we question the dominant conceptualization of equity by the state, educational programs, the non-profit sectors and community organizations as individualized and de-historicized social differences. CSES is a hub of critical disability studies teaching and learning. The program provides students with theoretical and practical tools to study social, political, economic and historical injustices. CSES takes a unique approach to undergraduate education that values student experiential learning and community knowledge. The learning goal of CSES is to provide frameworks on theories of transformative social change rooted in political activism and formations of solidarity. The program encourages students to apply theory in action through organizing and practicing solidarity in making a more just world. CSES creates a dynamic learning environment that extends far beyond the university walls. With a vibrant student body, dynamic faculty members, connection with a wide range of community partners and a bold curriculum, CSES at New College is a leader in studies of social justice, settler colonialism, race, gender, sexuality, disability, land/water and sustainability, activism, solidarity and the art of resistance, and global food equity and security.

Consult Program Director, Professor A. McGuire, 416-978-0829 or email cses.director@utoronto.ca. For general enquiries, call 416-978-2667 or email nc.undergradadmin@utoronto.ca.

Community Engaged Learning (CEL)

New College offers several community engaged courses. These provide students the opportunity to integrate academic, experiential and practice-based learning as they participate in meaningful work in community or campus organizations.

Two forms of community engaged learning courses are offered: embedded and independent. In the former, a community service component is either a mandatory or optional component of the course syllabus. (Examples of such courses are CSE342H1 and BPM232H1). In the independent community engaged learning courses, upper level students, with various academic backgrounds, are placed with a social purpose community or campus-based organization for several hours per week, contributing to the mission of that organization in program support work or research. Through seminar discussions and critical reflection on their experiences, students learn how to mobilize their academic knowledge, deepen their appreciation of community engagement and social justice, explore social and ethical issues, and build professional dispositions and work-place skills relevant to the social sector.

Information about CEL can be found at https://www.newcollege.utoronto.ca/programs/cel/.

Enquiries: nc.engagedlearning@utoronto.ca.

Independent Studies

New College Independent Study courses are designed both to complement regular offerings in New College Programs and to provide an opportunity for New College students in any program to enrich their studies. The normal expectation of a project course is that the student, aided and advised by their supervisor, will read relevant literature, and plan, analyze and report on an original and independent investigation of an appropriate topic. Written applications, including a detailed proposal, should be made through the Programs Office for approval by the Vice Principal of New College or a designate by April 15 for the Summer Session; by July 15 for the Fall Term; or by November 15 for the Winter Term. Should the deadline fall on a weekend, applications will be accepted until the following Monday. Students will be notified of the acceptance or rejection of an application. If the project requires ethics approval, please be advised that you should find and consult with a supervisor about meeting this requirement at least a semester in advance of these deadlines. For more information and application forms, please see the Independent Studies website: https://www.newcollege.utoronto.ca/independent-studies/.

Enquiries: New College Program Administrator - Wetmore Hall, room 133; nc.undergradadmin@utoronto.ca or 416-978-2667.

Interdisciplinary Courses on Jungian Theory

This suite of courses offers students opportunities for sustained, interdisciplinary engagement with the thought of Carl Jung. Courses invite students to consider Jung's thought and practice in relation to a range of disciplinary and cultural issues in order to open up conversations about models of consciousness and mind.

Enquiries: New College Program Administrator - Wetmore Hall, room 133; nc.undergradadmin@utoronto.ca or 416-978-2667.

International Foundation Program

This program is designed for international students who need to meet the University's English language requirement. The program is offered to students in the Faculties of Arts and Science, Music, and the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design. The program consists of five courses that are designed to develop students’ language and critical skills through the modalities of reading, writing, listening, and speaking as well as develop students’ academic literacy in a course related to their admitted program of study. The program approaches language development from a social perspective and language learning is situated within authentic academic contexts. Students learn to master foundational academic skills such as research and digital literacy, time management, exam, and study skills. Students take a history course, Themes in World History, which applies critical skills that have been scaffolded in the language courses (e.g., paraphrasing, summarizing, citing sources, etc.). In the history course, students learn how to understand the relationship of human beings and their environment, cross-cultural and gender relations, and how global patterns affect local developments making students better able to assess the historical context of challenges society faces today.

Core courses include one first-year history credit course (IFP100Y1), three non-credit language courses and one non-credit discipline-specific course. Courses are open only to students admitted to the program. For program and admission information, please see https://internationalprograms.utoronto.ca.

The African Studies Program

(Specialist, Major, Minor) provides students unique opportunities to study the complexity and dynamism of African societies, the dynamics processes of socio-economic, cultural, environmental, and political transformations in Africa, the varied histories, ideas and institutions of Africa and its diasporas through interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary lenses. It fosters a vibrant intellectual, social and cultural hub of academic excellence with a shared ethos and commitment to public scholarship, social justice, global citizenship, engaged scholarship and a praxis of inclusivity, epistemic diversity, and reflexive community engagement.

Effective July 1, 2023, the administration of the existing undergraduate programs and courses in African Studies has been moved from New College to the new African Studies Centre. See the African Studies section of the Calendar for a complete listing of programs and courses.

The Caribbean Studies Program

(Specialist, Major, Minor) offers a combined interdisciplinary and area studies approach to examining a wide range of issues including gender, religion, culture, ethnicity, race, development, language, colonialism, the environment and regional common markets.

Effective July 1, 2022, the administration of the existing undergraduate programs and courses in Caribbean Studies has been moved from New College to the new Centre for Caribbean Studies. See the Caribbean Studies section of the Calendar for a complete listing of programs and courses.

The Human Biology Programs

These programs offer a broad education in life sciences with courses offered by departments in both the Faculty of Arts & Science, and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (see the Human Biology section of the Calendar.)

The Women and Gender Studies Program

(Specialist, Major, Minor) provides an interdisciplinary and culturally inclusive approach to understanding gender (see the Women and Gender Studies section of the Calendar.)