Electives by theme
Not sure what courses to take to round out your first year? After selecting courses required for your program, you'll likely be left with a number of elective slots to fill.
Choosing electives can seem daunting—there are many courses, offered by many academic units, from which to choose. The Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences have grouped together courses into a number of thematic areas to help you as you explore your options. These courses are appropriate for first year students (or above), from any faculty.
Note: You can also review a complete list of 100- and 200-level courses without prerequisites if you would prefer to search by faculty and unit, rather than by theme.
Thematic areas and courses
Not all courses are offered in each term, so once you've found courses that interest you, check the academic calendar to confirm when each course will be offered for the upcoming session.
Ancient civilizations and societies
- GRS 101 - Discovering the Ancient Greeks
- GRS 102 - Discovering the Ancient Romans
- GRS 200 - Greek and Roman Mythology (or RCS 200)
- GRS 203 - Unearthing the Ancient Mediterranean
- GRS 204 - The Ancient World on Film
- HSTR 236 - Medieval Beginnings
- HSTR 265A - China and the Premodern World
- LING 270 - The Evolution of Language
- MEDI 100 - Entering the Middle Ages
- MEDI 200 - Myths and Legends of the Middle Ages
- PAAS 150 - Premodern Chinese Culture
- PAAS 152 - Essentials of Chinese Civilization (in Chinese)
- PAAS 170 - Premodern Southeast Asian Cultures
- PAAS 180 - Premodern Japanese Culture
- PHIL 204 - Traditions of Asian Philosophy
- PHIL 207A - Introduction to Ancient Philosophy
- PHIL 208 - Introduction to Islamic Philosophy
- RCS 200A - Introduction to Judaism, Christianity and Islam
- RCS 200B - Introduction to Asian Religions
Canada
Children, youth and education
- FRAN 265 - Global French Connections *
- FRAN 394 - Children’s and Young Adult Literature in French **
- GNDR 100 - Gender, Power and Difference
- SLST 180 - Magic and the Fairy Tale World
* Taught in French; can submit assignments in English
** Requires fluent French; suitable for École Brodeur graduates or similar
Environment
Film and media
- GNDR 200 - Popular Culture and Social Media
- GNDR 206 - Monstrous Women
- GNDR 210 - The Zombie in Popular Culture
- GNDR 219 - Topics in Gender Studies - Critical Media Practices and the Body
- GMST 153 - Representations of the Holocaust in Popular Culture
- GRS 204 - The Ancient World on Film
- SPAN 185 - Hispanic Culture Through Film (in English)
Finance, economics and the workplace
* Requires completion of the AWR as pre-requisite
Genocide and human rights
- GMST 153 - Representations of the Holocaust in Popular Culture
- GNDR 203 - Indigenous Womxn in Canada
- HSTR 100 - History, Power and Justice
- HSTR 119 - Deportation and Exile
- HSTR 120 - History of Human Rights
- PHIL 235 - Ethics of Violence, War and Terrorism
- PHIL 236 - Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy
Global development
- ENGL 263 - Introduction to World Literature in English
- GNDR 201 - Gender, Food and Power
- GNDR 207 - Gender, Globalization and the Love Industry
- GNDR 219 - Topics in Gender Studies - Gender and Tourism
- HSTR 101F - Food in World History
- HSTR 112A - World History 1900-1945
- HSTR 112B - The World Since 1945-present
- IS 101 - Indigenous Foundations
- ISP 200 - Introduction to Intercultural Studies
- LAS 200 - Latin America (or HSTR 276)
- PAAS 100 - Introduction to Pacific and Asian Studies
Health and sexuality
The history and science of language
Human geography
- LAS 200 - Latin America (or HSTR 276)
- FRAN 265 - Global French Connections *
- GNDR 100 - Gender, Power and Difference
- HSTR 101F - Food in World History
- IS 100 - Responsibilities and Reciprocity in the Place You Are Now
- IS 101 - Indigenous Foundations
- RCS 101 - Anthropology and Food
- SPAN 205 - Histories of Violence in Contemporary Mexico (in English)
* Taught in French; can submit assignments in English
Human thought and fantasy
- GMST 180 - Myths, Fairy Tales and Fantasy Fiction
- GNDR 206 - Monstrous Women
- GNDR 219 - Topics in Gender Studies - Reimagining the World: Transnational Speculative Fiction
- LING 110 - Language and Thought
- MEDI 200 - Myths and Legends of the Middle Ages
- PAAS 101 - Text, Manipulation, Propaganda
- RCS 120 - The People, Practices and Politics of Contemporary Yoga
- SLST 180 - Magic and the Fairy Tale World
Indigenous culture, history and language
- GNDR 100 - Gender, Power and Difference
- SPAN 304 - Indigenous Latin America, Social Justice and the Environment (in English)*
* With permission of the department
International politics and foundations of the current global order
- EUS 100 - Introduction to European Studies
- HSTR112A - World History 1900-1945
- HSTR 112B - The World Since 1945-Present
- HSTR 115 - The Second World War
- HSTR 240B - Europe, Napoleon to the European Union
- HSTR 265A - China and the Premodern World
- HSTR 210B - The United States since 1865
- ISP 200 - Introduction to Intercultural Studies
- PAAS 100 - Introduction to Pacific and Asian Studies
Knowledge and big ideas
- ENGL 146 - Contemporary Literature (meets AWR)
- ENGL 147 - Literary Traditions (meets AWR)
- ENGL 207 - Intro to Cultural Studies
- ENGL 260 - The Bible as Literature (or RCS 260)
- GRS 200 - Greek and Roman Mythology (or RCS 200)
- HSTR 100 - History, Power and Justice
- HSTR 101A - Ten Days that Shook the World
- HUMA 120A - Humanities and the Making of the Intellectual Life
- HUMA 120B - Post-Medieval Humanities and the Making of the Modern Mind
- LING 100A - Foundations in Linguistics I
- PAAS 100 - Introduction to Pacific and Asian Studies
- PHIL 100 - Introduction to Philosophy
- PHIL 210 - Introduction to Early Modern Philosophy
- PHIL 211 - Introduction to Existentialism
- PHIL 220 - Introduction to Philosophy of Science
- PHIL 225 - Death and Dying
- PHIL 251 - Knowledge, Certainty and Skepticism
- PHIL 261 - Philosophy of Religion
- RCS 200A - Introduction to Judaism, Christianity and Islam
- RCS 200B - Introduction to Asian Religions
Languages
- ASL 100A - American Sign Language I
- ASL 100B - American Sign Language II
- FRAN 100 - Intensive French I
- FRAN 120 - Intensive French II
- FRAN 150 - French Conversation
- FRAN 170 - Intensive French III
- FRAN 180 - Intensive French IV
- FRAN 265 - Global French Connections *
- GMST 101 - Beginning German I
- GMST 108 - Introduction to Translating German Texts
- GMST 110 - Intensive Beginning German
- GREE 101 - Introductory Ancient Greek I
- ITAL 100A - Beginners' Italian I
- LATI 101 - Introductory Latin I
- LING 274 - How to Learn a Language
- PAAS 116 - Beginner Chinese I: Part 1
- PAAS 118 - Intensive Beginner Chinese I
- PAAS 120 - Introduction to Indonesian-Malay I
- PAAS 128 - Introduction to Korean I
- PAAS 138 - Intensive Beginner Japanese I
- SLST 101 - Beginning Russian I
- SLST 102 - Beginning Russian II
- SLST 110 - Intensive Beginning Russian
- SLST 111 - Beginning Ukrainian I
- SPAN 100A - Beginners’ Spanish I
- SPAN 149 - Intensive Beginners' Spanish
* Taught in French; can submit assignments in English
Law and justice
Social justice
- GNDR 100 - Gender, Power and Difference
- GNDR 201 - Gender, Food and Power
- GNDR 203 - Indigenous Womxn in Canada
- GNDR 206 - Monstrous Women
- GNDR 207 - Gender, Globalization and the Love Industry
- GNDR 219 - Topics in Gender Studies - Critical Media Practices and the Body
- GNDR 219 - Topics in Gender Studies - Gender & Environmental Justice
- GNDR 219 - Topics in Gender Studies - Gender and Tourism
- GNDR 219 - Topics in Gender Studies - Reimagining the World: Transnational Speculative Fiction
- GNDR 219 - Topics in Gender Studies - Womb Matters: The Contested Terrains of Reproduction
- HSTR 100 - History, Power and Justice
- HSTR 101F - Food in World History
- HSTR 119 - Deportation and Exile
- HSTR 120 - History of Human Rights
- IS 100 - Responsibilities and Reciprocity in the Place You Are Now
- IS 101 - Indigenous Foundations
- ISP 200 - Introduction to Intercultural Studies
- LAS 200 - Latin America (or HSTR 276)
- PHIL 232 - Moral Problems of Contemporary Society
- PHIL 236 - Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy
Societies and how they work
- GMST 100 - Introduction to Germanic Studies
- GNDR 100 - Gender, Power and Difference
- HSTR 210A - The United States to the Civil War
- HSTR 210B - The United States since 1865
- HSTR 220A - History of England to the Glorious Revolution
- HSTR 220B - History of England from the Glorious Revolution
- HSTR 236 - Medieval Beginnings
- HSTR 240A - Europe, Renaissance to the French Revolution
- HSTR 240B - Europe, Napoleon to the European Union
- HSTR 265A - China and the Premodern World
- HSTR 275 - Modern South Asia from Early Empires to Gandhi
- HSTR 276 - Latin America (or LAS 200)
- HSTR 277A - The Middle East and the First World War
- IS 101 - Indigenous Foundations
- LAS 200 - Latin America (or HSTR 276)
- PAAS 151 - Modern Chinese Culture
- PAAS 171 - Modern Southeast Asian Cultures
- PAAS 181 - Modern Japanese Culture
- PHIL 223 - Introduction to Philosophy of the Social Sciences
- RCS 101 - Anthropology and Food
- RCS 200A - Introduction to Judaism, Christianity and Islam
- RCS 200B - Introduction to Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and the Chinese Religions
- SLST 100 - Introduction to Russian Society and Culture
- SPAN 205 - Histories of Violence in Contemporary Mexico (in English)
War and conflict
Writing and critical thinking
- ATWP 101 - Fundamentals of Academic Literacy
- Focus is on sentence and paragraph-level skills and basic essay writing; recommended for students who want extra support as they prepare for university academic writing
- ATWP 135 - Academic Reading and Writing (meets AWR)
- ENGL 146 - Contemporary Literature (meets AWR)
- ENGL 147 - Literary Traditions (meets AWR)
- ENGL 215 - The Writing of Expository Prose
- ENGL 225 - Technical Communications: Written and Verbal (requires AWR as pre-requisite)
- PHIL 201 - Critical Thinking
The following courses help support your academic progress. Taking an English course can help improve writing at all levels, while ED-D 101 will help you develop learning strategies for overall success at university.
- ATWP 101 - Fundamentals of Academic Literacy
- Focus is on sentence and paragraph-level skills and basic essay writing; recommended for students who want extra support as they prepare for university academic writing
- ATWP 135 - Academic Reading and Writing *
- ED-D101 - Learning Strategies for University Success
- ENGL 146 - Contemporary Literature *
- ENGL 147 - Literary Traditions *
- ENGL 225 - Technical Communications
Courses with an asterisk also satisfy UVic's Academic Writing Requirement.