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Victoria College
Upper-Year Programs / Education and Society / Education and Society Courses

Courses (2026-27)

Education and Society courses for the 2026-27 academic year.
Please note: course listings change from year to year.
Should you have any questions, please contact vic.academics@utoronto.ca.

EDS260H1S | Equity and Diversity In Education

EDS260H1S
Equity and Diversity In Education
Professor Emily Dunlop

This course critically examines issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion across educational settings. Students will explore how schools, universities, and other learning environments can both reproduce and challenge inequalities related to race, class, gender, sexuality, disability, language, religion, and indigeneity. Drawing on contemporary debates, policy issues, and lived experiences, the course emphasizes dialogue, reflection, and active engagement with questions of power, identity, belonging, and educational change. Students will develop tools to critically analyze educational institutions and consider how more equitable and inclusive learning communities can be fostered in practice.

Exclusion: VIC260H1, JSV202H1
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)
EDS261H1S | Child and Adolescent Development in Education

EDS261H1S
Child and Adolescent Development in Education
Professor Julia Forgie

This course examines how children and adolescents develop and explores how best to facilitate their growth and learning in the area of education. Major topics include cognitive, emotional, social, moral, physical and language development. Themes addressed include interpersonal relationships such as pro-social and aggressive behaviour, as well as the influence of schooling, family life and culture. This course includes an experiential learning component whereby students will profile a child based on their cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development. Restricted to students enrolled in the Education and Society Minor. 

Exclusion: VIC261H1, JSV201H1
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
EDS262H1F | Communication and Conflict Resolution

EDS262H1F
Communication and Conflict Resolution
Professor Emily Dunlop

Conflict is a constant feature of educational spaces—but it can be destructive or transformative. This course examines the causes, dynamics, and possibilities of conflict in schools and educational communities, particularly in contexts of social and cultural diversity. Students will explore key approaches to conflict management, resolution, and transformation, with attention to power, identity, and inequality. Through role-playing simulations, structured dialogues, and applied exercises, students will develop practical skills in communication, negotiation, and relationship-building across differences. Topics include human rights, gender equity, peacebuilding, and the role of conflict in driving social change. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to navigate disagreement constructively, foster inclusive environments, and apply conflict transformation strategies to educational practice.

Exclusion: VIC262H1, JSV200H1
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

EDS263H1F | Disability, Inclusion and Education

EDS263H1F
Disability, Inclusion and Education
Professor Sessional

This course explores the historical and contemporary ways in which societies define and respond to individuals with a broad range of needs, abilities and disabilities. Through an examination of diverse knowledge sources including children's books, poetry, videos, social media, policy documents and academic research, students will learn about the lived experiences of exceptional learners, while promoting understanding, compassion, and pathways for change. Students will also be challenged to examine their own beliefs and practices to ensure they have the language, dispositions, and confidence necessary to promote success and inclusion in a wide variety of settings. Strategies for adapting curriculum and the learning environment to promote inclusion are discussed. Restricted to students enrolled in the Education and Society Minor. 

Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

EDS265H1F | Introduction to Teaching

EDS265H1F
Introduction to Teaching
Professor Yiola Cleovoulou

This course will explore the foundations of teaching as a professional practice, mainly in the Ontario context. The course focuses on theory and research underlying policies and documents such as the Ontario College of Teachers’ Foundations of Professional Practice and Ministry curriculum.  Students will engage in reflexive inquiry about educational practice and policies through class discussions, small group work, case studies and/or independent study. The course will critically examine the relationship between the principles of teaching through moral, ethical and professional practices. Prerequisite: Enrolment in the Education and Society Minor. 

Exclusion: VIC265H1, VIC362H1
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)
EDS355H1S | Social Justice in Education

EDS355H1S
Social Justice in Education
Professor Emily Dunlop

This course examines major theories, debates, and practices related to social justice in education. Students will critically explore how schools and other educational institutions shape experiences of privilege, identity, and belonging across diverse social contexts. Students will also engage in critical self-reflection on their own assumptions, biases, and social positions, considering how personal experiences shape perspectives on education and justice. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship and contemporary case studies, the course encourages students to develop tools for critical analysis and collective action. Through collaborative work with a community organization, students will design and implement a social action project addressing a contemporary equity or justice issue, emphasizing the connection between theory, research, and engaged educational practice.

Prerequisite: 4.0 credits
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)
EDS356H1F | Multiliteracies in Education

EDS356H1F
Multiliteracies in Education
Professor Julia Forgie

This course introduces students to a multiliteracies framework through the pedagogical lens of social justice and diversity. Class participants learn to integrate the multimodalities of literacy in their teaching practice and expand their understanding of 21st-century literacy. Themes include language development, print literacy, digital literacy, critical literacy, visual literacy and multicultural perspectives on literacy. 

Recommended Preparation: EDS265H1/ VIC265H1/ VIC362H1
Exclusion: VIC356H1
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)
EDS357H1F | Education in a Global Context

EDS357H1F
Education in a Global Context
Professor Emily Dunlop

How do education systems expand—and why do so many reforms fall short? This course introduces students to the key challenges and debates shaping education policy and development around the world. Students will explore issues such as access, quality, inequality, and system reform, with attention to how political, social, and economic contexts influence education outcomes. Drawing on global case studies and insights from policymakers, researchers, and practitioners, the course examines how education policies are designed, implemented, and evaluated in global context. Students will consider why some initiatives succeed while others produce unintended consequences or reinforce existing inequalities. Through collaborative work, students will conduct an education sector analysis focused on a country and issue of their choice. The course emphasizes critical thinking, applied research, and the ability to connect evidence to real-world policy challenges.

Recommended Preparation: EDS260H1
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)
EDS358H1S | Residential Schools and Education in Canada

EDS358H1S
Residential Schools and Education in Canada
Professor Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo 

The Residential School System in Canada greatly impacted the lives of many First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples who were students but also the generations that followed. This course investigates how historical ideologies and beliefs of the dominant society, supported by governments and religious institutions, created an educational system intended to erase Indigenous people of their cultural and spiritual worldviews. Students will learn about experiences of those children through their stories told through multiple sources.  For those considering a career in education, students will engage with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Final Report, the Calls to Action, teaching strategies and resources.

Prerequisite: Completion of 9.0 credits
Recommended Preparation: VIC260H1/ EDS260H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)
EDS360H1F | Education Internship

EDS360H1F
Education Internship
Professor Ken McNeilly

Students are required to complete an internship in an educational environment. This can be satisfied by participation in an organization with the approval of the Program Coordinator. Written assessment of the internship is required. Restricted to students enrolled in the Education and Society Minor. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course is available in three formats, based on the nature of the internship:
EDS360H1F/S - 0.5 credit, completed in the Fall (F) or Winter (S) semester which involves 75 internship hours and additional coursework requirements.
EDS360H1Y - 0.5 credit, completed over two consecutive semesters which involves 75 internship hours and additional coursework requirements
EDS360Y1Y - 1.0 credit, completed over two consecutive semesters which involves 150 internship hours and additional coursework requirements.

International/out-of-province internships are also possible during the spring/summer sessions. Reach out to the Program Coordinator to inquire. 

Prerequisite: EDS265H1/ VIC265H1/ VIC362H1
Exclusion: EDS360Y1, VIC360H1, VIC360Y1
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

EDS360H1S | Education Internship

EDS360H1S
Education Internship
Professor Julia Forgie

Students are required to complete an internship in an educational environment. This can be satisfied by participation in an organization with the approval of the Program Coordinator. Written assessment of the internship is required. Restricted to students enrolled in the Education and Society Minor. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course is available in three formats, based on the nature of the internship:
EDS360H1F/S - 0.5 credit, completed in the Fall (F) or Winter (S) semester which involves 75 internship hours and additional coursework requirements.
EDS360H1Y - 0.5 credit, completed over two consecutive semesters which involves 75 internship hours and additional coursework requirements
EDS360Y1Y - 1.0 credit, completed over two consecutive semesters which involves 150 internship hours and additional coursework requirements.

International/out-of-province internships are also possible during the spring/summer sessions. Reach out to the Program Coordinator to inquire. 

Prerequisite: EDS265H1/ VIC265H1/ VIC362H1
Exclusion: EDS360Y1, VIC360H1, VIC360Y1
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

EDS360Y1Y | Education Internship

EDS360Y1Y
Education Internship
Professor Julia Forgie

Students are required to complete an internship in an educational environment. This can be satisfied by participation in an organization with the approval of the Program Coordinator. Written assessment of the internship is required. Restricted to students enrolled in the Education and Society Minor. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This course is available in three formats, based on the nature of the internship:
EDS360H1F/S - 0.5 credit, completed in the Fall (F) or Winter (S) semester which involves 75 internship hours and additional coursework requirements.
EDS360H1Y - 0.5 credit, completed over two consecutive semesters which involves 75 internship hours and additional coursework requirements
EDS360Y1Y - 1.0 credit, completed over two consecutive semesters which involves 150 internship hours and additional coursework requirements.

International/out-of-province internships are also possible during the spring/summer sessions. Reach out to the Program Coordinator to inquire. 

Prerequisite: EDS265H1/ VIC265H1/ VIC362H1
Exclusion: EDS360Y1, VIC360H1, VIC360Y1
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

EDS360H0/Y0 | Education Internship - International

EDS360H0/Y0 
Education Internship - International
Professor Julia Forgie

Students are required to complete an internship in an educational environment in an international or out-of-province context. Arranged through Victoria College and the Centre for International Exchange, the International/Out-of-province Internship is only for students in the Education & Society Minor. Written assessment of the internship is required. Restricted to students enrolled in the Education and Society Minor. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Recommended Preparation: EDS265H1
Exclusion: EDS360H1, EDS360Y1, EDS360Y0
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)
EDS363H1S | Teaching Math: The JUMP Approach

EDS363H1S
Teaching Math: The JUMP Approach
Professors John Mighton and Tracy Solomon

This course will challenge the widely accepted idea that people need to be born with a special gift or natural ability to excel in mathematics. New research in education and cognitive science suggests that young learners often struggle in school because they are not taught in a way that allows their brains to work efficiently. This course will examine barriers that prevent students from learning and methods of teaching that can help all students reach their full potential (not only in math). Math lovers and math phobic students are welcome: the course aims to help students develop deeper levels of confidence and understanding in mathematics so they can become effective teachers themselves.

Exclusion: VIC363H1
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

EDS368H1F| Special Topics in Education & Society: Contested Classrooms: Education, Identity and Social Change

EDS368H1F
Special Topics in Education & Society: Contested Classrooms: Education, Identity and Social Change
Professor Emily Dunlop

Why do education issues so often become sites of public controversy? This course explores how debates about curriculum, identity, and inclusion emerge within education systems and why they matter for broader social and political life. Students will examine how questions about history, language, gender, citizenship, and belonging become contested in schools—and how different actors seek to shape these debates. Drawing on both Canadian and global case studies, the course analyzes how policymakers, educators, families, and communities navigate competing visions of what education should do. Rather than treating conflict as purely negative, the course considers how disagreement on what is taught in schools can surface underlying inequalities, values, and demands for recognition. Through structured debates, simulations, and case-based analysis, students will develop skills in evaluating competing arguments, engaging across difference, and thinking critically about how education systems are influenced by, and respond to, contested issues.

Prerequisite: 9.0 credits
Recommended Preparation: One 200-level course in Education and Society
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

EDS369H1F | Special Topics in Education & Society: Toward Black Inclusion: Confronting Anti-Black Racism in Education

EDS369H1F
Special Topics in Education & Society: Toward Black Inclusion: Confronting Anti-Black Racism in Education
Professor Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo 

This course explores the roots, realities, and impact of anti-Black racism in Canadian society and education. In the first half, students will examine historical and contemporary forms of systemic oppression, focusing on how anti-Black racism operates in educational contexts. Through the study of Black Canadian histories, voices, and lived experiences, students will deepen their understanding of structural inequities and develop tools to critically analyze and challenge them. The second half of the course emphasizes collective responsibility and transformative action. Students will explore principles of Black inclusion, solidarity, and allyship, with a focus on applying anti-racism strategies in schools, classrooms, and organizational settings. The course equips students to imagine and support institutional change that promotes educational justice, equity, and the flourishing of Black communities. 

Prerequisite: Completion of 9.0 credits
Recommended: One 200-level course in Education and Society
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions