What are the effects and implications of media and social media in modern society? In this course we will explore ways which various media, including digital and social media have shaped contemporary society in terms of our attitudes, beliefs, practices, and daily life in general. Focus areas will include education, employment, journalism, politics, human rights, and privacy, among others.

Offered by:
Thomas Hughes (Mon-Wed-Fri)
Shahreen Mat Nayan (Tues-Thurs)

This course explores the psychology of personality, through the well-established psychometric inventory known as the Big Five, the popular Myer Briggs personality test, and theories of human emotion. We will consider student personalities using Bandura’s self-efficacy paradigm, and explore how cognitive skills and other abilities are based in the brain, but also reflect child-rearing practices, as well as other possible reasons why people excel in different areas. Readings will address states and traits, the eight emotions with a biophysical basis, and other aspects of behaviour and psychodynamics. A range of examples will help detail our understanding, including music and personality, and the use of personality testing in hiring.

Offered by:
Christina Decoursey (Tues-Thurs)

The theme of Identity is explored through several theories; the connection between learning and change in the physical structure of the brain; cultural dimensions; the emergence of agency and identity through experience and action as studied in history; emotional intelligence; the power of emotion in effecting change; possible selves; and multiple intelligences. Through reasoned argument, supported by evidence from these approaches and other sources, with an audience and point of view in mind, reflection by course members throws light on the possibility of creating and self-defining one’s Identity.

Offered by:
Jane Hoelker (Mon-Wed-Fri);

What is Quality of Life? Is there one single universal idea of Quality of Life? In what different ways can we think about it? In order to measure and monitor quality of life, a systematic approach is needed leading from concept to measure, then to synthesis and interpretation. Critical reading and analysis of a range of credible sources will help you formulate your own conception of quality of life, and the choice of the instruments to measure objective and subjective dimensions of the quality of life. The aim of this work, and specifically of the two papers you will write in the course of your study, is to practice meaningful academic argumentation which values clarity, reason, evidence and rigour.

Offered by:
Olga Campbell-Thomson (Mon-Wed-Fri)

“We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another,” says Klaus Schwab, who coined the concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as 4IR or Industry 4.0. In this course, we will explore what exactly 4IR means, whether it is really a new era or an extension of the Third Industrial Revolution, and how revolutionary it truly is while questioning the promises and challenges of the 4IR from different perspectives, including economic, legal, political, educational, ethical, sociological, and psychological viewpoints. The 4IR, as our course theme, will give us the ground to understand, analyze, respond to, and develop arguments.

Offered by:
Gamze Öncül (Mon-Wed-Fri)

In this section, we will explore various ways that living in a globalized world impacts conceptions of personal identity and constructions of culture. Course theme readings will address issues of cultural hybridity, locality, representation, global media, tradition, language, public culture, and the cultural impacts of global pandemic. By examining the works of different writers and thinkers, we will discover where we stand as individuals on cultural issues that emerge in our interconnected world. We will also consider how these issues relate to our lived experiences. With a topic and a point of view, we will be able develop arguments, support them with evidence, and present them knowledgeably and convincingly in writing.

Offered by:
Yamen Rahvan (Tues-Thurs)
Bakhtiar Naghdipour (Tues-Thurs)