Humanities offers a little something for everyone on campus
Ken Cruikshank, dean of McMaster's diverse and progressive Faculty of Humanities. Once complete, the state-of-the-art L.R. Wilson Hall will become the University's new home for a wide range of courses in the humanities and social sciences.
Next time you’re scouring the course calendar looking for a unique class to expand your education, take a look at what the Faculty of Humanities is offering. From Shakespeare to digital games and everything in between, Humanities has a subject for just about everyone.
1. History 3UA3 – History of the Future
Wondering where your flying car is? Find out where dreams about future technologies come from in this course. Study past visions of the future, the history of modern technology, and the history of forecasting, predicting and anticipating changes in our environment.
2. Multimedia 3K03 – Digital Games
To study for this class you should probably fire up your Xbox. Students in the Digital Games course study form, content, genres and the cultural significance of digital games in modern culture. Learn what digital games are all about, why they are so popular and what stories we can take away from them.
3. Classics 2E03 – The Ancient World In Film
Students in this class examine the history and mythology of the ancient world through the camera lens. Compare and contrast literary and film adaptations to the original myths while watching Gladiator, Spartacus and scenes from Zack Synder’s 300.
4. Music 2II3/Communication Studies 2R03 – Popular Music Post World War II
Many people listen to music while studying, but what about studying the music you listen to? From Elvis Presley and Led Zeppelin to Michael Jackson and Metallica, this course is a chronological look through music history from the end of the Second World War to the 1980s.
5. English 2CR3 / Theatre & Film 2CR3 – Shakespeare: Comedies, Problem Plays, Romances
Shakespearian comedy and romance is what this course is all about. Get to know more about the lighter side of the English playwright by studying the literary, cultural and historical backgrounds to some of his most entertaining — and problematic — plays.
6. Art History 3XX3/ Theatre & Film 2L03 – Cinema History from World War II
This course explores cinema history from the end of the Second World War to the present day. Moving chronologically from the 1950s through the revolutions of the 1960s and on to present day, students will study the technological and cultural shifts in both independent films and Hollywood blockbusters.
7. Philosophy 2D03 – Moral Issues
Bioethics, cloning, the physician-patient relationship and euthanasia — these are just some of some of the subjects this course tackles. Moral Issues offers an unparalleled opportunity to learn the theoretical tools that help to unpack these complex issues.
8. Women Studies 3GG3/History 3WW3 – Women in Canada & USA From 1920
This course covers the rich and captivating history of women in North America from 1920 to the present day. Topics include the sexual revolution, the substantial changes in the labour market, the welfare state and a look at the conflicting and contradictory histories affecting diverse groups of women in the United States and Canada.
9. Linguistics 3C03 – Child Language Acquisition
Humans start out communicating with short screams and weird noises and then a few years later we talk in fully-formed sentences. Ever wondered how that happens? This is the course that studies the process by which humans learn language from early childhood and takes you on an incredible journey from the origins of language to the scientific methods that we use to study language today.
10. German 2S03 – The Split-Screen: Modern Germany Through Cinema (Taught in English)
This course will examine German culture and national identity through its cinematic creations by comparing contemporary East and West German films. The course is taught in English, and bratwurst is optional.
11. French 3AA3 – Modern French Canadian Novel
Develop an appreciation for French Canadian literature by studying the evolution of the contemporary novel in Quebec from 1965 to 2011. Genres include romance novels, migrant literature and science fiction. Say oui and take this course.
12. History 3YY3 – Britain & The First World War
Great Britain’s participation in The First World War left a significant legacy in British culture, society and politics. This course goes in-depth — providing a careful examination of the war on the home front, as well as a sobering look at the horror of trench warfare. Students will study how Britain changed as a result of the war and how the views of the war have diverged between popular memory and the actual experience of the conflict as documented by historians.
