Humanities electives

The following list of courses includes those suitable for first- and second-year students in the Faculty of Humanities, sorted by theme. These courses either do not require you to take any pre-requisite courses to register or may be taken without those pre-requisites if you obtain permission from the department.

Not all courses are offered in each term, so once you've found courses that interest you, check the academic calendar to confirm when each course will be offered for the upcoming session.

Ancient civilizations and societies

• GRS 101 - Discovering the Ancient Greeks
• GRS 102 - Discovering the Ancient Romans
• GRS 200 - Greek and Roman Mythology (or RCS 200)
• GRS 203 - Unearthing the Ancient Mediterranean
• GRS 204 - The Ancient World on Film
• HSTR 236 - Medieval Beginnings
• HSTR 265A - China and the Premodern World
• LING 270 - The Evolution of Language
• MEDI 100 - Entering the Middle Ages
• MEDI 200 - Myths and Legends of the Middle Ages
• PAAS 150 - Premodern Chinese Culture
• PAAS 152 - Essentials of Chinese Civilisation (in Chinese)
• PAAS 170 - Premodern Southeast Asian Cultures
• PAAS 180 - Premodern Japanese Culture
• PHIL 204 - Traditions of Asian Philosophy
• PHIL 207A - Introduction to Ancient Philosophy
• PHIL 208 - Introduction to Islamic Philosophy
• RCS 200A - Introduction to Judaism, Christianity and Islam
• RCS 200B - Introduction to Asian Religions

Big Books

• ENSH 223 - Narrative Worldmaking
• ENSH 233 - The Bible as Literature

Canada

• GNDR 203 - Indigenous Womxn in Canada
• GNDR 209 - Families, Intimacies and Nationhood
• HSTR 230A - Canada to Confederation
• HSTR 230B - Canada from Confederation - present

Environment

• GNDR 201 - Gender, Food and Power
• GNDR 219 - Topics in Gender Studies
• GNDR 230 - Environmental Justice & Gender
• HSTR 101E - Environmental History of the World
• HSTR 101G - History of Oil

Food

• GNDR 201 - Gender, Food and Power
• HSTR 101F - Food in World History
• PAAS 153 - Chinese Food Culture
• PAAS280 - A Taste of Japan

Genocide and Human Rights

• GMST 153 - Representations of the Holocaust in Popular Culture
• GNDR 203 - Indigenous Womxn in Canada
• HSTR 100 - History, Power and Justice
• HSTR 119 - Deportation and Exile
• HSTR 120 - History of Human Rights
• PHIL 235 - Ethics of Violence, War and Terrorism

Global Development

• EUS 100 - Introduction to European Studies
• EUS 200 - Introduction to European Cultures and Identities
• GNDR 201 - Gender, Food and Power
• GNDR 207 - Gender, Globalization and the Love Industry
• GNDR 219 - Topics in Gender Studies - Gender and Tourism
• HSTR 101F - Food in World History
• HSTR 112A - World History 1900-1945
• HSTR 112B - The World Since 1945-present
• HSTR 275 - Modern South Asia from Early Empires to Gandhi
• IS 101 - Indigenous Foundations
• ISP 200 - Introduction to Intercultural Studies
• LAS 200 - Latin America (or HSTR 276)
• PAAS 100 - Introduction to Pacific and Asian Studies

Health and Sexuality

• ENSH 222 - Erotic Literature
• GNDR 202 - Globalization and Resistance
• GNDR 204 - Gender, Health, Power and Resistance
• GNDR 209 - Families, Intimacies and Nationhood
• GNDR 211 - Family Gender and Sexuality in the Asia-Pacific (PAAS 208)
• GNDR 219 - Topics in Gender Studies - Introduction to Trans History
• GNDR 219 - Topics in Gender Studies - Womb Matters: The Contested Terrains of Reproduction
• HSTR 101C - Epidemics from the Black Death to AIDS
• PAAS 208 - Family Gender and Sexuality in the Asia-Pacific
• PHIL 225 - Death and Dying
• RCS 120 - The People, Practices and Politics of Contemporary Yoga

The History and Science of Language

• GRS 250 - Greek and Latin Roots of English
• LING 100A - Foundations in Linguistics I
• LING 110 - Language and Thought
• LING 270 - The Evolution of Language
• LING 274 - How to Learn a Language

Human Connections and Cultures

• FRAN 265 - Global French Connections (Taught in French; can submit assignments in English)
• GNDR 100 - Gender, Power and Difference
• HSTR 101F - Food in World History
• IS 100 - Responsibilities and Reciprocity in the Place You Are Now
• IS 101 - Indigenous Foundations
• LAS 200 - Latin America (or HSTR 276)
• RCS 101 - Anthropology and Food

Indigenous Cultures, Histories and Languages

• GNDR 100 - Gender, Power and Difference
• GNDR 203 - Indigenous Womxn in Canada
• IS 100 - Responsibilities and Reciprocity in the Place You Are Now
• IS 101 - Indigenous Foundations
• IS 201 - Introduction to Indigenous Studies (101 recommended)

Knowledge and Big ideas

• ENSH 101 - Themes in Literature (AWR)
• ENSH 102 - Literature in Action (AWR)
• ENSH 220 - Cultural Studies
• GRS 200 - Greek and Roman Mythology (or RCS 200)
• HSTR 100 - History, Power and Justice
• HSTR 101A - Ten Days that Shook the World
• HSTR 101D - History of Money
• HUMA 120A - Humanities and the Making of the Intellectual Life
• HUMA 120B - Post-Medieval Humanities and the Making of the Modern Mind
• LING 100A - Foundations in Linguistics I
• PAAS 100 - Introduction to Pacific and Asian Studies
• PHIL 100 - Introduction to Philosophy
• PHIL 210 - Introduction to Early Modern Philosophy
• PHIL 211 - Introduction to Existentialism
• PHIL 220 - Introduction to Philosophy of Science
• PHIL 225 - Death and Dying
• PHIL 251 - Knowledge, Certainty and Skepticism
• PHIL 261 - Philosophy of Religion
• RCS 200A - Introduction to Judaism, Christianity and Islam
• RCS 200B - Introduction to Asian Religions

Languages
(Please contact Departments for Advanced Courses)

• ASL 100A - American Sign Language I
• FRAN 100 - Intensive French I
• FRAN 120 - Intensive French II
• FRAN 150 - French Conversation
• FRAN 170 - Intensive French III
• FRAN 180 - Intensive French IV
• FRAN 265 - Global French Connections (Taught in French; can submit assignments in English)
• GMST 101 - Beginning German I
• GMST 108 - Introduction to Translating German Texts
• GMST 110 - Intensive Beginning German
• GREE 101 - Introductory Ancient Greek I
• ITAL 100A - Beginners' Italian I
• LATI 101 - Introductory Latin I
• LING 274 - How to Learn a Language
• PAAS 116 - Beginner Chinese I: Part 1
• PAAS 118 - Intensive Beginner Chinese I
• PAAS 120 - Introduction to Indonesian-Malay I
• PAAS 128 - Introduction to Korean I
• PAAS 138 - Intensive Beginner Japanese I
• SLST 101 - Beginning Russian I
• SLST 110 - Intensive Beginning Russian
• SLST 111 - Beginning Ukrainian I
• SPAN 100A - Beginners’ Spanish I

Law and Justice

• GNDR 100 - Gender, Power and Difference
• GNDR 203 - Indigenous Womxn in Canada
• HSTR 100 - History, Power and Justice
• HSTR 120 - History of Human Rights
• IS 101 - Indigenous Foundations
• PHIL 100 - Introduction to Philosophy
• PHIL 236 - Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy

Media, Film and Sound

• GMST 153 - Representations of the Holocaust in Popular Culture
• GNDR 200 - Popular Culture and Social Media
• GNDR 206 - Monstrous Women
• GNDR 210 - The Zombie in Popular Culture
• GNDR 230 - Environmental Justice & Gender
• GRS 204 - The Ancient World of Film
• HSTR 121 - History, Music and the American Century
• MDIA 200 - Media in the 21st Century
• PAAS 202 - Topics in Asian Cinema
• PAAS 206 - Comics and Graphic Novels in Asia and the Pacific
• PAAS 209 - Intro to Special Topics: Gender and Marriage in Chinese Popular Media
• SPAN 185 - Latin America Through Contemporary Film (in English)

Propaganda, Myth, Speculation, Fantasy

• GMST 180 - Myths, Fairy Tales and Fantasy Fiction
• GNDR 206 - Monstrous Women
• GNDR 219 - Topics in Gender Studies - Reimagining the World: Transnational Speculative Fiction
• HSTR 122 - Conspiracies, Hoaxes and Moral Panics
• MEDI 200 - Myths and Lengends of the Middles Ages
• PAAS 101 - Text, Manipulation, Propaganda
• SLST 180 - Magic and the Fairy Tale World

Religion

• GRS 200 - Greek and Roman Mythology (RCS 200)
• PAAS 204 - Introduction to Asian Religions (RCS 200B)
• RCS 120 - The people, Practices and Politics of Contemporary Yoga
• RCS 200A - Introduction to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
• RCS 201 - Key Questions in Religion, Culture and Society
• RCS 260 - The Bible as Literature (ENSH 233)

Social Justice

• GNDR 100 - Gender, Power and Difference
• GNDR 201 - Gender, Food and Power
• GNDR 203 - Indigenous Womxn in Canada
• GNDR 206 - Monstrous Women
• GNDR 207 - Gender, Globalization and the Love Industry
• GNDR 219 - Topics in Gender Studies - Introduction to Trans Histories
• GNDR 219 - Topics in Gender Studies - Gender, Violence, and Resistance
• HSTR 100 - History, Power and Justice
• HSTR 101F - Food in World History
• HSTR 119 - Deportation and Exile
• HSTR 120 - History of Human Rights
• IS 100 - Responsibilities and Reciprocity in the Place You Are Now
• IS 101 - Indigenous Foundations
• ISP 200 - Introduction to Intercultural Studies
• LAS 200 - Latin America (or HSTR 276)
• PAAS 253 - Activism in Asia
• PHIL 232 - Moral Problems of Contemporary Society
• PHIL 236 - Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy

Societies and How They Work

• ENSH 230 - Literature, Self and Society
• GMST 100 - Introduction to Germanic Studies
• GNDR 100 - Gender, Power and Difference
• GNDR 209 - Families, Intimacy, and Nationhood
• HSTR 121 - History, Music and the American Century
• HSTR 122 - Conspiracies, Hoaxes and Moral Panics
• HSTR 210A - The United States to the Civil War
• HSTR 210B - The United States since 1865
• HSTR 220A - History of England to the Glorious Revolution
• HSTR 220B - History of England from the Glorious Revolution - present
• HSTR 240A - Europe, Renaissance to the French Revolution
• HSTR 240B - Europe, Napoleon to the European Union
• HSTR 265A - China and the Premodern World
• HSTR 275 - Modern South Asia from Early Empires to Gandhi
• HSTR 276 - Latin America (or LAS 200)
• HSTR 277A - The Middle East and the First World War
• IS 100 - Responsibilities and Reciprocity in the Place You Are Now
• IS 101 - Indigenous Foundations
• LAS 200 - Latin America (or HSTR 276)
• PAAS 151 - Modern Chinese Culture
• PAAS 171 - Modern Southeast Asian Cultures
• PAAS 181 - Modern Japanese Culture
• PHIL 223 - Introduction to Philosophy of the Social Sciences
• RCS 101 - Selected Topics in Religion, Culture and Society
• RCS 200A - Introduction to Judaism, Christianity and Islam
• RCS 200B - Introduction to Asian Religions
• SLST 100 - Introduction to Russian Society and Culture
• SPAN 205 - Intermediate Topics in Hispanic Culture (in English)

War and Conflict

• HSTR 112A - World History 1900-1945
• HSTR 112B - The World Since 1945-present
• HSTR 115 - The Second World War
• PAAS 103 - Global Wars in Asia and the Pacific (or HSTR 103)
• PHIL 235 - Ethics of Violence, War and Terrorism
• SLST 160 - The Culture of the Russian Revolution
• SPAN 205 - Intermediate Topics in Hispanic Culture (in English)

Workplace Skills

• ENSH 202 - Technical Communications, Written and Verbal
• IS 100 - Responsibilities and Reciprocity in the Place you Are Now
• IS 201 - Introduction to Indigenous Studies
• GMST 105 - Business German

Writing and Critical Thinking

• ATWP 101 - Fundamentals of Academic Literacy (Recommended for students who want extra support as they prepare for university academic writing)
• ATWP 135 - Academic Reading and Writing (AWR)
• ENSH 101 - Themes in Literature (AWR)
• ENSH 102 - Literature in Action (AWR
• ENSH 201 - Writing with Style
• ENSH 202 - Technical Communications, Written and Verbal
• PHIL 201 - Critical Thinking