Courses

Course: CLAS 314: Topics in Greek History | Imperial Athens: Success or Failure of the Democratic Experiment?
Term: Winter 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Jessica Romney

Athens is the first Greek democracy. It is also the first Greek empire. Are those two facts necessarily related, and if they are, how? This course examines the relationship between democracy and empire through the history of the Athenian polis. Focusing on the so-called Golden Age period of the 5th century BCE (478–404), we will examine the creation of demokratia—rule by the demos—in 508 BCE as a response to over 100 years of inter-elite conflict through the Athenian empire of the 5^th century to the end of Athenian democracy in 322 BCE. As we study the development of Athenian democratic government and institutions alongside the transition into empire, we will also examine the relationship between citizen and non-citizen identities, artistic creations and empire, democracy and unfree labour and other contradictions that are at the heart of Athenian democracy. As modern democracies grapple with the legacies and ongoing policies of empire and colonialism, this course asks whether democracy’s relationship with empire has been hardwired into democratic systems ever since the Athenians experimented with demokratia.

Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in CLAS 209, CLAS 210 or CLAS 271 or a minimum grade of C- in CLAS 280 and permission of instructor.

Permission Required: No

Course: FREN 370: Topics in Francophone Culture | Animals
Term: Winter 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Marla Epp

This course focuses on the representation of animals in literature and film. Students will study a variety of films and literary texts, taken from different historical moments and geographical contexts, as we analyze the multiple ways encounters with animals can be represented. We will interrogate the effects produced by the appearance of an animal in a literary text or film as well as consider how human-animal relationships and the ways we represent them have evolved over time. This course is conducted in French.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in FREN 298 or any 300-level FREN course.

Permission Required: No

Course: HIST 301: Topics in World History | Global History of Childhood
Term: Winter 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Caroline Lieffers

This course examines experiences and ideologies of childhood across different cultures, exploring broad questions in the historiography of childhood as well as specific case studies. Key themes include the notion of the child genius, literature by and for children, the role of education in children’s lives, children’s experiences of colonialism, incarceration, and conflict and the rights of the child in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in any 100- or 200-level HIST course.

Permission Required: No

Course: HIST 301: Topics in World History | The Cold War, East Asia and the World
Term: Winter 2026
Session: AS02
Instructor: Dr. Jihyun Shin

This course explores the global context of the Cold War in East Asia from 1945 to 1991. Despite our common understanding of the Cold War as a period of ideological tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, the Cold War in East Asia involved not only ideological conflict, but also several “hot” military conflicts including the Chinese civil war, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. By studying these major events, students learn how the power struggles between the United States and the Soviet Union impacted the origins and development of East Asian nation-states. The global context is also highlighted through comparisons of decolonization in East Asia and in Africa and analyses of Asian countries’ relations with Latin American countries. In addition, students investigate social and cultural dimensions of the Cold War through the themes of propaganda, gender and public memory.

Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in any 100- or 200-level HIST course.

Permission Required: No

Course: HIST 364: Topics in Western Canadian History | The Northwestern Fur Trade, 1650–1870
Term: Winter 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Robert Irwin

The topic of the course this year is the Northwest fur trade. The course investigates the Montreal and Hudson’s Bay Company fur trade operations in Western Canada from the first fur trade contacts established by Radisson and Groseilliers in the 1650s until the fur trade declined in significance following Canada’s acquisition of Rupert’s Land and the Northwest. The fur trade was the primary mechanism through which Indigenous people and European empires intersected in this era. The course investigates fur trade colonialism and the distinctive relationships that were forged in that process.

Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in any 100- or 200-level HIST course.

Permission Required: No

Course: HIST 410: Topics in European History | Migration, Asylum and Revolution
Term: Winter 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Kelly Summers

The borders of France expanded and contracted dramatically during its Age of Revolutions (c. 1789–1848). As populations shifted accordingly, the state developed new ways to track both immigration and emigration, from passports to elaborate residency and citizenship laws, the violation of which risked banishment and even death. Some migrants left home of their own volition to pursue economic opportunities or political alternatives abroad; others fled persecution and war or were deported as criminals and aliens. Using the tools of migration studies, this course will explore the diasporas of migrants, exiles and refugees that left but also formed within France, some temporarily and others permanently, as Enlightenment cosmopolitanism and revolutionary universalism came into conflict with emergent nationalism.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in 9 credits of 200- or 300-level HIST, including one of HIST 205, HIST 209 or HIST 210.

Permission Required: No

Course: HIST 490: Topics in Social History | Disability History
Term: Winter 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Caroline Lieffers

This seminar course explores the history of disability from the eighteenth century to the present. Through scholarly readings in disability history and theory, as well as primary sources, students will examine key topics like disability’s intersections with slavery and settler colonialism, military service and citizenship, eugenics and institutionalization, activism, sports, and assistive and adaptive technologies.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in 9 credits of 200- or 300-level HIST courses.

Permission Required: No

Course: HIST 491: Topics in International History | Early Modern Empires
Term: Winter 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Rob Falconer

In his 1656 treatise The Commonwealth of Oceana, James Harrington drew attention to a significant but often overlooked shift in early modern European thought: “Empire is of two kinds, domestic and national, or foreign and provincial. The domestic Empire is founded upon dominion. Dominion is property real or personal; that is to say in lands, or in money and goods.” While Harrington’s vision was not universally accepted, it reflects the era’s evolving notions of sovereignty, property, and imperial power. During this course, we will explore how European empires pursued overseas expansion while simultaneously consolidating domestic authority. Readings will include contemporary political theory and recent historiography on empire, law, and state formation.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in 9 credits of 200- or 300-level HIST courses.

Permission Required: No

Course: PHIL 337: Studies in Christian, Islamic and Jewish Philosophy | Evil in Medieval Philosphy
Term: Winter 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Celia Hatherly

This class attempts to answer various questions about how the Medievals understood evil. These will include What is evil? Why does it exist if God is good and created the world? Does its existence undermine God’s Providence (i.e., knowledge and control of our world)? Does it disprove His existence? We will consider these questions as posed and answered in Medieval Islamic, Jewish and Catholic philosophy.

Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in 3 credits of 200-level PHIL courses.

Permission Required: No

Course: PHIL 383: Philosophy of Film | American Dreams and Nightmares
Term: Winter 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Alain Beauclair

In this class, we will examine the kinds of fantasies—both aspirational and horrifying—that comprise Hollywood’s vision of a good life.

Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in 3 credits of 200-level PHIL courses.

Permission Required: No

Course: PHIL 403: Topics in Moral Philosophy | Weakness of Will
Term: Winter 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Celia Hatherly

We are all aware that we do things we know will harm ourselves and others. However, philosophers are traditionally puzzled about how we could do this. This class will explore the different accounts of akrasia (weakness of will) in Plato and Aristotle. We will also examine how various Medieval philosophers used the concept to explain the angelic fall and how the angels could knowingly choose to do evil, become demons and be eternally punished.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in 9 credits of 200- or 300-level PHIL with a least 3 of those credits at the 300-level.

Permission Required: No

Course: CLAS 333: Topics in Ancient Religion | Isis and Sarapis in the Graeco-Roman World
Term: Fall 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Matt Gibbs

This course examines the Egyptian deities Isis and Sarapis, their cult, their influence and their place in Graeco-Roman cultures and societies. From the Renaissance onwards, Isis and Sarapis have been—directly or indirectly—central to the study of Egyptian influences and artifacts found in the Greek and Roman worlds, and as such, provide an ideal way in which to understand the movement and syncretic nature of ancient religions across this region. In the broader context, the study of these religions also allows us to analyze the external influences on a fundamental facet of Graeco-Roman cultures and societies. Using archaeological, documentary and literary evidence, this course  examines the activities, membership and mythology behind these cults while considering their geographic and chronological spread and influence throughout the Mediterranean region in art, architecture and literature.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in one of CLAS 233, CLAS 270 or CLAS 271

Permission Required: No

Course: FREN 370: Topics in Francophone Culture | Francophone Cultures through Film
Term: Fall 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Suzanne Hayman

This course focuses on the study of different cultures within the Francophone world through the analysis of film. From a perspective that is both geographical and thematic, this course explores, through film, several regions of the Francophone world (North and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Québec and Europe) as well as issues that characterize the French-speaking world (colonialism, independence, diversity, immigration, co-existence, women’s issues, etc.) to ultimately broaden and deepen one’s understanding of la francophonie. This course is conducted in French.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in FREN 298 or any 300-level FREN course

Permission Required: No

Course: HIST 411: Topics in Medieval and Early Modern British History | Households, Shopping, Material Culture and Consumption in Early Modern Britain
Term: Fall 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Rob Falconer

Coffee and chocolate; silks and cotton; shoes, spices, furnishings and food—the demand for such commodities at nearly every social level reflected shifting attitudes toward consumption and evolving household priorities in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Between 1600 and 1800, the British Isles witnessed a significant expansion in the acquisition of luxury goods. The historian Jan de Vries has argued that the growing availability of new consumer products in England and Scotland from the seventeenth century stimulated increased “family labour” in pursuit of expanded “consumption possibilities.” Drawing on what de Vries terms the “Industrious Revolution” as a conceptual framework, this course examines conspicuous consumption, shopping practices, labour and leisure, household economies, material culture, commercial expansion and related dimensions of early modern social and cultural history. As Craig Muldrew has observed, “[B]efore the widespread harnessing of machine energy based on carbon fuel, almost all labour had to be done by men and animals. Bread and beer were the petrol of this world.”

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in 9 credits of 200- or 300-level HIST courses

Permission Required: No

Course: HIST 476: Topics: History of Religion | Religion, Refugees & Migrants
Term: Fall 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Sean Hannan

It would be hard to deny that the migrant crisis is one of the defining topics in today’s political discourse. But it would be equally impossible to make sense of that crisis without digging deeper into the history of human migration. Our goal is to study how and why refugees and migrants traversed the ancient world due to factors ranging from religion to politics and economics. And while our primary focus is on migrations around the Mediterranean during the ancient and medieval periods, students are invited to explore how those pre-modern exemplars set the stage for how we continue to confront migrant crises around the globe today. 

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in 9 credits of 200- or 300-level HIST, including at least 3 credits from HIST 204, HIST 205, HIST 304 or HIST 308

Permission Required: No

Course: HIST 490: Topics in Social History | Modern Queer Europe
Term: Fall 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Alessio Ponzio

This course explores the construction, expressions and politics of queer sexual desire in modern Europe. It investigates how sexuality has become central to questions of identity in modern European societies. The readings for the course are drawn from sexological texts, political writings and recent scholarship produced by both historians and theorists of sexuality. Film screenings further illuminate key debates and cultural expressions central to the course themes. This course not only offers a chronological history of modern queer Europe, but also interrogates the meanings of the term ‘queer’ and explore what queer historical practices look like or should look like. We not only trace the history of those individuals who would claim to occupy various categories of identity, but also explore how those identity categories have been brought into existence.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in 9 credits of 200- or 300-level HIST courses

Permission Required: No

Course: PHIL 402: Topics in History of Philosophy | The Philosophy of Religion of Simone Weil
Term: Fall 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Cyrus Panjvani

In this course, students study the philosophy of religion of Simone Weil. In addition to being a philosopher and prolific writer, Weil was an activist committed to several compassionate endeavours and has been characterized as a mystic. The relation between her life and thought is a point of focus in the course. Students read primary and secondary source materials, are expected to participate regularly, give presentations and complete a major paper.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in 9 credits of 200- or 300-level PHIL, with at least 3 of those credits at the 300-level

Permission Required: No

Course: PHIL 403: Topics in Moral Philosophy | Heidegger and Aristotle
Term: Fall 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Alain Beauclair

In this course, we read Being and Time by Martin Heidegger alongside Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in 9 credits of 200- or 300-level PHIL, with a least 3 of those credits at the 300-level

Permission Required: No

Course: SPAN 370: Topics in Hispanic Cultures | Voices and Visions of the Hispanic World
Term: Fall 2026
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Alba Devo Colis

This course explores the relationship between art, culture and society in Spain and Latin America. Students engage with influential and emerging voices through a variety of authentic cultural materials, including photographs, short films, short stories and other visual and textual sources. The course emphasizes cultural differences and shared experiences across the Hispanic world while supporting the development of Spanish grammar in context. Special attention is given to creative and reflective activities connected to students’ everyday lives, personal experiences and the world around them.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in SPAN 230 or any 300-level SPAN course

Permission Required: No

Course: CLAS 353: Topics in Classical Archaeology | Roman Britain
Term: Winter 2027
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Kelsey Koon

Britain was both one of the last provinces to be added to the Empire and one of the furthest away from Rome. But what did becoming part of the Roman Empire mean for the average inhabitant of Britain? Did it matter? How did the presence of Roman authority on the island change life in Britain, and what did this mean for the island’s future? This course examines the history and archaeology of Britain during the Roman period through guided reading, discussion and critical analysis of the archaeological and historical record.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in CLAS 208, CLAS 209, CLAS 210, CLAS 250, CLAS 252, CLAS 255, CLAS 280, or consent of the department

Permission Required: No

Course: FREN 365: Topics in Francophone Literature | L'Écriture Migrante
Term: Winter 2027
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Kyeongmi Kim-Bernard

This course, taught in French, examines French migrant writings published since 1980 in Canada and France. Students question the confrontation and reconciliation of self and otherness, as well as the disorientation and re-orientation of identities and territories by analyzing the fiction and non-fiction writings of French migrant writers such as Dany Laferrière, Dai Sijie, Kim Thúy and Ying Chen.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in three credits of 200- or 300-level ENGL, not including ENGL 205, ENGL 207, ENGL 211, or ENGL 297

Permission Required: No

Course: HIST 301: Topics in World History | Health, Medicine, and Society, 1800-Present
Term: Winter 2027
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Caroline Lieffers

This course examines histories of medicine and health, concentrating on North America and Europe from about 1800 to the present. Themes include the roles of different health practitioners, Indigenous medical experiences, the emergence of germ theory, eugenics, contraception and childbirth, debates in the history of psychiatry, the history of bioethics and the rise of global health.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in any 100- or 200-level HIST course

Permission Required: No

Course: HIST 410: Topics in European History | The Napoleonic Empire
Term: Winter 2027
Session: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Kelly Summers

This course examines the rise and fall of one of history’s archetypal “great men.” Napoleon Bonaparte remains a controversial figure whose ingenuity, charisma and ambition transformed European politics and global warfare. From Corsica and Egypt to the Caribbean and Russia, this seminar explores Napoleon’s meteoric career and enduring impact on France and the world. A product of the French Revolution, Napoleon entrenched and exported certain revolutionary innovations while gutting others. He pledged to restore peace and prosperity, only to embroil Europe and its colonies in a vicious cycle of total war that claimed millions of lives. By applying the tools of political, military, art and gender history to Napoleon’s paradoxical record, this seminar separates the man and his legacy from his carefully cultivated mythology.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in 9 credits of 200- or 300-level HIST, including one of HIST 205, HIST 209, or HIST 210

Permission Required: No

Course: HIST 442: Topics Imperialism/Colonialism | Imperial Travel: Cultural Encounter and Global Mobility
Term: Winter 2027
Session: AS01
Instructor: Aidan Forth

This semester explores the history of imperial travel through the lens of “contact zones,” spaces in which imperial actors and local peoples came into close physical and social proximity and, often, into relationships of mutual—if frequently unequal—interdependence. Students will consider how movement was mediated by race, gender, class, and material conditions, and how travelers represented indigenous cultures, societies, and landscapes. The course also considers how nineteenth-century technologies such as steamships, railways, and telegraphs reshaped imperial mobility and experiences of cultural encounter. Readings combine theoretical and historical scholarship on empire and travel with primary sources, including diaries, guidebooks, and travel narratives.

Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in 9 credits of 200- or 300-level HIST courses.

Permission Required: No

Course: PHIL 402: Topics in History of Phil | Berkeley's Idealism
Term: Winter 2027
Session: AS01
Instructor: Susan Mills

What is “out there” in the material world? How can we know it? What is it really like? These well-worn philosophical questions share a certain assumption, namely, that there is a material world separate from our minds and ideas. The philosophical position of idealism, however, rejects that assumption and tears down the mind-world distinction that we commonly accept as true. Idealism, in brief, is the theory that only minds and ideas exist and the objects you sense are nothing other than sensations in your mind. One of the most famous defenders of idealism was George Berkeley (1685-1754), an Irish philosopher of the early modern period and a critic of many other philosophers of that time. In this seminar, we will conduct a close reading Berkeley’s lively, wonderous, and thought-disrupting Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous in order to understand, appreciate, and critically assess his philosophical stance that to be is to be perceived. Our study will be enhanced by selections from Berkeley’s A Treatise concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge as well a variety of recent secondary source scholarly articles about Berkeley’s philosophy. Regular seminar attendance is required, and all seminar participants will be responsible for completing reading, writing, and presentation assignments.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in 9 credits of 200- or 300-level PHIL, with at least 3 of those credits at the 300-level.

Permission Required: No