With prof profiles and course ‘trailers,’ U of T ‘s Munk School gives students a peek at the fall semester

A new video series gives incoming students at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy the inside scoop on their online courses – and their professors, too.

The school is posting a new video “trailer” each week so Master of Global Affairs (MGA) and Master of Public Policy students can learn more about course formats, goals and outcomes – effectively an oral syllabus delivered in a professor’s own words.

This week’s feature is Statistics for Global Affairs, a course for first-year MGA students taught by Paola Salardi, an assistant professor, teaching stream. Other featured courses include Decision Making and Strategy in the Global System, Microeconomics for Global Affairs and Microeconomics for Policy Analysis.

“You’ll be working both individually and in teams and assessed in a variety of different assignments, and this is because I strongly believe that everyone learns in many different ways,” Salardi says in the video. “And so, you should be exposed to different experiences, to strengthen both hard and soft skills.”

Students also have an opportunity to learn more about the faculty who will be teaching their courses – as people, not just professors – thanks to a series of behind-the-scenes video profiles. In Salardi’s case, students can sit down with the applied economist and director of the Trudeau Centre for Peace, Conflict and Justice in her backyard as she answers questions about where she’s from, what her one superpower would be (hint: she has no interest in recognizing the bounds of time and space) and what students can expect from her.

A new Munk professor will be profiled each week – whether it’s taking a stroll through High Park with Associate Professor Jonathan Craft’s five-year-old Bernedoodle, Winston, or mastering how to crack open a soft-boiled egg with Associate Professor Stephan Heblich’s German kitchen utensil.

“These videos offer students a chance to get to know their professors as people and to feel connected to U of T, regardless of where they are based,” says Kristen Ligers, the Munk School's director, programs. 

The faculty profiles, course trailers and Welcome to Munk School videos are all part of the Munk School’s larger effort to connect with students. Other initiatives allow incoming students to meet one another during virtual coffee chats, connect with alumni to ask about their experiences in the program and engage with second-year student mentors.  

“We hope that incoming students will see that staff, faculty and upper-year students are excited to welcome them to the Munk School and are committed to providing a positive learning experience this fall,” Ligers says.