Liberal Arts Honours (B.A.) (60 credits)
Offered by: Languages,Literatures,Cultures (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Program credit weight: 60
Program Description
The Honours 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 a language requirement as well as distribution requirements in relation to minimum number of 300/400+ level courses; maximum number of courses in one discipline; geographical areas and historical periods.
Honours student must maintain a program GPA of 3.30 and an overall GPA of 3.00.
All students in the Honours 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
Degree Requirements — B.A. students
To be eligible for a B.A. degree, a student must fulfil all Faculty and program requirements as indicated in Degree Requirements for the Faculty of Arts.
We recommend that students consult an Arts OASIS advisor for degree planning.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Required Courses (9 credits)
Honours Liberal Arts students are required to take three courses designed to help them reflect on the contemporary significance of a Liberal Arts education and on their experience in the Liberal Arts program.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| LIBA 202 | Introduction to Liberal Arts. | 3 |
Introduction to Liberal Arts. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| LIBA 402 | Seminar in Liberal Arts. | 3 |
Seminar in Liberal Arts. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Readings and discussions on liberal arts. | ||
| LIBA 490 | Honours Thesis. | 3 |
Honours Thesis. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Under the direction of a supervisor, students research and complete an honours thesis on an approved subject in Liberal Arts. | ||
Complementary Courses (51 credits)
Honours students must complete 51 credits in one of the three specialized streams set out below.
The distribution requirements for all streams are the following:
- at least 9 credits from the 200-level introductory courses within one stream;
- at least 24 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);
- no more than 21 credits can be from a single discipline;
- 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
- 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:
- courses taught in the "core" disciplines in this stream, and
- 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 51 credits as follows:
9 credits from the courses in List A
42 credits from the courses in List B
List A (9 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ARTH 204 | Introduction to Medieval Art and Architecture. | 3 |
Introduction to Medieval Art and Architecture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ARTH 205 | Introduction to Modern Art. | 3 |
Introduction to Modern Art. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ARTH 207 | Introduction Early Modern Art 1400-1700. | 3 |
Introduction Early Modern Art 1400-1700. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Surveys visual culture of early modern Europe across various social spheres and geographical locations. | ||
| ARTH 209 | Introduction to Ancient Art and Architecture. | 3 |
Introduction to Ancient Art and Architecture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| CLAS 203 | Greek Mythology. | 3 |
Greek Mythology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of the myths and legends of Ancient Greece. | ||
| CLAS 301 | Ancient Greek Literature and Society. | 3 |
Ancient Greek Literature and Society. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| CLAS 302 | Roman Literature and Society. | 3 |
Roman Literature and Society. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| EAST 211 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: China. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course provides a critical introduction to central themes in Chinese culture. The course will also examine the changing 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. | ||
| EAST 212 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: Japan. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: Japan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to Japan which presents various aspects of Japanese literature, culture, history, religions, philosophy and society. | ||
| EAST 213 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: Korea. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: Korea. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course provides a critical introduction to central themes in Korean culture, including Korean literature, religions, philosophy, and socio-economic formations. | ||
| EAST 215 | Introduction to East Asian Art. | 3 |
Introduction to East Asian Art. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ENGL 202 | Departmental Survey of English Literature 1. | 3 |
Departmental Survey of English Literature 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of English literature before 1750 for students registered in English programs. | ||
| ENGL 203 | Departmental Survey of English Literature 2. | 3 |
Departmental Survey of English Literature 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of English literature after 1750 for students registered in English programs. | ||
| ENGL 215 | Introduction to Shakespeare. | 3 |
Introduction to Shakespeare. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of a selection of plays, in their intellectual and theatrical context, with an emphasis on the interplay of text and performance. | ||
| ENGL 230 | Introduction to Theatre Studies. | 3 |
Introduction to Theatre Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to dramatic literature, text analysis, textual and performance theory, and theatre history. | ||
| FREN 250 | Littérature française avant 1800. | 3 |
Littérature française avant 1800. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction à la littérature française des origines à la fin du 18e siècle. | ||
| FREN 251 | Littérature française depuis 1800. | 3 |
Littérature française depuis 1800. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction à la littérature française des 19e et 20e siècles. | ||
| FREN 252 | Littérature québécoise. | 3 |
Littérature québécoise. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction à la littérature québécoise des origines à nos jours. | ||
| GERM 259 | Introduction to German Literature 1. | 3 |
Introduction to German Literature 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| HISP 225 | Hispanic Civilization 1. | 3 |
Hispanic Civilization 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| HISP 241 | Survey of Spanish Literature and Culture 1. | 3 |
Survey of Spanish Literature and Culture 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. From the origins to the Golden Age through a study of representative works. | ||
| ISLA 200 | Islamic Civilization. | 3 |
Islamic Civilization. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ISLA 210 | Muslim Societies. | 3 |
Muslim Societies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ITAL 230 | Understanding Italy. | 3 |
Understanding Italy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ITAL 295 | Italian Cultural Studies. | 3 |
Italian Cultural Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A cultural studies approach to contemporary Italian society. Focus on distinctive traits of Italian popular culture through literature, film, television and other media. | ||
| LLCU 220 | Introduction to Literary Analysis. | 3 |
Introduction to Literary Analysis. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 203 | Bible and Western Culture. | 3 |
Bible and Western Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RUSS 223 | Russian 19th Century: Literary Giants 1. | 3 |
Russian 19th Century: Literary Giants 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RUSS 224 | Russian 19th Century: Literary Giants 2. | 3 |
Russian 19th Century: Literary Giants 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
Music: up to 9 credits of Music courses (labelled MUAR) can be selected in consultation with the Program Director.
List B (42 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 Course Catalogue under the headings “Biblical Studies,” “Languages and Literatures – Hebrew” and “Language and Literature – Yiddish.”
Students in this stream may also choose a maximum of 12 credits from the following list:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AFRI 401 | Swahili Language and Culture. | 3 |
Swahili Language and Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ARCH 250 | Architectural History 1. | 3 |
Architectural History 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The study of architecture and cities from ancient times to 1750. | ||
| ARCH 251 | Architectural History 2. | 3 |
Architectural History 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The study of North American architecture and cities from 1950 to the present. | ||
| ARCH 354 | Architectural History 3. | 3 |
Architectural History 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The study of Modern European architecture from 1750 to 1950. | ||
| ARCH 355 | Architectural History 4. | 3 |
Architectural History 4. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The study of cities and world architecture from 1900 to the present. | ||
| ARCH 531 | Architectural Intentions Vitruvius - Renaissance. | 3 |
Architectural Intentions Vitruvius - Renaissance. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ARCH 532 | Origins of Modern Architecture. | 3 |
Origins of Modern Architecture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ARTH 352 | Feminism in Art and Art History. | 3 |
Feminism in Art and Art History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A consideration of the impact of feminism on recent art history, focusing on the examination of gender constructions in art and theory. | ||
| EAST 307 | Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 1. | 3 |
Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of East Asian literature and/or language. | ||
| EAST 308 | Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 2. | 3 |
Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of East Asian literature and/or language. | ||
| EAST 350 | Gender and Sexuality in Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Gender and Sexuality in Chinese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| EAST 351 | Women Writers of China. | 3 |
Women Writers of China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of fiction, drama, and poetry by women writers in imperial, modern, and/or contemporary China. | ||
| EAST 352 | Critical Approaches to Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Critical Approaches to Chinese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course will examine traditional and/or modern genres of Chinese literature with a focus on different forms of Chinese and Western literary analysis. | ||
| EAST 353 | Approaches to Chinese Cinema. | 3 |
Approaches to Chinese Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Development of Chinese film in the 20th century, with an emphasis on both critical approaches to film as well as film history. | ||
| EAST 356 | Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art. | 3 |
Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| EAST 362 | Japanese Cinema. | 3 |
Japanese Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| EAST 453 | Topics: Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Topics: Chinese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced seminar in selected genres, themes and issues in Chinese literature. | ||
| EAST 454 | Topics: Chinese Cinema. | 3 |
Topics: Chinese Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced seminar in selected themes and issues in Chinese film. | ||
| EAST 461 | Inventing Modern Japanese Novel. | 3 |
Inventing Modern Japanese Novel. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| EAST 464 | Image, Text, Performance. | 3 |
Image, Text, Performance. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| EAST 467 | Topics: Japanese Cinema. | 3 |
Topics: Japanese Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in the study of Japanese cinema. | ||
| EAST 550 | Classical Chinese Poetry Themes and Genres. | 3 |
Classical Chinese Poetry Themes and Genres. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| EAST 562 | Japanese Literary Theory and Practice. | 3 |
Japanese Literary Theory and Practice. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course examines Japanese theories of literary production and practice with an emphasis on 20th century thought. | ||
| EAST 569 | Advanced Topics: Japanese Literature. | 3 |
Advanced Topics: Japanese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| HIST 345 | History of Italian Renaissance. | 3 |
History of Italian Renaissance. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the economy, society, politics and intellectual developments in Italy from approximately 1300 to the early 16th century. | ||
| HIST 405 | Topics in Intellectual History. | 3 |
Topics in Intellectual History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. In depth analysis of a selected subject or topic in intellectual history and/or the history of ideas. | ||
| HIST 411 | Topics in African History. | 3 |
Topics in African History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. In depth examination of a specific topic or individual in African or African diasporic history. | ||
| HIST 426 | Topics: British Cultural History. | 3 |
Topics: British Cultural History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Selected topics in intellectual and cultural history of Britain and Ireland, focusing on discussion of primary texts. | ||
| ISLA 385 | Poetics and Politics in Arabic Literature. | 3 |
Poetics and Politics in Arabic Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ISLA 388 | Persian Literature. | 3 |
Persian Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ISLA 392 | Arabic Literature as World Literature. | 3 |
Arabic Literature as World Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ISLA 488 | Tales of Wonder-Islamic World. | 3 |
Tales of Wonder-Islamic World. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ISLA 585 | Arab Women's Literature. | 3 |
Arab Women's Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| LIBA 395 | Individual Reading Course. | 3 |
Individual Reading Course. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Individual reading course in any topic pertinent to Liberal Arts as approved by the Director of the Liberal Arts program. | ||
| PHIL 336 | Aesthetics. | 3 |
Aesthetics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to issues central to aesthetic theory; the nature of aesthetic judgment, perception of the aesthetic object, the nature of the art object. | ||
| PHIL 436 | Aesthetics 2. | 3 |
Aesthetics 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An advanced discussion of issues in aesthetics. | ||
| RELG 210 | Jesus of Nazareth. | 3 |
Jesus of Nazareth. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 302 | Literature of Ancient Israel 1. | 3 |
Literature of Ancient Israel 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the literature of Ancient Israel in English translation. Reading and interpreting representative selections. | ||
| RELG 303 | Literature of Ancient Israel 2. | 3 |
Literature of Ancient Israel 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 307 | Bible, Quran and Interpretations. | 3 |
Bible, Quran and Interpretations. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 311 | Formation of the New Testament. | 3 |
Formation of the New Testament. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the formation and interpretation of the New Testament, excluding the Gospels. | ||
| RELG 312 | The Gospels. | 3 |
The Gospels. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the critical study of the Gospels. | ||
| RELG 313 | Topics in Biblical Studies 1. | 3 |
Topics in Biblical Studies 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in biblical studies. Topic varies by year. | ||
| RELG 455 | Religion and the Performing Arts in South India. | 3 |
Religion and the Performing Arts in South India. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
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:
- courses taught in the "core" disciplines in this stream, and
- 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 51 credits as follows:
9 credits from the courses in List A
42 credits from the courses in List B
List A (9 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CATH 200 | Introduction to Catholicism. | 3 |
Introduction to Catholicism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| COMS 200 | History of Communication. | 3 |
History of Communication. Terms offered: Summer 2025 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. | ||
| COMS 210 | Introduction to Communication Studies. | 3 |
Introduction to Communication Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| COMS 230 | Communication and Democracy. | 3 |
Communication and Democracy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| EAST 211 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: China. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course provides a critical introduction to central themes in Chinese culture. The course will also examine the changing 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. | ||
| EAST 212 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: Japan. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: Japan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to Japan which presents various aspects of Japanese literature, culture, history, religions, philosophy and society. | ||
| EAST 213 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: Korea. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: Korea. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course provides a critical introduction to central themes in Korean culture, including Korean literature, religions, philosophy, and socio-economic formations. | ||
| EAST 215 | Introduction to East Asian Art. | 3 |
Introduction to East Asian Art. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| HIST 200 | Introduction to African History. | 3 |
Introduction to African History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| HIST 201 | Modern African History. | 3 |
Modern African History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| HIST 202 | Survey: Canada to 1867. | 3 |
Survey: Canada to 1867. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| HIST 203 | Survey: Canada since 1867. | 3 |
Survey: Canada since 1867. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| HIST 205 | Ancient Mediterranean History. | 3 |
Ancient Mediterranean History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the history of the ancient Mediterranean world, focusing on Greek and Roman civilization. | ||
| HIST 207 | Jewish History: 400 B.C.E. to 1000. | 3 |
Jewish History: 400 B.C.E. to 1000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| HIST 208 | Introduction to East Asian History. | 3 |
Introduction to East Asian History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| HIST 213 | World History, 600-2000. | 3 |
World History, 600-2000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| HIST 214 | Early Modern Europe. | 3 |
Early Modern Europe. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Survey of European history from the Late Middle Ages to the eighteenth century. | ||
| HIST 215 | Modern Europe. | 3 |
Modern Europe. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Survey of European history from the eighteenth century to the present. | ||
| ISLA 200 | Islamic Civilization. | 3 |
Islamic Civilization. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ISLA 210 | Muslim Societies. | 3 |
Muslim Societies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| POLI 212 | Introduction to Comparative Politics – Europe/North America. | 3 |
Introduction to Comparative Politics – Europe/North America. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| POLI 227 | Introduction to Comparative Politics - Global South. | 3 |
Introduction to Comparative Politics - Global South. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| POLI 231 | Introduction to Political Theory. | 3 |
Introduction to Political Theory. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| POLI 243 | International Politics of Economic Relations. | 3 |
International Politics of Economic Relations. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| POLI 244 | International Politics: State Behaviour. | 3 |
International Politics: State Behaviour. Terms offered: Summer 2025 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. | ||
| SOCI 210 | Sociological Perspectives. | 3 |
Sociological Perspectives. Terms offered: Summer 2025 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. | ||
| SOCI 211 | Sociological Inquiry. | 3 |
Sociological Inquiry. Terms offered: Summer 2025 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. | ||
List B (42 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 12 credits from the following list:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 202 | Socio-Cultural Anthropology. | 3 |
Socio-Cultural Anthropology. Terms offered: Summer 2025 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. | ||
| ANTH 206 | Environment and Culture. | 3 |
Environment and Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ANTH 212 | Anthropology of Development. | 3 |
Anthropology of Development. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ANTH 318 | Globalization and Religion. | 3 |
Globalization and Religion. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ANTH 322 | Social Change in Modern Africa. | 3 |
Social Change in Modern Africa. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The impact of colonialism on African societies; changing 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. | ||
| ANTH 327 | Anthropology of South Asia. | 3 |
Anthropology of South Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to anthropological research in India and greater South Asia. Topics include politics, caste, class, religion, gender and sexuality, development and globalization. | ||
| ANTH 338 | Indigenous Studies of Anthropology. | 3 |
Indigenous Studies of Anthropology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to Native American and Indigenous studies (NAIS) as a means of critically engaging with the discipline of anthropology. | ||
| ANTH 355 | Theories of Culture and Society. | 3 |
Theories of Culture and Society. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ANTH 422 | Contemporary Latin American Culture and Society. | 3 |
Contemporary Latin American Culture and Society. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ARTH 310 | Postcolonialism. | 3 |
Postcolonialism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| CATH 315 | Catholicism and Ethics. | 3 |
Catholicism and Ethics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A critical examination of the evolving engagement of Catholicism with contemporary ethical issues. | ||
| CATH 340 | Catholicism and Public Policy. | 3 |
Catholicism and Public Policy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| CLAS 203 | Greek Mythology. | 3 |
Greek Mythology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of the myths and legends of Ancient Greece. | ||
| CLAS 308 | Gender in the Ancient World. | 3 |
Gender in the Ancient World. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An exploration of gender roles in the Ancient Mediterranean world. | ||
| CLAS 404 | Classical Tradition. | 3 |
Classical Tradition. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| CLAS 406 | Greek and Roman Historiography. | 3 |
Greek and Roman Historiography. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| EAST 303 | Current Topics: Chinese Studies 1. | 3 |
Current Topics: Chinese Studies 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Chinese Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. | ||
| EAST 304 | Current Topics: Chinese Studies 2. | 3 |
Current Topics: Chinese Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Chinese Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. | ||
| EAST 305 | Current Topics: Japanese Studies 1. | 3 |
Current Topics: Japanese Studies 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Japanese studies. The content of the course will vary from year to year. | ||
| EAST 306 | Current Topics: Japanese Studies 2. | 3 |
Current Topics: Japanese Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Japanese studies. The content of the course will vary from year to year. | ||
| EAST 313 | Current Topics: Korean Studies 1. | 3 |
Current Topics: Korean Studies 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Korean Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. | ||
| EAST 314 | Current Topics: Korean Studies 2. | 3 |
Current Topics: Korean Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Korean Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. | ||
| EAST 364 | Mass Culture and Postwar Japan. | 3 |
Mass Culture and Postwar Japan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| EAST 370 | History of Sexuality in Japan. | 3 |
History of Sexuality in Japan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| EAST 385 | Global Korea. | 3 |
Global Korea. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course considers Korean culture and society in the modern period by examining changing attitudes about the relationship between the national and the global, across social institutions, political discourse, and popular media. | ||
| EAST 390 | The Chinese Family in History. | 3 |
The Chinese Family in History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Exploration of the Chinese family in history both as an institution - in its religious, legal, economic, political aspects - and as a lived reality. | ||
| EAST 462 | Japan in Asia. | 3 |
Japan in Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| EAST 493 | Special Topics: East Asian Studies 1. | 3 |
Special Topics: East Asian Studies 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced reading course under supervision of instructor on certain aspects of East Asian Studies. Topics will vary from year to year. | ||
| EAST 494 | Special Topics: East Asian Studies 2. | 3 |
Special Topics: East Asian Studies 2. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Advanced reading course under supervision of instructor on certain aspects of East Asian Studies. Topics will vary from year to year. | ||
| FREN 336 | Histoire de la langue française. | 3 |
Histoire de la langue française. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| GERM 331 | Germany after Reunification. | 3 |
Germany after Reunification. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The events which led to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the reunification of Germany in 1990 and the changing 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. | ||
| GERM 357 | German Culture in European Context. | 3 |
German Culture in European Context. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| GERM 364 | Gender and Society in German Literature and Culture. | 3 |
Gender and Society in German Literature and Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| GERM 365 | Modern Short Fiction. | 3 |
Modern Short Fiction. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of short prose forms in German throughout history. | ||
| GERM 368 | Fin-de-Siècle Vienna. | 3 |
Fin-de-Siècle Vienna. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Interdisciplinary study of one of the formative periods of modern European culture; examination of literature, art, thought, culture and politics in Vienna around 1900. | ||
| HISP 437 | Colonial / Postcolonial Latin America. | 3 |
Colonial / Postcolonial Latin America. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of the dialogue between colonial and postcolonial Latin American texts and theories. | ||
| ISLA 310 | Women in Islam. | 3 |
Women in Islam. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ISLA 325 | Introduction to Shi'i Islam. | 3 |
Introduction to Shi'i Islam. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ISLA 350 | From Tribe to Dynasty. | 3 |
From Tribe to Dynasty. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ISLA 355 | Modern History of the Middle East. | 3 |
Modern History of the Middle East. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ISLA 360 | Islam and Politics in Africa | 3 |
Islam and Politics in Africa Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Assessment of the relationship between Islam and politics in the contemporary Africa through various analytic themes, including political economy, social movement and gendered analysis. | ||
| ISLA 365 | Middle East Since the 1970's. | 3 |
Middle East Since the 1970's. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ISLA 410 | History: Middle-East 1798-1918. | 3 |
History: Middle-East 1798-1918. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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 changing patterns of alliances. | ||
| ISLA 411 | History: Middle-East 1918-1945. | 3 |
History: Middle-East 1918-1945. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ISLA 415 | Modern Iran: Anthropological Approach. | 3 |
Modern Iran: Anthropological Approach. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The modern history, social, and cultural anthropology of contemporary Iran. | ||
| ISLA 420 | Indo-Islamic Civilization: Medieval. | 3 |
Indo-Islamic Civilization: Medieval. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ISLA 421 | Islamic Culture - Indian Subcontinent. | 3 |
Islamic Culture - Indian Subcontinent. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ITAL 230 | Understanding Italy. | 3 |
Understanding Italy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ITAL 295 | Italian Cultural Studies. | 3 |
Italian Cultural Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A cultural studies approach to contemporary Italian society. Focus on distinctive traits of Italian popular culture through literature, film, television and other media. | ||
| ITAL 356 | Medieval Discourses on Love. | 3 |
Medieval Discourses on Love. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ITAL 362 | Post-World War 2 Literature and Society. | 3 |
Post-World War 2 Literature and Society. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ITAL 363 | Gender, Literature and Society. | 3 |
Gender, Literature and Society. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ITAL 365 | The Italian Renaissance. | 3 |
The Italian Renaissance. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ITAL 371 | The Italian Baroque. | 3 |
The Italian Baroque. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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) | ||
| ITAL 400 | Italian Regional Identities. | 3 |
Italian Regional Identities. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The course explores tensions between national and regional narratives in Italy's literature, culture, language, and society. | ||
| JWST 211 | Jewish Studies 1: Biblical Period. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 1: Biblical Period. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| JWST 216 | Jewish Studies 2: 400 B.C.E. - 1000. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 2: 400 B.C.E. - 1000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| JWST 217 | Jewish Studies 3: 1000 - 2000. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 3: 1000 - 2000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Jewish experience from the rise of the European centres to the present. | ||
| JWST 240 | The Holocaust. | 3 |
The Holocaust. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of the history of the Holocaust and the literary, theological and cultural responses to the destruction of European Jewry. | ||
| JWST 306 | The American Jewish Community. | 3 |
The American Jewish Community. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| JWST 361 | The Shtetl: 1500-1897. | 3 |
The Shtetl: 1500-1897. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| JWST 365 | Modern Jewish Ideologies. | 3 |
Modern Jewish Ideologies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| JWST 366 | History of Zionism. | 3 |
History of Zionism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| LIBA 395 | Individual Reading Course. | 3 |
Individual Reading Course. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Individual reading course in any topic pertinent to Liberal Arts as approved by the Director of the Liberal Arts program. | ||
| LLCU 212 | Understanding Digital and Social Media. | 3 |
Understanding Digital and Social Media. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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). | ||
| LLCU 250 | History and Future of the Book. | 3 |
History and Future of the Book. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 201 | Religions of the Ancient Near East. | 3 |
Religions of the Ancient Near East. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 203 | Bible and Western Culture. | 3 |
Bible and Western Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 204 | Judaism, Christianity and Islam. | 3 |
Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the beliefs, practices, and religious institutions of these three world religions. | ||
| RELG 270 | Religious Ethics and the Environment. | 3 |
Religious Ethics and the Environment. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Environmental potential of various religious traditions and secular perspectives, including animal rights, ecofeminism, and deep ecology. | ||
| RELG 322 | Church and Empire to 1300 . | 3 |
Church and Empire to 1300 . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 323 | Church and State since 1300. | 3 |
Church and State since 1300. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Significant events and persons in the history of Western Christendom from 1300 to the present. | ||
| RELG 326 | Christians in the Roman World. | 3 |
Christians in the Roman World. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A social-historical examination of Christians within the complex cultural, political, ethnic and religious contexts of later Greco-Roman antiquity, focusing on changing 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. | ||
| RELG 331 | Religion and Globalization. | 3 |
Religion and Globalization. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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 | ||
| RELG 334 | Theology of History. | 3 |
Theology of History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of Christian readings of history, and especially of the present age, including apocalyptic literature and political theology. | ||
| RELG 338 | Women and the Christian Tradition. | 3 |
Women and the Christian Tradition. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 375 | Religion, Politics and Society. | 3 |
Religion, Politics and Society. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 559 | Caste and Dalits: Historical and Political Perspectives. | 3 |
Caste and Dalits: Historical and Political Perspectives. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RUSS 217 | Russia's Eternal Questions. | 3 |
Russia's Eternal Questions. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RUSS 229 | Introduction to Russian Folklore. | 3 |
Introduction to Russian Folklore. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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." | ||
| RUSS 427 | Russian Fin de Siècle. | 3 |
Russian Fin de Siècle. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RUSS 428 | Russian Avantgarde. | 3 |
Russian Avantgarde. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RUSS 430 | High Stalinist Culture 1. | 3 |
High Stalinist Culture 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RUSS 454 | Narratives of Desire. | 3 |
Narratives of Desire. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
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:
- courses taught in the "core" disciplines in this stream, and
- 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 51 credits as follows:
9 credits from the courses in List A
42 credits from the courses in List B
List A (9 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ISLA 200 | Islamic Civilization. | 3 |
Islamic Civilization. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ISLA 210 | Muslim Societies. | 3 |
Muslim Societies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| JWST 211 | Jewish Studies 1: Biblical Period. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 1: Biblical Period. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| JWST 216 | Jewish Studies 2: 400 B.C.E. - 1000. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 2: 400 B.C.E. - 1000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| PHIL 230 | Introduction to Moral Philosophy 1. | 3 |
Introduction to Moral Philosophy 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of a number of historically important and influential theories. Philosophers to be discussed may include Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Bentham, Mill, and Moore. | ||
| PHIL 240 | Political Philosophy 1. | 3 |
Political Philosophy 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| POLI 231 | Introduction to Political Theory. | 3 |
Introduction to Political Theory. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 201 | Religions of the Ancient Near East. | 3 |
Religions of the Ancient Near East. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 203 | Bible and Western Culture. | 3 |
Bible and Western Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 204 | Judaism, Christianity and Islam. | 3 |
Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the beliefs, practices, and religious institutions of these three world religions. | ||
| RELG 207 | Introduction to the Study of Religions. | 3 |
Introduction to the Study of Religions. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 252 | Hinduism and Buddhism. | 3 |
Hinduism and Buddhism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 253 | Religions of East Asia. | 3 |
Religions of East Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 321 | Western Intellectual Tradition. | 3 |
Western Intellectual Tradition. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 334 | Theology of History. | 3 |
Theology of History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of Christian readings of history, and especially of the present age, including apocalyptic literature and political theology. | ||
| RELG 341 | Introduction: Philosophy of Religion. | 3 |
Introduction: Philosophy of Religion. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the subject. Faith and reason, theistic arguments, values and destiny, the problem of evil, religious language. | ||
| RELG 373 | Christian Ethics of Love. | 3 |
Christian Ethics of Love. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| RELG 380 | Religion, Philosophy, Modernity. | 3 |
Religion, Philosophy, Modernity. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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.' | ||
List B (42 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 Course Catalogue under the heading “Political Theory.”
Students in this stream may also choose a maximum of 12 credits from the following list:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 209 | Anthropology of Religion. | 3 |
Anthropology of Religion. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ANTH 318 | Globalization and Religion. | 3 |
Globalization and Religion. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| CLAS 203 | Greek Mythology. | 3 |
Greek Mythology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of the myths and legends of Ancient Greece. | ||
| CLAS 303 | Ancient Greek Religion. | 3 |
Ancient Greek Religion. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ENVR 203 | Knowledge, Ethics and Environment. | 3 |
Knowledge, Ethics and Environment. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ENVR 400 | Environmental Thought. 1 | 3 |
Environmental Thought. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| GERM 355 | Nietzsche and Wagner. | 3 |
Nietzsche and Wagner. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| GERM 367 | Topics in German Thought. | 3 |
Topics in German Thought. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A variety of issues significant to the development of German cultural and intellectual life. | ||
| HIST 320 | Themes in Intellectual History. | 3 |
Themes in Intellectual History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examination of a selected theme or subject in intellectual history and/or the history of ideas. | ||
| HIST 350 | Science and the Enlightenment. | 3 |
Science and the Enlightenment. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| HIST 440 | Fiction and History. | 3 |
Fiction and History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ITAL 355 | Dante and the Middle Ages. | 3 |
Dante and the Middle Ages. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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. | ||
| ITAL 465 | Religious Identities in Italy. | 3 |
Religious Identities in Italy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. 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". | ||
| LIBA 395 | Individual Reading Course. | 3 |
Individual Reading Course. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Individual reading course in any topic pertinent to Liberal Arts as approved by the Director of the Liberal Arts program. | ||
| LLCU 301 | Topics in Culture and Thought. | 3 |
Topics in Culture and Thought. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Special topics focusing on European or transatlantic intellectual traditions and movements. | ||