Undergraduate Courses

Instructor: Randall Hansen

Lecture: Thurs 11 AM - 1 PM
Tutorials: Thurs 1 - 2 PM & Thurs 3 - 4 PM 

This course explores global capitalism since 1945. It begins briefly with the origins of capitalism in trading cities and touches on capitalism’s golden age (1945-1973). The main focus is on global capitalism since the 1970s, and how it has restructured domestic and international politics. Topics will include destruction of unions and the American working class, the rise of financial capitalism, the relationship between post-1973 capitalism, on the one hand, and instability, war, and Islamism in the Middle East, the Iranian revolution, and America’s support for Israel, on the other. It also considers the rise of the “Asian tigers” and how global capitalism generates both great wealth and massive inequality. 

Instructor: Lynette Ong

Lecture: Wed 11 AM - 1 PM 

China's stunning economic transformation has been one of the most significant developments in this century. However, it remains a single-party state that has been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party since 1949. What does this economic-political juxtaposition mean for the 1.4 billion Chinese population, and the world at large? As China's presence is increasingly felt across the world, either through its Belt-and-Road Initiative, or its more assertive foreign policy, does China promote economic growth and international cooperation, or does it challenge the existing world order? With changing political landscape in the US and the purported demise of the Liberal World Order, will China emerge as a leader that shape a new world order? This course invites you to explore and ponder some of the most transformative questions in global affairs today.

Instructor: TBD

Lecture: Tue 9 - 10 AM & Fri 1 - 3 PM 

This course is aimed at students interested in Hungarian but have no prior knowledge of the language. The course emphasizes essential vocabulary, basic comprehension, speaking, reading and writing skills with a balance between communicative activities and grammar practices. Communicative activities will include group and partner work to encourage interactive learning.

Instructor: Themistoklis Aravossitas

Lecture: Tues 11 AM - 1 PM & Thurs 11 AM - 1 PM 

This course is designed for absolute beginners in the Modern Greek language. The overall goal is to facilitate understanding and use of familiar everyday expressions and phrases aimed at the satisfaction of basic communicative needs. Students will familiarize themselves with the Modern Greek alphabet, pronunciation and grammatical rules. No previous knowledge of Modern Greek required.

Instructor: Joe Wong

Lecture: Tue 8 - 10 AM

Innovation has always been a key driver of economic growth, population health, and societal success. Transformative change has historically been linked to major innovations such as urban sanitation, pasteurization, the printing press and the industrial revolution. Currently, the opportunity to enhance life chances worldwide relies on innovating for the poor, social innovation, and the ability to harness scientific and technological knowledge. What precisely is innovation? When does innovation happen? Who benefits from innovation? How can innovation be fostered, and how do innovations spread? Relying on major global transformations and country-specific case studies (for example, South Korea, Taiwan, Israel and India), this course examines the drivers of innovation, the political, social, economic, and scientific and technological factors that are critical to promoting innovation and addressing current global challenges, and the consequences of innovation. Restricted to first-year students admitted to Munk One. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Instructor: Alexandra Rahr

Lecture: Thurs 1 - 3 PM

Energy is at the crux of a range of pressing global issues, including climate change and the existential threat it poses across the world. This class uses energy – sometimes as a focal point, sometimes as an entry point – to examine a range of issues including inequality, emergent technologies and policy making in a global context. Restricted to first-year students admitted to Munk One. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Instructor: Darius Ornston

Lecture: Thurs 3 - 5 PM
Tutorials: Mon 11 AM - 12 PM & Fri 11 AM - 12 PM & Thurs 5 - 6 PM           

What is a "successful society"? What makes a society “successful?” How do we identify, measure, and assess “success?” What data do we need and what data should we collect? And what data are we able to collect and compare? The answers to these questions are surprisingly complex and differ across the social sciences, political theory, philosophy, and law. This course invites students to engage with theories and ideals about societies while doing a deep dive into cross-national and sub-national data, exploring the trade-offs of different societal outcomes. Students will grapple with questions about health, crime, security, creativity, inequality, belonging, solidarity, and institutions.

Instructor: Aaron Gluck-Thaler

Lecture: Thurs 9 - 11 AM
Tutorials: Thurs 2 - 3 PM & Fri 10 - 11 AM 

This course interrogates how the digital turn – social media, algorithms, monitoring, digital disruption in business models, security, militaries, and more - is shifting social, political, and economic life. Drawing together expertise in both public policy and digital technologies, the course combines the study of technical capacities and future trajectories of digital change with analyses of political institutions, labour markets, social relations, political segmentation, and changing areas of public and private concern. The course will grapple with the implications of digital and algorithmic disruptions for ethics, leadership, our everyday institutions and public policy making.

Instructor: Labiba Naeem

Lecture: Wed 3 - 5 PM 

An interdisciplinary introduction to South Asian Studies emphasizing inquiry and critical analysis, drawing attention to the specificities of individual nations as well as the factors (historical, political, economic and cultural) that define South Asia as a region. Some attention will be paid to the South Asian Diaspora.

Instructor: Alexandra Rahr

Lecture: Tue 1 - 3 PM

A formal introduction to the interdisciplinary study of the United States and to the field of American Studies. Drawing from a variety of source materials ranging from political and literary to visual culture and material artifacts, this course examines the politics, history and culture of the U.S. A major emphasis will be learning to analyze primary sources. 

Instructor: Manjari Chatterjee Miller

Lecture: Mon 3 - 5 PM
Tutorials: Fri 10 - 11 AM, 11 AM - 12 PM, 12 - 1 PM

Asia is home to a very diverse array of powers facing major and minor issues. These issues range from water, population control, health and environment to territory, armed conflict and nuclear threats. The goal of this course is to study some of the problems that can lead to instability in the region with enormous potential to affect the rest of the world, as well as ways developed by these states to cooperate with each other. Examples are drawn primarily from China and India but also from other countries in Asia.

Instructor: Robert Austin

Lecture: Tue 11 AM - 1 PM & Thurs 11 AM - 1 PM 
Tutorials: Tue 1 - 2 PM, 2 - 3 PM, 3 - 4 PM & Thurs 1 - 2 PM, 2 - 3 PM, 3 - 4 PM

An analysis of the development of European political regimes from 1789 until the 2004 and 2007 enlargements of the European Union to include the countries of the former Soviet bloc. This course identifies the decisive forces and factors affecting the operation of constitutions and institutions within the countries which came to form the European Union: nationalism, multi-nationalism, internationalism and supranationalism.

Instructor: Themistoklis Aravossitas

Lecture: Tues 1 - 3 PM & Thurs 1 - 3 PM 

A course designed for students with some command of the language: vocabulary building; study of grammar and syntax; compositional skills leading to the study of a prose literary work.

Instructor: Seva Gunitsky

Lecture: Mon 11 AM - 1 PM
Tutorial: Tue 1 - 2 PM & Thurs 1 - 2 PM  

This course introduces students to the theories, concepts, histories, and actors that are fundamental to the field of peace, conflict, and justice. Students will discuss meanings, causes, obstacles, and sustainability of peace and justice through the discussion of historical and contemporary cases from around the world. Stemming from the interdisciplinary aspect of the field, students will learn a wide range of theoretical, empirical, and policy-oriented perspectives on thematic topics such as protection and violation of human rights, social and economic inequalities, and causes of violence and oppression. This course is intended for first year PCJ students and it serves as a gateway for all other courses offered in the PCJ program. This course is a requirement for PCJ majors and specialists.

Instructor: TBA

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.

*This course is a part of the Certificate in Public Policy and Engineering and offered to Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering students enrolled in an engineering program only. 

Instructor: Clark, Dylan

Lecture: Thurs 1 - 3 PM

Since at least the late 1700s, the effects of capitalism across the globe have profoundly transformed the landscapes of human livelihood, consumption, production and governance in Asia. While colonial empires have declined, new empires have emerged, and a growing number of countries have witnessed the rise of nationalism and independent states, social, political and technological revolutions, and most recently neoliberal globalization. This course theorizes and explores these dramatic changes in a comparative framework. It is aimed at students wishing to better understand the great transformations of modern Asia in a global context.

Instructor: Dylan Clark

Lecture: Wed 1 - 3 PM

In focusing on youth in Asia, this course brings together two disputed cultural formations of substantial contemporary importance. Both youth and Asia are increasingly invoked on the global stage in support of a wide range of interests. Examining practices of young people and the idea of youth in the context of Asia requires critical attention to the promises and fears that attach to the rise of Asian economies, international demographic transitions, the growth of a global middle-class, increasing consumption disparities, changing immigration patterns, expanding technological skills, global/local environmental concerns, and young people’s shifting political priorities and loyalties. The course may feature a significant amount of social theory, with authors such as Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes, Louis Althusser, and Stuart Hall.

Instructor: Kerstin Brückweh

Lecture: Fri 11 AM - 1 PM

Tracing the life of a single-family home through the turbulent twentieth century, this course adopts a micro-historical approach to German and European history. Rather than focusing solely on high politics or master narratives, the seminar uses one house and its successive inhabitants as a lens to explore how major political, social, and urban transformations—from around 1900 through the Nazi dictatorship, Cold War division, and the post-socialist period, including German unification—shaped everyday life. We will analyze how shifting ideologies, housing policies, and economic constraints were reflected in the material reality of the home. At the same time, the course emphasizes the agency of the house’s residents, examining how individuals and families navigated, adapted to, and at times influenced broader historical developments. By following the trajectory of a single property, the course highlights the dynamic relationship between property rights, freedom of residence, and state power, showing how the ordinary home became a contested site of modern history.

Instructor: Marci Shore

Lecture: Mon 1 - 2 PM & Wed 1 - 2 PM 

This European intellectual history course introduces students to the temporal rupture called modernity—beginning with what Max Weber calls “disenchantment” and moving through the death of God—and ultimately the resignation from attempts to find a viable replacement for God. Topics include Marxism-Leninism, psychoanalysis, expressionism, structuralism, phenomenology, existentialism, anti-politics, and deconstruction. Authors include Nietzsche, Lenin, Kafka, Freud, Husserl, de Beauvoir, Heidegger, Arendt, Adorno, Sartre, Girard, Foucault, Derrida and Havel.

Instructor: Themistoklis Aravossitas

Lecture: Tue 4 - 6 PM & Thurs 4 - 6 PM 

This course builds on the Intermediate level background knowledge to prepare students as independent users of the Modern Greek language. In order to attain conversational fluency and communicate effectively and accurately with native Greek language speakers, students will practice on reading and interpreting magazine and newspaper articles on various topics as well as applying more complex grammatical and syntax rules to write essays on assigned subjects.

Instructor: TBD

Lecture: Wed 11 AM - 1 PM 

This course is intended to build on the skills and knowledge acquired by the students in the previous Hungarian language courses. It will consist of a more advanced study of grammar, more complex vocabulary, higher level of oral skills and longer reading, writing and translation exercises. Communicative activities will include group and partner work to encourage interactive learning.

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.

*This course is a part of the Certificate in Public Policy and Engineering and offered to Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering students enrolled in an engineering program only. 

Instructor: Paola Salardi

Lecture: Wed 11 AM - 1 PM
Tutorial: Thurs 1 - 2 PM  

The goal of this course is to introduce students to data literacy and applications in the topics of peace, conflict, and justice. The course is broadly divided into two parts. The first part will introduce data in the context of peace, conflict, and justice studies and outline the research process. Students will learn advanced quantitative research designs and will work with fundamental descriptive statistics tools. Students will work with different datasets, learn how to summarize data for different types of variables through graphs and tables, and explore measures of association between variables. In the second part of the course, students will work on data projects related to peace, conflict, and justice. Students will also design their own research relevant in PCJ. This course is a requirement for PCJ Specialists and open to PCJ Majors with approval from the Director.

Instructor: Phil Triadafilopoulos

Lecture: Wed 11 AM - 1 PM
 

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.

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: Bharat Punjabi

Lecture: 11 AM - 1 PM

This course analyzes the impact of colonialism in South Asia and the various ways in which tradition intersects with and has reshaped colonialism in postcolonial South Asia. The course will examine the role of religion, education, ethnicity, gender, and caste. Some attention will be paid to postcolonial and indigenous theory.

Instructor: Amanda Sheely

Lecture: Wed 1 - 3 PM

In this course, students work to address a pressing social policy issue of relevance to the United States. Working in partners/teams, students will conduct a  research project with and on behalf of community partners to address an organizational need, producing usable deliverables such as research reports, policy  briefs, program evaluations, or community resources. Students will draw on academic and community-based research to understand the intersections of racism, sexism, ableism, classism, migration status, gender discrimination, and/or religious discrimination though a pressing social policy issue (including but not limited to: poverty, housing insecurity, food insecurity, educational access, precarious employment). Students will receive specialized training based on the research needs identified by the partner(s); carry out a small-scale research project; and share research findings with different audiences, including academics, professionals, and the public. Classroom discussions will integrate community experiences with lecture material and connections will be made to the specific context and policy of the United States. Enrolment is restricted to upper-level Munk Undergraduate students. 

Instructor: Wu, Yiching

Lecture: Tue 10 AM - 12 PM 

This seminar challenges students to hone their growing mastery in Contemporary Asian Studies by engaging with advanced theory about the peoples and places of the continent. Readings address colonial history and emphasize the contemporary period throughout Asia. As the culmination of a student’s studies in CAS, the course requires students to grapple with post-colonial conditions in Asia.

Instructor: TBD

An in-depth of an issue of relevance to the European Union. Content depends on the instructor.

Open only to students enrolled in the European Studies Major Program. Third and Fourth year students only.

Instructors: TBD

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: 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: TBD

Lecture: Tue 11 AM - 1 PM

This course provides students an opportunity to learn by providing valuable services to local, national, or international organizations. This model of experiential learning is called organization partner experiences, in which students work in teams on a project that is of relevance to the partner organization. The overarching theme in this course is inclusion through access to public services. Access to public services such as education, health, and public provision of services is one of the most important ways in which disadvantaged populations experience upward socioeconomic mobility. Students will gain insights about inequality of access to public service, conduct critical analysis of current issues, and produce deliverables to understand issues of socio-economic inequality in societies around the world. This course is a requirement for PCJ majors and specialists.

Instructor: TBD

Lecture: Mon 9 - 11 AM

This course guides each student through their own individual research project, embedded in an interactive group learning process, to offer an applied introduction to research methods for peace, conflict and justice studies. Students work through the research in the field of peace, conflict and justice studies, such as: identifying a research question, learning how to write a critical literature review, developing a rigorous research design, and applying quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods to answering research inquires. The final deliverable is a draft of a research proposal or an empirical research-based paper. This course is a requirement for PCJ Specialists and open to PCJ Majors with approval from the Director.

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.