Core courses

*MUN221H1F is cross-listed with MUN202H1F 

Lecture: Mon 5 - 7 PM 
Tutorial: Fri 12 - 1 PM

The objectives are: (1) To provide students with a foundation in microeconomic analysis and; (2) To demonstrate how this foundation can be applied to design, predict the effects of and evaluate public policies.

Students will be equipped to understand the main issues on a range of policy topics such as taxation, social insurance, welfare and income support programs.

*Note: Either PPG200H1 or ECO200Y1/ECO204Y1/ECO206Y1 can fulfill completion requirements for the Public Policy Major program.

Instructor: Phil Triadafilopoulos

Lecture: Wed 11 AM - 1PM 

The course introduces students to the study of public policy, the policy process and our policy institutions in Canada. The course examines how issues emerge, how important ideas are framed, priorities are established, and agendas are set and managed. It explores how institutions – formal and informal rules which enable and constrain actors – shape policy-making in Canada.

*Note: This course is required for Public Policy Major program completion.

Instructors: Damian Dupuy 

Lecture #1: Mon 5 - 7 PM
Lecture #2: Tue 5 -7 PM

This experiential learning course, embedded within the Public Policy program, connects students directly with federal and provincial government actors and with policy-relevant organizations that work closely with government on a daily basis. Students work in teams on applied policy projects addressing real-world challenges related to access to public services—such as education, health, and social protection. Through direct engagement with practitioners and stakeholders, students analyze inequalities in access to public services and produce policy-oriented deliverables that bridge theory and practice.

*NOTE: this is a new experiential learning course, replacing PPG401H1F

Instructor: Mark Duggan

Lecture #1 (FAS): Mon 3 - 5 PM
Lecture #2 (FASE): Mon 3 - 5 PM
Tutorials: Thurs 10 - 11 AM, Fri 9-10 AM, Wed 5 - 6 PM

This course provides an introduction to the central economic policy issues in industrialized nations around the world including but not limited to Canada, the U.S., Europe, and Japan. It examines how governments raise revenue through taxation and the rationale for government provision of goods and services such as social security, health care, education, income transfers, national defense, and housing / food assistance. It also explores the economics of regulation such as minimum wages, environmental regulation, immigration, antitrust, and criminal justice along with the division of responsibility between different levels of government. Emphasis is placed on real-world examples including the economic and political trade-offs policymakers face when designing, implementing, and revising policies. The course also investigates the economics of government debt and of monetary policy along with the growing challenges for public finances posed by declining fertility rates and rising life expectancy. A primary focus is on how policymakers can improve the current and future performance of their economies while expanding opportunity for all.

Note: This course will become a required component for the Public Policy Major starting in 2027–28. Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to enroll beginning in Fall 2026

Instructor: TBD

Lecture: Thurs 5 - 7 PM

Knowledge of how governmental and non-governmental institutions work is essential to the study and development of public policy. This course will examine the formation, consequences and dynamics of institutions – from legislatures and courts to militaries and interest groups – in both democratic and authoritarian societies. We will also consider how institutions inform the relationship between individuals and the state, and how these social structures are instruments of policy implementation.

Instructor: TBD

Lecture: Tue 5 - 7 PM

This course introduces students to the field of public policy - the means by which governments respond to social issues – and considers both why and how governments respond in these ways. To that end, we’ll examine the policy cycle, including how policy is proposed, made and reformed, as well as the role of regulation. And we’ll explore both theories of public policy and case studies of policy-making in action.

Instructor: Jonathan Ostry

Lecture: Wed 3-5 PM

Neoliberal thinking has dominated economic policy advice for decades. Such thinking is premised on the notion that policy makers should “go for growth” because a rising tide lifts all boats. Politicians increasingly reject such advice as being at best politically naïve and at worst responsible for outcomes that have not been inclusive (some boats rise much higher than others with the tide—higher inequality). Policy makers need to make choices about both the level of economic growth and the inclusiveness of such growth, taking account of interactions between the two variables, including the extent to which high inequality undercuts the sustainability of healthy economic growth. This course will familiarize students with a range of empirical evidence on the growth experience of both advanced and developing countries; about the nexus between economic reforms and growth; and about the drivers of rising inequality, including policy drivers. It will also cover the political economy of reform, including how to design pro-growth policies that do not contribute to an electoral backlash.

Instructor: Shiri Breznitz

Lecture: Wed 9 - 11 AM

This course explores the complex relationship between innovation, technology, and policy. Students will investigate different perspectives on the meaning of economic development and develop an understanding of globalization and its impact on innovation and economic growth. We will consider new strategies for economic development that focus on knowledge, technological innovation and creativity, considering national, regional and local economic development policies and practices.

Instructor: Sverrir Steinsson

Lecture: Thurs 3 - 5 PM

This course explores how the Internet and digital technology more broadly are affecting politics, as well as how politics is affecting the Internet. Students will consider ways in which the Internet is affecting relations between states. This can include the creation of new governance structures to regulate the Internet, as well as use of the Internet for malicious purposes and to coerce adversaries. Students will learn how the Internet is changing markets, creating new challenges for governments, businesses, and labor. The course explore how states, corporations, and users compete to control technology platforms such as Facebook, Google, and Wikipedia, which play a pivotal role in shaping the global public sphere.

To enroll, please contact the Munk School Undergraduate Program Coordinator at undergraduatecoordinator.munkschool@utoronto.ca to request an application form, which should be filled out in consultation with the faculty supervisor and include a detailed description of the course topic, reading list, and assignments/marking scheme, at least three weeks before the start of term.

Instructor: Drew Fagan

Lecture: Thurs 4 - 6 PM

This course introduces students to how government really works and sets out principles, and especially practices, for how policymaking is done effectively. The course context is Canada, the United States and Canada/U.S. relations. Distinct government systems matter; the U.S. division of powers versus the Canadian fusion of powers. But common insights can be drawn, even as the two countries seem to be drifting apart, including in terms of the durability of the non-partisan public service.

How are priorities set? What is the political/public service interplay broadly? How do stakeholders – interest groups and citizens alike – engage? How do public servants design delivery methods to turn policy proposals into initiatives? What can go wrong and how can one avoid this? How are results assessed? How does one communicate to best effect internally and externally?

Building on knowledge of structures and processes, we will examine the changing bilateral context in which Canada and the United States operate and engage, including vis-à-vis Europe. Specific examples, including events of the day, will be cited and discussed often. Students will do a Briefing Note individually on a topical issue based on a common government template for written briefings of senior officials and decision makers. Students also will present a Briefing Deck on a pertinent and topical issue. This presentation is designed to mimic what its like to brief decision makers within government. Students work in small teams, applying a common government template for oral briefings.

Students are assessed on a marking rubric of 40 per cent for the briefing note assignment, 40 per cent for the briefing deck assignment and 20 per cent for class participation.

Instructor: Sverrir Steinsson

Lecture: Thurs 1 - 3 PM

This course explores the role of state size in world politics. Students will consider different ways to categorize states and analyze the ways in which power is exercised in world politics. The course explores how states have varied in size over the course of history and seeks to explain this variation. Students will consider the unique political, economic, and social advantages, disadvantages, challenges, and needs of states of varying sizes. Lastly, the course seeks to understand how and whether the size of states explains their foreign policy behaviors, economic outcomes, and domestic policies.e offers upper year students the opportunity for an in-depth examination of various themes in Global Affairs & Public Policy. Topics vary from year to year, depending on the instructor. Course may not be repeated under the same subtitle.

Instructor: Marci Shore

Lecture: Wed 11 AM - 1 PM
Tutorials: Wed 1 - 2 PM,  2 - 3 PM & Thurs 2 - 3 PM & 5 - 6 PM

This course explores the role of language and moral claims in shaping controversies and their potential resolutions. We will grapple with how ideas define perceptions of fairness, of good and evil, of groups and their boundaries, and of challenges and controversies. The course will draw examples from history, law, philosophy, and politics.

Instructor: Paola Salardi

Lecture: Wed 1-3 PM 
Tutorial: Thurs 3-4 PM

This course examines the relationship between violent conflict and socio-economic development. Students will investigate how political violence shapes education, health, labor markets, and migration, and how these micro-level impacts connect to broader challenges of governance, institutions, and long-term growth. The course combines theoretical frameworks with empirical evidence, drawing on both country case studies and cross-country analyses, to help students critically assess how conflict and development interact and reinforce one another.

Instructor: Jonathan Ostry

Lecture: Wed 3-5 PM

Neoliberal thinking has dominated economic policy advice for decades. Such thinking is premised on the notion that policy makers should “go for growth” because a rising tide lifts all boats. Politicians increasingly reject such advice as being at best politically naïve and at worst responsible for outcomes that have not been inclusive (some boats rise much higher than others with the tide—higher inequality). Policy makers need to make choices about both the level of economic growth and the inclusiveness of such growth, taking account of interactions between the two variables, including the extent to which high inequality undercuts the sustainability of healthy economic growth. This course will familiarize students with a range of empirical evidence on the growth experience of both advanced and developing countries; about the nexus between economic reforms and growth; and about the drivers of rising inequality, including policy drivers. It will also cover the political economy of reform, including how to design pro-growth policies that do not contribute to an electoral backlash.

Instructor: Julia Gray

Lecture: Thurs 11 AM - 1 PM

This course examines how states and firms design, erode, and reinvent trade cooperation across regions and time. From the failed International Trade Organization to the WTO’s stalled rule-making, exclusion and backsliding have long shaped global commerce. Students explore when actors favor flexible bilateral deals versus institutionalized arrangements, with cases spanning ASEAN, the European Union, Latin America, North America (CUFTA, NAFTA, CUSMA), and newer mega-regionals. Combining theory and evidence, the course equips students to analyze tariff bargaining, non-tariff barriers, institutional change, and geopolitics, situating contemporary trade conflicts within decades of experimentation in rules-based trade.

Instructor: Alexandra Rahr

Lecture: Thurs 1 - 3 PM

It is no secret that populism is resurgent in many parts of the global West, or that this revival often features unabashed demagogues trumpeting a politics of exclusion. But what do these terms mean, precisely, and what cultures and histories inform them? This class will examine the figure of the demagogue and the ideology of populism, in the context of the United States. We will consider how appeals to “the people” mobilize rage and resentment, dig into populism's progressive Black roots and interrogate the techniques which pit the “average American” against putatively corrupt institutions and privileged elites. Along the way, we will read a range historical and contemporary populist texts, from Alexander Hamilton's letters railing against demagoguery, to Occupy Wall Street's aspirational post-capitalist tweets, to the National Rifle Association's TV show “Armed and Fabulous” and contemporary country music's “pickup truck” populism.

TBD

Instructor: Aaron Gluck Thaler

Lecture: Thurs 3-5 PM

This course considers how technology and surveillance has shaped modern society. Tracing changes in surveillance over time, the course examines how different actors, from scientists to social theorists, policymakers, and activists, have differentially conceptualized surveillance and its consequences. The course pays special attention to the social, political, and economic contexts central to the emergence of data-intensive surveillance. The course assesses how new surveillance practices, including the use of artificial intelligence, are reconfiguring the relationship between industry and the state, as well as introducing human rights concerns.

To enroll, please contact the Munk School Undergraduate Program Coordinator at undergraduatecoordinator.munkschool@utoronto.ca to request an application form, which should be filled out in consultation with the faculty supervisor and include a detailed description of the course topic, reading list, and assignments/marking scheme, at least three weeks before the start of term.

Instructor: Bruce Schneier

Lecture: Mon 9 - 11 AM

This course aims to give students the tools necessary to understand legal and policy issues in cyberspace. While it is impossible to become a cybersecurity expert in a single semester, students will leave the course as intelligent laypeople, adept at discussing computer and Internet security policy issues and able to spot political agendas disguised as technical arguments. Students will understand how technology and policy interrelate, when it’s time to turn to technical experts, and how to use technical expertise to form effective policy.

This course is designed for policymakers rather than for implementers of preexisting policy. As such, we will not discuss how to implement Internet security policies within government organizations. Rather, we will discuss how to effectively determine which policies are the correct ones to mandate: for government, for private industry, and for individuals. This course is less about learning a body of answers, and more about learning a way of thinking about the topics in general. After completing this class, you will be more sophisticated when you approach new Internet security policy issues. Specifically, you will be able to weigh pros and cons, examine consequences of policies, and craft and recommend policies of your own.

*Please note that 400-level courses are cross-listed with the MGA program; as a result, enrollment space for undergraduate students is limited.