My top 5 favourite TMU courses

Hey, it’s Ido, fourth-year Image Arts: Film student and your Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) student ambassador. As I wrap up my studies, I’m reflecting on some of the courses I’ve really enjoyed during my 4-year undergraduate career. Here are a few of my favourites! 

PHL 333 Philosophy of Human Nature

Is morality objective? Is badness possible? Are non-human animals entitled to legal rights? If you’re curious how different philosophers have answered these questions, you should ponder enrolling in PHL 333. Like many of the philosophy courses offered by TMU, this course will introduce you to new ideas and teach you to critique arguments. Many of the readings in the course stuck with me, especially Peter Singer’s essay All Animals Are Equal.

HST 210 U.S. History: 1877 to the Present

HST 210 was an interesting exploration of some of the pivotal developments that made the United States into the country that it is today. The course explored topics I had previously known little about, such as the role of photography in changing tenement housing conditions and the evolution of antitrust laws. The course also featured tutorials that allowed students to discuss the content in a smaller group setting. These tutorials gave me a chance to hear diverse perspectives and reflect on the ways in which history’s crucial lessons can be applied today.

ENG 505 Creative Writing

This course gave me an opportunity to practise creative writing in different mediums, including poetry, personal essays and short stories. Every class started with a writing exercise, which helped me get out of my head and in the habit of putting pen to paper. We were able to share our writing with peers in groups to get constant feedback and to be inspired by each others’ creativity. The final assignment was a portfolio of your strongest work, which was a great opportunity to reflect on and revise some of the pieces I was proud of.

NPF 563 Directors and Composers

If music from a film has ever brought you to tears, moved you to the edge of your seat or gotten stuck in your head, you should consider NPF 563. We learned the history and development of film soundtracks, and explored scores from many genres and styles. As part of a group project that required creating a video essay about a film score, my friends and I got to closely watch Anatomy of a Murder, analyzing the characteristics of jazz legend Duke Ellington’s esoteric soundtrack. I often listen to music while studying, but listening to the music I was writing about was a unique experience! This course gave me a chance to catch soundtrack details I would have otherwise missed, and as a result, develop a deeper appreciation of film music.

FPN 340 Analogue Photography: Film and Darkroom

We spent much of our time in this class inside the darkroom in the School of Image Arts, learning to develop and enlarge film photos through an entirely analogue process. The course encouraged me to be experimental and taught me some of the processes. These included dyeing paper, scratching photo negatives and playing with double exposures. Future Image Arts students that are curious about picking up a film camera and producing a photo in a darkroom should check out FPN 340!

It was no easy task to narrow these down. I can truly say that I’ve gained value from all of the courses I’ve taken during my time at TMU. I recommend taking a variety of courses in different subjects and discovering what resonates with you. There’s nothing quite like that “this course is more interesting than I expected!” feeling. 

Until next time,
Ido, your student ambassador