Courses

In more than three decades since the Soviet Union collapsed, the five states of post-Soviet Central Asia have charted independent foreign policy courses, navigating between the West, Russia, and China, as well as Afghanistan, India, Iran, Turkey and other states.

This course examines how Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan interact with their neighbours, with regional and global powers, and with international organizations. We use theories from the field of International Relations (IR) as lenses for viewing questions such as sovereignty, cooperation, conflict, international political economy, security, and migration.  

Day and time: Wednesdays, 10:00-12:00
Location: Scheyball Room, Room 14352, 14^th Floor, John P. Robarts Library Building
Instructor: Schatz
Term: Fall
Credit: 0.5

The twentieth century has sometimes been referred to as a “century of Refugees”. Today, there are over seventy million refugees in the world. As a result of World War I, the Russian Revolution, the Spanish Civil War, World War II, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc, the Syrian civil war, the Russian War on Ukraine and many other turbulences of the past hundred years, refugees become an important part of European culture. This course will examine works of literature, music, theatrical plays and journalistic writing produced by European refugees. The goal of the course is to discuss how refugees made sense of their experience during the past hundred years.

Tuesdays 10:00-12:00
Location: JHB100
Instructor: Shternshis
Term: Fall
Credit: 0.5

** This is a six-week workshop, which meets once per week. The workshop is worth .25 credits and is combined with another .25 credit workshop in the fall. **

The workshop will begin with an examination of the many definitions of the term ‘terrorism’, its most contentious elements, and the implications of these definitional debates. We will then explore the history of terrorism and counterterrorism in Western Europe, from the French Revolution via the left-wing and separatist movements of the 70s-90s to the Jihadist and far-right terrorism most prominent today. An analysis of the key characteristics of terrorist groups and lone actors will be followed by an assessment of various policy responses, with specific case studies on France and the role of the EU. Our final discussions will centre on the latest trends in counterterrorism, including the role of human rights and civil society actors in promoting a potentially more humane and effective response than the so-called War on Terror.

Wednesdays 1:00-3:00 pm (Oct 25, Nov 1,8,15,22,29)
Location: Scheybal Seminar Room, 14th Floor of Robarts Library

Instructor: TBA
Term: Fall
Credit: 0.25

** This is a 6-week workshop, which meets once per week. The workshop is worth .25 credits and is combined with another .25 credit workshop in the fall.

This workshop analyzes how regional stakeholders in Eurasia, Middle East and South Asia, as well as global actors such as the Soviet Union, Russia, the US, and China, fuelled the conflicts in Afghanistan over the past fifty years.

Wednesdays  1:00 - 3:00 pm (13,20,27 September, 4,11, 18 October):
Location: Scheybal Seminar Room, 14th Floor of Robarts Library
Instructor: TBA
Term: Fall
Credit: 0.25 

“Illiberal democracy” is the term used by Viktor Orbán, the Prime Minister of Hungary, for his vision of a conservative, nationalist society. We will be studying how East Central Europe has been thrust into the forefront of the illiberal rebellion now taking place throughout the Euro-Atlantic world.

The course focuses on the “Visegrád Four” countries of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. Other post-socialist countries and the former East Germany will, however, also be frequently discussed. The varied course topics deal with where illiberalism in the area comes from, how it feels, and why we should care.

Students will also be introduced to the basics of Central Europe’s history, culture, and political economy.

Tuesdays 4-6 pm
Location: Scheyball Room, Room 14352, 14^th Floor, John P. Robarts Library Building
Instructor: Kalmar
Term: Fall
Credit: 0.5

Independent Reading Course offered in Fall

This course analyses specific cases/geographic-temporal contexts in the post-Stalinist era in Central and Eastern Europe. Legacies of “dissidence” for post-Communist politics and ongoing opposition politics and resistance in contemporary post-Soviet space will be examined, with a view of how the historiography has evolved, memory politics has intervened, and authoritarian “learning” has mitigated the possibilities for non-violent and effective dissent. Communist and post-communist resistance and dissent will be situated in the wider interdisciplinary literatures on comparative revolutions, contentious politics, as well as social movement history and organization.

Wednesdays  5-7 pm
Location: Scheyball Room, Room 14352, 14^th Floor, John P. Robarts Library Building
Instructor:  TBA
Term: Spring
Credit: 0.5

Information TBD

On 24 February 2022 Russia attacked Ukraine. How did we get there? This course will explore the complex relationship between Ukraine, Russia, and the West on the eve of Russia’s war in Ukraine. We will cover Ukraine’s pre-Soviet, Soviet, and post-Soviet history, with special attention to the country’s current political, social, and cultural issues, including the legacies of the past in post-1991 Ukraine, corruption and the ambitious anti-corruption reforms, the power of oligarchs, the role of mass civic protests such as Euromaidan, Ukraine’s new cultural achievements, decommunization, post-Soviet urbanism, and the shaping of an inclusive civic identity in the wake of the Russian invasion. The course will also provide students with tools for verifying information in the fast-moving context of war. Finally, students will be asked to think about and develop postwar scenarios.

Tuesdays 2-4 pm
Location: Scheybal Seminar Room, 14th Floor of Robarts Library
Instructor:  TBA
Term: Spring
Credit: 0.5

OPEN BY APPLICATION ONLY:

This course is part of CERES's Hungarian Studies Program and is made possible with support from Tom and Irene Mihalik. As this is a limited enrollment course, with up to 8 students from years one and two, admission to the course is by application only.  Applications from all disciplines are welcome. Please note that priority goes to students who have not been to Hungary. The course includes a one-week research trip in Budapest to take place December 6-13, 2023 (costs for air travel up to 1100 CAD, transportation in Budapest, and hostel accommodation as well as most meals will be covered). Ground transport in Canada is not covered. Students are expected to depart Toronto on the 6^th and arrive in Budapest on the 7^th. Students are expected to make their own travel arrangements.

Interested students are asked to submit a two-page research proposal for the field-work component in Budapest. You will be writing a 20 page research paper based on secondary research and the fieldwork. In the proposal you are expected to identify a research question and provide a key list of a minimum of 5 potential stakeholders in Budapest who will be interviewed.  Questions will be designed prior to departure. During the week-long stay in Budapest, students will conduct interviews with their selected stakeholders, attend lectures and seminars, and participate in various cultural activities. The interviews/seminars and field work will then be integrated into the final research essay for the course. The research essay will be due on March 8, 2024. Students who fail to fulfill all course requirements must return the cost of their participation in the field trip.

Prior to departure, students will be required to attend a number of group meetings and other events.  Upon return, students will participate in a de-briefing session and a preliminary presentation of their papers to the group. Students will also be expected to organize a public roundtable to discuss their research finding. The due date for applications is September 29 at 5 pm. Please submit your applications to Professor Robert Austin: robert.austin@utoronto.ca and Katia Malyuzhinets: katia.malyuzhinets@utoronto.ca

*This course is offered jointly with MGA. It is open to MA CERES and MGA students only.

The first four weeks will focus on the basics of policymaking, particularly from the perspective of the non-partisan public service. How do governments set and prioritize their agenda? What is the process of interaction between political officials, including ministers, and the public service? How do stakeholders – interest groups and citizens alike – engage in the process? How do public servants choose and design delivery methods to turn policy proposals into initiatives. What can go wrong and how can one best avoid this? How are results assessed? How does one communicate appropriately and effectively, including in the era of social media and the 24/7 news cycle.

Specific examples will be cited often. Students will do a Briefing Note assignment individually on a topical issue, based on a template common in government for the written briefing of senior officials and ministers.

The second four weeks will apply these learnings to the global context in which Canada operates and engages, including vis-à-vis Europe. While the first four weeks will be based on lectures, decks and discussions, the second four weeks will also benefit from presentations and discussions with seniors practitioners. Students will prepare and present a Minister’s Briefing deck on a topical issue of importance to Canada’s global interests and values and/or international policy broadly. This presentation is designed to mimic what its like inside government. Students will work in teams of four, applying a template common in government for the oral briefing of senior officials and ministers.

Students will be assessed on a marking rubric of: 40 per cent for the briefing note assignment, 40 per cent for the minister’s briefing assignment and 20 per cent for class participation.

Emphases: How policymaking is really done
Term: Winter/Spring
Day & time: Thursday 1:00-4:00 pm
Instructor(s): Drew Fagan
Room: Transit House, 315 Bloor St. West, Munk School
 

OPEN BY APPLICATION ONLY:

This field course is part of CERES’s initiative in Hellenic Studies and is made possible with support from the Hellenic Heritage Foundation and the wider Greek-Canadian Community. As this is a limited enrollment course, with up to 6 places for graduate students, students will need to apply to participate.  This course includes a one-week research trip to take place between 6 and 16 May 2024 (costs for transportation and accommodation as well as most meals will be covered). Priority will be given to students who will carry on to their exchange or internship placement upon completion of the trip. Only one airfare to the region will be covered.

Interested students are asked to submit a one-page research proposal for the field-work component in Greece. In the proposal you are expected to identify a research question and provide a key list of a minimum of 5 potential stakeholders in Greece who will be interviewed.  Questions will be designed prior to departure. During the week-long stay in Greece, students will conduct interviews with their selected stakeholders and attend lectures and seminars. The interviews/seminars will then be integrated into the final research essay for the course. The research essay, which is expected to be 20 pages in length, will be due at the middle of May 2024.

Proposal deadline:  5 PM – Friday, November 24, 2023 to robert.austin@utoronto.ca

Participants of Hungary field trip are not eligible to apply

A number of courses offered at the graduate level in Anthropology may be of interest to CERES MA students.  ADD/DROP forms are required, and enrollment opens to CERES students only after the department’s own students have enrolled. Please note also that research projects and essays written for these courses must be focused on the region.  For a complete list of course offerings in Anthropology, please view the department’s Graduate Course Descriptions and Course Schedule.

A number of courses offered at the Centre for Comparative Literature may be of interest to CERES MA students.  ADD/DROP forms are required, and enrollment opens to CERES students only after the Centre’s own students have enrolled. Please note also that research projects and essays written for these courses must be focused on the region.  For a complete list of course offerings at the Centre for Comparative Literature, please view the Centre’s Graduate Course Descriptions and Course Schedule.

A number of courses offered at the graduate level by the Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies may be of interest to CERES MA students.  ADD/DROP forms are required, and enrollment opens to CERES students only after the Centre’s own students have enrolled. Please note also that research projects and essays written for these courses must be focused on the region.  For a complete list of course offerings, please view the Centre’s Graduate Course Descriptions and Course Schedule.

A number of courses offered at the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures may be of interest to CERES MA students.  ADD/DROP forms are required, and enrollment opens to CERES students only after the Department’s own students have enrolled. Please note also that research projects and essays written for these courses must be focused on the region.  For a complete list of course offerings at the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, please view the Department’s Graduate Course Descriptions and Course Schedule.

MGA’s Policy on Non-Departmental Enrollment in Elective Courses:

Non-departmental students may request to enroll in any MGA elective unless it is specified that it is open to MGA students only. Students in the MPP and CERES MA program have priority access to MGA elective courses. CERES students may request enrollment starting Friday, September 1, 2023

Enrollment is not guaranteed and is at the discretion of the MGA program and the course instructor. Please note also that research projects and essays written for these courses must be focused on the region.

Students who are interested in enrolling an MGA elective may submit an SGS Add Drop Course Form listing the courses they would like to enroll in to the MGA Program Office via email to mga@utoronto.ca or in person. Students will be sent a confirmation e-mail if their enrollment is successful.

Please contact the MGA Program Office if you have any questions mga@utoronto.ca.

For more information, please check https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/mga/courses/mga-courses.

A number of courses offered at the Department of History may be of interest to CERES MA students.  ADD/DROP forms are required, and enrollment opens to CERES students only after the Department’s own students have enrolled.

Please note also that research projects and essays written for these courses must be focused on the region.  For a complete list of course offerings at the Department of History, please view the Department’s Graduate Course Descriptions and Course Schedule.

A number of courses offered at the Department of Political Science may be of interest to CERES MA students.  ADD/DROP forms are required, and enrollment opens to CERES students only after the Department’s own students have enrolled. Please note also that research projects and essays written for these courses must be focused on the region.  For a complete list of course offerings at the Department of Political Science, please view the Department’s Graduate Course Descriptions and Course Schedule.

All fall (H1F), full/year (Y1Y) and spring term (H1S) courses administered through the Department of Political Science will have an enrollment  window exclusively for political science graduate students.  For fall and full year courses the window will be September 1st through 14th and for spring term courses , September 1st through January 11th.  From September 15th to the 21st for fall/winter courses and Jan 12th through 18th for spring term courses, enrollment may open up to students on wait lists and those from outside the department if instructors indicate they would like us to do so and provided there is space in the classroom.

A number of courses offered at the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures may be of interest to CERES MA students.  ADD/DROP forms are required, and enrollment opens to CERES students only after the Department’s own students have enrolled. Please note also that research projects and essays written for these courses must be focused on the region.  For a complete list of course offerings at the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, please view the Department’s Graduate Course Descriptions and Course Schedule.

A number of courses offered at the Department of Sociology may be of interest to CERES MA students.  ADD/DROP forms are required, and enrollment opens to CERES students only after the Department’s own students have enrolled. Please note also that research projects and essays written for these courses must be focused on the region.  For a complete list of course offerings at the Department of Sociology, please view the Department’s Graduate Course Descriptions and Course Schedule.