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St. Michael’s College CoursesListed in this order:
For Distribution Requirement purposes, All SMC courses are classified as HUMANITIES courses, except JSV200H1, SMC271H1,272H1,344Y1,471H1, which are Social Science courses. |
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Book and Media Studies Courses SMC219Y1 Designed to acquaint students with the essential notions of media studies, and to promote a conscious utilization of contemporary media. Starting with the preliminary definitions of “media,” “mass,” and “communications,” the student is invited to consider critically the cultural constructs created by modern media, from print to photography, filming, TV, computer and Internet. SMC228H1 An historical introduction to the evolution of printing processes since Gutenberg. Attention is given to topics such as the mechanization of printing, the industrialization of the book chain since the nineteenth century, typography and publishing. Visits to rare book collections are an integral part of the course. SMC229H1 An introduction to the history of reading in western culture, from ancient Greece to the twenty-first century. Attention is given to topics such as the causes and effects of different modes of reading (silent or vocalized, intensive or extensive, educational or escapist), book clubs, censorship, and the ways in which readers have influenced cultural production. SMC300H1 Designed to provide for individual half-courses not already covered in the listed range of the Book and Media Studies Program offerings. SMC301H1 Various topics are taken up each year, the content of which depends on the instructor. Students should check the college web site for details. SMC314H1 A deeper examination of key cases in the development of media, such as the invention of movable type, the mechanization of the printing press, standardization of call number systems (Dewey, LC, etc.), the advent of radio, television and internet. Topics vary from year to year, according to the instructor. SMC315H1 Through lectures, tutorials and fields trips, this course examines the origins and development of the English-language newspaper in Canada since the 18th century. Research projects focus on the historical newspaper collections of the University of Toronto libraries, the Toronto reference library, and the Archives of Ontario. SMC398H1 An independent research project to be proposed by the student and supervised by a full-time faculty member affiliated with the Book and Media Studies Program. SMC399Y1 An independent research project to be proposed by the student and supervised by a full-time faculty member affiliated with the Book and Media Studies Program. SMC430H1 A course/seminar on a topic to be determined annually. SMC431H1 A course/seminar on a topic to be determined annually. SMC141Y1 This course in Modern Irish Language is designed for learners with no prior knowledge of the language. The course is intended to introduce students to and provide practice in the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. SMC240Y1 The expression of Celtic culture in literature, history, folklore and myth from 600 B.C. to the present, with particular attention to the continuing Celtic contribution to Western culture. SMC241Y1 This course builds on SMC141Y1 Introduction to the Irish Language. It will provide further expansion of the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. SMC242Y1 An introduction to Scottish Gaelic language and culture. Students will master fundamentals of reading, writing, and the basics of grammar and will begin to speak Gaelic. Proverbs, poetry, songs and folktales introduce students to the language, literature and folklore of Gaelic Scotland and immigrant North America. No prior knowledge of the language is required. SMC243Y1 An introductory course intended to provide a basic speaking and reading knowledge of Modern Welsh. Open to students with no prior experience of Welsh. SMC250Y1 This course covers the range of the Celtic mythological record from all the Celtic areas through an examination of the archaeological, inscriptional and textual sources. A critical evaluation is offered of various relevant mythic approaches. SMC331Y1 Speaking, writing and reading competence is emphasized in this course. This course concentrates on the study of modern Irish literary texts, both poetry and prose and advanced translation into the Irish language. SMC333H1 SMC334H1 Various topics are taken up each year, the content of which depends on the instructor. Students should check the college web site for details. SMC335Y1 Topic varies from year to year, depending on the instructor. Students should check the college web site for details. SMC336H1 This course explores the ways in which contemporary Irish women’s writing engages with and challenges processes of patriarchy across a range of genres. Focus on women’s use of alternative discourses such as folklore, the Irish language and dialect, as strategies for the appropriation of public spaces, to which, traditionally, women have been denied access. Irish language authors are studied in translation. SMC342Y1 This course examines the way in which modern Irish, Scottish and Welsh writers have responded to the pressures of anglicization and modernization, and discusses literary reactions to social, ethnic and gender issues in contemporary culture. SMC343Y1 Literature in relation to the structure and development of the insular Celtic society that produced it; the Mythological, Ulster, Fenian, and Historical Saga cycles; voyages, visions, religious, lyric, and gnomic poetry, British heroic poetry, medieval Welsh narratives both secular and religious. Texts studied in translation. SMC344Y1 The art and archaeology of the Celtic peoples, with special reference to settlement patterns in Great Britain and Ireland. SMC345Y1 The political and social development of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Brittany from the 5th to the 12th centuries. SMC346Y1 An examination of the relationship between Celtic mythology and the ancient art of storytelling, and an exploration of the place of traditional music in modern society. SMC348Y1 This course explores ethno-religious conflict and Anglo-Irish relations between 1791 and 1985. Special attention is paid to the rise of the United Irishmen and the Orange Order during the 1790s, the domestic and international repercussions of the Famine, the political revolution of 1916-23, and the troubles in Northern Ireland. SMC349H1 This course examines the poetry and other writings of Seamus Heaney against the background of a modern tradition of Irish writing. Special attention is paid to issues of nationalism, the tensions of social and historical involvement, the place of Gaelic tradition and translation in the creation of a poet whose scope and audience is international. SMC350H1 The religious culture of the early and mediaeval Celtic Church as manifested in the material and written record; its significance for contemporary religious movements. Texts studied include the Patrician dossier, early monastic Rules and Liturgies, selected hagiographical, homiletic, devotional and lyric texts. SMC351H1 The Blasket Islands lie off the southwest coast of Ireland. This course will examine the important “library” of books written and orally recorded by the islanders from the 1920s onwards. Special attention will be paid to “The Island Man”; “Peig” and “Twenty Years a Growing”. Texts studied in translation. SMC352Y1 A study of the Gaelic literature of Ireland from the seventeenth century to the present within its poetical and historical context. Texts of poetry, prose and historical writings from this era will be examined, concluding with a reading of contemporary writers. Texts will be studied in translation. SMC353Y1 An introduction to contemporary Irish writing, in its social context, in both Irish and English languages. Among writers studied are Paul Muldoon, Eavan Boland, John McGahern, Michael Longley, Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill, Cathal O Searcaigh, Roddy Doyle, Caitlin Maude, and Alan Titley. Irish language authors are studied in translation. SMC354Y1 An introduction to the films of Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as they relate to representations of Celtic identity and the development of national cinema. SMC356H1 The course examines the early history of the Celtic peoples in Europe from their first appearance in the material culture of prehistoric Europe to their eventual disappearance as a political power in the first century of Roman conquest. SMC395Y1 A research project chosen by the student in consultation with an instructor and approved by the Program Co-ordinator. Arrangements for the choice of topic and supervisor must be completed by the student before registration. SMC396H1 A research project chosen by the student in consultation with an instructor and approved by the Program Co-ordinator. Arrangements for the choice of topic and supervisor must be completed by the student before registration. SMC411H1 SMC412H1 Various topics are taken up each year, the content of which depends on the instructor. Students should check the college web site for details. SMC413H1 This course explores the history of Irish migration and settlement in Canada with a special emphasis on political, social, economic and religious themes. SMC414H1 This course explores, by means of the historical method, Scottish migration and settlement in Canada, with special emphasis on religious, cultural, political, social and economic themes. SMC416H1 This course examines the origins, character and development of Irish Nationalism in Canada and the United States . Special attention is paid to the United Irishmen in the United States, the Young Ireland exiles and the Fenian movement in North America. SMC440Y1 An introduction to the Welsh language and literature from the 10th to the 14th centuries. SMC441Y1 An introduction to Old and Middle Irish language and literature from the 7th to the 11th century. SMC451Y1 A scholarly project chosen by the student in consultation with an instructor and approved by the Program Coordinator. Arrangements for the choice of topic must be completed by the student before registration.
SMC103Y1 An introduction to Catholic Christianity, to its history, institutions, and theology. The second part of the course examines the renewal effort of Vatican II and offers a contemporary Catholic reading of the Creed. SMC200Y1 The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the depth and breadth of the imagination in the western Christian tradition. We shall explore components of the distinctively Christian imagination, as well as its expression in various media, including the visual and plastic arts, literature, film, and music. SMC201H1 An exploration of major Christian themes, such as redemption and sacrifice, in works of ancient and modern literature. Includes an examination of different genres (the novel, poetry, drama), written for differing times and cultures. SMC203Y1 Issues raised by Christianity’s encounter with secular culture, and solutions proposed by the tradition: involvement in political structures, social movements, ethnic communities, and changing world views. SMC204H1 A study of key elements in the encounter of Christianity and Asia: e.g. the controversy over Chinese rites; Korea’s conversion by lay philosophers; the development of Filipino folk Catholicism and its impact on politics; the influence of Indian thought on recent Western theologians. SMC205H1 Exploration of the variety of forms which Christian personal experience has taken in the course of history (martyrdom, mysticism, monasticism, sanctification of ordinary life, etc.) in order to appreciate their variety, complexity, and deep unity. SMC206H1 The various roles given music in Christian tradition and the impact of Christianity on Western music. Case studies from Gregorian chant to the present illustrate major issues (sacred vs. profane, acceptable styles or instruments, text and music, emotion and rationalism) to provide a critical vocabulary applicable to present works. Some background in music is required. SMC207H1 The development of Christian communities in Latin America with an emphasis on such themes as the Spanish Conquista, missions, church-state relations, popular religious culture, and the emergence of Liberation Theology. SMC208Y1 An introduction to the Christian intellectual tradition through a study of key figures representing a variety of historical periods, from the patristic through the medieval to the modern and contemporary. The selected authors discuss a range of religious, intellectual and human issues from basic Christian beliefs to the challenges of modern and postmodern cultures. SMC209H1 The social, theological, and institutional development of Christian communities in Africa, including the birth of early churches in North Africa, missionary activity, popular religion, and the emergence of new Christian movements in the post-colonial period. SMC215H1 Christian history has been characterized by an enduring and fruitful search for forms of religious community. This course surveys some communal attempts to express Christianity, monasticism, forms of common life for clerics, the Mendicants, lay confraternities, religious orders, and contemporary lay movements. SMC216Y1 An introduction to Christian ritual and worship, in cross-cultural and ecumenical perspective. Biblical roots and historical development of the Christian sacraments, especially baptism and the Eucharist. Contemporary Catholic perspectives on worship in a secular and multicultural world. SMC217H1 An exploration of connections between a child’s moral development and literature in Christian traditions. We examine literary, historical and philosophical developments appropriate to the child’s imagination. The course will include the study of poems, catechetical materials, novels and other texts written for children. SMC218Y1 An introduction to religious diversity as a feature of contemporary Christian life, thought and practice. Toronto offers a unique opportunity for students to engage questions of interreligious dialogue and practice in living, dynamic environments. This is a service-learning course: required placements will be arranged through the Centre for Community Partnerships. SMC230Y1 The course examines the emergence of the physical sciences within Christian culture. It also traces broad historical developments, such as the rise of technology and the acceptance of empirical observation as a method of inquiry, and their impact on Christian faith. SMC302H1 The originality of Christian symbolism is explored through texts, images, and other media. We examine theories of symbolism, then explore the use of Christian symbolism and symbolic patterns in ancient and medieval art, architecture and literature. SMC304H1 An examination of Canon Law; the process by which it came into being, and its impact on contemporary culture. Premises and techniques of ecclesial law-making are compared to those of other systems of legislation. Specific sections of the Code of Canon Law are examined. SMC305H1 An examination of both overt and covert representations of Christian ideas in contemporary popular media. We examine the ways in which Christian themes have been appropriated and subverted in mass media, while also examining the innovative ways these themes, such as redemption, sacrifice, vocation, and hope, are presented anew. SMC306H1 Technology represents a significant challenge to Christian traditions. This course will explore Christian responses to technologies such as genetic engineering, cyberspace, and life extension. Students will examine the metaphysical perspectives and metaphorical images that the Christian tradition presents to respond to the claims of unbridled technology. SMC307Y1 An introduction to the place and meaning of the Bible within the Christian tradition; the practice of biblical interpretation in the patristic, medieval and modern periods; a contemporary reading of one of the Gospels and of a letter of Paul. SMC308H1 A close reading of the Code of Canon Law touching on the themes of marriage and the family; relationship to other fundamental Church statements (e.g. Familiaris Consortio); examination of issues raised by opposition between church teaching and other views. SMC309H1 This course explores developments in the relations between the Catholic Church and the states of Western Europe and America from the Enlightenment to the present. Of particular concern is Catholicism’s response to the political theories of the Enlightenment, the secularization of the state and social justice issues. SMC310H1 Introduces students to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994) and its antecedents. After an historical survey of religious instruction in the Church, the students will engage in a close reading of selected sections of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. SMC311H1 The Catholic Church claims to be the continuation of the event of Christ in history, the guarantor of the authenticity of each person’s encounter with Christ, and the means by which His memory may be cultivated. The course examines the reasons for these claims and the forms they have taken. SMC312H1 The Catholic Church has developed a distinctive approach to the pedagogical enterprise. This course explores aspects of this approach by an examination of canonical legislation and other texts published by ecclesiastical authorities and their application in Canada. SMC313H1 An historical appraisal of the evolution of Catholic schools, universities, and catechetical education in Ontario. Special emphasis is placed on the evolution of Ontario’s separate school system. SMC320H1 An exploration of the historical development of Catholic communities and institutions in all regions of Canada since the 16th century. Emphasis placed on themes of mission, church-state relations, ethnicity, belief and practice, social justice, gender, and secularization. SMC321H1 The Church’s self-understanding generates interesting problems in her relations with the civil societies in which she lives. These problems are often fruitful and leaves marks in the legislation of each of these societies. The proposed course will assess the extent to which this has been true in Canada, from the earliest days of European expansion until the present. After an historical introduction regarding the legal status of the Church in French and post-conquest Canada, the proposed course will study the current legal treatment of Church activity, institutions, and property. The legal treatment of criminous clerics will also be examined. SMC330Y1 Faith in Christ is central to Christianity. This course examines both classical formulations of that faith and Enlightenment critiques of them. It introduces students to contemporary rethinking of christology in the light of modern science and philosophy, comparative religion, feminism, and liberation movements. SMC332H1 The study of past outbursts of Christian interest in the millennium theme, and the end of the world, modern manifestations of this trend, and the implications of its contemporary revitalization at the dawn of the third millennium. SMC362Y1 Service learning course in social justice and international development. Seminars in the Winter term and international service with Intercordia Canada between May and July. There will be additional costs to students associated with this program. Duration is January to August; all add/cancel/refunds deadlines as per a regular S course. SMC363H1 An exploration of the place of music in Christian worship, with a focus on contemporary Eucharist. Examination of the development of liturgico-musical principles and their practical implementation. Topics may include: styles and repertoires, singing liturgical texts, hymnody and other forms of congregational singing, choirs and cantors, the use of instruments. SMC364H1 An interdisciplinary examination of the Bible as artifact and as an index of culture, art, and language. Topics include: the mediaeval giant Bibles, illuminated and illustrated Bibles, the Gutenberg Bible, The King James Bible, the Bible industry, the Bible online, the Bible as sacred object, sacred language and vernacular. SMC371H1 The complex interplay between religious belief, culture, and the emergence of modern physical theory: rise and fall of mechanistic theories, relativity, particle physics and models of the Universe, Big Bang theory and Black Holes, etc. SMC390Y1 A concluding course in Christianity and Culture, providing an opportunity to synthesize insights acquired during the course of the program (enrolment subject to availability of a supervisor). SMC391H1 SMC400H1 Prerequisite: Two courses in Christianity and Culture SMC401H1 Prerequisite: Two courses in Christianity and Culture SMC417H1 A survey of the religious traditions of ancient Israel as they are reflected in the diverse types of literature found in the First Testament, with emphasis on their historical development and their relevance for contemporary scholarship. Topics to be considered include: Israelite origins, settlement in the land, social structures, the monarchy, prophecy, the exile and return. SMC418H1 Introduction to the major methods and issues in New Testament interpretation: textual criticism; the world of the New Testament; the composition, structure and theologies of the Synoptic Gospels; the Jesus of History and the Christ of Faith. SMC419H1 This course will examine Christian responses to religious pluralism, focusing particularly upon twentieth-century developments in comparative theology, theology of religions, and inter-religious dialogue. Although the course will focus on examples from the context of post-Vatican II Catholicism, students will have opportunities to study comparable developments outside this tradition. SMC421H1 A seminar devoted to examining the changing representation of Jews and Judaism within Christian traditions over the past two thousand years. SMC422H1 An examination of the development of sacred space in the early Church, reflection upon its place in the imaginative landscape of the European Middle Ages, and discussion of its implications for the understanding of space and place in our own culture. SMC423H1 A seminar course engaging in theological reflection on and response to the shifting cultural realities of the twenty-first century. Topics for close examination may include: post-modernity, home and homelessness, and mass popular culture. SMC424H1 A seminar course engaging in theological reflection on and response to the shifting cultural realities of the twenty-first century. Topics for close examination may include: post-modernity, home and homelessness, and mass popular culture. SMC425H1 An examination of the use of the Bible in the mediaeval period (500-1500) as source of motifs in art and architecture, provider of stories for poetry and drama, authority in legal and political debate, and tool for teaching and preaching. SMC426H1 A research seminar to explore the foundational principles and historical applications of Catholic social teaching since Rerum novarum. Special emphasis placed on scriptural texts, magisterial documents, and contemporary case studies. Integral to the course is a major paper based on primary source research. SMC428H1 An examination of key moments and figures in the recent history of the visual arts in Western culture and especially in Canada in which religious and spiritual themes surface in new and surprising ways. The course includes a study of works in the Donovan Collection at St. Michael’s College. SMC429H1 In the 20th and 21st centuries, religious thinkers increasingly cross religious boundaries in theological reflection. Each year, this seminar will focus on one topic, studied in confessional and comparative perspective, or on two or three major figures in the discipline of comparative theology. Sample topics include: salvation, mission, God, incarnation. SMC432H1 A seminar addressing diverse and sometimes conflicting scientific, philosophical, and theological approaches to human sexuality, with a special focus on Habermas and compatibilism. Includes a systematic exploration of the ontology of the sexed human body and transsexuality, the metaphysics of human sexuality, and issues related to a science of orgasm. SMC433Y1 SMC434H1 An independent research project to be proposed by the student and supervised by a Christianity and Culture faculty member. The student, in consultation with the faculty member, may choose either a one-term (H) or a two-term (Y) project.
JSV200H1 This course aims to develop an understanding of social conflict and cultural diversity. How does conflict act as a catalyst for change? What do socio-cultural, cognitive, and motivational approaches teach us about conflict? Topics include: effects of conflict, human rights principles, cross-cultural understanding. SMC271H1 The course focuses on raising awareness and sensitivity to equity and diversity issues arising in schools and cultural communities. It examines how oppression works, and how cultural and educational resources may be brought to bear on reducing oppression and improving equity. The course includes a 20-hour field experience. SMC272H1 The course will provide an overview of developmental psychology from early childhood to late adolescence in relation to education, including: cognitive, social, emotional, moral, physical, religious and language development. It will examine various influences (family life, schooling and culture, etc.). This course includes a 20-hour field experience. SMC471H1 Arranged by each student in consultation with faculty, the internship enables teacher candidates to integrate, extend and deepen their learning experiences in a way not otherwise available in the program. Those wishing to take this course must have their program approved by the Program Director. SMC210Y1 This course provides an introduction to the thought and culture of the European Middle Ages. Students are introduced to the important monuments of mediaeval History, Thought, Literature, and Art, and follow some of the common threads that run through all these disciplines. The course explores some of the classical antecedents and chief expressions of mediaeval life and thought. SMC211H1 This course examines the ways mediaeval themes have been presented in the cinema over the last century by taking exemplary films from different countries and epochs. The purpose is to explore each on three levels: the mediaeval reality, the subsequent legendary or literary elaboration, and the twentieth-century film rendition, regarded equally as work of art, ideology and economic product. SMC222H1 A survey of the prose and poetry of the Middle Ages with emphasis on the linguistic features of mediaeval Latin. SMC323H1 Study of a wide variety of mediaeval Latin texts. SMC357H1 This course examines birth, nourishment, education and death of children in the Middle Ages. What was it like to be a mediaeval boy or girl? What kind of relationship did children have with their parents, with their teachers, or with other children? Primary sources are examined and interdisciplinary methods employed. SMC358H1 This course examines the most salient aspects of mediaeval manuscript culture. We will study, first, how the parchment for books was folded, pricked, ruled and bound, and second, what scripts were employed in the different codices. We will also examine the various types of books made in the Middle Ages and the challenges they pose to modern scholars. SMC359H1 An introduction to the discipline of theology as taught in the mediaeval schools. Building on a basic knowledge of Christian scriptures and of philosophical argument, this course will offer an organic exposition of mediaeval theology, together with an introduction into the scientific method of theological investigation as practised in the Middle ages. SMC360H1 This course surveys mediaeval vernacular literature within the cultural context of Europe and considers the development of different literary genres such as epic, romance and lyric. Relations between vernacular literatures, and between vernacular and latin literature are also studied. SMC361H1 Mediaeval jurisprudence combines the high technical quality of Roman law with the requirements of Christianity. The seminar provides an overview of the development of mediaeval learned jurisprudence; select texts from Roman and canon law, with their glosses, are read in order to explore more specifically the methods and concerns of mediaeval jurists. SMC402H1 The rise of the science of canon law is one of the great intellectual developments of the High Middle Ages. In the proposed course, the aims and techniques of the canonical jurists would be explored by a close reading of their normative texts and glosses. SMC403H1 This seminar explores the development of some of the institutions of mediaeval Christendom, such as guilds, the University and the Papacy, in relation to social and intellectual movements of the age. SMC406H1 A fourth-year seminar on a topic to be determined annually. SMC407Y1 A fourth-year seminar on a topic to be determined annually. SMC435H1 An independent research project to be proposed by the student and supervised by a member of faculty affiliated with the Mediaeval Studies Program. SMC490Y1 A scholarly project chosen by the student in consultation with an instructor and approved by the Program Co-ordinator. Arrangements for the choice of topic and supervisor must be completed by the student before registration.
SMC299Y1 Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project. See page 48 for details. SMC380H1 SMC381Y1 An opportunity for students to pursue an independent course of study not otherwise available in the Faculty of Arts and Science. SMC480H1 SMC481Y1 An opportunity for students to pursue an independent course of study not otherwise available in the Faculty of Arts and Science. |