Commuters Choice: Favourite UofT Courses

Introducing a new blog series, Commuters Choice! Commuters Choice will feature top picks in a selected category that were submitted by students, for students.

The first category is favourite UofT courses! Keep reading to see which courses other students have loved.

FOR305H1: Biology of Trees and Forests

Course Description: An overview of the biology of trees and the ecological principles that govern the structure and function of forests. Topics in tree biology will include tree identification, wood anatomy, tree architecture, resource acquisition and allocation, tree growth and mortality. Topics in forest ecology will include resource competition, stand development, species succession, and the cycling of nutrients and energy. This course will include a substantial field and lab component.

“Every week you walk around campus and a local arboretum and look at plants and trees for 3 hours.” — Maximus Caron (4th year studying Forest Conservation, Human Geography & Political Science)

JSU237H1: Introduction to HIV/AIDS: Health, Sexuality and Gender

Course Description: A critical examination of the HIV/AIDS global pandemic from a multidisciplinary perspective and with an emphasis on sexuality. The course examines the basic biology of HIV/AIDS and then covers social, historical, political, cultural, gender, and public health aspects of HIV/AIDS. Attention is given to the distinct features of vulnerable and marginalized populations, prevention, treatment, drug development, and access to medicines.

“This course made me excited to go to school in the morning! Class discussions were always so interesting and tied to our current lives. I loved learning through science, humanities, and social science lenses throughout the semester — truly one of a kind!!” — Katya (3rd year studying Psychology, Health Studies & Buddhism, Psychology and Mental Health)

FAH245H1: Modernism and anti-Modernism, c. 1750–1900

Course Description: An introduction to the advent and development of art movements including Rococo and Neoclassicism; Romanticism and Revolution, Realism and the advent of Photography, Impressionism; Academic art; Post-Impressionism.

“Professor Bear made the lectures extremely interesting and engaging!! He really broke down art history to its fundamentals in the least boring way. The assignments were all reasonable and fairly graded. I would take this again if I could!” -Celena Ho (4th year studying History & Art History)

PSY100H1: Introductory Psychology

Course Description: A brief introductory survey of psychology as both a biological and social science. Topics will include physiological, learning, perceptual, motivational, cognitive, developmental, personality, abnormal, and social psychology.

“I feel it’s really fun to know what’s happening with you & others lol.” -Eesha Banerjee (1st year studying Life Sciences)

ENG280H1: Urgent Approaches to Literature

Course Description: An introduction to the theory and practice of literary criticism. Focusing on a single text or small group of texts, students will gain experience with close reading and analysis, critical theory, research methods, and the conventions and skills particular to literary-critical writing.

“You can learn how to talk about literary theorists in a cool and slightly mystifying way that gives you rare hopefully not pretentious humanities rizz.” -Elaine Lee (4th year studying English)

TRN203H1: Society, its Limits and Possibilities

Course Description: Key texts from various disciplines that articulate fundamental features, limitations, and possibilities of contemporary society are introduced. Political consent, economics, governmental administration, the global / post-colonial world, historical transformation, gender politics, and media may be addressed.

“The content was super interesting. You get to learn about how our current societal structures came to be by starting from the fall of the roman empire and ending with present time.” -Zahra Ahmadi (3rd year studying Ethics, Society and Law, Indigenous Studies & French Language)

See any courses you liked? Have any courses to add? Comment them below, we would love to hear what your favourite course has been!