Options, options, options… Choose a unique 100-level course.
Fall 2021/Winter 2022 junior-level courses in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta.
Maybe it compliments your major, or maybe it’s just a cool course. Regardless of what you’re looking for — take a look at these 100-level Arts courses you can take this coming academic year!
*Please note that course content, delivery method and instructors are subject to change. Refer to the course syllabus for full and final details.
*Updated August 3 with a few new courses.
Fall 2021
Christian Theology 103 (CHRTC 103) — Introduction to the Roads of Happiness
Number of Sections Offered: 1
Professor/Instructor: Dr. Lorraine Smith-MacDonald
Delivery Method: Online, with a synchronous component
Course Time: R from 9:30–10:50 AM
Pre-requisite: None
Course Description: Great minds have long attempted to define the all-important human experience of happiness. But what does happiness mean? What are the mysteries of happiness? Is it possible to acquire more of it? This course examines various perspectives on happiness — psychological, philosophical, social, relational, theological and spiritual — and offers tools that can help cultivate happiness amidst the twists and turns of life’s pilgrimage.
Main Themes: Hope
Other Themes Covered: Identity | Conflict and adversity | Beliefs and values
Other faculties/programs that would take this as an option course: ALES | Business | Education | Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation | Native Studies | Science | Computing Science
Drama 149 (DRAMA 149) — Theatre Making for Everyone
Number of Sections Offered: 3
Professor/Instructor: varied
Delivery Method: In-person, Entirely or mostly synchronous/real-time
Course Time:
A1: M/W/F from 11 AM — 12:50 PM
A2: M/W/F from 9–10:50 AM
X01: M/W from 6–8:55 PM
Pre-requisite: None
Course Description: Dramatic improvisation as an introduction to the creative process as it applies to the process of acting and to dramatic form. Students will learn how to develop their ability to be creative in performance. They will develop an awareness of their own imaginative abilities, their ability to be mindful and present, and their ability to be physically and vocally expressive. They will learn how to craft narratives with attention to dramatic structure exploring various sources of inspiration. They will also develop their ability to be present as an observer or witness to the creative process of others providing constructive, perceptive critique.
Why Take This Course: This course will prepare you for a career working in Teaching, Law, or Communications (advertising, marketing, journalism, as a writer/editor, etc).
Other Themes Covered: Identity | Beliefs and values | Heroes and Leaders | Fantasy and imagination | Technology | Power and authority | Social concerns, issues | Current Events and Pop Culture
Other faculties/programs that would take this as an option course: Education | Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation | Science
Philosophy (PHIL 101) — Introduction to Philosophy: Values and Society
Number of Sections Offered: 1 Lecture + choice of 12 Seminars
Professor/Instructor: Dr. Jack. Zupko
Delivery Method: Blended delivery: Lecture is Online and Asynchronous/anytime, together with a corresponding In-person and Synchronous/real-time seminar/discussion section
Course Time: In-person Seminars are 50 minutes on Fridays
Pre-requisite: None
Course Description: This course will introduce you to Philosophy by studying and discussing what great philosophers have said about the good life and the ideal society. Beginning with Plato, we will consider such questions as: What is the best life for us? How do we know what is good? Should we seek pleasure above truth? Is it better to be actually trustworthy, or merely to have the reputation for it? Are people basically good, or evil? What obligations do we have to each other? How should society be organized? Should the government try to reduce inequality and help its citizens become better persons?
Main themes: Conflict and adversity | Social change | Beliefs and values | Social concerns, issues
Swedish 111 (SWED 111) — Beginners’ Swedish
Number of Sections Offered: 1
Professor/Instructor: John Eason
Delivery Method: In-person, Entirely or mostly synchronous/real-time
Course Time: M/W/F from 1–1:50PM
Pre-requisite: None
Course Description: Beginners’ Swedish (SWED 111) is designed to develop ability in reading and writing Swedish with a strong emphasis on the development of comprehension and oral and written communication. Activities consisting of individual, paired, and small group work are designed to give you ample opportunity to actively practice your speaking ability and to develop your language skills for real-life situations. Moreover, the inclusion of music and film will offer a unique approach to enhance your awareness of Swedish culture while aiding in the practice of communication skills.
Main Themes: Language Other than English
Interdisciplinary Studies 135 (INT D 135) — Popular Representations of Leadership
Number of Sections Offered: 1
Professor/Instructor: Cristina Stasia
Delivery Method: In-person, Entirely or mostly synchronous/real-time
Course Time: T/R 12:30–1:50PM
Pre-requisite: None
Course Description: Get comfortable talking about leadership in a fun classroom setting this Fall! In Popular Representations of Leadership, you’ll study movies, games, and other modern media to explore dominant understandings of leadership and analyze the way that pop culture informs and is informed by popular theories of leadership. Situating content (such as Disney movies, Call of Duty, and disco!) within its historical and sociopolitical context, we’ll analyze how various texts inform public understandings of what a leader looks like, how they should act, and what is at stake in following them.
Main Themes: Heroes and Leaders
Other Themes Covered: Conflict and adversity | Social change | Beliefs and values | Power and authority | Current Events and Pop Culture
Other faculties/programs that would take this as an option course: ALES | Business | Education | Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation | Native Studies | Science | Computing Science
Winter 2022
MLCS 199: Special Topic: Superheroes in Comics & Beyond
Number of Sections Offered: 3 unique sections — this information is for LEC-B3–76096 only (other sections cover other topics)
Professor/Instructor: Chris Reyns-Chikuma
Delivery Method: In-person, Entirely or mostly synchronous/real-time
Course Time: M/W/F from 11–11:50AM
Pre-requisite: None
Course Description: Superheroes have been around with us for a long time. From Hercules to Achilles to Zorro to Superman and Wonder Woman, they entertain us yet they also move us and serve as strong models or counter-models. The persistence of their “myth” shows how meaningful they are.
In this course, we will begin by studying the roots of superheroes in mythology, and then historicize their surrounding contexts, whether it is social, political, or historical.
We will also cover the new comics models, such as the long-time ignored or marginalized heroes like Superheroines (Wonder Woman, ….), more diverse ethnicities (Kamala Khan, …) and non-American superheroes (Captain Canada, French or Japanese versions, ….).
Main Themes: Identity | Conflict and adversity | Social change | Beliefs and values | Heroes and Leaders | Fantasy and imagination | Power and authority | Social concerns, issues | Current Events and Pop Culture | Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity and Decolonization
ANTHR 103 — B1 — Introductory Topics in Anthropology (Special Topics: Anthropology of Death)
Number of Sections Offered: 1
Professor/Instructor: Sandra Garvie-Lok
Delivery Method: In-person, Entirely or mostly synchronous/real-time
Course Time: M/W/F 10–10:50AM
Pre-requisite: None
Course Description: We might not like to talk about it, but sooner or later we all die. This course takes an anthropological look at the universal human experience of death, focusing on the corpse. Our bodies hold powerful meanings and continue a social life after death that varies widely between cultures. How do people think about corpses, involve them in rituals and memorials, continue to honour them — or put them out of mind and stop talking about them? How do we think about corpses in anatomy labs? Why might people believe that a corpse can reanimate and move around after death? And what about the corpses of animals? All of these topics give us insights into how people see themselves, each other and the world.
Main Themes: Time, cycles of life
Other Themes Covered: Beliefs and values
Other faculties/programs that would take this as an option course: Science
Drama 149 (DRAMA 149) — Theatre Making for Everyone
Number of Sections Offered: 2
Professor/Instructor: varied
Delivery Method: In-person, Entirely or mostly synchronous/real-time
Course Time:
B1: T/R from 9–10:50AM
X50: M/W from 6–8:55 PM
Pre-requisite: None
Course Description: Dramatic improvisation as an introduction to the creative process as it applies to the process of acting and to dramatic form. Students will learn how to develop their ability to be creative in performance. They will develop an awareness of their own imaginative abilities, their ability to be mindful and present, and their ability to be physically and vocally expressive. They will learn how to craft narratives with attention to dramatic structure exploring various sources of inspiration. They will also develop their ability to be present as an observer or witness to the creative process of others providing constructive, perceptive critique.
Why Take This Course: This course will prepare you for a career working in Teaching, Law, or Communications (advertising, marketing, journalism, as a writer/editor, etc).
Other Themes Covered: Identity | Beliefs and values | Heroes and Leaders | Fantasy and imagination | Technology | Power and authority | Social concerns, issues | Current Events and Pop Culture
Other faculties/programs that would take this as an option course: ALES | Business | Education | Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation | Science
HIST 135-B1 — Origins of Ancient India
Number of Sections Offered: 1
Professor/Instructor: Dominik Wujastyk
Delivery Method: In-person, Entirely or mostly synchronous/real-time
Course Time: T/R from 11AM-12:20PM
Pre-requisite: None
Course Description: Early Indians: who were the Harappans? Did the Aryans migrate to India? When did the caste system begin? This course examines the ancestry and cultures of the peoples of India and South Asia, the Indus Valley Civilization, the migration of Indo-European speakers to the subcontinent and the foundation of the earliest cities and kingdoms of the Ganges valley. This course will take account of recent methods in the analysis of ancient DNA that reveals new data on ancient cultures.
Main Themes: Ancient civilizations
Other Themes Covered: Identity | Social change | Nature and the environment | Industry, Invention, Progress | Social concerns, issues
Other faculties/programs that would take this as an option course: Education | Anyone with an interest in Indian or South Asian culture
