From cinematic music to Icelandic crime fiction, these barrier-free courses are perfect for your spring term
Searching for a last minute elective to add to your spring schedule? Try one of these six courses that require no prerequisites.
MUS109: Great Film Music
Do you want an excuse to listen to music from some of the most iconic movies in cinematic history? From Star Wars to James Bond, Music 109 offers students the opportunity to engage with and study the role of music in American films since the 1930s. Open to all students, this fun elective allows students to develop a deeper understanding of the impact of and intention behind music in films. This course runs on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30p.m. – 5:50p.m.
GNDR100: Gender, Power, and Difference
Gender Studies 100 is an introductory course that explores constructions of gender across race and ethnicity, class, sexualities, age, (dis)abilities, and geographical location. Students will engage key ideas and themes in Gender Studies with an interdisciplinary approach, studying various artistic, academic, and activist texts from around the world. Students will also develop the tools to “critically engage with questions of privilege, power, and transformation,” according to the course description. There are 5 sections of GNDR100, making this course a great option if you have less flexibility in your schedule.
ED-D205: Leadership in Social Media and Popular Culture
ED-D205, offered by the department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies, is a critical examination of how social media and popular culture impact our perceptions of leaders and leadership. Students will analyze and engage with various forms of media including social media platforms, blogs, television and movies, music, and memes. This online course is on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30p.m. – 4:20p.m.
HSTR329B: Race, Racism, and Ethnicity in Canada since 1900
History 329B engages with the histories and experiences of Indigenous Peoples, immigrants, and community development since 1900, examining Canadian state policies and dominant ideologies and practices. In previous years, the course has covered topics such as racism, antisemitism, narratives of resistance and survival, and histories of dispossession and exclusion. It is offered on Wednesdays from 6:30p.m. – 9:20p.m.
GMST369: From Crime in the Sagas to Icelandic Crime Fiction
Germanic Studies 369 is a special topics course, and this semester it will be taught by Dr. Torfi Tulinius, visiting professor from the University of Iceland. The course studies translated works by Icelandic authors, along with Icelandic crime shows and movies to examine their similarities — particularly their use of the paranormal, dreams, and landscapes. It is offered Mondays and Thursdays from 2:30p.m. – 4p.m.
SLST450: Cold War on Film
Looking for the perfect blend of history, film studies, and spy scandals to add to your timetable? This Germanic and Slavic Studies course explores the image of the enemy in Western and Soviet films leading up to and during the Cold War, tracing cinematic representation of America and the USSR to geopolitical conflict between the West and Russia. According to the course description, students will study “the Cold War as a cultural war, both in the sense of the conflict’s reflection in culture and culture’s active role as propaganda.” The course takes place on Mondays from 4:30p.m. – 7:20p.m.