PSCI 600Theories and Methods of Political Analysis0.50 units
The course is a critical examination of different approaches to the study of political science. The seminar is intended to accomplish two goals: first, to foster a collegial atmosphere in which students pursue a common course of intensive study; and second, to expose students to the most recent theoretical developments in normative, empirical, analytical or historical approaches to political science.
PSCI 601Research Applications in Political Science0.50 units
A research seminar focussing on how the methodologies employed by political scientists are used to study political processes and events. While topics will vary from year to year, the seminar will reflect recent trends in the literature of political science, and the ongoing research initiatives of departmental faculty.
PSCI 604Advanced Topics in Global Environmental Governance0.50 units
This course examines the ways in which environmental challenges are being addressed by means of 'global governance' - that is, international organizations and institutions intended to deal with these environmental challenges. Concepts are investigated both to help analyze the relative strengths and weaknesses of existing structures and to suggest ways in which alternative forms of global governance might advance sustainability. Specific organizations and other actors presently active in global environmental governance are given particular attention, as is the management of selected global environmental challenges.
PSCI 606Governing Global Food and Agriculture Systems0.50 units
This course examines the international rules and organizations that have emerged to govern the increasingly global system of food and agriculture. Specific themes to be covered include governance issues related to the rise of global food corporations, agricultural trade liberalization and the WTO, food aid distribution, international agricultural assistance, the global agro-chemical industry, and agricultural biotechnology.
PSCI 610Globalization and Global Governance0.50 units
This course provides an overview of current scholarly debates relating to the interdiciplinary study of global governance in the context of globalization. It examines competing perspectives on globalization and global governance, and explores the sources and consequences of global power and authority, as well as the key actors, institutions, regimes, and norms of global governance.
Prerequisite: Graduate Global Governance Plans only. All others require permission of department.
An examination of the justification and limitations of democratic government, as well as more practical applications of democratic theory to the workplace, judicial review, legal obligations, etc. The focus will be on problems of democratic theory and practice.
Theories of justice are concerned with the distribution of the basic goods of society - money, power, status, leisure, and so on. One would expect that they would be of particular interest to feminist theory, which is also concerned with the distribution of these goods. This course will consider how the gender system fares from the standpoint of liberal justice, and to what extent the promises of liberal justice can be used to overturn the unequal treatment of women. The issues of equality and difference will also be explored.
An examination of how different political theorists use and understand key political concepts - such as equality, liberty, democracry, identity, and rights - to develop the ability to assess theories of justice from a libertarian, liberal, communitarian, democratic and feminist perspective. We will examine works of contemporary political theorists, including Rawls, Nozick, Cohen, Gutmann, Dworkin, Sandel, Okin and Young.
PSCI 630APublic Administration and Policy 10.50 units
An in-depth analysis of selected theories of public administration and public policy (e.g.) organization, behaviour, motivation, responsibility, policy making and implementation.
PSCI 630BPublic Administration and Policy 20.50 units
A research seminar in public administration or policy problems growing out of the interests of the participants, especially the research interests of the faculty and students.
An analytical and comparative study of the growth of government intervention in the economic process, and of the development of the welfare state in selected western liberal-democratic societies.
PSCI 632The Politics of Canadian Resource Development0.50 units
An examination of various public policies designed to promote the exploitation and export of Canada's natural resources with an emphasis on the economic, political, social and environmental implications of these developmental strategies.
In this course, we examine some of the conceptual frameworks that have been used by policy analysts in the past, in order to assess the possibilities as well as the limitations of such frameworks. We then develop our own approaches to examining some recent policy developments in Canada, using the insights of the authors we have examined. We will examine federal economic policy, provincial health policy, and municipal zoning policies, in order to assess (among other factors) the relative significance of policy focus, the situation of the policy-makers in the political system and ideological preferences.
PSCI 634Comparative Public Administration0.50 units
A comparative survey of public administration in both developed and developing areas. The focus is on the rise of the administrative state in a variety of cultural and political contexts, and on the study of general concepts which can then be applied in a variety of settings. Among the topics to be discussed are: comparison in the study of public administration; bureaucracy as a focus for comparison; the concept of the administrative state; the evolution of national administrative systems; the politics-administration interface and the senior civil service; bureaucracy and democracy; representative bureaucracy; bureaucratic ethics and morality; and the ombudsman and government secrecy.
How do governments deal with transnational crime? Case studies illustrate the dynamic relationships between crime and politics in various countries. Topics include triads and mafia.
This course examines three interrelated aspects of global social policy: the global social issues resulting from increased economic integration, the role of international governmental and non-governmental actors in fashioning cross-national responses to these issues, and the effects of global and regional economic and political integration on domestic social policy.
A study of political democratization in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The focus is on the alternative interpretations of democracy, the roles of domestic and external actors, and the challenges of democratic consolidation.
PSCI 653Comparative Political Systems: Eastern Europe0.50 units
This course will provide a comparative survey of political processes in the states of Eastern Europe. It will begin with a brief introduction to the geopolitical significance of this area, the historical experience of the Eastern European states and their political development in this century. The course will then focus on the problems which the East European states now face in dealing with the legacy of the past: the dilemmas posed by political and economic reform and new patterns of social inequality; the nature of new political parties and the quality of political participation; the impact of growing nationalism; and new regional security arrangements.
PSCI 655Ethnic Conflict and Conflict Resolution I0.50 units
This course examines the causes of ethnic conflict but focuses in particular on the strategies which states use to manage or resolve such conflicts. The review of state strategies is comprehensive in nature, and includes approaches which are morally unacceptable as well as approaches which many consider morally desirable.
PSCI 656Ethnic Conflict and Conflict Resolution II0.50 units
This course involves a detailed analysis of ethnic conflict and conflict resolution strategies in a number of important case-studies such as Bosnia, Canada, Israel/Palestine, Kossovo, Northern Ireland, S. Africa, the Soviet Successor States, and the United States. The class will examine why particular strategies were applied in particular settings, comment on the appropriateness of such strategies and, when relevant, explore alternatives. While the course is case-study based, a key focus will be the development of comparative political analysis, i.e., the construction of generalisable theories that allow the application of lessons learned in one setting to others.
PSCI 657International Organizations and Global Governance0.50 units
This course will examine the growing literature on international organizations and discuss their impact on global governance. The relevance, impact, and agency of international organizations will be considered. With the growing interdependence among states, international organizations are places where global governance decisions are made.
PSCI 658Humanitzrianism and Human Rights: A North-South Perspective0.50 units
An analysis of human rights activism and humanitarian assistance in the global South, with special attention to challenges presents by globalization and civil wars. The focus is on the trend towards a convergence of rights, relief and development concerns.
PSCI 659Conflict and Conflict Resolution0.50 units
Dangerous political conflicts are sometimes resolved, sometimes escalate to violence, and sometimes fester. We examine the causes, the course and the consequences of dangerous political conflects within and between states.
Public policy in a variety of areas significant for women (including sport, employment equity, violence) sometimes fails to take into account women's experiences and needs. In this course, we will review policy developments, and reflect on the significance of feminist perspectives for policy analysis. The course will focus on Canadian examples, with comparative material included where useful.
PSCI 681Power Politics and World Order Studies0.50 units
This theory course examines the evolution of the international system; the capacity of the system of states to cope with the demands on it; meanings of international and regional power and order. There is an emphasis on the international politics of regions.
PSCI 682Contemporary Strategy: Theories and Policies0.50 units
The course examines strategic studies and its premises, the evolution of strategic thinking, the role of national policy of military powers. Strategic concepts are studied with specific reference to military policies of regional powers. Choice of countries may vary each year but a minimum of five countries will be studied.
PSCI 683Topics in International Political Economy0.50 units
Contemporary perspectives and issues in international political economy, with particular attention to advanced industrial countries. Topics include political/economic cooperation, the politics of trade, and the politics of adjustment.
PSCI 684Special Topics in International Diplomacy0.50 units
Diplomacy and foreign policy are usually discussed as though they are synonymous. From a more nuanced perspective, diplomacy is about the set of instruments used in international affairs via techniques of representation, information, communication and negotiation. This course highlights the work of diplomats and the machinery of diplomacy.
A survey of the theoretical and public policy debates relating to regulation of the global economy, examined through case studies ranging from international banking an intellectual property rights, to labour and environmental standards and the control of illicit economic activity.
Topics in international political economy-such as trade, finance, corporations, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, regionalism (EU, NAFTA/FTAA, and APEC)-with a focus on resistance and accommodation to the forces of "globalization".
PSCI 710Globalization and Global Governance0.50 units
This course provides an overview of current scholarly debates relating to the interdisciplinary study of global governance in the context of globalizaiton. It examines competing perspectives on globalization and global governance, and explores the sources and consequences of global power and authority, as well as the key actors, institutions, regimes, and norms of global governance. This course is open only to student in the PhD progrma in Global Governance.
Prerequisite: Graduate Global Governance Plans only. All others require permission of department.