Questions asked by students

Questions asked by students thinking of enrolling in ES&L

Please note: There is an error in the printed version of the Calendar on page 570. It should read as follows:

The Ethics, Society, and Law Major is a Type 2 program. Enrolment is limited to students with an average of 73% or higher in three FCEs selected from 100-level courses categorized as BR=2 and/or BR=3. Achieving the threshold mark does not necessarily guarantee admission to the program in any given year.

Do I have to be a Trinity student to take ES&L?

No. You can be a student at any of the other colleges on the St. George campus and still take the program.

Enrolment is limited to students with an average grade of B in three FCEs selected from 100-level courses that count under the Faculty's Breadth Requirement either as Thought, Belief and Behaviour courses or as Society and It's Institutions courses. The mark threshold given here is an estimate of what will be required in the coming POSt admission cycle. Achieving the threshold mark does not necessarily guarantee admission to the program in any given year.

What can I do with a major program in ES&L?

The program does not aim to prepare you for a specific career but it will provide you with a useful background for a wide range of careers, for example, in law, business, journalism, teaching, social work, or clinical ethics. It may serve as a significant part of an undergraduate degree in preparation for graduate studies in such fields as philosophy (ethics), political science, sociology, legal studies, public policy, etc. It should be useful to you if you are or become a parent, responsible for teaching a child the difference between right and wrong. And it will certainly be useful to you as a concerned citizen of a democratic society.

Finally, it is possible that you will find the courses in the program interesting - maybe even challenging, informative, and mind-expanding. If so, this is an excellent reason to take ES&L.

So it is not a "pre-law" program?

Right, ES&L is not designed for "pre-law" students in particular. (However quite a few of the students in the program do apply to law schools.)

What if my relevant average is just below the minimum requirement for enrolment in ES&L?

In such cases, even if ROSI seems to allow you to enrol in ES&L, without the required average you will not be admitted. Students who are not admitted can apply for admission the following year. Moreover, any ES&L courses students complete before being admitted will count for program credit following admission.

If I have already taken some ES&L courses before enrolling in the program, can I count them as program credits?

Yes. For example, if you take PHL 273H (Environmental Ethics) before enrolling in the program, you can count it as a program credit.

If I enrol in ES&L and in another major program or in two additional minor programs, and if I take a course that can be used to satisfy a requirement in two of these programs, can I count the course for credit in both programs or in only one?

You may use the course to satisfy requirements in both programs provided that your programs (two majors or one major and two minors) include at least twelve different courses (FCEs). Please consult the Degree Requirements section of the Faculty of Arts and Science Calendar and your College Registrar for further information on double-counting courses.

What about prerequisites for courses in ES&L?

Many upper-year courses in the program have prerequisites determined by their home departments or colleges, and many of these prerequisites are not ES&L courses. Thus students need to plan ahead and make sure their program of study fulfills the prerequisite requirements for the courses they wish to take in upper years.

Although the ES&L program does not have any 100-level requirements, there are upper-year courses in the program that have 100-level prerequisites. You need to make yourself aware of these prerequisites and plan accordingly.

Questions asked by students enrolled in the program

Is there anything special I need to know about being in a program in which almost all the courses are listed from a number of other departments and colleges?

Yes. First, the chief benefits of such a program are flexibility and multidisciplinarity. The options available to you have been drawn from many departments and colleges in the Faculty of Arts & Science. Second, this means that many courses in the program do not give priority to ES&L students. Thus you need to plan ahead carefully, and enrol in courses as soon as your enrolment period is open. It would also be advisable to have alternative selections in mind when enrolling. Third, many upper-year courses in the program have prerequisites determined by their home departments or programs, and many of these prerequisites are not ES&L courses; thus you need to plan ahead and make sure your program of study fulfills the prerequisite requirements for the courses you wish to take in upper years.

Where can I find a list of courses available in ES&L?

Please see the lists of courses, starting at: ES&L at Trinity: Requirements and Courses. The lists, divided into required courses and streams A, B, C, and D, are updated regularly. Course Descriptions can be found in the Calendar.

If you notice a change in the status of a course offering that should be recorded on our web pages, please inform the ES&L Director.

What are the ES&L program requirements?

The requirements for ES&L have recently been upgraded.

If you were enrolled in ES&L before September 23, 2007, the program requirements that apply to you are listed in the 2006-07 Calendar of the Faculty of Arts & Science.

If you were enrolled in ES&L after September 23, 2007, the program requirements that apply to you are listed in the 2007-08 (and subsequent) Calendar of the Faculty of Arts & Science.

Both sets of requirements are posted below.

Courses listed under the upgraded requirements may be used toward your ES&L major even if you are fulfilling the pre September 23, 2007 requirements. TRN 303H will count as a Group A (Ethics) option for pre September 23, 2007 enrolments.

ES&L requirements for enrolments prior to September 23, 2007
You must complete seven full-credit courses or the equivalent

PHL 271H1 (to be taken in the first year of registration in the program)

Six courses from Groups A-C, including at least ONE from each group and at least TWO at the 300+level

TRN 412H1 (to be taken in final year of registration in the program)

ES&L requirements for enrolments after September 23, 2007
You must complete seven full-credit courses or the equivalent

You must complete PHL 271H (Law and Morality, formerly Ethics and the Law), recommended to be taken in the first year of registration in the program.

You must take at least one of the following: POL 200Y, PHL 265H, or PHL 275H, to be taken in any year of registration in the program.

You must take TRN 303H, to be taken in the second year of registration in the program (Prerequisite: PHL 271H1).

You must take TRN 412H, to be taken in the final year of registration in the program.

(a) If POL 200Y is taken in satisfaction of requirement 2 above, then FOUR AND A HALF additional full credit courses or the equivalent must be taken from Group A (Ethics), Group B (Society), Group C (Law), and Group D (Further Courses), including at least one from each of Groups A-C and at least two at the 300 level or higher. (b) ALTERNATIVELY, if either PHL 265H or PHL 275H is taken in satisfaction of requirement 2 above, then FIVE additional full credit courses or the equivalent must be taken from Groups A-D, including at least one from each of Groups A-C and at least two at the 300 level or higher.

What if an ES&L course I want to take is full?

Students often move out of courses before the last date to add courses, so watch closely for an opportunity to enrol in the course you want to take.

Regarding PHL 271H: In the case of PHL 271H, because it is a required course in ES&L, and because it is recommended that you take it in the first year of registration in the program, you need to make sure you enrol in the course as early as possible, before it fills up. If you have trouble getting into the course watch closely for an opportunity to enrol in it up to the last day to add courses.

Regarding TRN 412H: Because it is a required course in ES&L, and because you are required to take it in the last year of enrolment in the program, each year the program endeavours to provide enough TRN 412H spaces for all students in their final year of registration in ES&L. However, you need to make sure you enrol in the section you prefer as early as possible, before that section fills up. If you have trouble getting into the section, enrol in another section (if offered) and watch closely for an opportunity to enrol in your preferred section up to the last day to add courses.

Please look carefully for alternatives to any courses you cannot get into: ES&L at Trinity: Requirements and Courses.

Remember, you can also substitute courses. See FAQ below: "May I substitute a different course for one of the courses in the program?"

Of course, ES&L cannot alter enrolment caps on courses offered by departments or by colleges other than Trinity; as for Trinity courses, they cannot be increased in size beyond the limitations of the designated teaching formats or the seating capacities of the booked classrooms.

May I substitute a different course for one of the courses in the program?

With the permission of the Program Director, you may substitute courses not listed in the program for a maximum of two of the program's optional courses (FCEs).

There are some 80 optional courses listed in ES&L; unless you have a relevant timetable conflict or some other special circumstance making it necessary that you look for a substitute, we do not normally grant substitution credits. If such circumstances are the case, please send the Director (1) a brief email note clearly explaining the necessity for the substitution credit, as well as the following information: (2a) the full calendar course description (with web address), (2b) the departmental description for the course (if any, and web address), and (2c) the course website and description for the course (if any). Potential substitution credits should have official calendar descriptions that indicate content directly relevant to the study of ethics, society or law. The Director's decision will be based largely on whether, in his or her judgment, the course(s) would be suitable for inclusion in the program.

Students require a note from the ES&L Director giving permission to count a substitution credit. They are strongly advised to keep a copy of the note on file as a record of permission in case there is any confusion about the fulfillment of requirements in the future.

You may use the course to satisfy requirements in both programs provided that your programs (two majors or one major and two minors) include twelve different courses (FCEs). Please consult the Degree Requirements section of the Faculty of Arts and Science Calendar and your College Registrar for further information on double-counting courses.

If I find a course (not listed in ES&L) that I think would be a suitable course for the program, what can I do?

You should tell the Director. If the Director considers the course suitable for inclusion in the program, he will recommend to Trinity's Dean of Arts that permission be sought to add the course to the program. The Dean will seek the permission of the college or department that sponsors the course.

What if I do not have a prerequisite for an ES&L course I want to take?

This would normally mean you would not be eligible to take the course. If, however, you think you have equivalent preparation, you should speak with the instructor.

What role does TRN 412H play in the ES&L program?

Its role is to integrate the program by examining selected topics and readings related to the themes of ethics, society, and law in the format of a senior seminar. The course is restricted to students in their final year of registration in the program.