What are TMU students' favourite courses?
I’m always seeking out new learning opportunities by discovering courses that resonate with my interests. Being in my second year of Journalism has given me the opportunity to explore the different required courses, electives, liberal studies and professionally related courses offered here at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). To learn more about what’s available here, I interviewed students on campus and asked them what their favourite courses are at TMU — check it out!
SOC 221: The Hip Hop Lens on Society
Kiana Hoang is a second-year TMU student in Arts and Contemporary Studies. She said it “sounds like a silly course, but it actually goes into sociology a lot”. Kiana explained that she is “academically inclined” to this course because every lesson “is a hit and it never gets boring.” Kiana said this course is a lot more serious than one may think, but loves attending the class.
SOC 221 introduces students to the global impact that hip-hop culture has through a sociological perspective. Not only does the course examine the musical effects of hip hop, but the way its culture arose through political and social concepts.
POL 128: Politics and Film
Ayshat Abdurzakova is a second-year Journalism student at TMU. She said that she got the opportunity to analyze movies from a political perspective in her favourite course. Ayshat also got the chance to watch movies she may not have discovered on her own such as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (external link, opens in new window) . Ayshat said this film demonstrates the power of the media by telling the story of how office workers corrupted the views of an otherwise moral senator.
POL 128 encourages students to analyze films through a collection of political beliefs. This course aims to challenge stereotypes by examining Canadian and international films.
Ayshat is a second-year Journalism student who took the time to chat with me outside of the Student Learning Centre at TMU.
PSY 105: Perspectives in Psychology
Maryam Motala is a first-year Urban and Regional Planning student at TMU. She said that this course is interesting as she has learned concepts that she didn’t know before, such as different types of personality traits. Maryam said it was interesting to discuss if individuals are born with a personality or if they developed it over time. She claimed that she can use psychological concepts in her personal life as it makes her “see things differently.”
PSY 105 covers the perspectives of discipline, behaviours and viewpoints. Touching upon these perspectives contributes to learning about how individuals behave.
FIN 501: Investment Analysis
Aman Thakkar is a fourth-year Business Management student, and he said he learned a lot about stocks in his favourite course. As a result, he started investing in stocks on his own time. In the course, Aman said that they ran a simulation, which gave him a chance to see what the drawbacks and benefits are of investing in stocks. As a result, he got a better understanding of how the stock market works.
FIN 501 provides students information on common stocks, risk and return, equilibrium pricing relationships and so much more. The purpose of this course is to give an overview of security analysis and portfolio management.
Aman is a fourth-year Business Management student, and he said that he likes investing because it's another way to build wealth for himself.
MTH 141: Linear Algebra
Andrea Vukmirovs is a first-year student in Electrical Engineering. She said that this course is her favourite because the material offered her something new. When referring to concepts taught in the course, Andrea said that this course as a whole is about “how well you can follow rules.” She explained that this concept applies to all of engineering, as well when she’s in any learning environment. Andrea explained that she took this course as it will open doors to her engineering career in the future.
MTH 141 covers the mathematical principles of systems of linear equations and matrices.
SOC 603: Sociology of Gender
Gioia Pitimada is a fourth-year TMU student in Criminology. She said that this course made her think critically about her surroundings. She learned about why other people behave certain ways and claims that it gave her a “new perspective on how genders are a social construct, and how people are treated based on their gender.”
SOC 603 focuses on the expressions of gender inequality throughout history and across cultures. Concerns regarding the gender divides and role of the Canadian government for equity issues in society are also emphasized.
Gioia is a fourth-year Criminology student, and explained that she was introduced to how education systems instil gender stereotypes onto children as part of her favourite course.
RTA 956: Children's Programming
Lastly, I wanted to tell you about one of my favourite courses I’m taking this semester! I’m currently enrolled in an open elective called Children's Programming. We learn the concepts of different children’s services, and how a child’s development stage plays a role in television. We’re currently in the process of pitching our own children’s television show for our final assignment, which has been really fascinating. My group and I are focusing on the theme of navigating grief for children aged six to 12, and creating a concept for an animated fantasy production.
I hope you were able to gain further insight on the variety of courses that TMU has to offer. I’m definitely going to keep some of these options in mind for the future. Do you want to discover what courses are available to you in your program of interest? Visit the undergraduate calendar to explore what’s waiting for you here at TMU!
Talk with you soon,
Hadiqah