Creative Expression and Society Courses

CRE201H1F
Introduction to Creativity and Society
Professor Adam Sol
W 11-1 

Can a one or two-paragraph course description give an engaging and informative explanation of what a course on creativity is? How would you do that? What is Creativity, anyway? Is it an attribute that we all have and can cultivate? Or is it a gift granted to a chosen few, like perfect pitch? Can it be taught, nurtured, stifled, studied? Is there a relationship between creativity and mental illness? How can creativity – whatever it is – contribute to artistic, political, economic, and social worlds? These are the types of questions this course will investigate, though whether we come up with any definitive answers will depend on whether we can catch a tiger in red weather.  

Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

CRE209H1S
How Stories Work
Professor Mona Tokarek LaFosse
W 9-11

Stories are everywhere. Stories define us as individuals and connect (or disconnect) us with various identities and groups to which we belong (or not). In this course, we explore the form and substance of stories, their tenacity and adaptability, their power to work on us, between us, and for us. In order to examine stories, we will follow several overlapping trajectories, including an Indigenous elder’s insights about the “power of story” (Harold R. Johnson, 2022), and an ancient story about betrayal (namely the story of Judas Iscariot), and as we consider how stories work.

Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations

CRE210H1S
Holography for 3D Visualization
Professor Emanuel Istrate
T 11-1

An introduction to the theory and practice of holography. We will make holograms and use them as an introduction to concepts of optical physics, human perception, 3D visualization and the creation of art. As this is an interdisciplinary course combining concepts of both science and art, students will work in interdisciplinary teams. In their teams, students will complete two holography projects, which include the proposal and development of a concept, the execution of the hologram, and the presentation of their result to the rest of the class. Holograms will be produced from real-world objects, and also from 3D computer-graphics models. This will give students the opportunity to explore 3D modelling software. No specific background or preparation in the sciences or arts is required for this course. There will be a mandatory Materials Fee to cover non-reusable materials. The fee will be included on students' ACORN invoice.

Exclusion: JOP210H1, IVP210H
Breadth Requirements: The Physical and Mathematical Universes (5)

CRE235H1F
Innovation in Society
Professor Sunil Johal
R 6-8

This course investigates innovation as it relates to emerging social, scientific, and environmental trends. Students will acquire key frameworks for understanding the evolution of innovation, the place of creativity, and the social impacts of disruption. Through case studies of innovation (such as the sharing economy and cryptocurrencies) and considering related issues (such as ethics and inclusion) students will develop approaches to understanding the societal impacts of creative disruption.

Exclusion: VIC235H1, MUN101H1, MUN102H1
Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)

CRE247H1F
Creativity in the Sciences
Professor Emanuel Istrate
T 11-1

This seminar course explores various aspects of creativity in the sciences. We will discuss how to define the term “creativity” and will use the definition to compare creativity in the sciences to creativity in the arts, business and engineering. Using as examples major developments in the history of science, we will consider factors that enable creativity in scientists. We will also contrast the kinds of creative work scientists do in different areas of science, and at various stages of a project. To better understand creativity, we will use results from psychological and neuroscience studies of creativity. We will discuss various ways in which the creativity of a scientist can be evaluated, and will use this as a starting point to evaluate the importance of scientific discoveries more generally, in both fundamental and applied science areas. We will consider the timing of scientific discoveries, looking at “ideas whose time has come,” to discuss whether creative discoveries happen at random, or if they occur at predictable times. Students will perform research on the major developments in an area of science, analyzing the types of creative work that were done, along with factors that enabled the developments. They will be encouraged to “represent” that area of science in class discussions during the term.

Prerequisite: Any 1.0 credit combination of courses carrying a breadth requirement (BR) category of 4 or 5.
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

CRE269H1F
Creative Practice: Speculative Fiction
Professor Maria Cichosz
M 1-3

With its capacity to imagine speculative futures, alternative pasts, and new worlds, speculative fiction has gained widespread popularity in recent years as a genre uniquely suited for responding to the complex realities of our time: climate change, social justice, political extremism, and the cultural effects of technology. In this practice-based course, students will have the opportunity to study and produce creative works of speculative fiction in a workshop-style seminar. We will explore works of literature, film and television, music, animation, and the arts while providing extensive grounding in contemporary artistic contexts of publication and production. Genres studied and produced may include cyberpunk, eco-fiction, contemporary fairytale and fable, horror, historical fiction, performance art, and dystopia and utopia, among others.

Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations

CRE271H1S
Reading the Wild
Professor Andrea Most
R 3-5

What stories does Western culture tell about “the wild”? What stories does “the wild” tell about itself? How might magical, spirit-filled, and sacred stories open pathways for human beings to engage in conversation with the wild earth? This experiential course focuses on the kinds of stories traditionally told aloud in the winter darkness around a fire: ancient myths, dramatic romances, folk and fairy tales, ghost stories, tales that often contain unmistakable warnings about the dangers of suppressing the spirits of the earth. Each week we will tell a well-known story, think together about the place of the wild in the tale, and then re-tell it from a new perspective. In the first half of the course, special guests will help us to engage with wild storytelling through various senses and genres – oral, culinary, dramatic, visual. In the second half, students will work in groups to inhabit the wild themselves, creating embodied, multi-sensory versions of these well-known tales.

Please note: This course may require a modest ancillary fee to cover the cost of possible experiential learning opportunities.

CRE272H1S
Song, Lyrics, and Songwriting
Professor: TBA
F 11-1

Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

CRE273H1S
The Body: An Exercise
Professor Joanna Papayiannis
M 12-2

CRE275H1S
Creative Writing: Short Fiction
Professor Maria Cichosz
T 3-5

This course is for aspiring fiction writers who wish to deepen their craft. Each seminar will feature a lecture on technical issues such as plot and characterization, as well as an analysis of a short story by a published writer. Students will engage in weekly reading and writing exercises and produce their own stories through continuous drafting and revision in a workshop-style seminar with regular editorial feedback from the instructor and their peers.

CRE279H1F
Creative Non-Fiction
Professor Lisa Khoo
R 11-1

CRE279H1S
Creative Non-Fiction
Professor Lisa Khoo
R 11-1

CRE280H1F
Creative Writing: Poetry
Professor Ben Meyerson
T 5-7

A workshop course (with a literature component) in writing poetry. Designed for those with a serious ambition to be writers as evinced in work they are already doing. The literature component emphasizes multicultural dimensions of contemporary writing in English. 

Exclusion: VIC280H1
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

CRE281H1S
Popular Music, Technology, and the Human
Professor Gregory Lee Newsome
W 1-3

In this course we explore the intersection of popular music and technology. We consider how we curate personal experiences via mobile device, how we create with technology to reflect our identities, and how we interpret concepts such as authenticity and liveness. Concurrent with this exploration we develop a practice in music production using a digital audio workstation (DAW), surveying MIDI, sound & digital audio, sequencing, synthesis, recording & sampling, signal processing, and mixing & mastering. Previous experience as a musician is not necessary.

CRE282H1F
Emerging Genres: Documentary Poetry
Professor Adam Sol
R 1-3

This course explores speculative fiction, a genre that has gained widespread literary and mainstream popularity in recent years. Eschewing the obsessive technical focus of “hard” science fiction and the strict realism of literary fiction, speculative fiction is an in-between genre that has proven to be a uniquely effective vehicle for responding to the complex realities of our time: climate change, social justice, and the cultural effects of technology. Students will read and watch some of the most powerful works of contemporary speculative fiction from authors including Margaret Atwood, Charlie Brooker, and Bong Joon-ho while conceptualizing and writing their own speculative short stories in a workshop-style seminar with regular editorial feedback from the instructor and their peers.

Prerequisite: Completion of 4.0 credits
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

CRE335H1S
Creativity and Collaboration in Social Enterprise
Professor Sunil Johal
R 6-8

CRE350Y1Y
Creative Writing: The Novel
Professor Camilla Gibb
R  11-1

This is a workshop course for students with serious ambition and demonstrated ability as fiction writers. It presupposes excellent language skills, familiarity with concepts of writerly craft, and an avid and active reading life.

The course offers a rare opportunity to dedicate yourself to writing a substantial amount, if not an entire draft, of a novel. Students will be expected to produce a steady weekly output of 2500 words. As this class runs over two terms, this can result in an astonishing 60,000 words. 

Each week, individual selections will be workshopped in class. The success of the course depends upon a high level of exchange and interaction among peers. Over the weeks, the class becomes a working and supportive community of writers. My role is largely to facilitate this, and to work, additionally, one-on-one with students revising work after receiving peer feedback.

Assessment will be based on production and revision of text, quality of feedback to peers, attendance and engagement. Toward the end of the course, we’ll devote some time to addressing next steps in the life of a novel and an emerging writer.

Admission is by application. Applications must include:
1. a brief bio, including previous classes in creative writing and/or workshopping experience, a list of publications (if any), and details about any involvement in related writing activities or communities 
2. a brief synopsis of the novel you are proposing to work on this year
3. a ten-page excerpt of this novel (if already underway), or a ten-page sample of other work (a chapter or a short story).

Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations

CRE370H1S
Music and the Imagination 
Professor Tom Reynolds
W 11-1

This course explores how music creatively reflects and inspires our sense of self, place and community through readings, close listening, case studies, and creative responses. We consider various sites of musical imagination, and the genres that intersect with them. Course discussion addresses how music participates in the social life of creativity, imagination and fantasy, and what these roles mean for music's significance in society and culture. No prior experience in music composition required.

Prerequisite: Completion of 9.0 credits
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

CRE372H1S
Reviewing, Reception and Reading Communities
Professor Adam Sol
R 1-3

CRE374H1S
Professor Adam Sol
T 1-3

CRE449H1F
Special Topics in Creativity
Professor: TBA

CRE449H1S
Special Topics in Creativity
Professor Karen Solie
F 1-3

CRE480H1S
Poetry: A Master Class
Professor George Elliott Clarke
W 6-8

A workshop course in writing poetry. Designed for those with a serious ambition to be writers as evinced in work they are already doing. Does not offer instruction for beginning writers. Presupposes perfect and sophisticated written language skills. Admission by application.

Application Link: https://courseapps.vicu.utoronto.ca/secure/StudentHome
Application Deadline: August 1, 2024

CRE350Y1Y
Creative Writing: The Novel
Professor Camilla Gibb
R  11-1

This is a workshop course for students with serious ambition and demonstrated ability as fiction writers. It presupposes excellent language skills, familiarity with concepts of writerly craft, and an avid and active reading life.

The course offers a rare opportunity to dedicate yourself to writing a substantial amount, if not an entire draft, of a novel. Students will be expected to produce a steady weekly output of 2500 words. As this class runs over two terms, this can result in an astonishing 60,000 words. 

Each week, individual selections will be workshopped in class. The success of the course depends upon a high level of exchange and interaction among peers. Over the weeks, the class becomes a working and supportive community of writers. My role is largely to facilitate this, and to work, additionally, one-on-one with students revising work after receiving peer feedback.

Assessment will be based on production and revision of text, quality of feedback to peers, attendance and engagement. Toward the end of the course, we’ll devote some time to addressing next steps in the life of a novel and an emerging writer.

Admission is by application. Applications must include:
1. a brief bio, including previous classes in creative writing and/or workshopping experience, a list of publications (if any), and details about any involvement in related writing activities or communities 
2. a brief synopsis of the novel you are proposing to work on this year
3. a ten-page excerpt of this novel (if already underway), or a ten-page sample of other work (a chapter or a short story).

Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations

CRE479H1S
Fiction: A Master Class
Prof. Camilla Gibb
R 2-4

Application Link: https://courseapps.vicu.utoronto.ca/secure/StudentHome
Application Deadline: November 15, 2024

**As admission to VIC479H1S is by competitive application and not finalized until December, students are strongly advised to allow for contingency planning in "S" term scheduling.

CRE480H1S
Poetry: A Master Class
Professor George Elliott Clarke
W 6-8

A workshop course in writing poetry. Designed for those with a serious ambition to be writers as evinced in work they are already doing. Does not offer instruction for beginning writers. Presupposes perfect and sophisticated written language skills. Admission by application.

Application Link: https://courseapps.vicu.utoronto.ca/secure/StudentHome
Application Deadline: August 1, 2024