Innis College Courses

Listed in this order:

  • Cinema Studies
  • Urban Studies
  • Writing and Rhetoric
  • Other Innis College courses


Key to Course Descriptions.

 

| Course Winter Timetable |


 

Cinema Studies Courses

For Distribution Requirement purposes, INI Cinema Studies courses are classified as HUMANITIES courses.

100-Series Courses

INI115Y1
Introduction to Film Study [24L, 72P, 24T]

Introduction to film analysis; concepts of film style and narrative. Topics include documentary, avant-garde, genres, authorship, ideology, and representation.




200- Series Courses

INI212Y1
Film History [24L, 72P, 24T]

An introduction to major phases of international film history from its origins to the present, including screenings and discussion of narrative films representative of film movements, technological innovations, and influential directors. Issues in the writing and reading of film history are examined.
Prerequisite: INI115Y1


INI214Y1
Film Theory [24L, 72P, 24T]

A study of select classical and contemporary film theories, their medium-specific arguments, and their cultural and intellectual contexts. Investigations include the nature of film theorizing, formalist and realist traditions, first and second film semiologies, apparatus theory, and debates specific to spectatorship and film viewing.
Prerequisite: INI115Y1


INI224Y1
Cinema and Authorship (Formerly Filmmakers: The Personal Vision) [48L, 48P]

Close examination of the careers and works of four auteur directors in commercial film production. (Offered in alternate years)


INI225Y1
American Popular Film SiNCE 1970 [48L, 48P]

Examination of the art of popular film in its social, political, and commercial contexts, through study of selected popular films fROM 1970 to the present. Various critical approaches, genres, and directors are included.

Exclusion: INI326Y1


INI226H1
Horror Film [12L, 36P, 12T]

Introduction to the study of the horror genre, focusing on three enduring types that span the classical and contemporary periods: vampire, possession, and haunting narratives. Topics include literary and art historical antecedents, the monster, fandom, comparative industry models, transnational aspects of horror, genre hybridization, media convergence, and theoretical accounts of horror’s effects.


INI227H1
Science Fiction Film [12L, 36P, 12T]

Study of science fiction film in its role as a commercial film genre, social allegory and speculation on technology and the future.

Exclusion: ENG238H1




300-Series Courses

INI322Y1
Avant-Garde and Experimental Film [48L, 48P]

Film experimentation in the context of modern art and poetry (Cubism, Dada-Surrealism) from THE 1920s through THE 1990s. (Offered in alternate years)

Exclusion: INI322H1
Prerequisite: INI115Y1


INI323Y1
Feminist Approaches to Cinema [48L, 48P]

Feminist film criticism from mid-sixties critiques of media stereotypes of women to current issues in feminist film theory. Films to be studied include mainstream narrative fiction and films by women directors: Von Sternberg, Godard, Sirk, Arzner, Dulac, Lupino, Von Trotta, Rainer, Akerman, Duras. Topics covered include apparatus theory and its legacy, models of spectatorship, feminist historiography, stardom, the cinematic (re)production of identity, the relationship between social movements and cinema, and “postfeminism.”
(Offered in alternate years)
Prerequisite: INI115Y1/NEW260Y1


INI324Y1
American Filmmaking in the Studio Era [24L, 48P, 24T]

A study of filmmaking in the US once the studio system was in place; consideration of industrial, economic, ideological, and aesthetic dimensions of the American studio era. Topics include the primacy of classicism, the operations of the studio system (including censorship, labour relations, marketing, and star promotion), and the cultural function of American films. (Offered in alternate years)
Prerequisite: INI115Y1


INI325Y1
Documentary Film [48L, 48P]

A critical survey of documentary practice including newsreels, direct cinema, cinema verité, ethnographic, and various hybrid narrative forms, with emphasis on the rhetorical, aesthetic, and political dimensions of “the art of record.” Topics include poetics, argument, and modes of address; evidence, authenticity, and persuasion; filmmaker/subject/audience nexus; historiography, hagiography, and memory; reflexive irony and performance. (Offered in alternate years)
Prerequisite: INI115Y1


INI327Y1
Screening Race [48L, 48P]

How race functions in cinema. Topics include the foundational role of racial inscription in early U.S. cinema, its re-articulation in classical and contemporary films, and its expansion beyond the black/white paradigm; visual ethnography and related categories, “the primitive,” and Orientalism; aboriginal media and indigenous aesthetics; “Black Atlantic” and Diaspora as constitutive tropes that inform critical assessments of Black British, Banlieu and Turkish/German cinemas, and “exilic” film practice; border aesthetics; race and urban space in the “hood” film, "post-race" and the evolving racial imaginary in the Obama era. (Offered in alternate years)
Prerequisite: INI115Y1


INI329Y1
Genre, Narrative and Narration in Film [24L, 48P, 24T]

Study of theoretical and analytical models of film genres and narratology; structuralist, cognitive, and semiotic approaches to filmic narration. Genres to be studied include westerns, crime films, art cinema, fantasy, and horror. (Offered in alternate years)
Prerequisite: INI115Y1


INI330Y1
Contemporary Screen Theory: Analogue//Digital [48L, 48P]

Intensive study of film theory since THE 1980s, as well as approaches to analysis of screen culture. Emerging models that address the changing status of the moving image are set in dialogue with classical film theories to expose continuities and ruptures. Topics include “Post-theory”, temporality, sound, comparison of cognitive, phenomenological and psychoanalytic models, theorizing difference, impact of new media on film aesthetics and critical assessment of new forms of spectatorship, narrative, and production inaugurated by the digital. (Offered in alternate years)

Exclusion: INI425Y1, 481Y1
Prerequisite: INI115Y1, INI214Y1


INI374H1
Issues in Film Authorship I [TBA]

Advanced study of issues in film authorship through intensive examination of two major filmmakers. (Offered in alternate years)
Prerequisite: INI115Y1


INI375H1
Issues in Film Authorship II [TBA]

Advanced study of issues in film authorship through intensive examination of one or more major filmmakers. (Offered in alternate years)
Prerequisite: INI115Y1


INI380Y1
Contemporary World Cinema [48L, 72P]

Contemporary developments beyond Hollywood and European Art Cinema, examining a select number of national/regional cinemas: Africa, East Asia, Latin America, iran, and Hindi cinema. Focus on global film cultures will outline generic and stylistic conventions, cultural contexts, the role of transnational popular genres, and questions of production, distribution networks and reception within a global economy.
Prerequisite: INI115Y1


INI381H1
Aspects of a National Cinema [48S]

In-depth treatment of a national cinema in a seminar format. This year, critical study of British cinema will focus on genres, movements and cycles from the 60's onwards. Mainstream as well as minor film cultures will be considered in their production, institutional, reception, and social contexts to include: the tradition of British realism, the Free Cinema Movement, "Thatcherite" cinema in its heritage, art cinema, Brit-grit, and "emerging" incarnations, and the 90's underclass cycle. Debates pertinent to the "Britishness" of British cinema will be explored through diverse methodologies to help us situate British film production as a national cinema. (Offered in alternate years)
Prerequisite: INI115Y1


INI382H1
European Cinemas [24L, 24P]

Comparative study of European film production and culture: inter-war and post-war developments; contemporary tendencies (co-production, continental unification, immigration). (Offered in alternate years)

Exclusion: INI382Y1


INI383H1
The Origins of the Animation Industry, 1900-1950: A Technosocial History [24S, 36P]

An introduction to early animation, considering its vaudeville roots, its industrialization, and its emerging aesthetics and representational tropes. Examination of the early corpus of animation fROM 1900-1950 and in-depth study of the artistic, social and cultural mileux from which animation derived. (Offered in alternate years)
Prerequisite: INI115Y1, INI212Y1


INI384H1
Critical Writing on Film (formerly INI384Y1) [24S]

The practice of film criticism with concentration on film reviews and scholarly articles. The study of examples of such work is the focus of the seminars supplemented by practical sessions involving process writing and collaborative editing. (Offered in alternate years)

Exclusion: INI384Y1, NEW304Y1
Prerequisites: Any 2 courses from Group A (INI115Y1; INI212Y1; INI214Y1) and 2 additional Cinema Studies full course equivalents.


INI385Y1
Canadian Cinemas [24L, 48P, 24T]

History, diversity and critical approaches to Canadian and Québécois cinemas. Analyses of film and critical frameworks include concepts of national cinema, the role of funding institutions, the documentary legacy, experimental and art cinema, the emergence of the feature film, and how co-productions, multiculturalism, and post-national arguments are re-shaping the production and reception contexts of national cinema. (Offered in alternate years)

Exclusion: INI385H1; NEW311H1
Prerequisite: INI115Y1


INI386H1
Quebec Cinema (formerly INI486H1) [12L, 24P, 12T]

The range of French-language filmmaking in Quebec within the context of efforts to establish a distinct national identity from THE 1940s to the present day. (Offered in alternate years)

Exclusion: INI486H1/NEW312H1
Prerequisite: INI115Y1


INI387H1
The Logics of Canadian Television [24L, 24P]

An overview of the history of Canadian television, its situation in the multi-channel universe, the role of the CBC as official public broadcaster, future challenges from niche carriers and the internet. Texts include public affairs, variety programs, episodic series and domestically produced dramas. (Offered in alternate years)

Prerequisite: INI115Y1, INI212Y1, SMC219Y1 or permission of instructor


INI390Y1
Chinese Cinemas [48L, 48P]

Examination of contemporary Chinese films in their three production centres: the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Production, commercial and aesthetic trends, and international reception; major auteurs and genres. Directors include Chen Kaige, Zang Yimou, Edward Yang, John Woo, and Wang Kar-wai. (Offered in alternate years)

Exclusion: INI390H
Prerequisite: INI115Y1
Recommended preparation: INI212Y1, INI214Y1


INI396Y1
Special Topics in Cinema Studies [TBA]

Seminars in special topics designed for specialist and major students in Cinema Studies. Past courses include: B Movies and Cult Cinema, American Animation afTER 1950, and Quebec Cinema.
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of instructor.


INI397H1
Special Topics in Cinema Studies: Fantasy Film/Cinema Fantastique[TBA]

Seminars in special topics designed for specialist and major students in Cinema Studies. Past courses include: B Movies and Cult Cinema, American Animation after 1950, and Quebec Cinema. Topic for 2009-2010: Examination of Fantasy Cinema/Cinéma fantastique and its generic iterations in American, European and World cinemas, paying special attention to the relationship between cinematic specificity and the representation of the fantastic. Examples are drawn from early cinema (Méliès, Liguoro) to the present day (Jeunet, del Toro, Jackson). Prerequisite: At least 10 full course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of the instructor.


INI398H1
Special Topics in Cinema Studies
[TBA]

Seminars in special topics designed for specialist and major students in Cinema Studies. Past courses include: B Movies and Cult Cinema, American Animation after 1950, and Quebec Cinema.
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of instructor.
Recommended preparation: INI383H1




400-Series Courses

INI423H1
Melodrama in Film        [24S, 24P]

Intensive study of theoretical issues raised by melodrama, including gender, class, and spectatorship; emotion and the non-representational. Psychoanalytical and historical factors shaping the “melodramatic imagination” are emphasized.

Exclusion: INI423Y1
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of instructor.


INI426H1
Film Comedy [24S, 24P]

A study of international film comedy, including its historical development, and the difficulties that comedy poses for genre and auteur approaches.
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of instructor.


INI428H1
The Cinematic City [24S, 36P]

Film’s emergence from urban culture of the nineteenth century: the modern industrial city and the cinematic imagination between the world wars; the critical alignment of urbanism and the cinema.

Exclusion: INI321H1
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of instructor.


INI429H1
The Revolution Will/Will Not Be Televised [24L, 24P]

Examining the mediation of political struggle fROM 1964-1974, this course analyzes both how specific political issues were represented in popular media, and attempts to politicize and question representational regimes. Its primary focus will be cinematic and televisual, but by necessity it will also touch upon radio and the recording industry.
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of instructor.


INI460H1
Film Noir [24S, 48P]

Consideration of film noir’s roots, its status as a genre, and its enduring appeal, the latter evidenced by continued critical interest and neo-noir offshoots.
Prerequisite: At least full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of instructor.


INI461H1
Models of Film Analysis [24S, 24P]

Advanced survey of a variety of approaches to the filmic text, including structuralist variants, textual analysis, and neo-formalism.
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of instructor.


INI463H1
Early Cinema [24S, 24P]

Investigation of film from the beginnings of the medium until the advent of the feature film in the mid-teens: early cinema’s technological, formal, economic, and cultural dimensions; questions of audience composition, spectatorial address, and intermediality.
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of instructor.


INI465H1
Cinema and Technology (formerly INI483H1) [24S, 24P]

How technology influences the operations and study of cinema. Includes technology’s relationship to realism, apparatus theory, and cinematic style; study of widescreen, sound, colour, and emergent technologies.

Exclusion: INI483H1
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of instructor.


INI466H1
Corporeality and Cinema [24S]

Examines the ways cinema constructs bodies so as to produce affect and bear mearning in a variety of traditions and genres, from melodrama to action films, ethnographic cinema to pornography.
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of instructor.


INI467H1
American Independent Film [24S]

Taking as its focus American “indie” cinema from THE 1980s onward, this course examines the variety of factors by which “independence” is typically measured, including mode of production, means of circulation, textual operations, critical reception, niche audiences, and relationship to larger social, cultural and/or political movements.
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of instructor.


INI475H1
Advanced Studies in Cinema [TBA]

Seminars in special topics designed for advanced specialist and major students in Cinema Studies.
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of instructor.


INI476Y1
Independent Studies in Cinema [TBA]

INI477H1
Independent Studies in Cinema [TBA]

INI478H1
Independent Studies in Cinema [TBA]

Independent research projects devised by students and supervised by Cinema Studies faculty. Open to advanced Specialist and Major students in the Program. Applications must be submitted to the Program Office by June 1 for a Fall course, by November 1 for a Spring Course, and by April 1 for a summer course.
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of the Cinema Studies Committee


INI482Y1
Advanced Studies in Cinema [TBA]

Seminars in special topics designed for advanced specialist and major students in Cinema Studies.
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of instructor.


INI483H1
Advanced Studies in Cinema [TBA]

Seminars in special topics designed for advanced specialist and major students in Cinema Studies.
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of instructor.


INI484H1
Advanced Studies in Cinema [TBA]

Seminars in special topics designed for advanced specialist and major students in Cinema Studies.
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents, including INI115Y1, INI212Y1, INI214Y1 or permission of instructor.




Urban Studies Courses

Key to Course Descriptions.

For Distribution Requirement purposes, all INI Urban Studies courses are classified as SOCIAL SCIENCE courses.

 

JGI216H1
Urbanization and Global Change [24L]

Examines the process of globalization, mass urbanization and economic change taking place in cities around the world. Includes interdisciplinary exploration of the industrial and economic changes that have ensued as a result of globalization, as well as social and cultural manifestations associated with the emergence of global cities.
Recommended Preparation: GGR124Y1


INI235Y1
A Multidisciplinary Introduction to Urban Studies [48L]

Explores the culture, thoughts, institutions, policies, and processes shaping our urban areas. Emphasis is placed on understanding the problems and prospects associated with growth and change in the city. Disciplines used to provide various interpretations include Economics, Environmental Studies, Geography, History, Political Science, Sociology, Urban Design and Planning.
Prerequisite: Four courses with at least one of the following - ECO100Y1/ECO105Y1 or 1.0 FCE fROM 100-level GGR courses including GGR101H1, GGR107H1, and GGR124H1 or 1.0 FCE fROM 100-level POL courses including POL103Y1, POL105Y1, POL108Y1, or POL214Y1, or SOC101Y1


JIE307Y1
Urban Sustainability (formerly INI307Y1) [48L, 24P]

This course critically examines the concept of urban sustainability in theory and application. Case studies of ongoing urban sustainability programs in the developed world help students assess the successes and failures of these programs. The course also examines the current state of research and implementation efforts toward urban sustainability.
Prerequisite: One of the following: JEG221Y/JIE222Y1 and enrolment in a Centre for Environment program OR INI235Y1 OR permission of the instructor (particularly for students who have completed JEG222Y1/JIE222Y1/GGR233Y1/POL209Y1/SOC205Y1/SOC260Y1)

Exclusion: INI307Y1
This is a Social Science course


INI308H1
The City of Toronto [24L]

Examines the struggle to create a civic society within Toronto as it becomes a global city. Sample topics include: the neighbourhood and the city, the outer city and the urban region, planning and sprawl, public and private transportation, the natural and the urban environment, housing and homelessness, levels of government, civic culture and multiculturalism.
Prerequisite: one of the following - ECO100Y1/ECO105Y1 or 1.0 FCE fROM 100-level GGR courses including GGR101H1, GGR107H1, and GGR124H1 or 1.0 FCE fROM 100-level POL courses including POL103Y1, POL105Y1, POL108Y1, or POL214Y1, or SOC101Y1.


INI309H1
Urban Infrastructure [24L]

Examines the importance of infrastructure to urban societies from a technical, environmental, political, historical, and social perspective. Students study energy and communications systems, transportation, water, solid waste disposal, parks and recreation facilities, schools, hospitals, and community facilities and services. Key issues include growth management, financing and maintenance, public-private partnerships, and international development.
Prerequisite: One of the following: INI235Y1 or permission of the instructor.


INI335Y1
The Changing Dynamics of Cities [24L]

In this course, students develop an understanding of the city as a dynamic organism that is constantly changing as a result of economic, social and political pressure. The course material is organized around a series of industry cluster case studies including: automotive, culture, information technology and health care. The emphasis of the course will be on the extension and refinement of theories and arguments developed in INI235Y1.
Prerequisite: INI235Y1. Priority is given to students enrolled in the Urban Studies Minor, Major, or Specialist Programs. However, consideration may be given to students with suitable course background as determined by the Program Director. Note: INI335Y1 cannot be taken concurrently with INI235Y1.)


INI336Y1
Creative Cities [48L]

A prominent thesis in the fields of planning and economic geography is that the presence of creative occupations in a city correlates positively with the overall health of urban regions. This course will investigate the nature of this link from theoretical and empirical perspectives and examine its potential usefulness in a planning/policy context.
Prerequisite: GGR124Y, INI235Y1 Recommended Preparation:GGR220Y


INI337H1
Studies in Contemporary Urban Problems [24L[

This course will focus on an examination of the immediate difficulties facing Toronto and by extension all Canadian cities. Instruction will consist of a combination of lectures by the instructor and by noted experts/practitioners in a range of topic areas including urban governance, finance, planning, environmental sustainability and social welfare.
Recommended preparation: GGR124H1 and/or INI235Y1


JGI346H1
The Urban Planning Process [24L]

Urban planning mechanisms, the legislation, and its goals. Planning issues from negotiation to legislation to appeal. Urban and regional problems facing planners in Ontario compared with those emerging in other provinces; Ontario’s legislative solutions contrasted with those developed elsewhere. (Given by the Department of Geography and Innis College)
Recommended Preparation: GGR124H1 , INI235Y1


INI430Y1
Urban Policy Seminar [48S]

Examines contemporary urban problems and policy issues through seminar discussions, readings and field research. Emphasis is placed on developing an interdisciplinary approach to urban problem solving.
Prerequisite: INI235Y1. Priority is given to students enrolled in the Urban Studies Minor, Major, or Specialist Programs. However, consideration may be given to students with suitable course background as determined by the Program Director. Note: INI430Y1 cannot be taken concurrently with INI235Y1.)


INI431Y1
Special Topics in Urban Studies [TBA]

INI432H1
Special Topics in Urban Studies [TBA]


INI433H1
Special Topics in Urban Studies [TBA]

From time to time, the Urban Studies Program organizes community outreach and information sessions. At the discretion of the Director, students may enroll in a special topics course and investigate these issues more deeply under the supervision of an agreeable faculty member. Proposals including a letter from an agreeable faculty member should be submitted to the Director by June 1 for a Fall or Year-long course, or by November 1 for a Spring course.
Prerequisite: Enrolment in a major or specialist program in Urban Studies.
Recommended Preparation: INI235Y1, completion of research design and research methods courses, and suitable 4th -year standing (in terms of credits completed) in an aligned social science discipline.


INI434Y1
Independent Research in Urban Studies [TBA]

INI435H1
Independent Research in Urban Studies [TBA]

INI436H1
Independent Research in Urban Studies [TBA]

Designed to allow strong students in the Major and Specialist programs to extend a piece of urban research under the supervision of a faculty member from any aligned department. Choice of ‘H’ or ‘Y’ session pursuant to the scope of the research envisioned, the proposed supervisor’s assessment of depth of the inquiry, and the approval of the program director. Proposals, including a letter from an agreeable supervisor should be submitted to the program director by June 1 for a Fall or Year session course and by November 1 for a Spring session course.
Prerequisite: INI235Y1, completion of research design and research methods courses, and suitable 4th -year standing (in terms of credits completed) in an aligned social science discipline. Enrolment in the Urban Studies Major or Specialist Subject POSts.


INI437Y1
Urban Experiential Learning in Toronto & the GTA (formerly INI306Y1) [72S]

A method of studying city issues that combines readings, seminar discussions, and field trips with an 8 hour / week internship in the office of a municipal politician, local government, or non-profit organization. Readings focus on community development, urban planning, economic development and local governance. Students must fill out a ballot for the course (available on the Urban Studies website - www.utoronto.ca/innis/urban ) by June 1. Enrolment in this course is competitive and at the discretion of Dr. Shauna Brail (Director, Urban Studies Placement Program).
Prerequisite: INI235Y1. Priority is given to students enrolled in the Urban Studies Minor, Major, or Specialist Programs. However, consideration may be given to students with suitable course background as determined by the Program Director. Note: INI437Y1 cannot be taken concurrently with INI235Y1.)

Exclusion: INI306Y1


JGI454H1
The Role of the Planner: Making a Difference [24L]

This course will focus on the role of a planning practitioner in contemporary society using a wealth of examples drawn from recent issues and debates in Canadian cities and regions. The course will walk students through the demands made of planners in terms of both technical expertise as well as political necessity and ask them to think actively about how to prepare for the extraordinary growth of cities during the next century. Examples of issues that will be discussed in some detail include the myths surrounding the city vs. the suburbs, the creativity and passion involved in planning work and the new City of Toronto Act.
Prerequisite: 15 credits, 5.0 of which must be GGR/INI Urban Studies





Writing and Rhetoric Courses

Key to Course Descriptions.

For Distribution Requirement purposes, Writing and Rhetoric courses are classified as HUMANITIES courses, except for INI103H1, INI104H1, INI300Y1, INI301H1, INI304H1, INI405Y1/INI406H1/INI407H1, AND408Y1/409H1/410H1 which are classified as both HUMANITIES and SOCIAL SCIENCE courses.

INI103H1
Writing Essays [36S]

Introduces the fundamentals of essay writing within an interdisciplinary context. Includes the history of the essay and its various rhetorical modes (narrative, descriptive, expository, argumentative), with a focus on humanities and social sciences essays. Both non-academic essays and essays from across the academic disciplines are examined in terms of purpose, audience, and persuasive strategies.


INI104H1
Writing Reports [36S]

Introduces the fundamentals of report writing within an interdisciplinary context. This writing intensive course focuses on improving writing skills appropriate to report writing genres. Informal, formal, research, and professional workplace reports are examined in terms of purpose, audience, structure, style, persuasive strategies, and use of visual rhetoric (tables, charts, graphs). This course also examines qualitative and quantitative research methods.


INI203Y1
Foundations of Written Discourse [72S]

Designed to teach students to write persuasively and to recognize persuasive strategies at work in writing they analyze. Classical rhetorical terms, elements of style, and modes of argument are central to the course. Assignments include a rhetorical analysis, in-class essays, and a term essay. Readings include prose from a variety of disciplines, excluding fiction and poetry. Students who enrol in the course must demonstrate competence in the English language.
Prerequisite: Completion of 4.0 full-course equivalents and CGPA of 2.3 or higher.


INI204Y1
The Academic Writing Process [72S]

The strategy necessary to write complete pieces of non-fiction prose, especially exposition and argument. Concepts of planning and organization include: focusing, research, outlining, patterns of logical development, introduction, paragraph development, conclusion, argumentation and persuasion, documentation, and revision. Students for whom English is a second language should have an advanced level of fluency in English before enrolling.
Prerequisite: Completion of 4.0 full-course equivalents and CGPA of 2.3 or higher.


INI300Y1
Strategic Writing in Business and the Professions: Theory and Practice [72S]

Aims to teach students to recognize the rhetoric of the professional workplace and to communicate strategically and ethically using written and oral discourse appropriate to business, government, and not-for-profit organizations. Case study analysis using ethical reasoning models is a central component of the course.
Prerequisite: Completion of 4.0 full-course equivalents and CGPA of 2.3 or higher.


INI301H1
Contemporary Issues and Written Discourse: Rhetoric and the Print Media [36S]

Examines how the language and rhetoric of print media shape social issues. Rhetorical strategies at work in the media reporting of such controversial issues as international crises and military actions are examined. The construction of the columnist’s persona and the role of editorials are also examined.
Prerequisite: Completion of 4.0 full-course equivalents and CGPA of 2.3 or higher.


INI304H1
Critical Thinking and Inquiry in Written Communication [24L]

This seminar in critical reading, analysis, and writing focuses on the nature, the evaluation, and the use and abuse of evidence in the process of formulating and supporting an argument. The case study method will be employed to assess the level of authority, credibility, and objectivity evident in public discourse, official sources, and academic inquiry.
Prerequisite: Completion of 4.0 full-course equivalents and CGPA of 2.3 or higher.


INI305H1
Word and Image in Modern Writing [36S]

The rhetorical term Ekphrasis, which refers to writing that is about visual art, is central in the examination of the persuasive power of the “conversation” or discourse that is produced when the written word attempts the evocation of visual images. Course readings will include ekphrastic texts drawn from several disciplines and genres: journalism, informal essays, poetry, and scholarly writing.
Prerequisite: Completion of 4.0 full-course equivalents and CGPA of 2.3 or higher.


INI311Y1
Seminar in Creative Writing        [72S]

This workshop course examines methodological approaches to literary fiction from the perspective of the creator. Through course readings, discussion, and creative writing assignments, student writers will learn how prose writers combine stylistic techniques, point-of-view, setting, character, scenes, and structure to produce literary effects.
Prerequisite: Experience or strong interest in writing fiction. 4.0 full-course equivalents, fluency in English. CPA 2.3 minimum.


INI405Y1
Independent Studies in Writing and Rhetoric [TBA]

INI406H1
Independent Studies in Writing and Rhetoric [TBA]

INI407H1
Independent Studies in Writing and Rhetoric [TBA]

Independent research projects devised by students and supervised by the Writing and Rhetoric staff. Open only to students who are completing the Minor Program in Writing and Rhetoric Program. Applications should be submitted to the Program Director by June 1 for a Fall session course or by November 1 for a Spring session course.
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents including INI203Y1 or INI204Y1 and INI300Y1 or INI301H1 or INI304H1 or INI305H1 or INI311Y1; permission of Program Director


INI408Y1
Special Topics in Writing and Rhetoric [TBA]

INI409H1
Special Topics in Writing and Rhetoric [TBA]

INI410H1
Special Topics in Writing and Rhetoric [TBA]

Seminars in special topics designed for students who are completing the Minor Program in Writing, Rhetoric, and Critical Analysis.
Prerequisite: At least ten full-course equivalents including INI203Y1 or INI204Y1 and INI300Y1 or INI301H1 or INI304H1 or INI305H1 or INI311Y1; or permission of instructor


INI412Y1
Prose Style Across Genres [36L, 36S]

Focuses on methods for analyzing how various aspects of style shape the meaning of texts in such genres as fiction, biography, oratory, legal argument, science writing, and government reports. Also considers historical and theoretical perspectives on style. Requires a research project, which for qualified students may include a translation.
Prerequisite: 10 full course equivalents; CGPA of 2.3 or higher
Recommended Preparation: INI200Y, INI203Y1 or INI204Y1


Other Innis College Courses

INI299Y1
Research Opportunity Program

Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project. Details here.