An examination of the major phases of the addiction cycle, including drug consumption, withdrawal, and relapse. Consideration will be given to what basic motivational and corresponding neurobiological processes influence behaviour during each phase of the cycle. Recent empirical findings will be examined within the context of major theoretical models guiding the field.

This course will characterize various anatomical, biochemical, physiological, and psychological changes that occur in the nervous system with age. We will examine normal aging and age-related cognitive deterioration (including disease states) with a focus on evaluating the validity of current theories and experimental models of aging.

This course offers the opportunity to engage in a year long research project under the supervision of an interested member of the faculty in Neuroscience. The project will culminate in a written report in the form of a thesis and a poster presentation. During the course of the year, at appropriate times, students will meet to present their own research proposals, to appraise the proposals of others, and to discuss the results of their investigation. Students must first find a supervisor, which is usually confirmed before the start of the academic term in which the project will be initiated. Students will meet as a group with the coordinator as well as individually with their supervisor. Students planning to pursue graduate studies are especially encouraged to enrol in the course. Students must obtain a permission form from the Department of Psychology's website that is to be completed and signed by the intended supervisor, and submitted to the Psychology Office. Students seeking supervision off campus will need to arrange co supervision with a faculty member in Neuroscience at UTSC.

An introduction to philosophy focusing on issues of rationality, metaphysics and the theory of knowledge. Topics may include: the nature of mind, freedom, the existence of God, the nature and knowability of reality. These topics will generally be introduced through the study of key texts from the history of philosophy.

Ethics is concerned with concrete questions about how we ought to treat one another as well as more general questions about how to justify our ethical beliefs. This course is an introduction that both presents basic theories of ethics and considers their application to contemporary moral problems.

This course examines ethical issues raised by our actions and our policies for the environment. Do human beings stand in a moral relationship to the environment? Does the environment have moral value and do non-human animals have moral status? These fundamental questions underlie more specific contemporary issues such as sustainable development, alternative energy, and animal rights.

An examination of challenges posed by the radical changes and developments in modern and contemporary art forms. For example, given the continuously exploding nature of art works, what do they have in common - what is it to be an artwork?

This course examines some of the classic problems concerning literary texts, such as the nature of interpretation, questions about the power of literary works and their relationship to ethical thought, and problems posed by fictional works - how can we learn from works that are fictional and how can we experience genuine emotions from works that we know are fictional?

An examination of contemporary or historical issues that force us to consider and articulate our values and commitments. The course will select issues from a range of possible topics, which may include globalization, medical ethics, war and terrorism, the role of government in a free society, equality and discrimination.

An examination of philosophical issues in ethics, social theory, and theories of human nature as they bear on business. What moral obligations do businesses have? Can social or environmental costs and benefits be calculated in a way relevant to business decisions? Do political ideas have a role within business?

What is the difference between right and wrong? What is 'the good life'? What is well-being? What is autonomy? These notions are central in ethical theory, law, bioethics, and in the popular imagination. In this course we will explore these concepts in greater depth, and then consider how our views about them shape our views about ethics.

This course is an examination of moral and legal problems in medical practice, in biomedical research, and in the development of health policy. Topics may include: concepts of health and disease, patients' rights, informed consent, allocation of scarce resources, euthanasia, risks and benefits in research and others.

A discussion of right and rights, justice, legality, and related concepts. Particular topics may include: justifications for the legal enforcement of morality, particular ethical issues arising out of the intersection of law and morality, such as punishment, freedom of expression and censorship, autonomy and paternalism, constitutional protection of human rights.

Philosophical issues about sex and sexual identity in the light of biological, psychological and ethical theories of sex and gender; the concept of gender; male and female sex roles; perverse sex; sexual liberation; love and sexuality.

What is feminism? What is a woman? Or a man? Are gender relations natural or inevitable? Why do gender relations exist in virtually every society? How do gender relations intersect with other social relations, such as economic class, culture, race, sexual orientation, etc.?

This course will introduce some important concepts of and thinkers in political philosophy from the history of political philosophy to the present. These may include Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, G.W.F. Hegel, John Stuart Mill, or Karl Marx. Topics discussed may include political and social justice, liberty and the criteria of good government.

This course will provide an accessible understanding of AI systems, such as ChatGPT, focusing on the ethical issues raised by ongoing advances in AI. These issues include the collection and use of big data, the use of AI to manipulate human beliefs and behaviour, its application in the workplace and its impact on the future of employment, as well as the ethical standing of autonomous AI systems.

An examination of the nature of knowledge, and our ability to achieve it. Topics may include the question of whether any of our beliefs can be certain, the problem of scepticism, the scope and limits of human knowledge, the nature of perception, rationality, and theories of truth.

A study of the views and approaches pioneered by such writers as Kierkegaard, Husserl, Jaspers, Heidegger and Sartre. Existentialism has had influence beyond philosophy, impacting theology, literature and psychotherapy. Characteristic topics include the nature of the self and its relations to the world and society, self-deception, and freedom of choice.

A survey of some main themes and figures of ancient philosophical thought, concentrating on Plato and Aristotle. Topics include the ultimate nature of reality, knowledge, and the relationship between happiness and virtue.

This course is a thematic introduction to the history of metaphysics, focusing on topics such as the nature of God, our own nature as human beings, and our relation to the rest of the world. We will read a variety of texts, from ancient to contemporary authors, that will introduce us to concepts such as substance, cause, essence and existence, mind and body, eternity and time, and the principle of sufficient reason. We will also look at the ethical implications of various metaphysical commitments.  

This course is an introduction to the major themes and figures of seventeenth and eighteenth century philosophy, from Descartes to Kant, with emphasis on metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics.  

An introduction to formal, symbolic techniques of reasoning. Sentential logic and quantification theory (or predicate logic), including identity will be covered. The emphasis is on appreciation of and practice in techniques, for example, the formal analysis of English statements and arguments, and for construction of clear and rigorous proofs.

Much thought and reasoning occur in a context of uncertainty. How do we know if a certain drug works against a particular illness? Who will win the next election? This course examines various strategies for dealing with uncertainty. Topics include induction and its problems, probabilistic reasoning and the nature of probability, the assignment of causes and the process of scientific confirmation and refutation. Students will gain an appreciation of decision making under uncertainty in life and science.

A consideration of problems in metaphysics: the attempt to understand 'how everything fits together' in the most general sense of this phrase. Some issues typically covered include: the existence of God, the nature of time and space, the nature of mind and the problem of the freedom of the will.

An examination of questions concerning the nature of mind. Philosophical questions considered may include: what is consciousness, what is the relation between the mind and the brain, how did the mind evolve and do animals have minds, what is thinking, what are feelings and emotions, and can machines have minds.

An exploration of theories which provide answers to the question 'What is a human being?', answers that might be summarized with catchphrases such as: 'Man is a rational animal,' 'Man is a political animal,' 'Man is inherently individual,' 'Man is inherently social,' etc. Authors studied are: Aristotle, Hobbes, Rousseau, Darwin, Marx, Freud and Sartre.

In this writing-intensive course, students will become familiar with tools and techniques that will enable them to competently philosophize, on paper and in person. Students will learn how to write an introduction and how to appropriately structure philosophy papers, how to accurately present someone else's position or argumentation, how to critically assess someone else's view or argumentation, and how to present and defend their own positive proposal or argumentation concerning a given topic. Students will learn many more specific skills, such as, how to `signpost' what students are doing, how to identify and charitably interpret ambiguities in another discussion, and how to recognize and apply various argumentative strategies.

An exploration of some current issues concerning the various forms of art such as: the role of the museum, the loss of beauty and the death of art.