From climate change to speculative fiction, UVic has an elective to fit your interests
Illustration by Sage Blackwell.
Need one more elective to graduate on time? Don’t have the energy to find classes without prerequisites? Take a course this semester that made you reconsider your major? Add one of these barrier-free courses to your spring schedule.
ASTR102: Exploring the Cosmos
Ever wanted to learn how astronomy influences and challenges our understanding of the laws of nature? Designed for non-science students, Astronomy 102 explores our place in the cosmos. The course looks at elements of the cosmos like stars, galaxies, black holes, and supernovae. Students enrolled will also have the opportunity to get hands-on experience with campus telescopes.
ASTR102 is on Mondays and Thursdays from 1:00 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. Students also must register for a three-hour-long lab session, with several time slots available.
HSTR122: Conspiracies, Hoaxes and Moral Panics
History 122 introduces students to paranoia, moral panics, and conspiracy thinking since the Middle Ages. The course content may vary each semester, but students in previous years have studied witchcraft persecutions, Jack the Ripper, alien abductions, and McCarthyism.
The course runs on Mondays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 9:50 a.m.
EOS130: Climate Change
Learn about the fundamental physical principles that govern Earth’s climate system in this introductory course. Earth and Ocean Sciences 130 explores topics such as the carbon cycle, impacts of climate change, climate of the past, components of the climate system, and radiative (not radioactive!) energy.
EOS130 runs Mondays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m., and students must also register for a two-hour-long lab block.
GRS204: Greece and Rome on Film
Want to get course credit while watching movies about Greek and Roman mythology and culture? From cartoons to Hollywood, Greek and Roman Studies 204 explores representations of Greece and Rome across various eras and genres. The syllabus may vary each semester, but previous films include Spartacus (1960), Hercules (1997), Gladiator (2000), and Antigone (2019).
GRS204 runs on Mondays and Thursdays, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:20 p.m.
GNDR214: Reimagining the World Through WOC Speculative Fiction
Gender Studies 214 immerses students in the work of women, queer, non-binary, and trans people of colour, with a focus on speculative fiction by African and Asian North American authors. Using novels, films, poems, podcasts, and more, students will consider how these authors and artists “respond to the world as it has been, is, and should be.”
GNDR214 runs on Mondays and Thursdays, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.
SJS300: Activism and Advocacy for Social Change
Social Justice Studies 300 equips students with an interdisciplinary approach to activism and advocacy for social change. According to their website, the Social Justice Studies program — offered by the Department of Sociology — aims to provide students with a “thorough understanding of the range of ways to address and engage with issues of social inequity and injustice in the contemporary world.” This course explores social justice concepts, theories, and methods to teach students about past and present movements for social change.
SJS300 runs Mondays from 5:00 p.m. to 7:50 p.m.
ENSH396: Indigenous Storytelling: Gathering our Medicine Stories
Open to all students, English 396 is a special topics course being led by renowned Tłı̨chǫ Dene author Richard Van Camp. According to the course description, “students will engage with Indigenous literatures beyond the written word, to explore the power of such stories to heal, inspire, and build relationships.” Students will explore diverse topics like artisan traditions, recipe legacies, and reviving harvesting techniques.
ENSH396 will be held online on Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
