Political Science Courses |
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SSC199H1/Y1 Undergraduate seminar that focuses on specific ideas, questions, phenomena or controversies, taught by a regular Faculty member deeply engaged in the discipline. Open only to newly admitted first year students. It may serve as a distribution requirement course; see page 47. PLEASE NOTE: Not all courses are offered every year. Almost all upper-level POL courses have Prerequisites. Students without course Prerequisites will be removed at any time they are discovered.
Note: Students may enrol in only one of the following courses: POL103Y1, POL105Y1, POL108Y1.
All 100-series POL courses are mutually exclusive. Students enrolled
in more than one of these courses (or completed one of these courses or
a previous
POL 100-series course with a mark of at least 50%) will be removed
at any
time they are discovered. POL103Y1 This course introduces students to politics using a comparative approach; it examines the variety of political regimes that exist around the world, with particular attention to Canada. Emphasis is placed on how distinctive regimes reflect the different past and present social and economic settings of countries. POL105Y1 An introduction to fundamental questions about the relation between ethics and politics. Do the constraints of political life entail a different set of ethical standards for individuals and groups than in other domains of life? How do various kinds of ethical issues become political ones? How should ethical disagreements be handled politically? POL108Y1 This course introduces students to the theory and practice of global networks and how networks differ from states and markets. The course begins with an overview of the differences between states, markets and networks in global politics. It then turns to several cases of contemporary networks, including terrorist, civil society, ethnic, and financial networks. The course concludes with an examination of the many challenges of regulating, hacking and holding accountable global networks in the 21st century. POL200Y1 A selective presentation of critical encounters between philosophy and politics, dedicated to the quest for articulation and founding of the just/good society. Among the theorists examined are Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes and Locke. POL201Y1 A survey of the developmental challenges facing societies in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, and the efficacy of various development strategies and policies in meeting these challenges. POL203Y1 An introduction to U.S. government and politics within an analytical framework that helps us understand how institutions structure incentives and decisions in the U.S. system. This class examines the political forces that forged contemporary American institutions to understand how these political institutions continue to provide stability while allowing opportunities for political change. We investigate whether these forces make American institutions different and why. Special attention is paid to current events and contemporary policy dilemmas. POL207Y1 An introduction to comparative politics with a focus on Western Europe: types of democracy, changing economic and social governance, organized interests in Europe, party landscape, social movements. Special attention to Germany, Britain, France, Italy, and the European Union. POL208Y1 The course analyzes the impact of the individual, the nation-state, and the international and transnational systems on international conflict and conflict resolution, and examines the major problems the international community confronts in a rapidly changing international environment. POL214Y1 Canada’s political system including the Constitution and institutional pillars of governance: cabinet and parliament, federalism, the Charter of Rights. Topics include: political parties, the electoral system, policymaking and public administration. Issues include identity, citizenship, ideology and political culture, regionalism, language politics, aboriginals, multiculturalism, gender, media, and interest groups. POL215Y1 This course provides a comparative analysis of selected countries of East and Southeast Asia, with an emphasis on changing views of citizenship as they have been shaped by political, socio-economic and cultural transformations in the region. The first term deals with the idea of the developmental state, inequality, democratization and nationalism. The second term takes up questions related to governance and corruption, culture, demographic changes and nascent forms of regionalism and globalization. POL242Y1 This course is aimed at helping Political Science students to understand and use the quantitative methods and research designs now widely employed throughout the discipline. POL299Y1 Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project. See page 47 for details.
Note: POL300H1/Y1 An introduction to the field of comparative politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor. JMC301Y1 This course explores China’s efforts to construct a modern and effective political order in the face of powerful demographic and revolutionary challenges. The clash between competing ideologies, political and social movements and institutional alternatives in the context of rapid social and economic change are analyzed. (Given by the Departments of East Asian Studies and Political Science) POL301Y1 The continuing relevance of pre-colonial Africa; the nature and legacy of colonial rule; African nationalism and the consolidation of power in the newly-independent states; government, party and the people; the role of the military; national integration; dependency and neo-colonialism; socialism and development; democracy and human rights. JHP304Y1 The history of Ukraine from earliest times to the present. Economic, political, and cultural movements; Kievan Rus’, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Cossack state, national revival, twentieth century statehood, and unification. As this course is designed as an introductory course, the professor welcomes first- and second-year students to enroll, as well as upper-level students. (Given by the Departments of History and Political Science) POL304H1 Development of political institutions / policies to manage ethnic relations; political strategies and resources available to ethnic and national minorities for achieving goals. Case studies: self-government and First Nations; renewed federalism/sovereignty association and Quebecois; multiculturalism and minority rights. POL305Y1 The colonial heritage, the failure of nation-states to develop as integrated and autonomous power structures, dependent capitalism and political order, contrasting types of domination, rigid monopolization and the flexible use of the state by the ruling sectors, national revolution and the socialist alternative. POL310Y1 Analysis of different aspects of conflict management, including security regimes, U.N. peacekeeping, mediation, bilateral as well as multilateral techniques. POL311Y1 A study of the ideas that underlie Canadian politics emphasizing the similarities and differences between political parties. The sources and nature of liberalism, conservatism, socialism, nationalism, and multiculturalism in Canada. POL312Y1 Canada’s response to the challenges of globalization and the post-cold war world. The major alternative theoretical approaches, the changing doctrines and patterns of Canadian foreign policy from 1945 to the present, the making of Canadian foreign policy, relations with the United States, within NAFTA, and with other global regions. POL313Y1 Psychological implications of political theories. Attention to alternative approaches to research and theorizing. The bearing of psychological perspectives on political issues. POL314Y1 The attitudes and behaviour of the mass public in Canada and other western democracies, with emphasis on voting and elections. Themes include the nature of social, psychological, and economic forces on public opinion and voting, political participation, mass media, public opinion polling, electoral systems, the role of parties, leaders, and issues in elections. Examination of recent national surveys of Canadian electorate. POL315H1 An interdisciplinary examination of the development of political visibility by gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and the transgendered in the contemporary period; and an analysis of public policy on and state regulation of sexual diversity in Canada, the U.S., Britain, and other European countries. POL316Y1 Constitutional, political, administrative, and financial aspects of federal-provincial relations, regionalism, and cultural dualism. POL317Y1 Draws from the major theoretical traditions in public policy and policymaking of the advanced industrial world, and applies these theories in understanding the developing world context and the new challenges of global change. POL318H1 Deals with the political economy of Canada’s position in North America. Starting with Harold Innis’s theory of staple growth and the debate about the role of foreign investment in its economic (mis)development, we examine how Canada, having long resisted continental economic integration, turned to free trade as a panacea in the 1980s. The course ends with a detailed investigation of NAFTA’s significance for Canadian public policy options in the light of the US war on terrorism. POL319Y1 The American Constitution and the Supreme Court’s role in its exposition and development. The fundamental principles of the constitution, judicial power, federalism, civil rights, freedom of speech and religion, criminal procedure. Discussion of Supreme Court cases. Comparisons with Canadian constitutional law throughout. POL320Y1 The development of political thought from the Enlightenment and through the 19th century; implications for political thought in the 20th century. Democratic and anti-democratic tendencies. POL321H1 Theoretical approaches to ethnic conflict and accommodation. Case studies drawn from: West Europe: conflict (Northern Ireland, Spain), consociation (Switzerland), and treatment of immigrant minorities; Israel and South Africa; East European disintegration: Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia; collapse of former Soviet Union and conflict / state-building in post-Soviet space. POL323H1 An exploration of the issue of justice among nations. Is such justice genuine or is it largely spurious? What are the prospects for a just international order? Careful examination and thorough discussion of texts by Thucydides, Rousseau, Kant, and other first-rate thinkers on these issues. POL324Y1 Integration in Europe: examines the forces that have historically divided and united the European continent. Particular attention is paid to the politics of regional disparities, the European Union and its institutions, and the dilemmas of including Europe’s peripheries into broader economic and security structures of the continent. POL326Y1 The foreign policy of the United States: tradition and context of American decision-making, the process by which it is formulated, application to a number of specific regions and problems in the world. POL330H1 The relationship between the individual’s quest for the good life and the political order. The role of the wise person in civil society. Study of a small number of texts. POL332Y1 A study of the role, autonomy, and power of courts in countries with different political regimes (USA, France, Russia), and of the problem of legal transition in formerly authoritarian, especially post-communist states. POL333Y1 Similarities and differences in provincial political systems. Comparative analysis of provincial societies, cultures, and institutions. Examination of political parties, leaders, elections, voting behaviour, and policy outputs. POL334H1 Study and analysis of the major events and issues in Quebec society and politics. Concentrates on recent years and on the political implications of post-war economic and social change. POL335H1 The course is designed to trace Japan’s rise to global prominence in the 20th century. Why has globalization in recent years prompted such extraordinary political and economic difficulties in Japan? The areas of discussion include also social and cultural aspects of modern public life. POL336H1 Government and politics in Canada’s most populous province. Topics include the historical, socio-economic, and comparative settings of provincial politics. Attention is devoted to institutions, parties and elections, intergovernmental relations and the policy continuities and discontinuities of recent years. POL337Y1 The moral foundations, historical events, political forces and legal ideas that have shaped the Canadian constitution; the roots, legacies, and judicial interpretation of the Constitution Act 1867, the Constitution Act 1982, and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms; the politics of constitutional change; “differentiated citizenship”, “rights talk”, and the judicialization of politics. POL340Y1 International law as an instrument of conflict resolution. Recognition, sovereign immunity, subjects of international law, jurisdiction. POL341H1 Political economy of Canada’s position in the world trading system. Starting with globalization (understood as the economic and technological forces driving the integration of capital, production, and distribution markets across national borders) and global governance (institutional structures and rules established to manage countries’ international economic behaviour), we focus on how, in the new security context of the US war on terrorism, the World Trade Organization affects Canada’s capacity to develop policies for cultural, economic and environmental development. POL342H1 A postpositivist and postmodernist critique of mainstream international relations thinking. In deconstructing prevalent assumptions about world politics as represented primarily by neorealist and neoliberal thought, this course highlights alternative perspectives on the construction and the emancipatory potential of political life. JPP343Y1 An examination of selected texts in ancient and modern political theory focusing on the conceptual division between private and public spheres of activity and the theorization of sexual difference and sexual equality. Examines contemporary feminist perspectives in political theory. (Given by the Departments of Philosophy and Political Science) POL343Y1 The history and politics of international governance, with particular emphasis on the League of Nations and its 19th century antecedents, the United Nations and the emergence of nongovernmental organizations; informal institutions and structures; and specific issue areas such as development, trade, finance, human rights and the environment. POL344H1 A comparative examination of the development of a variety of social movements, and their engagement with state institutions. Among the activist movements being examined are those dealing with gender, the environment, and labour. POL345H1 An introduction to Israeli politics, society, institutions and political practice from the perspective of the development of Israeli identity (identities). Particular attention will be given to the sources of Israeli identity, to the main players involved in its politics, and to the role of regional war and the peace process in its development and inner conflicts. POL346H1 The relationship between human-induced environmental stress and national and international security, with a special focus on the likelihood of environmentally related violence in the developing world. Some treatment of the technical aspects of global environmental change. POL347Y1 The comparative politics of the environment. An examination of the environmental movement in northern countries (Canada, United States, Western Europe), and its extension into southern countries (Latin America, Africa and Asia). Analyzes differences in policies and politics between northern and southern regions, and the local effects of globalization. POL348Y1 Concepts and theories of comparative politics to understand both developing and advanced industrial states; includes comparative method, modernism/post-modernism, revolution and protest, ethnic conflict and nationalism, democracy, authoritarianism, regime change, political culture, the role of institutions, civil society and corporatism, states and markets. POL349Y1 Major cities around the world have become intimately involved in a much more globalized world. The focus of this course is the political response of Canadian, American and European cities to this major challenge. Throughout the course, we ask what options are open to our cities effectively to operate in this new arena, while retaining their local values and democratic culture. POL350H1 This course explores the historical and current theoretical debates surrounding health policy. In so doing, it offers a framework for examining different health system arrangements, and the politics of health care policymaking, in both the developed and developing world contexts, including cases from North America, Europe, East Asia, Latin America and Africa. POL351Y1 An introduction to gender and politics that examines women as political actors and their activities in formal politics. It addresses questions such as does women’s under-representation in formal politics matter? What difference do women make when they are elected? The second part explores a number of substantive public policy issues of interest to and that impact women. POL352H1 This course could aptly be titled “the guts of government.” It explores the institutions and processes that are involved in making public policies, and examines the challenges faced in public sector governance. Topics include new public management, alternative service delivery, and other ideas, institutions, and processes that have emerged to deliver public services.
Explores tensions between democracy and authoritarianism after communist rule. Topics include: legacy of Soviet Union; political leadership; presidential power and executive - legislative conflict; federalism; elections and parties; civil society; ethnonationalism; corruption and organized crime. POL356Y1 The evolution and setting of Canada’s federal and provincial party systems. Topics include historical and theoretical perspectives, ideology, leadership selection, elections, financing, media, and representing interests. POL357H1 Selected issues in South Asian politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor. POL358Y1 This course interrogates the historical trajectories of colonialism and the emergence of the postcolonial condition by asking what is the “post” in post-colonial? What are the relationships between domination, ways of knowing and thinking about self and other, space and bodies? How do forms of violence become legitimated and deployed? POL359Y1 The course provides an overview of the salient issues in the past enlargement rounds, furnishing the context for the study of current and future integration efforts. Readings will cover the current round of enlargement to the Central and East European countries, efforts related to South-Eastern Europe, as well as Turkey. Issues between the EU and Ukraine and Russia will also be studied, as will the relationship between the Union and its Southern Rim. Security issues related to NATO integration and operations will also be covered. POL364H1 A comparative exploration of the political influence of religion in Canada, the United States, with some examples drawn from other regions in the world. Topics will include the political influence of high levels of religiosity, of progressive and traditionalist faith currents, and of organized religious institutions; the implications of religious rights for liberal democratic political practices; and the similarities and differences between Islamic, Christian, and Jewish interventions in western political systems. POL366Y0 This course examines the politics and societies of Central Europe, including Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Austria. It deals with the key issues in the post-communist period including minority-majority relations, the profound social, political and economic changes since the fall of communism, and the “return to Europe”. POL367Y0 This course focuses on the dynamic changes that have been taking place in Australia since 1901. It examines Australia’s rich indigenous and non-indigenous history; the complexity and challenges of Australia’s migration and multiculturalism; key issues and practices in contemporary Australian politics; the complex interplay between institutional processes, political interest and the media; and the dynamics of Australia’s engagement with the region and the rest of the world. POL370Y1 Organized around important topics in the study of international political economy. It explores the political underinnings of the global economy and the economic forces reshaping contemporary political environments. Specific policy issues are treated in a context that evaluates the explanatory power of various theoretical approaches. POL371H1 This course applies a relational perspective of economic action which emphasizes context, path-dependence and contingency. It explores the intentions, opportunities and constraints of economic agency by analyzing the interdependencies between institutions at different levels and industrial organization, interaction, innovation and evolution, thus exploring the spatial construction of the political economy. POL380H1/Y1 Content in any given year depends on instructor. POL395H1/396H1/397Y1 Credit course for supervised participation in a faculty research project. Offered only when a faculty member is willing and available to supervise. Interested faculty review plans with the Undergraduate Director, and then make the opportunity known to students as appropriate. Check with Undergraduate Office for more details and faculty proposal form. POL398H0/399Y0 An instructor-supervised group project in an off-campus setting. See page 47 for details.
Note Enrolment is limited in all Political Science and Joint Political Science
400-series courses. See Registration Handbook and Timetable for details. POL401H1 This course addresses the global trading system by examining the political, economic, legal, and institutional forces that shape today’s contemporary international system. It focuses particularly on the tension that have been generated between these globalizing technological and economic factors and the continuing efforts to protect national autonomy. At the top of the global trade regime sits the World Trade Organization which has emerged as the adjudicator of global trade law. Canada is equally affected by the North American Free Trade Agreement which, with the WTO, has reconstructed the governance of North America. POL402H1 Study of a small number of texts illuminating the origins and/or legacy of Socratic political philosophy. POL403H1 The course examines the late colonial state with examples drawn mostly from South Asia and Africa. The theoretical material used is from the field of colonialism postcolonial studies. Amongst the themes that may be examined are colonial governmentality and the production of identities. POL404H1 A study of selected texts in ancient and/or modern political philosophy that reveal the arguments for and against the idea of natural right. POL405Y1 A study of Marxism as political economy and philosophy with emphasis upon dialectics. Begins with Aristotle, Smith, Kant, Hegel and Marx. Includes Lenin, Trotsky, Bukharin, Preobrazhensky, Pashukanis, Hilferding, Bernstein, Kautsky, Luxemburg, Korsch, Gramsci, Marcuse, Lukacs, Althusser, Habermas. Theme: relations between science, economics, politics, law and philosophy. POL408H1 This course explores technological change, its socio-economic consequences, spatial implications and aspects of economic policies. As future growth in the knowledge-based economy will be increasingly associated with new products, services and processes, questions of innovation performance and support policy are decisive at the firm, regional and national levels. POL409H1 The course explores the centrality of science and technology in political affairs generally and its current significance for public policy in particular. It applies the conceptual tools of political economy to analyze the nature of technological change in industrial democracies. It assesses the social and political consequences of the current wave of technological innovation and alternative responses of industrial democracies. (Offered in alternate years) POL410H1/Y1 Selected issues in comparative politics. Varies from year to year. POL412H1 Explores human rights with reference to global politics and common ways of thinking about democracy and its limits. Materials to be considered are theoretical, practical, empirical and historical, a number of them from Latin America. The defence and protection of human rights provides the basic reference point. POL413H1 Examines the challenges faced by humanity in dealing with global environmental problems and the politics of addressing them. Focuses on both the underlying factors that shape the politics of global environmental problems – such as scientific uncertainty, North-South conflict, and globalization – and explores attempts at the governance of specific environmental issues. POL414H1 Enlargement of NATO and the EU into the former communist states of central and eastern Europe. Ukraine and some other post-communist states will be used as case studies to explain why some countries were successful in integration into NATO and the EU and the factors that blocked the integration of other states. POL415H1 The role of nationalism, myths and identity in the transitions within post-communist states. Ukraine and other former Soviet states will be used as case studies to investigate the role of regionalism, nation-building, inter-ethnic relations, historical myths and language in their state building processes. POL416Y1 This course explores the nature and evolution of the international system, from both theoretical and historical perspectives. The primary concern of the course is with the maintenance of order in any international system, as it has been created and maintained historically, and how theory suggests it might be attained. We will examine, using contending theoretical perspectives, such questions as how systemic characteristics evolve, what creates equilibrium within a particular system, which forces cause upheaval or destruction, and what impacts such changes have on the units within the system. POL417Y1 The countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East; their impact on the international system, and the external and internal factors that influence their international behaviour, with particular focus on civil wars. POL418Y1 The social and economic problems faced by large third world cities; relationship between urban politics and the kinds of solutions that are advanced. Settlement issues and low-cost housing policies, unemployment and marginal populations, the dynamics of urban government, and the politics of planning. POL419Y1 The use of advanced data analysis techniques in the social sciences, management and analysis of large datasets, techniques of multivariate analysis, problems of causal inference and interpretation of data. POL420Y1 Seminar on the tradition, process, and implementation of American foreign policy. JPJ421Y1 The seminar explores the global expansion of judicial power through the constitutionalization of rights and the fortification of judicial review. Examination of moral foundations of constitutionalism; comparative analysis of constitutional rights jurisprudence; the politics of constitutional decision-making; and the impact of constitutional jurisprudence on social change. POL421H1 The course offers an introduction to the seminal work of Jewish philosophy, ‘The Guide of the Perplexed’ by Moses Maimonides. We will delve into some of the basic themes of Jewish philosophical theology and religion as they are treated by Maimonides. POL422Y1 In the first term, we will explore nationalities issues: interpretations of nationalities policies in the Soviet Union; role of ethnonationalism in disintegration of the Soviet state; role of ethnonationalism in state building and interstate relations in the successor states. In the second term, the seminar will explore law and politics in post-Soviet Russia, including courts and judicial reform, constitutional development, business disputes, and corruption. POL423H1 The course examines public sector budgeting at the federal and provincial levels in Canada. It investigates how economic, political and institutional factors are transformed into budgetary policy especially during times of fiscal constraint. Comparative analysis, budgeting theory, simulations and case studies inform this seminar. POL424Y1 An examination of the competing conceptions of knowledge, “quantitative” and “qualitative,” that have shaped the academic study of politics. Methodology from a philosophical standpoint. Topics discussed include objectivity, values, value freedom, scientific explanation, behaviouralism, historicism, interpretation, social constructivism, critical theory, and rational choice. Readings from Mill, Weber, Popper, Strauss, Kuhn, Habermas, Gadamer, and Taylor. Directed especially to 4th year students considering graduate studies in political science. POL425Y1 An examination of the basic ideas underlying Canada’s multicultural policies, especially as explained by Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and some interpretations of Canadian practice by political theorists, especially Charles Taylor and Will Kymlicka. POL427Y1 This course examines the theoretical presuppositions orienting the construction of the behaviour and skills of democratic citizenship; simultaneously, students consider what is involved. The course consists of three parts: No One Truth, Evoking the Other, and the Spirit of Equality. POL428H1 Comparative analysis of states and societies in Southeast Asia. Particular focus on democracy, authoritarianism and communism in the region; nationalism, ethnic identity and politics; civil society and economic development. POL429Y1 The main theories of ethnic conflict, ethnic violence and nationalism. Focus on the challenges of multiethnic diversity and nationalism for democracy. Origins of nations; construction of ethnic identities; nationalism in the 21st century; causes of ethnic conflict, ethnic riots, and ethnic violence; democracy and ethnic diversity; multination states and democracy. POL430Y1 A comparative examination of major texts of the Jewish tradition, ranging from the Torah to modernity, and texts of the classical or Western traditions raising similar questions. Close reading of a small number of capital works, with special attention to the problem of reason and revelation. POL431Y1 Issues and themes in China’s modernization effort with emphasis on 20th century social, political and economic developments. POL432H1 Feminist theory offers basic challenges to the foundations of modern political and legal thought. It suggests a different conception of human nature and a different model of epistemology and of appropriate forms of argument about the traditional issues of legal and political theory: justice, power, equality and freedom. Introduction to the foundations of feminist theory, an analysis of its implications for traditional liberal theory, and an application of feminist theory to law. POL433Y1 The objective of the seminar is to investigate the ways in which race, ethnicity, and culture have influenced American politics. Areas and issues including the party system, public policy, the evolution of the Constitution, the definition and negotiation of gender roles and identities, the labour movement, and popular culture, are examined. POL434Y1 This course explores, through the writings of its foremost advocates and adversaries, the Enlightenment, the movement to found political life on the principles of scientific reason, universally applicable and accessible to human beings. JHP435Y1 Examines status of minority peoples in Europe, using specific case studies to compare similarities and differences in how these minorities function in states with differing political systems and ideologies. The evolution of specific minorities focuses on questions of language, religion, historical ideology, legal status, assimilation, and political goals. (Given by the Departments of History and Political Science) POL435H1 The course addresses questions regarding the cultural and organizational precedents for and against modern capitalist enterprise in East and Southeast Asia. Special effort given to tracing uneven geographical, gender and class participation in market growth and to the moral and political arguments that have been provoked regarding the consequences of the Asian “economic miracle” and its recent financial crisis. POL436Y1 Explores a range of questions about political community in the modern world with attention to the relationship between claims about what political communities ought to be and empirical evidence of actual political arrangements. Focus varies from year to year. POL438H1/Y1 Selected issues in comparative politics. Varies from year to year. JPD439Y1 The development of post-modern thought, particularly in French social philosophy is examined. Topics such as the nature of exchange, the impact of technology, virtual reality, the digital class are explored. Authors include Jean Baudrillard, Paul Virilio, Gilles Deleuze, Arthur Kroker, Fracois Lyotard. POL439H1 This course examines the politics of contemporary social policy in Canada. Particular attention is given to health services, day care, public pensions, income support for the poor and labour market policy. Recent developments are assessed in their historical context and in relation to insights offered by the comparative political economy literature. JHP440Y1 The seminar explores the use of gender as a category of analysis in the study of international relations. Topics include gendered imagery and language in foreign policymaking; beliefs about women’s relationship to war and peace; issues of gender, sexuality, and the military; and contributions of feminist theory to international relations theory. (Given by the Departments of History and Political Science) POL440Y1 Comparative analysis of the former Communist states of Eastern Europe and the post-Communist successor states. This course also focuses on the dilemmas of transition and the problems of democratic consolidation in the region. POL441H1 Selected issues in Asian politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor. POL442H1 This seminar starts with a brief consideration of democratic transitions in Latin America in the last 25 years. It then concentrates on the prospects and challenges of democratic consolidation in the region, while exploring the capacity/potential of institutional reform to address the fault-lines of democracy. POL443H1/Y1 Selected issues in comparative politics. Varies from year to year. POL444Y1 An examination of the Phenomenology of Spirit and the Philosophy of Right. POL446Y1 An examination of the fundamental principles and dynamics of 20th century political ideologies, focusing on the formation of various types of totalitarianism and authoritarian individualism. POL447Y1 This course explores the rise, evolution, and performance of the dominant neoliberal approach to development and poverty reduction. It also assesses the feasibility and efficacy of alternative development strategies. Case studies are drawn from Latin America, Asia, and Africa. POL448H1 One of the central purposes of the course will be to envision ways in which religious and spiritual beliefs could become respectable dimensions of legal, political, and academic discourse while sustaining a deep respect for pluralism and attending to the dangers that require the separation of church and state. POL449H1 This course surveys qualitative methods used in political science research. After briefly reviewing positivist and interpretivist research traditions, the course covers the ideal-typical and practical use of specific qualitative methods such as fieldwork, interviewing, archival research, focus group research, participant observation, ethnography, counterfactuals, discourse analysis, and multiple-methods approaches. POL450H1 This course addresses the large and growing comparative literature in two main areas: women’s political attitudes and participation. Focusing on West European and U.S. materials, the first half examines “gender gap” differences between women’s and men’s political beliefs, while the second assesses patterns of involvement in political institutions. POL452Y1 What is multilevel governance? Sources, structure, actors, processes, challenges. Focus on organizing redistributive policies, participation and accountability. The European Union compared with federal and semi-federal systems (e.g. Canada, U.S.A., Germany) and the European Union compared with regional and global regimes (NAFTA, WTO...). POL453Y1 By intensively analyzing the theoretical literature on post-communism we explore the determinants of political and economic change. How did the 28 post-communist countries, having started from basically the same point, end up politically and economically so different? JHP454Y1 World War I and the Russian Revolution: the Ukrainian independence movement; the Soviet Ukraine and west Ukrainian lands during the interwar period; World War II and the German occupation; the Soviet Ukraine before and after the death of Stalin. Socio-economic, cultural, and political developments. (Given by the Departments of History and Political Science) (Offered every three years) JPF455Y1 Examines disciplinary and developmental boundaries relating to cities. By bringing together a cross-disciplinary faculty who focus on cities within Political Science, History, Philosophy, Literature, Design, Environment and Health, Geography or Social Work, the course explores inter-disciplinary city issues: global change; environment; economic adjustment; state reform and city politics; citizenship; community development; economic development; physical form, territory and political-economy of cities. (Given by the Departments of Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, Urban Studies, Faculty of Social Work and Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design) POL458H1 The course explains why countries trade by looking at historical and contemporary trends in international trade. The course places particular emphasis on the interaction between political and economic processes in advancing trade. An important theme throughout the course is how the distribution of gains is connected to system stability. POL459Y1 The relationship of military force to politics: Nuclear war and deterrence, conventional war, revolutionary war, terrorism and counter-insurgency are examined from the perspectives of the U.S., Russia and other contemporary military powers. JUP460H1/Y1 A colloquium (fall term) and research seminar (spring term, JUP460Y only) on security ontology and various meanings of security. Topics to be considered include planetary, ecospheric, state, societal, and human security. (Offered by the Department of Political Science and University College) POL460H1 Studies on a modern political thinker or thinkers since Machiavelli. POL462Y1 Political parties and party systems in Canada, United States and selected European countries. Electoral systems, problems of representation, voting and elections and processes of political change in western democracies. POL463Y1 Lectures relate economic organization to philosophical interpretations of community and citizenship. Philosophers include Plato, Aristotle, Calvin, Smith, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Habermas, Rawls and Hayek. Seminars interpret critical moments of 20th century economic history from the standpoint of philosophy. Does philosophy clarify or obscure the meaning of economic history? POL464H1 In the post-cold war, globalizing international system, the institutions of the G8 are emerging as an effective centre of global governance. Alternative conceptions of global governance and theories of international cooperation are used to explain G8 performance. National approaches to G8 diplomacy are assessed. POL465H1 The performance of the G8 and other international institutions in securing cooperation and compliance, and shaping international order in major contemporary issues of political economy (finance, trade, employment, development), security (arms control, regional security, democracy and human rights) and transnational global issues (environmental protection, drugs, crime, infectious disease). POL466H1 For advanced students of international relations. Various topics are taken up each year, the content of which depends on the instructor. POL468H1 This seminar examines the source of conflict and various methods of conflict management. It focuses on organized conflict, and the manner in which such conflicts appear in character or scope in the contemporary international system. POL469H1 The course aims to explore the requirements of justice and fairness in international affairs. It is common to theorize international relations in terms of interests and power. But even the most cursory look at what important actors actually do in their international interactions reveals that they use normative language all the time. This has not gone unnoticed, with investigations of ethics in the international arena multiplying in recent years. Drawing on readings from political philosophy, legal theory, and normative international relations theory, the course will take up practical ethical dilemmas encountered in world affairs. The main focus of the course will be on institutions. Examples will be drawn from the issue areas of trade, health, and the environment, among others. POL470Y1 This senior seminar involves a critical assessment of current foreign policy issues and contemporary world problems. Issues and case studies to be analyzed include: 1. International military interventions to respond to imminent threats or humanitarian crises, issues of legitimacy and effectiveness. e.g., Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Haiti. 2. Canada-US relations in international crisis management, the track record and the way ahead. 3. Globalization, international terrorism, and their effects on sovereignty, diplomacy and international institutions. JPJ471H1 Explores fundamental issues in the design and amendment of constitutions, with particular reference to divided societies such as Canada, Belgium, Spain and South Africa. Includes both the processes and outcomes of constitutional politics, and their implications for conflict management, democracy, and effective governance. (Given by the Faculty of Law and the Department of Political Science) POL471H1 George Grant’s political, philosophical, and religious thought as found in his six short books and some supplementary readings. Liberalism, modernity, and technology from the stand point of political philosophy and Christian revelation. POL472H1 Topics discussed in this seminar course will include the historical origins of advanced capitalist political economies, the ‘Varieties of Capitalism’ debate, current trajectories of different political economies, labour politics and regulation, the politics of macro-economic policy, the political economy of growth, and Canada’s political economy. POL474H1 Major theories of public policy-making and related approaches to policy analysis are examined from the perspective of political science. Key contributions to the theoretical literature pertaining to leading models are read and discussed. Models of public policy-making are successively applied to analysis of cases of Canadian and comparative policy development. POL475H1 Examines how policies are developed and implemented, and seeks to improve students’ analytic, writing and presentational skills. Through readings and role-playing sessions, exposes students to key challenges confronting policy-makers: preparing for government transitions, undertaking environmental scanning and scenario planning, evaluating alternative instruments for delivery programs, establishing consultation processes, restructuring government bureaucracies, and ensuring accountability. POL476H1 This seminar course explores the concept of the developmental state both comparatively and historically. In the postwar period, the East Asian ‘tigers’ economically developed rapidly, leading many to suggest that there is a distinctive Asian model of state-led development. This course questions this assertion. The first section unpacks the East Asian developmental state model. The rest of the course explores this model in other comparative and historical contexts. Students will read the ‘classics’ in political economy, examining the role of the state in economic transformation in 17th C. Netherlands, the English Industrial Revolution, 19th C Russia and Germany, turn of the century America and the East Asian tigers. POL477H1 This course is designed for advanced students with serious interests in the subfield of international political economy. Specific topics covered will vary, but all involve the deep interplay between politics and economics in the contemporary world. POL479H1 This course examines the contemporary politics of the Middle East and North Africa. It seeks to examine the relative importance of political, socio-economic and ideological factors in the context of such issues as the resilience of authoritarism, the rise of civil society, and the resurgence of Islamic activism. Theoretical discussion is followed by case studies. POL480H1 Historically, liberalism has coped with the fact of social difference through doctrines of colour - or difference - blindness. Recent feminist and other critics of liberalism have argued that liberal conceptions of justice and impartiality fail to treat members of marginalized groups as equals. This course explores both sides of these debates. POL484H1/Y1 A seminar on a central problem in political thought. It proceeds through the reading of a small number of major texts. Content in any given year depends on instructor. POL485H1/Y1 A seminar on a central problem in political thought. It proceeds through the reading of a small number of major texts. Content in any given year depends on instructor. POL486H1/Y1 For advanced students of international relations. Various topics are taken up each year, the content of which depends on the instructor. POL487H1/Y1 For advanced students of international relations. Various topics are taken up each year, the content of which depends on the instructor. POL488H1/Y1 In depth examination of specific themes relating to contemporary African politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor. POL489H1/Y1 In depth examination of specific themes relating to contemporary African politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor. POL490H1/Y1 Examines in depth enduring and emerging issues in Canadian politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor. POL491H1/Y1 Examines in depth enduring and emerging issues in Canadian politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor. POL492H1/Y1 Selected issues in comparative politics. Varies from year to year. JPJ494H1 This course surveys two of the key themes related to the process of innovation in a knowledge-based economy: the process by which new knowledge is generated and effectively transferred to those organizations with the potential to commercialize it; and secondly, the paradoxical relationship between knowledge creation and proximity in a modern global economy. (Offered in alternate years) POL495Y1 Open only when a Political Science full-time faculty member is willing and available to supervise. Students must find an appropriate supervisor in the Department of Political Science and obtain the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies before enrolling. Obtain details and an application form from the Department Undergraduate Office. POL496H1/497H1 Open only when a Political Science full-time faculty member is willing and available to supervise. Students must find an appropriate supervisor in the Department of Political Science and obtain the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies before enrolling. Obtain details and an application form from the Department Undergraduate Office. POL498H1/Y1 Content in any given year depends on instructor. Intensive courses are offered by distinguished visitors from around the world. Students in their 4th year are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this unique opportunity to study with one or more outstanding visiting international scholars that the Department brings from time to time. The intensive course usually runs for approximately 3-4 weeks. POL499Y1 A 40 to 60 page (15,000 to 20,000 word) research paper (75% of final mark) written under the supervision of one faculty member and a companion thesis seminar (25% of final mark). The seminar provides a forum for students to periodically present and discuss their on-going research and to examine issues and approaches related to the structure, organization and presentation of the thesis. |
POL354H1