2026-2027 Courses
Upper-Year Courses (2nd / 3rd Year)
ISP200H5 F Writing and Researching across the University
- Taught by Mark Blaauw-Hara
- Monday 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
- In Person
- Prerequisite: 4.0 credits, including ISP100H5
- Distribution requirement for HUM, SSc
This course builds on instruction offered in ISP100H5 in its focus on writing and researching processes. Students will expand their understanding of advanced theories and techniques of genre and discourse analysis, deepen their understanding of writing studies scholarship, and refine their own writing processes. We will explore theories of disciplinary enculturation and identity performance, with special attention to how writing and research methods help to enact disciplinary identity.
ISP210H5 S Special Topics at the Intersection of Social Science and Humanities: Free Speech in Context: Analyzing Contemporary Social Justice Issues
- Taught by Sheila Batacharya
- Friday 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
- In Person
- Prerequisite: 4.0 credits
- Distribution requirement for HUM, SSc
As a university student, you have likely heard the term “free speech” as it has gained increasing attention with respect to a wide range of social justice issues. To understand free speech, or “freedom of speech,” we will examine its definitions and discourses to consider how local and global problems are understood and approached. Starting with the emergence of the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020, we will address historical events by examining the discursive patterns and rhetorical strategies used to document and explain them. In doing so, students will detect logical fallacies, sharpen critical reading and thinking skills, and acquire knowledge about Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), a methodology that examines how language is used to construct and maintain social behaviours, dynamics, and hierarchies. Students will write in academic genres (i.e., annotated bibliography, literature review, research essay) as well as in one public facing genre (e.g., social media posts, Op-ed article, Ted Talk, pod cast, rally/demonstration speech, municipal deputation, etc.). This course will likely appeal to students with an interest in critical sociolinguistics; however, it is designed to engage students from across disciplines who are new to the study of discourse. Upon completion, students will demonstrate a research-informed understanding of free speech that can be applied to university studies and community participation.
ISP250H5 F Special Topics in Writing Studies: Analyzing Academic Writing
- Taught by Jonathan Vroom
- Monday 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
- In Person
- Prerequisite: ISP100H5
- Distribution requirement for HUM, SSc
Have you ever wondered what makes academic writing "academic"? In this course, we will examine research on the linguistic and rhetorical features that shape academic texts, such as rhetorical moves, hedging, metadiscourse, personal pronouns, citation practices, and more. The ultimate goal is for students to become more proficient academic writers themselves, as they analyze how these subtle linguistic features work, and apply that learning to their own writing.
ISP312H5 S Climate Change: Science, Indigenous Knowledge, and Public Understanding
LEC0101
- Taught by Michael deBraga
- Wednesday 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
- Prerequisite: 8.0 credits
- Distribution requirement for SCI, SSc
How do we know what we know about climate change and environmental crisis? Why do some forms of evidence shape public decisions, while others are ignored, simplified, or misunderstood? This upper-year seminar invites students to explore climate and environmental issues by bringing together three important perspectives: mainstream science, Indigenous knowledge and lived experience, and media/public communication.
Rather than treating environmental problems as purely scientific or purely political, the course asks students to examine how knowledge is produced, communicated, trusted, challenged, and acted upon. Through case-based topics such as Arctic environmental change, BC herring fisheries and marine stewardship, land and water sustainability, and wildfire adaptation, students will compare how the same issue can look different when viewed through scientific data, Indigenous generational knowledge, and public/media narratives. The course pays close attention to how traditional Western science and media perspectives can be strengthened when placed in respectful conversation with Indigenous knowledge systems, particularly where place-based, intergenerational, and relational understandings reveal patterns or responsibilities that institutional approaches may overlook.
Students will work through lectures, seminars, workshops, discussion groups, media analysis, case studies, and visual/integrative projects. The goal is not simply to learn about climate change, but to develop a more thoughtful, ethical, and holistic way of evaluating environmental evidence and communicating it to different audiences. This course will be especially valuable for students interested in science, environmental studies, communication, education, Indigenous perspectives, policy, sustainability, and public trust in knowledge.
ISP350H5 F Writing Technologies: From Papyrus to AI
LEC0101
- Taught by Zhaozhe Wang
- Tuesday 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
- Prerequisite: ISP100
- Distribution requirement for HUM, SSc
How has writing evolved from marks on papyrus to conversations with AI? This course explores the technologies that have shaped writing and how writing itself has always been a transformative technology. Students will investigate how tools from pencils and printing presses to social media and generative AI influence communication, creativity, and knowledge-making. Through close reading, hands-on experimentation, critical inquiry, and multimodal composition, students will develop the skills to write effectively and reflectively in an increasingly tech-mediated world.
ISP351H5 F Portable Learning: Teaching Students to Transfer Knowledge across Contexts
LEC0101
- Taught by Mark Blaauw-Hara
- Monday 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
- Prerequisite: ISP100
- Distribution requirement for HUM, SSc
In this course, students will explore theories about how we learn and how we apply knowledge learned in specific contexts to new situations. The course will begin with an overview of current learning theories and will transition into an exploration of transfer theory and other current scholarship focusing on how to make knowledge portable. While the curriculum will have particular relevance to students who plan to teach at the college or university, it will also help students understand why they may have difficulty applying what they have learned in one context to another and help them to improve that process. Students will produce several written and multimodal projects that culminate in designing a discipline-specific lesson plan that supports knowledge transfer.
ISP351H5 S Introduction to Mathematics Knowing and Teaching
LEC0101
- Taught by Margaret Karrass
- Wednesday 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
- Prerequisite: ISP100
- Distribution requirement for HUM, SSc
This Special Topics course examines mathematics through an epistemological lens: how learners come to know, justify, communicate, and make sense of mathematical ideas. Students will explore topics in reasoning and proof, problem-solving, productive struggle, assessment, equity, accessibility, and math anxiety. The course is intended for anyone who wants to think more deeply about their mathematical learning and is recommended for teaching assistants and students considering a career in mathematics education.
Independent Reading, ROPs, and Other Courses (Only offered in Fall/Winter)
ISP490Y & ISP491H: Independent Reading Courses
Independent reading courses offer students advanced supervised reading and research experience within the areas of writing studies, numeracy, and pedagogy.
Students interested in submitting a proposal for an independent reading course must find a faculty supervisor, obtain their approval, and submit a completed Course Proposal Form to isup.advisor@utoronto.ca. The proposal form should be completed in consultation with your supervisor. Please note that you cannot self-enrol in this course via ACORN.
Proposal forms for projects beginning in the fall term, including full-year projects, should be submitted by August 15. Proposal forms for projects beginning in the winter term should be submitted by November 15.
Research Opportunity Programs (ROP)
ISP299, ISP399, ISP499
ROP offerings and topics vary each year depending on faculty interests. Students interested in ROPs should connect with a faculty supervisor first. Please note that you cannot self-enrol in this course via ACORN.
How do I enrol?
Students from all disciplines interested in taking upper year courses will be able to enrol in the course through ACORN when course enrolment becomes available. Please ensure that you select the correct LEC section for your desired topic. You will find important information about how to enrol in courses on the Office of the Registrar website.
Questions?
Please direct your questions to isup.advisor@utoronto.ca.
Past Upper-Year & Special Topics Courses