Arts (July 2025)

From Drama to Theatre: How does a play mean? (Theatre)

This course will explore the languages of theatre within Vancouver’s rich and lively performance culture. How do individual artists–directors, actors, designers–transform a playwright’s ideas into unique and original art? In what ways, for example, will a Shakespeare play produced in Vancouver become a Canadian play? These questions and more will be explored in relation to two plays a week in production in Vancouver during the term. We will examine and discuss the play scripts, attend the plays, and meet “backstage” with some of the artists themselves. Plays chosen will span a variety of genres, including Shakespeare (in production at Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival), musicals (in production at Theatre Under the Stars and the Arts Club Theatre Company), plus additional dramas and comedies in production.

Documentary & the City (Film)

For the first time in human history a majority of the world live in cities. While there are multiple threats posed by the growth of cities, such as poverty, migration, and social divisions, there are also surprising and innovative practices that emerge. The city of Vancouver is brimming with stories that can tell us many things about the world we live in. Focusing on documentary films and film making, this course introduces students to these often hidden stories of the city through key writings, films, and direct engagement with life in Vancouver. Students will use creative methods to connect critical analysis with their everyday experiences, while authoring basic documentary projects in neighbourhoods throughout the city.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Minors (students aged under 19 at the start of the program): Not accepted

Culture and Communication

This introductory course provides an anthropological perspective on how language, as a common human condition, shapes social life. In exploring the intertwined relationship between language and culture, the class will introduce the foundational concepts and methods used in anthropology to study patterns of communication and socio-cultural practices. Language is a substantial force in formulating cultural beliefs, ideologies, categories of social identity, community memberships, and power relations. After taking this course, students will be well-equipped to answer questions such as: What is language and how does it shape our social worlds? How can linguistic theories help us grasp cultural phenomena? How do people use language to form their identities? And how do various societal factors influence intercultural communication? Students will gain an understanding of the relationship of language to their own and other cultural contexts.

Global Journalism

This course will examine the development of media technologies, their applications, and their cultural, political and social impacts. Students will also gain hands-on experience in learning how to think and operate like a professional journalist in a simulated multimedia environment. It is designed to introduce students to the grammar and syntax of media across platforms, based on a core journalistic skill set of interviewing, reporting, news writing, and research methods in tandem with the most current technical tools and technologies in digital media.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Minors (students aged under 19 at the start of the program): Not Accepted

International Trade and Financial Markets

The modern global economy is intricately tied together through networks of trade and financial interconnections. This course will give students an understanding of the structure and functions of international trade and international financial markets. The course will give a basic introduction to the forces driving international trade in goods and financial assets among nations of the world. The major theories of international trade and financial markets will be reviewed. Topics covered will include the determinants of a country’s trading patterns, recent trends in international trade such as offshoring and global supply chains, the role of financial markets in international development, the future of the Renminbi as an international currency, the understanding of international financial crises, and sovereign debt crises.

Dynamics of Democracy and Global Uprisings

This course deals with some of the key concepts of Political Science, matching them with developments around the globe. We begin by considering some of the concepts and controversies in defining democratic and non-democratic systems. How do we tell democratic systems from non-democratic ones? Are all democracies the same, or at least similar? Is citizen satisfaction a distinctive quality of those regimes? We then link these discussions to the rising wave of global discontent around the globe. The seemingly-universal quality of these uprisings gives a strong indication that struggles we are witnessing are no longer over democracy versus other systems; instead, what seems to be at issue are the meanings and practices largely associated with democratic regimes, the expectations of peoples, and what regimes provide. Finally, we focus on specific uprisings, chosen by the students, in an attempt to contextualize discussions and make sense of recent global developments in an informed and thoughtful manner.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Working with Big Data

Data is becoming increasingly available and information is becoming increasingly valuable. This course introduces students to the methods and tools needed to effectively collect, process, and analyze big data. Through class lessons, hands-on computer-lab exercises, and practical case studies, students will learn the basics of computer programming, data wrangling and manipulation, data visualization, statistical analysis, and machine-learning. At the end of this class, students will understand the basics of how to use the Python programming language and key data science tools such as Jupyter and Pandas. Students will develop the knowledge and experience to apply them to important questions in economics, political science, finance, public health, demographics, and public policy. No previous computer programming experience is required, and only a laptop computer with a web-browser is required for assignments and classwork.

The Ethics of Big Data

Data is everywhere, and we are getting ever more sophisticated in collecting it, analyzing it, and using it. This creates massive opportunities for both financial gain and social good. It also creates dangers such as privacy violations, discrimination, and threats to self-determination and collective, democratic determination. This course introduces students to the legal, policy, and ethical dimensions of big data, predictive analytics, the use of algorithms to make decisions, the use of algorithms to present information and opportunities for choice, and related techniques. Topics discussed include the correlation vs causation distinction in data analysis, online identity, privacy, big data use in social institutions, and mass surveillance. Ethical principles and problems discussed include the doctrine of double effect, doing vs. allowing harm, theories of personal identity, and aspects of liberal morality. Through class discussions, case studies and exercises, students will learn the basics of ethical thinking in data science, understand the history of ethical issues in scientific work, and study the distinct ethical challenges raised by the increasing role of big data in our lives.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Whale + Robot

In a time when the human impact on Earth prevails, what if we step back and reimagine our relationships with plants, animals, and technology? Whale + Robot is an introductory course in more-than-human geographies. Through lecture, readings, discussion, and hands-on activities, we will explore the spatial relationships between human and non-humans. We will examine the geographies of whales and robots as well as a variety of other living and digital entities, from insects to virtual reality. Where are the boundaries placed between us, between humans and non-humans? In what places are those boundaries created? How are we entangled together? We will also discuss the ethics of these geographies as you learn about posthuman landscapes and engage in qualitative methods to explore the posthuman world. Observation, writing field notes, mapping, and recording sounds and film will be some methods that you will learn and use during multiple class field trips on UBC’s campus and across the city of Vancouver as we come into contact with plants, animals and technology.

World-Building Beyond the Human

“The old people spoke of a small lake called xʷməm̓ qʷe:m (Camosun Bog) where the sʔi:ɬqəy̓ (double-headed serpent) originated. Children were told to be cautious and not go near or they would surely die. This sʔi:ɬqəy̓ was so massive its winding path from the lake to the stal̕əw̓ (river) became the creek flowing through Musqueam to this day. Everything the serpent passed over died and from its droppings bloomed a new plant, the məθkʷəy̓. For this reason, the people of long ago named the place where Musqueam is now xʷməθkʷəy̓əm – place of the məθkʷəy̓.
-from the Musqueam website

World-building is a cornerstone of speculative fiction. But what could it mean to world-build from a non-human perspective? This class will imagine speculative worlds as narrated by flora, fauna, and technologies past, present, and future. We’ll focus on setting both as a concept of the writer’s craft and also as a rich source of content, looking at Indigenous, theoretical, and creative approaches to the place currently known as Vancouver and beyond. You’ll have the opportunity to write in multiple genres, including speculative fiction, non-fiction, screenplay, comics, and/or poetry.”

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Misinformation and Conspiracy Theories

This course is about how to decide what to believe, and the complex and powerful social forces that make it easy for people to go wrong. We’ll look at the role of misinformation, fake news, and conspiracy theories in spreading false beliefs, and in preventing true ones. Specific topics to be considered include: philosophical perspectives on conspiracy theories; the relationship between skepticism and status quo bias; the epistemology and ethics of disagreement; the epistemic challenges arising from “deepfake” technology; the role of echo chambers; the degree to which people are responsible or blameworthy for what they believe. Our discussion will be grounded primarily in contemporary and historical philosophical analyses.

Fascism and Propaganda

This course explores two complex and dynamic modern phenomena we still struggle to comes to terms with in 2025. Where do fascism, as a political logic, and propaganda, as a technology of communication, come from? What circumstances make them emerge, flourish and lose their power? Propaganda sprang out of the 17th century tradition of the Roman Catholic “propagation of the faith”, and fascism out of the late 19th century workers’ movements of rural Italy. But they both quickly morphed into unforeseen formats and proportions. Taking as foundational texts Viktor Klemperer’s Language of the Third Reich and Robert O. Paxton’s Anatomy of Fascism, this course gives you all the tools you need to understand and critically dissect even the most recent forms of fascist movements and propaganda efforts, both large-scale and small, around the world.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Asian Canadian Experiences in Metro Vancouver

As a gateway for the Pacific Rim and arguably the most Asian city in North America, Vancouver is known as a highly-desirable destination for migrants from Asia. But what has this actually meant for Asian Canadian people? This course provides students with an overview of the historic and contemporary experiences of Asian Canadians in Metro Vancouver. We will investigate migration patterns of different Asian groups and characteristics of diasporic settlements in Metro Vancouver. Drawing on disciplines such as sociology, ethnic studies, cultural studies, policy studies, history, community development, and media studies, we will focus on how Asian migration and lives have been shaped by Canadian, provincial, and local laws, and the region itself. In addition to lectures, group discussions, and guest speaker visits, we will go to Vancouver’s historic Chinatown, the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre, the Punjabi Market, Steveston, Richmond Night Market, and the Museum of Vancouver.

Metro Vancouver as Asian Canadian History

While Metro Vancouver has shaped the experiences of Asian Canadians, Asian Canadian people have also shaped and made the city itself. This course explores the role of Asian Canadian histories in Vancouver, what they reveal about the city, and why it matters. We will explore diverse stories from a number of Asian communities in Metro Vancouver, considering what they tell us about Canadian multiculturalism, colonialism on unceded Indigenous lands, and the extraordinary diversity within the categories of “Asian” or “Asian Canadian.” We will also focus on how these histories are told in public today, immersing ourselves in local museums, walking tours, podcasts, archives, film, and media. As we will learn, history is so much more than just facts about what happened; it is a way of exploring the city and understanding the importance of Asian Canadian people here, past and present.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Minors (students aged under 19 at the start of the program): Not Accepted

The History and Future of the English Language

In order to contextualize present-day changes in English, the course will begin with a brief history of the English language. It will then examine issues such as the national dialects of English (e.g. Canadian English, British English, Singapore English), regional and social dialects, the effects of gender on language forms and use, language in computer-mediated discourse (in texts, emails, social media), and ongoing changes in contemporary English. This course will provide students with a better understanding of how English is used in different contexts, and the directions in which the language is heading in the 21st century.

How Human Language Works

On the surface human languages are very different from one another, in ways that seem mystifying to us as adults. They use different consonants, vowels, tones, words, sentence structures, writing systems, and conventions of meaning. But this course is an introduction to an amazing linguistic discovery: that underlyingly, human languages are in fact very similar to each other. In this class, students will learn what kinds of universal properties are shared by all languages, and how English, Chinese – and other languages they may never have heard of – share many fundamental structures in their sound systems, word-building strategies, and grammatical rules. Students will also learn about how English and other languages are changing through contact with each other around the world, and how this contact can sometimes give birth to new linguistic structures, or entire new languages. By the course’s end, students will have a broad understanding both of the specificity and the universality of English, of any other language(s) that they speak, and also of the amazing capacity of the human mind.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Graduate (Master/PhD) Students: Accepted on a case-by-case basis

Inequality in Practice: Who wins, who loses, and why?

Levels of inequality are rising across the globe, including in Canada. What creates these conditions, who is most impacted and what can we do about them?
This course examines societal inequality in the lives of everyday Canadians including how issues such as mental health, homelessness, aging, disability, addiction, and poverty are felt disproportionately across our diverse population. Students will reflect on the personal impact of this learning through comparing these issues between Canada and their home countries. Students’ learning will be enriched by group discussion, guest speakers and site visits to community agencies. As a discipline and practice, Social Work focuses on supporting vulnerable populations, building stronger communities and advocating for policy and system changes to improve levels of social welfare and well-being. Students will have an opportunity to see how each of these levels of intervention can support change and reflect on how their new knowledge can impact their future engagement with inequality in local and global ways.

Inequality in Theory: Who wins, who loses, and why?

Why does inequality exist? We know that all societies have inequality, but how can we understand how it comes to be and why it persists? This class focuses on Canada in international comparative perspective, helping us to both understand the unique Canadian experience as well as how inequality differs across countries around the world. These differences can be the result of unequal development and the polarization of wealth across countries. This class begins with theories that help explain the rise and persistence of inequality in society. Individuals differ in their gender, race or ethnicity, social class, religion, immigration status, (dis)ability, and in many other ways and these differences can become create social groups and become part of our identities. We will focus on understanding how issues of inequality can be particularly challenging in societies with high levels of diversity, such as Canada. This class calls for students to think critically about how the structure of society and its institutions can create or alleviate social inequality.

Drawing from real life examples and research findings, the course will teach students how to think sociologically about social inequality and how it can shape the work, education, political, social, health, and other outcomes for groups. This course will help students understand these issues in multi-cultural Canadian society as well as around the globe.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Graduate (Master/PhD) Students: Accepted on a case-by-case basis

Graduating Students: Accepted on a case-by-case basis

Minors (students aged under 19 at the start of the program): Accepted on a case-by-case basis

Technology, Environment, and the Future: Solutions for a Sustainable Planet

This course will explore how technology can be used to solve environmental problems and build more equitable, inclusive and sustainable futures. Students will learn about different technologies, such as Geographic Information Systems and Artificial Intelligence, and the key roles they can play in supporting (and undermining) environmental management, both locally and globally, in the areas of biodiversity, climate, water, waste, and wildlife. Through a series of in-class workshops, the course explores how to use a design thinking approach to generate innovative solutions to complex environmental challenges. These lessons are enhanced with class field trips to sites across UBC Campus and the Vancouver area to see real world applications of these technologies. By the end of the course, students will have learnt how new and emerging technologies, whether it is social media, digital mapping, remote sensing, crowdsourcing, or artificial intelligence, can be used to collect and communicate important information needed to manage our planet and help solve environmental challenges.

Mobilizing Social Media for Action in the Climate Crisis

In this course, students will develop a strong foundation in strategic social media content creation, preparing them to make a difference in the climate crisis. They will do so by learning how content creators like local governments, businesses, environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs), and activists use distinct platforms like Instagram, TikTok, X, and Facebook to present messages about environmental issues/solutions. Specifically, students will visit various sites in Vancouver to learn about the environmental work of these organizations and actors and to see how they leverage the unique elements of each genre to strategically present their work in ways that address the interests of their audiences. Through this work, students will gain hands-on experience in analyzing social media content and in learning how to create messages about environmental issues / solutions for public consumption and to present them as engaging social media content (e.g. text, images, memes and reels).

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Graduate (Master/PhD) Students: Accepted on a case-by-case basis

Writing for Video Games

In the past 40 years, video games have evolved in scope, depth and sophistication. Modern games feature motion capture by Hollywood actors, thousands of lines of recorded dialogue, and complex storylines that often branch and have multiple outcomes. In this course, students will discover what it means to be a narrative designer in this highly collaborative, constantly changing field. Through a combination of lectures, video presentations from leading game writers, reading assignments, in-class writing exercises, and assigned projects, students will learn how to create a compelling video game story through cutscenes, voiceover dialogue, in-game text, found narrative, and other techniques. No previous experience with games or game-writing is necessary.

Writing and Creativity for Social Justice

Artists and cultural workers have always played a central role in supporting, galvanizing, documenting, and making interventions to support social movements for justice. Recent events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, movements for #LandBack and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, movements against Anti-Asian racism (amongst many other organizing initiatives), have brought forward the ever pressing need to address inequality in our communities.

This course examines how art and culture can be a vehicle for social change: whether it be producing artwork that addresses systemic racism, to grassroots community building initiatives, to film festivals that celebrate marginalized identities. This course will look at how themes of social justice are explored through creative-critical writing, research and public engagement to support social justice agendas. It will provide students opportunities to examine, analyze and undertake critical engagement with creative processes of marginalized peoples and the intersection of creative writing, social justice, and anti-racist feminism, with strong emphasis on how socio-historical contexts are crucial to acts of creative writing, teaching, research, and engagement with multiple publics.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites