Students will enrol in a single seminar in either their Fall or Winter term (in the term opposite from their Writing seminar).
Anthropology
ANTH 199 - Anthropology of the self
An exploration of the cultural, affective, and psychological processes that both make and unmake what we understand as our “self”. The class offers multidisciplinary lines of inquiry about the “self” and the contemporary condition.
English
ENGL 199 - Literature and democracy: Trials of an American selfhood
A close examination of some of the most important texts by American authors in the formative decades (early- to mid-nineteenth century) following the new nation’s declaration of independence from the English monarchy, in their aesthetic and cultural context.
Jewish Studies
JWST 199 - Jewish culture: A history through objects
An exploration of Jewish history through the lens of material culture with each session focusing on a single object, from a medieval manuscript to a pair of twentieth-century milk cans.
Economics
ECON 199 - Economics seminar: A reflection
An overview of one of the fundamental questions in economics: why some countries are rich and others poor. We will explore the role of economic and political institutions, as well as history, politics, and colonization, to understand how change can come about. Includes an introduction to statistics with no prerequisite experience.
Philosophy
PHIL 197 - Right and wrong
What does it mean to claim an action is right or wrong? The seminar offers an examination of the fundamental questions and concepts of morality and ethics. Learn to articulate and defend your positions on complex moral questions as preparation for thoughtful and informed decision-making in your academic and everyday life.
History
HIST 199 - History of McGill
A hands-on history of McGill offering you the chance to conduct your own archival research and deepen your understanding of your new institution. You will engage with questions foundational to the discipline of History such as why interpretations of the past vary, what kinds of historical evidence we can access, and how historians construct narratives and arguments.
Linguistics
LING 199 - Language and mind
Explore fundamental questions about the nature of language, one of the most complex of all human cognitive abilities.
Languages, Literatures and Cultures (German Studies)
GERM 197 - Images of otherness: The double
The double, or Doppelgänger, is a phenomenon that haunts German literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Learn the fundamental skills of literary analysis and hone your abilities in verbal expression and presentation by reading texts from Romanticism to 1945. All readings and discussions will be in English.