First-year seminar (FYSM) courses are small classes (usually with 30 students) designed to give students the opportunity to discuss and research topics of interest in a core subject area.
The Department of Geography and Environmental Studies offers three first year seminars:
Location is Everything
FYSM 1101 [1.0 credit]
Where we live affects who we are. The role of geographic location and environment on human perception, behaviour, and well-being, viewed at scales ranging from local to global; methods of collecting and interpreting information about location.
Prerequisite(s): normally restricted to students entering the first year of a B.A., B.Cog.Sc., B.Co.M.S. or B.G.In.S. program.
Seminars three hours a week.
Social Justice and the City
FYSM 1107 [1.0 credit]
Struggles over social and economic inequality in the city, and their relationship to processes of urbanization and global change. Theories and case studies explaining how urban lives and form are shaped by social movements and urban politics. Broad introduction to critical urban geography.
Prerequisite(s): normally restricted to students entering the first year of a B.A., B.Cog.Sc., B.Co.M.S. or B.G.In.S. program.
Seminars three hours a week.
Sustainable Environments
FYSM 1108 [0.5 credit]
The causes and consequences of environmental change; emphasis on the interactions of nature and human behaviour. Ways in which the environment can be protected and restored. Environmental issues that affect our own communities.
Precludes additional credit for ENST 1001.
Prerequisite(s): normally restricted to students entering the first year of a B.A., B.Cog.Sc., B.Co.M.S. or B.G.In.S. program.
Seminars three hours a week.