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Vic One Hundred Courses

You can add Vic One Hundred/FYF courses through ACORN/ROSI. No special application is required.

Start building a strong foundation for your academic career from day one with a small-class experience. First-Year Foundation Seminars, including Vic One Hundred courses, help you form relationships with professors, network with peers in an accessible environment and transition to university studies.

Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

VIC102H1S | Ethics and Choices in Times of Crisis

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

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

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

The focus of this course is on the concept of “heredity” as seen through the lens of developments related to evolution and genetics in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We will begin by considering basic questions like “how is (and was) heredity understood and why is it important?” We will also visit such topics as Darwin and the Darwinian revolution, the rise and “fall” of genetics, and the continuing efforts to manipulate (and “improve”) human heredity, for example, by eugenics in the past, and medical genetics and genetic counselling, and the use of CRISPR technology today. Students will also be introduced to the field of sociobiology and the debates related to the argument that there is a biological aspect to some elements of social behaviour.

Exclusion: VIC207H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities, Social Science
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
VIC108H1F | Belonging, Imagination, and Indigenous Identity

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

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

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

This course explores the depiction of the Renaissance in a wide range of plays, films and novels. The focus is on the exchange between film, fiction, and ‘fact’, and on how the values and concerns of the present shape creative recreations of the past in popular culture. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)
VIC117H1S | Understanding the Performing Arts: Interpretation and Expression

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

This course examines two key issues about the performing arts that concern both artists and theorists: the nature of interpretation and of expression. What might we mean when we say that a work, a piece of music or a dance for example expresses something? What is it to express? And what is the nature of interpretation? Are there any constraints or boundaries on interpretation? We will draw on both philosophers and non-philosophers to explore these sorts of questions. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)
VIC119H1F | Myths and Legends in Modern Contexts

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

This course provides an introduction to modern forms of ancient narratives, exploring the ways in which selected ancient literary sources and myths have been adapted to modern Canadian literature. Ancient narratives or ‘old stories’ are often reused, reinterpreted or reconstructed in modern narratives and given new relevance in a contemporary context. Students will encounter sources and contexts of ancient narratives. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)
VIC122H1F | Scientific Evidence in Public Policy

VIC122H1F
Scientific Evidence in Public Policy
Professor Kenneth 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

VIC134H1S 
Globalization
Professor Shirley Yeung
T 2-4

Globalization is often described as an unprecedented shrinkage of our sense of space and time as flows of money, goods, people, and information move across national borders at an accelerated pace. Is globalization new, however? And, what are the possibilities and dilemmas of living in our uniquely connected global age? Drawing on the insights of anthropologists, historians, linguists, graphic novelists, artists and others, this interdisciplinary course will locate globalization in colonial and imperial histories in order to make sense of current global systems and inequality. Course themes are not limited to, but include: how global commodities are produced and circulated; language, social media, and communication; tourism; "glocalization," branding, and pop culture; the global climate crisis; and experiences of transnational migration. This course emphasizes experiential learning: through class discussions, group projects, visiting different sites in the city of Toronto, and creative journal writing practices, students will learn to see the “global” in their own lived experience and reflect on globalization in new ways. 

Distribution Requirements: Social Science
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)
VIC135H1F | The Death of Meaning

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

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

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 | Special Topics Seminar: Zombies, Vampires and the Bible

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

Zombies, Vampires and the Bible

Blood, flesh, death, and fighting evil—think zombies, vampires and… yes, the Christian Bible. In this course, we compare contemporary conceptions of modern monsters (gruesome mobs of flesh-eating zombies and seductive, blood-sucking vampires) and ancient imagery found within the Christian Bible. The comparison highlights some of humanity’s most profound existential questions: what happens when we die? how does death affect how we live? can we adapt to a changing world? how do we understand chaos and order? is there a hidden world of good and evil? in what ways do we need (and meet) others in the face of life’s challenges?

Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities, Science, Social Science
VIC199H1S | The Secret Life of Objects

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

Our lives are filled with objects and each object has a story to tell.  Material things, both the mundane and the mysterious, are woven into our lives.  They influence, produce, support, and challenge the social, political, and spiritual dimensions of our lives.  But when objects are lost, left behind, broken, or removed from their original contexts, they seem unfamiliar and strange, they have different uses and assume new meanings, they become inoperative or ineffectual, and they are discarded or destroyed.  This course will explore the many lives or “biographies” of material objects – their creation, use, circulation, and disposal – to unpack wider issues, such as fetish and faith, consumption and waste, memory and fantasy, mental health and creativity, love and loss.  Through readings, in-class activities, and field trips, students will encounter different types of objects, such as works of art, artifacts, religious relics, handicrafts, clothing, toys, and electronics, to explore the ways they are brought to life, collected, exchanged, copied, hoarded, and hidden away.  This course will introduce students to the secret lives of both ordinary and extraordinary things and will consider how objects have shaped our understanding of the world and of ourselves.  

Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

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

How to Enrol

Priority will be given to Victoria College students at the beginning of course registration. Thereafter, Vic One Hundred/FYF seminars will be open to all first-year students in the Faculty of Arts & Science and the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design.

Note that we strongly recommend a limit of 1.0 FCE (full course equivalent) of either Vic One Hundred seminars, or a Vic One Hundred seminar and a FYF seminar half course combined, to ensure you have the best flexibility for introductory courses that make program of study opportunities available.

All Vic One Hundred Seminars satisfy the Victoria College Small-Course Requirement.

Contact

For more information, please contact vic.academics@utoronto.ca.