SII 199Y1Y: Society and Its Institutions (3)
| Section | Title | College | Time |
| L0031 | History of Energy | Victoria | Timetable |
| L0161 | Computational Reality, Illusion and Deception | - | Timetable |
| L0181 | Contemporary Economic Systems | - | Timetable |
| L0182 | Contemporary Economic Systems | - | Timetable |
| L0351 | TBA | ||
| L0352 | Public, Private and the Liberal State | - | Timetable |
| L0371 | Origins, Transition and Diversity in Christianity | - | Timetable |
| L0391 | How We Use Time in Everyday Life | - | Timetable |
| L0392 | Ideas and Evidence in the Social Sciences | - | Timetable |
SII 199Y1 Society and Its Institutions: Category 3
Section L0031
Victoria College
History of Energy
Energy is necessary both for individuals and states for survival and growth. This course will describe the role of energy in society and the ways in which societies have struggled to acquire and harness energy throughout history. It will discuss the effects of this struggle on technology, the environment, war, politics, and mentalities. Both opponents and supporters of nuclear energy claim it will have a massive (positive or negative) impact on society, but this is as true for other kinds of energy at other periods in history as it is for nuclear energy today. Besides nuclear energy, the course will consider more traditional means of obtaining energy, fossil fuels, and alternative energy sources in order to study the interaction of energy with society throughout history.
Instructor: J. Langins, Victoria College
Breadth category: 3 Society and Its Institutions
Section L0161
Computational Reality, Illusion and Deception
Can you believe what you see? The art and science of computer graphics is reaching the point where we cannot distinguish between “real” and “synthetic” (i.e., computer generated) imagery. This will have a profound impact on society in the future as computer graphics pervades all walks of life. What kind of society will we have when we cannot distinguish real from imaginary? Should we be concerned about the fact that this technology will be exploited for less than altruistic ends? Or should we just chill and watch “The Matrix”? This course will explore the art, science and technology of computer graphics, past and present. We will look at the areas in which computer assisted image creation is being employed. We will then look into the future, make some predictions on where it is going, and think about its consequences. Will we be saved because we cannot cross the “uncanny valley”?
Instructor: E. Fiume, Computer Science
Breadth category: 3 Society and Its Institutions
Section L0181
Contemporary Economic Systems
This seminar looks at some very diverse economies in a comparative framework. These include market, non-market and hybrid economic systems, both historical and contemporary. In the first term students will examine “primitive” and underdeveloped economics. These will be contrasted with the classical market economy and the contemporary Canadian economy. In the second term the course will treat the economies of the ancient world and medieval Europe along with some contemporary economies such as Sweden. The “transition” economies of Russia and China will also be examined.
Instructors: A. Rotstein (F term) and G. Indart (S term), Economics
Breadth category: 3 Society and Its Institutions
Section L0352
Public, Private, and the Liberal State
The distinction between public and private is central to liberalism and, hence, to the liberal state. But two things have happened recently that complicate our capacity to figure out what public and private mean. The first is that there has been a significant blurring of the boundary between public and private – what between the emergence of institutions like charter schools in education, the rise of “public markets” in the provision of “public goods,” and the growing “privatization” of something as quintessentially public as war. The second development is the Babel effect. We continue to construct political programs around the public/private distinction. But what happens if different people mean fundamentally different things by these terms? How do we sift through the various meanings of public and private to give some coherence to our political language? Or are we doomed to talk past each other? The seminar will focus on the U.S., Canada and, where possible, Europe. We will address a broad range of perspectives, among political theory, constitutional law, and public policy. A package of customized readings will be produced for students in the seminar.
Instructor: R. Vipond, Political Science
Breadth category: 3 Society and Its Institutions
Section L0371
Origins, Transition and Diversity in Christianity
This seminar course seeks to understand how a religion originating in one culture among one set of people expands to other peoples and enters new cultures, and how these new peoples and cultures begin to transform under the aegis of the new religion. The focus is on Christianity, the religion that in one form or another embraces one-third of the world’s population. It is the largest religion in the world, and distinctive in being the only religion with communities found in every country of the world. The seminar examines how Christianity with its extraordinary diversity came to occupy this position by the time of the twenty-first century. It draws examples from all continents and many periods, and considers factors from religion, missions, and spirituality to society, migration, empire, trade, and war. The study asks when and in what way various forms of Christianity entered and set up in new regions and new cultures? The dominant themes are origins, transitions, and diversification. The method is participatory, as students select and explore particular countries, and contribute to the overall project of the course.
Instructor: T. McIntire, Study of Religion
Breadth category: 3 Society and Its Institutions
Section L0391
How We Use Time in Everyday Life
In substance, this seminar examines how people use time in their everyday lives: the content, the patterns, and the implications. This analysis focuses on the circumstances under which variations in the use of time occur and the role of context – such as social factors or physical location – in governing people’s choices. The data collected can serve as a model for understanding and explaining a number of issues in the social sciences. The seminar will include both an examination of seminal writings about people’s use of time and hands-on practice in the strategies and techniques of analyzing data, including the formulation of questions and approaches to answering them. Through this seminar, students will acquire – from a sociological perspective – an appreciation not only of the concept of time but also of how they use time in their daily lives and how time-use helps them better understand many situations.
Instructor: W. Michelson, Sociology
Breadth category: 3 Society and Its Institutions
Section L0392
Ideas and Evidence in the Social Sciences
Daily social life often seems to be a maze of unconnected events. Is there any order to these events? This seminar will focus on how ideas and evidence are used to examine the underlying social processes and patterns that shape and influence the social world. Seminar members will participate in “research teams” that will design and undertake a research project in such fields as ethnicity, gender, social class, network involvement, and organizational affiliations.
Instructors: D. Magill and W. Michelson, Sociology
Breadth category: 3 Society and Its Institutions