2023-2024 Course Descriptions
SOCA03: Introduction to Sociology (full year) – A large lecture with a TYP@UTSC - specific tutorial section. Sociology focuses on explaining social patterns and how they impact individual lives. This course teaches students how to think sociologically, using empirical research methods and theories to make sense of society. Students will learn about the causes and consequences of inequalities, the ways in which our social worlds are constructed rather than natural, and the role of institutions in shaping our lives. A selection of subfields within the discipline will also be introduced, which may include culture, gender, sexualities, race and ethnicity, education, religion, families, crime, law, health, mass media, social change, and globalization.
CTLA20: Writing for Change: Foundational Academic Skills to Make a Difference in Your Community (Fall) – Limited to TYP@UTSC students. This course uses the mode of advocacy writing to teach the foundational skills necessary for all effective communication. Students will learn to convey their ideas about issues relevant to their communities with attention to structure, voice, evidence, and writing mechanics.
HLTA91: A Healthy Campus for Students: Prioritizing Mental Health and Wellness (Fall) - Lecture section limited to TYP@UTSC students. Students need to be and feel part of a community that allows them to flourish and thrive. This course focuses on creating a healthy campus community by equipping students with practical knowledge, theoretical frameworks, and skills to prioritize their mental health, physical health, and self-care activities. Emphasis is placed on examining theoretical frameworks and practical activities that ameliorate mental health and self care practices, particularly those included in UTSC’s Healthy Campus Initiative Pillars (i.e. Arts & Culture, Equity & Diversity, Food & Nutrition, Mental Health, Physical Activity, and Physical Space). Drawing on theoretical frameworks and current peer-reviewed research from fields including medicine, psychology, nutrition, exercise and fitness, as well as social and cultural studies, students will learn to debate and integrate theoretical and practical concepts relevant to contemporary understandings of what it means to be healthy. In addition, students will engage in experiential learning activities that will expose them to campus resources in ways that they can apply to creating healthy communities.
CTLA21: Math4Life: Developing Mathematical Thinking and Skills in Practical Contexts (Winter) - Limited to TYP@UTSC students. Basic mathematics concepts such as Arithmetic, Elementary Algebra, Geometry and Trigonometry, Data collection and Interpretation, Sets, and Functions are covered through activities that require students to solve related practical problems. CTLA21 will draw on African and Indigenous cultural knowledges and perspectives to connect the study of mathematics to TYP students’ interests and lived experiences.
ENGA02: Critical Writing About Literature (Winter) – Lecture section limited to TYP@UTSC students. Intensive training in critical writing about literature. Students learn essay-writing skills (explication; organization and argumentation; research techniques; bibliographies and MLA-style citation) necessary for the study of English at the university level through group workshops, multiple short papers, and a major research-based paper. This is not a grammar course; students are expected to enter with solid English literacy skills.
Weekly TYP@UTSC Student Seminar (Fall and Winter) - This seminar provides academic skills training, demystifies the university experience, and provides opportunities for community building.
Additional opportunities for facilitated study groups, extra help, and study sessions will be arranged.