Faculty of Arts & Science 2011-2012 Calendar

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Political Science

Faculty

† Cross-appointed

The study of Political Science at the University of Toronto is wide-ranging and diverse. Courses are offered in political theory, Canadian government, international relations, and the politics of societies that are industrialized, developing, and in transition. Many courses deal with issues (such as environmental politics, diversity, peace and conflict, globalization) that cut across fields. Course offerings are designed to introduce students to Political Science at the first year level, provide the foundations for further study at the second year level, and provide specialized lecture and seminar courses at the intermediate and advanced levels. Studies in Political Science provide students with a good grounding in one of the chief social science disciplines and an opportunity to explore the issues that confront us as individuals, groups, societies and on the international level as we prepare for the twenty-first century. In addition to the materials covered, Political Science courses are set up to offer students an opportunity to learn writing and analytical skills to support a challenging and diverse career.

Courses in Political Science dovetail with programs in many other disciplines of the social sciences and the humanities: Economics, Sociology, History, Philosophy, and Psychology. A student interested in Canadian studies or urban problems, for example, would be well advised to choose courses from all these disciplines, as would someone interested in international affairs or foreign area studies. A student planning graduate work in the social sciences should seek to obtain a basic understanding of each of these disciplines.

Detailed information on our programs, extended descriptions of courses, and background information on the interests of our instructors can be found on our website.  The Association of Political Science Students, the students’ organization for Political Science undergraduates, has an office in Room 1091, Sidney Smith Hall.

Undergraduate Director: Professor Antoinette Handley, Sidney Smith Hall, Room 3030 (416-978-3342)

Student Coordinator: Elizabeth Jagdeo, Sidney Smith Hall, Room 3027 (416-978-3340)
Enquiries: (416-978-3343)

Undergraduate Program Information and Course Descriptions: http://www.politics.utoronto.ca

Political Science Programs

This is a limited enrolment program.  All students who request the program and obtain at least the specified mark(s) in the required course(s) will be eligible to enrol.

Required courses:  i) After first year: Pol 101Y OR Pol 200Y with a final mark of a least 67%
ii) After second year: a final mark of at least 70% in any two full course equivalent POL courses

(10 POL full courses or their equivalent.  Of these, at least 3.0 FCEs must be 300+series courses and 1.0 FCE must be 400-series.)

First Year:
POL101Y1

Higher Years:
1. POL 200Y1
2. One of the following: POL201Y1/POL203Y1/POL207Y1/POL208Y1/POL215Y1
3.  POL214Y1/POL224Y1
4. POL242Y1
5. POL320Y1
 6. 4.0 FCEs additional POL courses.
     Of these, at least 2.0 FCEs must be 300+series courses and 1.0 FCE must be 400-series.

Note:
Students must complete one full course equivalent each in at least two of the following three fields:   comparative politics, development studies, international relations.

This is a limited enrolment program.  All students who request the program and obtain at least the specified mark(s) in the required course(s) will be eligible to enrol.

Required courses:  i) After first year: Pol 101Y OR Pol 200Y with a final mark of a least 67%
ii) After second year: a final mark of at least 70% in any two full course equivalent POL courses

(7 POL full courses or their equivalent.  Of these, 1.5 FCEs must be 300+series courses and 0.5 must be a 400-series. )

First Year:
POL101Y1

Higher Years:
1. POL200Y1
2. One of the following: POL201Y1/POL203Y1/POL207Y1/POL208Y1/POL215Y1
3.  POL214Y1/POL224Y1
4.  POL 322H1
5. 2.5 FCEs additional POL courses.  Of these, at least 1.0 must be 300+ and 0.5 must be a 400-series course.

This is a limited enrolment program.  All students who request the program and obtain at least the specified mark(s) in the required course(s) will be eligible to enrol.

Required courses:  a minimum grade of 65% in 1.0 POL FCE.

(4.0 POL full courses or their equivalent)

1.   4.0 POL FCEs.  Of these,  at least 1.0 FCE must be 300+ series courses.

Political Science Courses

The 199Y1 and 199H1 seminars are designed to provide the opportunity to work closely with an instructor in a class of no more than twenty-four students. These interactive seminars are intended to stimulate the students’ curiosity and provide an opportunity to get to know a member of the professorial staff in a seminar environment during the first year of study. Details here.

Not all courses are offered every year. Please check the Department’s website for the list of courses offered in 2011-12.

Almost all upper-level POL courses have prerequisites. Students without course prerequisites will be removed at any time they are discovered.

This course is an introductory survey of the main currents and important themes in political science, emphasizing the subdisiplines of international relations, comparative politics, and political theory.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This hands-on course aims at helping Political Science specialists and other interested students to use some of the quantitative methods and research approaches now widely employed throughout the discipline.

Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project. Details here.

Note:

Enrolment in POL 300-series courses is limited. See Registration Handbook and Timetable for details.

An introduction to the field of comparative politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor.

An introduction to the field of comparative politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor.

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.) Not offered in 2011-12.

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.

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)

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.

Examines issues of contemporary urban politics and governance through intensive analysis of politics in Toronto. The city’s politics are analyzed in terms of demography, social composition and economic character. Possible topics include the prospects for local democracy, relations with senior governments and with other GTA municipalities, and specific policy areas (transportation, education, social welfare).

Explores key issues in Aboriginal politics in Canada.  Provides students with an overview of historical and contemporary socio-political issues in Aboriginal societies and institutions such as Aboriginal self-governance, land claims and treaty negotiations.

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.

Psychological implications of political theories. Attention to alternative approaches to research and theorizing. The bearing of psychological perspectives on political issues.

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. Students will have the opportunity to work with data from the Canadian Election Studies and other sources.

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., Europe, with additional attention paid to developments in Latin America, East Asia, and Africa.

Constitutional, political, administrative, and financial aspects of federal-provincial relations, regionalism, and cultural dualism.

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.

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.  It is strongly recommended that students do not take both POL318H1 and POL341H1 at the same time because of the heavy work load.

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.

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.

Quantitative evidence is an important part of political science research.  This course introduces the basic tools for evaluating quantitative evidence.  The focus is in measurement, probability and tests of significance.

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 on these issues.

The course adopts a thematic and (broadly) chronological approach to explore a set of issues that have defined Europe’s institutions, culture, and identity. The focus is on Europe’s ‘big three,’ with particular focus on Germany, the country that defined in all possible manners Europe’s last century.  Beginning with the major World War II leaders’ (and the German resisters’) visions for a post-victory Europe, the course will focus on and account for the origins, nature, and implications of defining moments in postwar Europe: denazification, the start of the cold war, democratization in West Germany, resistance, collaboration and postwar France, British imperialism and the death of empire, British welfare and British economic decline, Thatcherism, the end of the cold war and German reunification.

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.

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.

This course covers topics of interest in China from the Communist takeover in 1949 through to the reform period of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. It will also address aspects of China’s diplomacy related to its growing economic power.  (Given by the Department of Political Science and the Dr. David Chu Program in Asia-Pacific Studies)

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.

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.

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.

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 in particular the Charter of Rights and Freedoms; the politics of constitutional change; "differentiated citizenship", 'rights talk', and the judicialization of politics.

International law as an instrument of conflict resolution. Recognition, sovereign immunity, subjects of international law, jurisdiction.

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. It is strongly recommended that students do not take both POL318H1 and POL341H1 at the same time because of the heavy work load.

Examines contemporary feminist perspectives in political theory as responses to the limitations of western tradition of modern political theory. (Given by the Departments of Philosophy and Political Science)

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.

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.

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.

An introduction to gender and politics that examines women as political actors and their activities in formal and grassroots politics. The course also explores the impact of gender in public policy and how public policies shape gender relations. Cases to be drawn on include Canada, other countries in North America and Europe, and the developing world.

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.

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.

Selected issues in South Asian politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor.

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.

This course examines the evolving role of religions in contemporary public, political contexts. Themes include: democracy and secularism; religion, human rights, law and justice; party politics, identity-formation and citizenship; gender and sexuality; interreligious conflict. (Given by the Departments of Political Science and Religion)

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".

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.

From empires to modern states, ethnic wars and peace building to European Union integration, Southeastern Europe provides a fascinating case study for students in areas of politics, history, and conflict resolution. Through coursework and field trips to the major regional cities, students can witness first-hand the transformation of this critical area.

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.

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.

The goal of this course is to explore the structure of the German political economy in the context of EU integration and economic globalization.  Drawing upon the varieties-of-capitalism approach, the main themes in the course will analyze the institutional conditions for growth.  In a comparative perspective, the course explores the role of collective agents, corporate governance, collective bargaining, social security systems, population structure, immigration, reunification and their regional manifestations.

The emotions have become a new focus in political theory. We will explore some of these debates with particular attention to competing understandings of the emotions and of their place in politics in the history of political thought.

This course examines the role of a variety of religious forms and spiritual practices in the politics of postcolonial societies, tracing their genealogies from the colonial period to the present. Cases taken principally from Africa and Asia. (Given by the Departments of Political Science and Religion)

Set against the backdrop of the rise of China, this course examines the dynamics of global change from comparative and Chinese perspectives. Themes include international security, political economy, political development and democracy, global climate change, economic development, poverty and inequality, corruption, technology innovation, among others.

Political economy as a tool for understanding and evaluating the political world. The course introduces students to the use of microeconomic reasoning to understand political phenomena. Combines theory, methods, and insights derived from economics and political science and applies them to a range of substantive issues.

Content in any given year depends on instructor.

Content in any given year depends on instructor.

A detailed examination of particular authors or topics in political theory. Content in any given year depends on instructor.

A detailed examination of particular authors or topics in political theory. Content in any given year depends on instructor.

Examines in depth enduring and emerging issues in Canadian politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor.

Examines in depth enduring and emerging issues in Canadian politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor.

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.

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.

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.

An instructor-supervised group project in an off-campus setting. Details here.

An instructor-supervised group project in an off-campus setting. Details here.

Note

Enrolment is limited in all Political Science and Joint Political Science 400-series courses. See Registration Handbook and Timetable for details.

Study of a small number of texts illuminating the origins and/or legacy of Socratic political philosophy.

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.

What are the implications of accounts of human beginnings for our understanding of political life? We compare the book of Genesis with such appropriate counterparts from the classical and modern western traditions as Hesiod's Theogony, Lucretiu's On the Nature of Things, and Rousseau's Second Discourse.

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.

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)

The course explores the ways in which identity has been empowered, represented, and institutionalized in Asia’s emerging democracies; how identity claims challenge historically notions of state and nation; various ways in which democracy is being shaped and challenged by demands for identity recognition. Thematic, cross-regional approach; pan-Asian (East, Southeast, South Asia). (Given by the Department of Political Science and the Dr. David Chu Program in Asia-Pacific Studies)

Selected issues in comparative politics. Varies from year to year.

Selected issues in comparative politics. Varies from year to year.

This course explores the place of Taiwan the new global economy from historical, comparative, and international relations perspectives. (Given by the Department of Political Science and the Dr. David Chu Program in Asia-Pacific Studies)

The course explains why financial markets exist, and their evolution, by looking at the agents, actors, and institutions that generate demand for them. We also consider the consequences of increasingly integrated markets, the causes of systemic financial crises, as well as the implications and feasibility of regulation.

Human rights have become dominant in international politics since the end of World War II. The process of creating and implementing human rights is political. We explore historical, philosophical, and empirical explanations of the roots, effects, and implications of human rights today through a variety of topics.

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.

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     Nations and Nationalisms in the former USSR [24S]

The collapse of the USSR along national lines surprised most contemporary observers in 1991. Over the next twenty years, as cultural, political, and military conflicts shook Eastern Europe and Central Asia, they raised troubling questions about the reach and claims of national identities and nationalisms in the region. A historical and transnational approach is crucial for understanding these issues, for key associations and overlapping fault lines were established in the late Soviet period. By examining how the nominally socialist Soviet state dealt with its multi-ethnic population, this course illuminates key aspects of post-communist transformations in Ukraine and other countries of the former USSR: state building and modernisation; centre-periphery dynamics; and interethnic conflict and violence.

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.

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.

Seminar on the tradition, process, and implementation of American foreign policy.

Course explores the rise of Asia and its integration into the new global economy (labour, capitalism, knowledge economy, economic nationalism, inequality, gender, the meaning of capitalism, democracy, among others), exposing students to different disciplinary perspectives. Geographical coverage is pan-Asian, including East, Southeast and South Asia. (Given by the Department of Political Science and the Dr. David Chu Program in Asia-Pacific Studies)

The seminar explores the global expansion of judicial power, the constitutionalization of rights and the fortification of judicial review. The international migration of constitutional ideas; comparative analysis of constitutional courts and rights jurisprudence; theories of judicial behaviour; the judicialization of politics worldwide; and the impact of constitutional jurisprudence on social change.

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.

We will explore nationalities issues. We examine interpretations of the development and role of ethnic politics and ethnonationalism in the Soviet Union, especially its role in the disintegration of the Soviet state. We then explore the role of ethnonationalism in state building and interstate relations in the successor states.

The course examines government finance at the sub-national and national level across developed democracies. It investigates how economic, political and institutional factors are transformed into budgetary policy especially during times of fiscal constraint. Comparative analysis, budgeting theory, and case studies inform this seminar.

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.

This course provides an in-depth introduction to theories of the origins of democracy and dictatorship. In the first part of the course, we examine and compare theories rooted in economic development, voluntarism, institutional design, and historical institutionalism. The latter half of the course applies these different approaches to debates over the origins of Nazi rule in Germany in the 1930s, military dictatorship in Chile in the 1970s, and non-democratic rule in contemporary Russia.

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.

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.

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.

Issues and themes in China's modernization effort with emphasis on 20th century social, political and economic developments.

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.

Selected issues and topics in U.S. politics. Varies from year to year.

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.

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.

Law in the governance of Russia, in the Soviet and post Soviet periods, including constitutional development, courts, business disputes, crime and criminal justice, corruption, cultural obstacles to legal order, and legal transition in comparative perspective.

Selected issues in comparative politics. Varies from year to year.

Selected issues in comparative politics. Varies from year to year.

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.

This course examines contemporary Canadian social policy in light of the scholarly literature on the welfare states of advanced industrial societies. Topics include the variety of welfare state regimes in rich nations, and their comparative performance in reducing inequality and poverty, in labour market and economic outcomes, and in addressing the specific circumstances of women. Specific Canadian policy fields examined will include pensions, social assistance, child care and health insurance.

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.

Selected issues in Asian politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor.

This seminar focuses on five countries in the Andean region of Latin America: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. First part deals with the challenges to democracy in the region. Second part explores potential solutions - in particular the drafting of new constitutions by popularly elected constituent assemblies.

Selected issues in comparative politics. Varies from year to year.

Selected issues in comparative politics. Varies from year to year.

An examination of the Phenomenology of Spirit and the Philosophy of Right.

The goal of this course is to introduce students to some of the themes and approaches of critical theory (power, subjectivity, ideology, and hegemony).

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.

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.

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, participant observation, ethnography, counterfactuals, discourse analysis, and multiple-methods approaches.

This course uses theories of representation as well as gender and politics analyses of elected women as starting points to evaluate appointed women elites at the international level, notably with reference to linkages between those decision-makers and feminist perspectives on domestic and global politics.

This course traces from earliest times to the present the evolution of a people called Carpatho-Rusyns and their historic homeland Carpathian Rus’, located in the heart of Europe.  The historic survey will deal with political, socioeconomic, and cultural developments, all the while testing the hypothesis that nationalities are imagined communities.  (Given by the Departments of History and Political Science)

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...).

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) (Joint undergraduate-graduate)

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)

The development, operation, and participants of the Group of Eight (G8) and Group of Twenty (G20) of institutions, their growth and performance as centres of global governance, and their relationship with the United Nations (UN) and Bretton Woods galaxy in providing public goods in economic, social, environmental and security realms.

What is the philosophical relationship between modern democracy and the secular? How can critical political thought respond to attempts to re-found politics along religious or theo-political lines? What would a project of rethinking the secular ‘all the way down’ entail? This seminar in theory will explore these questions through an examination of dilemmas of sovereignty, community, justice and violence as developed in continental political philosophy - Schmitt, Benjamin, Lefort, Agamben, Derrida, Nancy, Zizek, Badiou. (Given by the Departments of Political Science and Religion). Registration in this course is through the Department of Religion.

The course offers a philosophical perspective on the advantages and disadvantages of markets as ways of organizing economic activity. It asks in what ways markets and market-like arrangements can contribute to or create obstacles to the achievement of justice and human well-being.

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.

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.

Studies on a modern political thinker or thinkers since Machiavelli.

This course explores the intersections of globalization and indigenous politics and introduces students to critical considerations of globalization from the perspective of indigenous peoples. It investigates the dominant economic paradigm as the historical outcome of colonization and examines political and economic alternatives and challenges that various indigenous struggles embody and embrace. Issues explored in the course include indigenous epistemologies, impacts of globalization on indigenous peoples, international indigenous organizing, democratization and political participation, human rights, indigenous economies, contested sovereignties and indigenous social movements. It examines indigenous communities as heterogeneous locations where not only impacts of globalization but forms of engagement and resistance take various forms. (Given by the Departments of Political Science and Aboriginal Studies)

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.

For advanced students of international relations. Various topics are taken up each year, the content of which depends on the instructor.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Geopolitics of ICTs course is an intensive examination of the ways in which states and non-state actors are contesting the newly evolving terrain of global digital-electronic-telecommunications. Topics covered include Internet censorship and surveillance, information warfare, computer network attacks, hacktivism, and governance of global communications. The course is organized as a series of intensive modules. One feature of the class will be a "hands-on" analysis of censorship circumvention and network interrogation techniques at the Citizen Lab (http://www.citizenlab.org/).

Examines the mutually constitutive relationship between HIV/AIDS and the social, economic and political characteristics of its “host” society.  Class readings focus on South Africa but students will each research key features of the epidemic in the developing country of their choice.

This course covers growing debates in political theory on the issue of cosmopolitanism. Themes include the basis of universal obligation, its compatibility with nationalism and its implications for global justice. These themes will be explored historically, transculturally and through the lens of post-colonial theory.

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.

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.

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.

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.

For advanced students of international relations. Various topics are taken up each year, the content of which depends on the instructor.

For advanced students of international relations. Various topics are taken up each year, the content of which depends on the instructor.

For advanced students of international relations. Various topics are taken up each year, the content of which depends on the instructor.

For advanced students of international relations. Various topics are taken up each year, the content of which depends on the instructor.

In depth examination of specific themes relating to contemporary African politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor.

In depth examination of specific themes relating to contemporary African politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor.

In depth examination of specific themes relating to contemporary African politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor.

In depth examination of specific themes relating to contemporary African politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor.

Examines in depth enduring and emerging issues in Canadian politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor.

Examines in depth enduring and emerging issues in Canadian politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor.

Examines in depth enduring and emerging issues in Canadian politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor.

Examines in depth enduring and emerging issues in Canadian politics. Content in any given year depends on instructor.

Selected issues in comparative politics. Varies from year to year.

Selected issues in comparative politics. Varies from year to year.

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)

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.  Application forms can also be downloaded from the Department's website at www.politics.utoronto.ca.

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.  Application forms can also be downloaded from the Department's website at www.politics.utoronto.ca.

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.  Application forms can also be downloaded from the Department's website at www.politics.utoronto.ca.

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.

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.

A 40 to 60 page (15,000 to 20,000 word) research paper (75% of the final mark) written under the supervision of a political science 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.