Dalhousie
The Art And Science Of Drumming
More than the backbone of your favourite club jams, drums have a long history as cultural tools. This course allows you to explore that history in a hands-on way, learning to play the hand drum and the cultural context it originates from.
Marine Life Of Nova Scotia
A summertime course taking place in the field rather than the classroom, and featuring an opportunity to observe marine life and learn about humanity’s impact on it. Highlights include a whale watching trip, a three-day stint at a field station to conduct research projects, and visits to mud flats and beaches.
Biology And Conservation Of Sharks, Skates And Rays
Need a biology credit and a rush of adrenaline? This class is a wild departure from typical lecture-and-classroom-based university courses. Offered over the summer, you’ll learn about the diversity of sharks, skates and rays in local waters and study them in detail through dissection and observation. The craziest part? You get to assist in the tagging of sharks off the coast of the city.
NSCAD
Camera-Less Photography
While at first blush it might sound like dadaist nonsense, this class shows alternative ways to create images. Teaching methods like the photogram (placing an image on photo paper under direct light) and the luminogram (putting photo paper into strong light without objects in the way), it turns the idea of what a photo can be on its head.
Parks Canada: Keji
An immersive course offered over a weekend during the summer, this class takes students deep into nature to search for inspiration. While camping at Kejimkujik National Park, topics of ecology, colonialism and national identity are explored. Upon student’s return, they’ll craft artwork based on their experience to display as part of an exhibit at the school’s Anna Leonowens gallery.
Fashion Illustration
Love dreaming of dresses and sketching skirts? This class offers the skills and practice to communicate the outfits dancing in your head.
King’s College
The Artist and Society—David Bowie
For almost 50 years, Bowie challenged what pop could be, morphing from one character and sound to another. Here, students get the chance to dive into his discography while learning about the eras he lived in—and changed. The course also highlights the scenes Bowie was a part of, inspiring and collaborating with people as far-flung as Andy Warhol and Alexander McQueen.
The Pirate and Piracy
From Captain Jack Sparrow to boats off the Somali coast, this courses discusses what it means to be a pirate. What leads people to stealing at sea? What historical accounts of piracy remain—and how accurate are they? What were the precursors to piracy? These are the types of questions tackled in this colourful way to get a history credit.
Science Fiction in Film
From mad scientists to alien invaders, this course dives into the world of sci-fi cinema, dismantling cliches and exploring how these stories are often messages about our own world and not a planet far, far away.
NSCC
Baking & Pastry Art
There are foodies out there Instagramming their latest restaurant meal to filtered perfection, and then there’s you: Crafting your own edible art from mounds of butter and clouds of flour. If you’re ready to share your passion for fine food—no filter needed—this might be the course for you.
Music Arts
Tired of performing winning solos for the family cat? This course teaches the basics of building a career as a musician—from mastering performance skills to basic business practices (think grant writing, accounting and marketing).
Game Development
If playing video games is your competitive sport, maybe it’s time to take things to the next level. This course teaches design and animation, meaning you can create the game you always wished existed.
Mount Saint Vincent
Indigenous People In A Settler State: Canadian Context
Push past what you think you know and delve into the messy aftermath of how European colonization shaped Canada. This course tackles tough topics like the ethnocide and territorial displacement of Indigenous peoples and how the effects of settlers are still felt today.
Love
What is love? It’s not just the hook of a ’90s one-hit-wonder, but a defining part of many people’s existence. This religious studies course offers examples of love in literature, myth, pop culture and film in order to analyze this key part of life from both secular and religious perspectives.
Women and Health
Challenge society’s monologue on a slew of topics surrounding women’s bodies—from body image to menopause—in this women’s studies course.
SMU
Introduction To Astrophysics
The course title might have you envisioning a particularly bad episode of The Big Bang Theory. Think it’ll be a snore? Hardly. A class requirement is spending starry nights observing constellations from the school’s mega-telescope in the Burke-Gaffney Observatory. Get your wishes ready, because seeing a falling star is almost guaranteed.
Archaeology Of Halifax
The city becomes your playground—and homework assignment—in this course, where research and field work will help document the history and urban archaeology of Halifax.
Chinese Film And Literature
No knowledge of Mandarin or Cantonese required, this course introduces students to cultural touchstones of Chinese literature, film and contemporary art. You’ll tackle themes of national identity, western influence and the roles of women and families.
