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.
This course begins with examining discussions of the historical continuities and discontinuities in globalization, including the relationships between globalization, empires and imperialism. It then turns to focus on an interdisciplinary selection of theoretical writings on contemporary globalization. The course concludes with preliminary investigations of some particular topics in globalization studies: identity, gender and culture, structural adjustment and world economic institutions, global health, communal violence and gender, and resistance to globalization.
PSCI 614International Business and Development0.50 units
This course examines varied roles in developing areas of international businesses including multinationals, contractual partners of these firms in developing areas, as well as developing area firms as suppliers of businesses in industrialized countries. The course examines impacts of international businesses on the social-economy of developing areas, especially their impact on poverty and development. The course includes case studies in a number of countries (including Nigeria, India, China, Pakistan, Colombia, Brazil, and South Africa). The role of free and fair trade networks, as well as the impact of questionable financial transactions.
This course analyzes the extent and character of worldwide poverty today by adopting both a global and an historical perspective. The course examines the impact of industrialization and colonialism on poverty and the social and political economy of poverty in the contemporary world. The course examines the relationships between poverty and slums, poverty and underdevelopment, poverty and inequality, as well as poverty and hunger. The course considers various theories about causes of poverty and those public and private actions that seem most likely to reduce the extent of poverty.
Health policy-making is changing to reflect a need for more coordination among nation-states and a rising number of international non-governmental organizations, leading to a more polycentric form of global governance. It begins with a review of theoretical texts on globalization and global public policy that assist in understanding changes in scale for policy-making and for policy coordination. It then looks at the historical development of global institutions, including the World Health Organization. Finally, it examines case studies of global health policy making, noting how these actions interface with nation-states' sovereignty and autonomy, and with other sites of global authority.
This course stretches the definition of who are the actors that conduct the practice of diplomacy, where the sites of diplomacy are located, and what aims are privileged. Conventional diplomacy showcases state-centric activity with an emphasis on hierarchy, protocol, and closed negotiations. Unconventional diplomacy in contrast is open-ended with a focus on transparency, inclusiveness and the pursuit of global governance. The course begins with an overview of the pressures for change in diplomacy, and then moves to a detailed examination of specific areas where unconventional diplomacy has become prominent including think tank diplomacy, humanitarian diplomacy, 'pandemic' diplomacy, and celebrity diplomacy.
PSCI 618Non-State Actors in Global Governance0.50 units
Non-state actors (NHOs, corporations, networks, etc.) play increasingly important roles in global governance, This course examines different theoretical arguments about their roles. Overarching questions include the extent to which they support or undermine states' purposes in global governance, what and how much they can contribute to global problem solving, and possible limits or critiques of their participation. It will draw on studies of non-state actors in many issue areas, venues, and parts of the world in an effort to understand what these have in common with each other, as well as possible lines of differentiation among them.
We examine China's role in global governance across a number of major issue areas: security, economy, human rights, the environment and social policy. We discuss the evolution of China's relations with the international system, Chinese perspectives on globalization, and how China's involvement in global governance has shaped its domestic institutions.
Does looking at the world through the lens of gender change how we see the state, sovereignty, diplomacy, security, trade, migration, globalization, governance, and other foundational concepts in global politics? We review feminist theories of politics, with a particular focus on international relations and global governance; examine how gender shapes the roles and experiences of women and men in global politics; and discuss how to do feminist research.
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.
New questions concerning justice follow advances in biological science, which brings us closer to a world where we have the ability to manipulate our genetic make-up. We examine how current theories of justice may require revision.
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 the prospects for the supranational governance of social issues including the political and philosophical underpinnings of transnational social policy cooperation as well as examining specific issue areas such as global health policy and cross-national migration.
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 654Post-War Reconstruction and State Building0.50 units
Rebuilding states in the aftermath of conflict and state failure represents one of the foremost challenges facing the international community. The post-Cold War era has shown that weak states represent as great a threat to international security and stability as strong ones. The transition from war to peace and state failure to stability in these states can be conceptualized as encompassing three separate but interrelated transitions, in the economic, political and security spheres. The course will deconstruct and analyze this triple transition, examine both its theoretical roots and practical application with reference to a number of recent case studies.
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 serves as a survey of the international relations (IR) subfield of international organizations (IO) but focuses principally on formal, inter-governmental organizations (IGOs). We examine the growing literature on international organizations and discuss their impact on global governance, considering their formation, design, relevance, impact and agency. We apply this knowledge to the study of several highly institutionalized issue areas.
PSCI 658Human Rights in the Globalized World0.50 units
The course is a study of international and local responses to human rights abuses in the contexts of economic globalization and proliferation of armed violence. It examines major debates on international human rights. It also deals with specific human rights situations in the developing/transitional countries. Topics include: universalism and cultural relativism, global economic justice, rights to food and health, women's and children's rights, the rights of displaced civilians, human rights and R2P, prospects for transitional justice.
PSCI 659Conflict and Conflict Resolution0.50 units
A graduate level survey of theories of conflict resolution drawn from the international relations, comparative politics, and peace studies. Why do we have violent political conflict, and how can it be resolved? How and why do wars begin and end? This course focuses on political violence and conflict resolution between groups, including but not limited to states.
PSCI 668The Politics of National Innovation Systems0.50 units
This course examines the global effort to develop new economies built around the commercialization of science and technology. This class, while covering Canadian developments in some detail, examines the broad international, theoretical and conceptual questions surrounding national innovation strategies and implementations and considers the role of national cultures and political environments in promoting new economies.
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.
This is a seminar in the ontology of security. Security is a contested concept, and in this course we ask what it is and how best to pursue it. What do we mean by security? What are we trying to protect? From what? Why? How do we do it? We begin by considering the concept of security in the abstract, and we then proceed to explore various specific conceptions. Along the way we encounter both traditional and non-traditional approaches to security.
PSCI 679Security Governance: Actors, Institutions, and Issues0.50 units
In this course we examine a range of "security" issues on the global agenda - both traditional and non-traditional - and examine recent and possible future institutional and policy responses. Issues examined include nuclear proliferation, terrorism, intrastate conflict, resource and territorial disputes, climate change, drugs, disease, and migration. Students will have an opportunity to research in depth a specific security issue of their choice.
This course reviews critical analytical models for the study of security and covers a range of non-traditional issues including environmental security, public safety, cyber security, and counter-terrorism.
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.
PSCI 686Emerging Economies in Global Governance0.50 units
Large developing countries like Brazil, Russia, India, and China stand at the centre of much of current international political economy. Their national development efforts profoundly shape their international participation and vice versa. This course will cover theoretical and conceptual debates about the roles of these "middle range" or "emerging" powers, then examine their national economies, before turning to see how they individually and collectively (with the other emerging powers) fit into current global governance.
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".