HUM 199H1F
Section L0091
Innis College Course
Course Timetable

Who Shot JFK? The Illusion and Reality of Evidence

The assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy in 1963 remains one of the most compelling political murder mysteries of modern times. For over four decades, the official conclusion of the Warren Commission Report that President Kennedy was shot by a lone, deranged gunman has been disputed by scholars, popular writers, and film-makers. They contend that Kennedy was a victim of a "conspiracy" and "cover up," involving American and/or foreign government agents, organized crime, and the US military-industrial complex. By focusing on the evidence that supports both sides of the controversy, this seminar will help students to learn how to evaluate evidence and how to use evidence to support an argument. The course is not designed to resolve this so-called crime of the century but to improve the student's capacity for critical thinking, research, and writing.

R Riendeau, Innis College

HUM 199H1F
Section L0141
Course Timetable

Vengeance in Antiquity

This course will examine the theme of revenge, with a special emphasis on ancient Greek and Latin literature. Who seeks revenge? When? From whom? Why? Which acts of vengeance are justified and which not? Which evoke admiration and which horror? Any answer to such questions will necessarily involve questions of self and society, the boundaries that separate legitimate and illegitimate violence, and the difficult interplay between propriety and hate. Readings will include selections from Greek and Latin epic, drama, oratory and historical works. We will also examine some post-classical materials including Jacobean revenge drama as well as cinema. The course will emphasize classroom discussion and the development of writing skills.

Professor E. Gunderson, Department of Classics

HUM 199H1F
Section L0281
Course Timetable

Language Diversity & Culture

In this course we will join the debate as to the extent to which culture shapes language and language shapes culture. We will look at languages from around the world to see how differently they express similar concepts. Are taboos and euphemisms the same in every language? Do you perceive colours differently if you have only a few words for them? Why are English curses so different from French curses? Does your language have a kinship term for your father’s sister’s husband? These are just a few of the topics that we will discuss in investigating the interaction of language and culture.

Professor E. Gold, Department of Linguistics

HUM 199H1F
Section L0282
Course Timetable

Language and Mind

This seminar course will present a critical overview of the revolution in linguistics and cognitive science initiated by Noam Chomsky. We will look at how Chomsky rethought the foundations of linguistics as a science and its relation to cognitive science, philosophy of language, and psychology. In particular we will discuss the following related questions: (i) what is the human linguistic ability and how do we acquire it? (ii) To what extent is language innate and what is the relation between language and learning? (iii) Non-human communication: can we speak of "language"? (iv) What's the place of the "language faculty" in the architecture of the mind? (v) Can evolution tell us anything about the language faculty? The aim of this class is to provide students with a perspective on the goals and questions that the scientific study of language raises.

Professor B.E. Dresher, Department of Linguistics

HUM 199H1F
Section L0321
Course Timetable

Thought Experiments

Some experiments are performed in the imagination rather than in a laboratory. Yet these thought experiments tell us about the natural world, about society and about ourselves. We will look at a wide range of thought experiments: early ones (Lucretius' proof that the universe is infinite) and contemporary ones (Putnam’s argument that we are not brains in vats); from ethics (Judith Jarvis Thompson’s thought experiment showing that abortion is morally permissible), and from science (Einstein’s ‘elevator’ that showed light bends in a gravitational field.) In examining thought experiments, we will consider questions such as: How are thought experiments related to real-world experiments? How do they support or counter the related theories? What sorts of things can we learn from thought experiments? To what extent do thought experiments rely on intuition? How reliable is intuition? How can thought experiments be countered?

Professor N. Scharer, Department of Philosophy

HUM199H1F
Section L0381
Course Timetable

Edda and Kalevala: Explorations of Scandinavian and Finnish Mythology

Finland and the Scandinavian are Nordic countries. They have long had cultural and historical relations. The Norse and Finnish mythologies have both left indelible marks on our western culture. For example, the names of old Norse gods Odin or Wodan, Thor, and Freya are behind Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The Kalevala deeply inspired J.R.R.Tolkien to write Lord of the Rings and Silmarillion. We will trace the worldviews, the belief systems, and mythologies inherent in the Old Norse Edda and the Finnish Kalevala as well as discover relevant ideas of lasting value. Students will read selections from the Norse Edda and the Finnish Kalevala, as well as selections of secondary literature. All readings are in English.

Professor B.Vähämäki, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures

HUM 199H1F
Section L0382
Course Timetable

Russia at War

In its long history Russia has fought numerous wars, both defensive and offensive, and these wars have inspired a rich, complex, contradictory poetic response. We examine Russian war narratives starting with the medieval period and ending with the Second World War and including epic poetry, songs, stories, novels, paintings, and films. We will study the depiction of war and the image of the soldier (or warrior) in different genres and time periods, as well as the circumstances in which the different works were produced and the respective audiences for which they were intended. All texts will be in English.

Professor D. Orwin, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures

HUM 199H1S
Section L0091
Innis College Course
Course Timetable

Canadian Television: Past, Present and Future

This course will provide an overview and analysis of Canadian television's history, its present situation, and its future prospects. The examination of past programming trends will highlight the persistence of public affairs and variety programs, while indicating how other genres (such as sitcoms) have not fared as well within the Canadian context. This historical overview will be balanced by an assessment of Canada's current role within the so-called "multi-channel universe," as television's future looks to be shaped by evolving delivery systems and changing consumption patterns. Issues to be studied include: the CBC’s role as the nation’s official public broadcaster and how its mandate affects programming choices; the role of domestic production within the slates of the other main commercial broadcasters, particularly CTV and CanWest Global; the prospects for niche carriers, ranging from CITY-TV to a growing number of specialty channels; the potential of the internet, in the form of webcasts and other types of delivery.

TBA, Innis College

HUM 199H1S
Section L0141
Course Timetable

What is Sparta?

No city of ancient Greece has exerted a stronger hold over our imaginations than Sparta. For much of the archaic and classical periods it was the most powerful state in Greece, but this alone cannot explain the enduring fascination with the Spartans shown by both critics and admirers, from the fifth century B.C. to the present day, in popular culture as well as in the fields of history, philosophy, political science, and education. This course will focus on the perceptions and judgements on Sparta made from outside by both contemporary and later observers. A complex and often contradictory picture will emerge: the Spartans have been depicted both as paragons of military excellence and self-sacrificing courage, and as over-cautious and narrowly self-interested; as devoutly pious and as foolishly superstitious; as political radicals and as extreme conservatives; as people who were passionately committed to freedom and equality and as the violent masters of a brutal slave society; as heroic role-models and as symbols of totalitarian oppression. This course will seek to explore the reasons for and significance of these judgements, with the aim of reaching a better understanding not only of Sparta but of the continuing influence of the ancient world over the modern.

Professor B. Akrigg, Department of Classics

HUM 199H1S
Section L0142
Course Timetable

(Re) Constructing

Praised as the tenth muse in antiquity, Sappho continues to fascinate her readers, even though (or maybe because?) most of her poetry is irrecoverably lost. In this class we will read the extant verses of Sappho in translation and investigate to what extent her poetry can be reconstructed. In addition we will ask how ancient and modern readers alike have each constructed their own Sappho – Sappho the brilliant poetess, Sappho the spinster schoolmistress or Sappho the proto-lesbian femme fatale, to name just a few of her many faces. We will look at the legends that have been spun around Sappho, at her place in the history of sexuality and at her appearance in 19th- and 20th-century literature, such as Pierre Louÿs’ “Songs of Bilitis”, Renée Vivien’s poetry and the works of the American poet H.D.

Professor R. Höschele, Department of Classics

HUM 199H1S
Section L0143
Course Timetable

Alexander the Great

In this course we will read the most important ancient accounts of the life of Alexander the Great. We will discuss his childhood and education in Macedonia and his disputes with and alleged role in the death of his father Philip II. And of course we will follow him on his great campaigns in Asia Minor, Egypt, Mesopotamia, across the Hindu Kush and along the Indus, occasionally stopping en route to explore important historical questions in the light of literary, archaeological, epigraphic and other kinds of evidence. As a result, this course will serve as an introduction not only to the life of Alexander the Great but also to the different categories of evidence and the basic methodologies involved in studying ancient history.

Professor E. Lytle, Department of Classics

HUM 199H1S
Section L0281
Course Timetable

Language and the Internet

The Internet is changing language. But how? Two widespread popular mythologies prevail: 1) that the Internet is bad for the future of language, that technospeak will rule, standards be lost, and creativity diminished as globalization imposes sameness, and 2) that young people, the most prolific users of new media, are a major contributor to the general decline of language leading to the “linguistic ruin” of this generation. However, linguists argue for the reverse: that the Internet is in fact enabling a dramatic expansion in the range and variety of language as well as providing unprecedented opportunities for personal creativity. This course will provide a venue for students to explore these issues, not simply through review and discussion, but by studying Internet language in all its guises via hands-on data collection and analysis.

Professor S. Tagliamonte, Department of Linguistics

HUM 199H1S
Section L0282
Course Timetable

The Dialectics of Dialects

Do you speak a dialect? What is a dialect? In what ways do dialects differ? In this course we will cover a range of linguistic issues having to do with dialects, using different language varieties to explore this topic, e.g. English, Inuktitut, Jamaican. We will see that dialects can vary based on region, age, style, etc. We will also explore the controversies that dialects can create within societies. Throughout we will focus on how the study of linguistics approaches the phenomenon of dialects. Another important topic is how dialects change and sometimes disappear through contact with other languages and dialects. Bring your dialect to class!

Professor A. Johns, Department of Linguistics

HUM 199H1S
Section L0321
Course Timetable

The Rule of Law

This course will examine the idea of legality or the rule of law. Most people think of the rule of law as a moral good. Yet how can this belief be reconciled with the existence of evil laws and wicked legal systems? We will first establish the main contending positions in this debate and then focus the theoretical discussion on a German case known as "the Grudge Informer," on the Canadian Chinese Head Tax Case, on excerpts from David Dyzenhaus's 1991 case study of the apartheid legal order (Hard Cases in Wicked Legal Systems), and on a case that deals with terrorism and security issues.

Professor D. Dyzenhaus, Department of Philosophy