From the fine and performing arts to philosophy and literature, the Faculty of Humanities is offering a range of online courses across each of its disciplines this spring and summer.

“I am so excited by the way instructors are embracing these strange circumstances to rethink their pedagogy and to offer exciting, unique options for students,” says Neta Gordon, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Student Affairs and Curriculum of the Faculty of Humanities. “We’re really trying to assist students in keeping up with their program requirements, whether they are majors or students looking for electives and context credits.”

This year’s Spring and Summer Term offerings include brand new courses as well as adapted existing courses, such as PHIL 1F94 Introduction to Philosophy: Problems, which will use the new online reality to consider things like the ethics of teaching and learning in an online environment.

The visual and performing arts professors are also embracing the challenge to explore their art in new ways.

Donna Akrey, an instructor with the Department of Visual Arts, will be taking the traditional sculpture studio experience in a new direction with the online version of VISA 2F05 Introduction to Sculpture.

“Sculpture has basic principles and theories like all the arts, so we can still do it without being in a studio,” says Akrey. “We will examine the fundamentals of three-dimensional work using projects done in students’ own homes with available household materials.”

Students will investigate building and modelling, assemblage, form-making and site-specific work through a series of assignments, which they will share with their classmates through Sakai and Microsoft Teams, as well as complete research and written assignments and a final presentation.

The course offers students a unique opportunity to critically examine the nature of sculpture and art-making beyond the studio setting.

“The course may ground things in history and theory, but it will not be a traditional sculpture studio experience,” says Akrey.

The Department of English Language and Literature is also offering several online courses, including ENGL 2F62 Contact in Canadian Literature.

“We will be getting into some fierce, controversial ideas and concepts, some of the most sensitive social conflicts in Canada, and thinking and working together to wrestle with decolonization and its call to re-read the Canadian canon of classic literature for a different perspective,” says Professor Gregory Betts.

The course will examine texts that challenge the ideas of contact, Canadian and literature, including beaded Wampum Belts as literature and Norse Viking mythology as Canadian texts.

For a full listing of course offerings, view the Spring and Summer Term timetables online.