Vic One Hundred

VIC102H1S
Ethics and Choices in Times of Crisis
Professor John Duncan
R 10-12

This course examines a specific event, or events, in relation to the public sphere. The course will use events or an event as an entry point to discuss the nature of society including topics such as major revolutions, economic crises, the impact of the appearance of significant artistic or cultural works, and the impact of technological changes. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Exclusion: VIC102Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities, Social Science
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

VIC106H1S
Psychology and Society
Professor Maria Cichosz
R 4-6

What is “normal” consciousness? What do we mean when we say someone is “sober”? How do we draw the line between sobriety and intoxication? This course explores altered states of consciousness as they have shaped human society and culture over time. From the creation of ancient cave paintings to the psychedelic Sixties and contemporary opioid epidemic, people have sought to experience forms of consciousness that exceed ordinary perception. Examining how thinkers, artists, and scientists have worked to understand altered consciousness in various historical contexts, we will ask why people seek out such states and what role intoxicants play in the human experience of reality. Topics will include drugs, perception, subjectivity, addiction and compulsion, dream states, deviancy, moral panics, and representations of intoxication explored from a cultural perspective.

Exclusion: VIC206H1
Distribution Requirement: Humanities, Social Science
Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

VIC107H1F
Evolution, Genetics, and Behaviour
Professor Elizabeth Koester
F 10-12

VIC108H1F
Belonging, Imagination, and Indigenous Identity
Professor Ken Derry
F 12-2

This course will examine questions of belonging, imagination, and Indigenous identity as presented by a number of Indigenous films. Specifically, we will be looking at how these films frame identity in relation to both Indigenous communities and to the larger non-Indigenous nations where these communities reside. A key focus of the course will be to consider Indigenous cinematic responses to the historical and ongoing harm of colonialism, and how these films might be part of the process of healing that needs to take place.

Exclusion: VIC108Y1
Distribution Requirement: Humanities, Social Science
Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)

VIC109H1F
Innovators and Their Ideas
Professor Joanna Papayiannis
W 10-12

Innovation is not a new phenomenon. In fact, it is probably as old as humankind itself. From Prehistoric times to the present, innovation has allowed us to produce more food, communicate with other people, travel to distant lands, and protect ourselves from disease. Though the primary function of innovation has been to provide us with a better way of life, the urge to innovate is often driven by other considerations, such as visions of a new world, ideals of a rational order, and perhaps sheer fascination with creating something new. In this course, students will explore the nature and social dimension of ingenuity, from antiquity to the 21st century, focusing on key innovations that have affected the course of history. Through class activities and hands-on workshops, students will employ primary sources - written documents, historical artifacts, and works of art - to consider inventions like the alphabet, compass, printing press, steam engine, microscope, and automobile. From ancient Egypt to contemporary America, and from the Euphrates Valley of Mesopotamia to Silicon Valley, this course takes you around the world and across the ages to explore some of the most innovative moments in human civilization.

Exclusion: VIC109Y1
Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

VIC114H1F
Renaissance in Popular Culture
Professor Lee Emrich
M 4-6

VIC117H1S
Understanding the Performing Arts: Interpretation and Expression
Professor Lee Emrich
M 4-6

VIC119H1F
Myths and Legends in Modern Contexts
Professor Cathie Sutton
R 10-12

VIC122H1F
Scientific Evidence in Public Policy
Professor Ken Chan
T 4-6

This course offers an introduction to how scientific evidence plays a pivotal role in informing policymaking. Students will examine the methods by which policymakers assess and integrate scientific evidence into policy development, implementation, and evaluation. Additionally, the course highlights the diverse array of stakeholders involved in shaping public policy and how they leverage evidence to influence decision-making. Through a comparative lens, students will explore the dynamics of policymaking processes in Canada and other jurisdictions such as the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union. Students will gain an understanding of the interplay between scientific evidence, public policy, and the broader socio-political landscape as well as ethical considerations. 

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)

VIC134H1S 
Globalization
Professor Shirley Yeung
T 2-4

VIC135H1F
The Death of Meaning
Professor Andrew Lawless
T 11-1

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

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

VIC136H1F
How to Study Everyday Life
Professor Ivan Kalmar
M 10-12

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

Distribution Requirements: Social Science
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

VIC137H1F
Science and Science Fiction
Professor Elizabeth Koester
M 1-3

This course surveys the genre of science fiction through a broad examination of some of its most influential novels, short stories, films and one classic radio drama. We will examine works which illustrate a variety of topics and themes, including first contact, artificial intelligence, time travel, dystopias and cyperpunk. We will assess how they each reflect the science of the period in which they were created and also how they address some of the “big questions” of human existence – who we are, why we are here, where we are going. We also examine if and how science fiction engages with current issues of social justice such as those related to racism and colonialism, feminism, and climate change. Although our sources are mainly drawn from classic twentieth century works, we will reach back to earlier origins of the genre as well as up to the present in our examination of the weekly topics.

Distribution Requirements: Social Science
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

VIC159H1S
Vic One Hundred Special Topics Seminar
Professor Mona Tokarek LaFosse
W 10-12

Zombies, Vampires and the Bible

VIC199H1F
The Secret Life of Objects: Analyzing the Culture of Things
Professor Cathie Sutton
T 10-12