We sometimes make claims about “human rights,” but why? This course will cultivate an understanding of the origins and development of the human rights idea over time. Why do states engage in political violence, and how did the language of human rights emerge in response to that violence? Where did the concept of human rights originate, and how did it get written into law? Are human rights truly universal? After confronting these questions, the course will shift to theories of how the global human rights regime is meant to operate. For example, how might it work to shame, sanction, or used armed intervention to advance the cause of human rights?

This course operates like a human rights clinic, considering concrete examples of human rights in practice. Through case studies of countries like Guatemala, Libya, Bosnia, Uganda, and Indonesia, we will consider the following questions: What is the current state of the human rights movement today? What role does human rights law and social activism play in changing practices? And what are the most effective and ineffective human rights interventions? Students will analyze current trends, like the pursuit of criminal accountability for atrocity criminals, and they will propose how to prevent backlash against human rights defenders around the world.

Comparative study of the foreign policies of Russia/USSR, the United States, Great Britain, France and Germany.

International law as an instrument of conflict resolution. Recognition, sovereign immunity, subjects of international law, and jurisdiction are some of the subjects examined.

A practical introduction to visualizing and analyzing data about people, societies, and governments. Students will learn to interpret data to describe and explain the world.

This course focuses on the research process with attention to writing research proposals and qualitative research methods.

An introduction to the study of Global Governance. It presents Global Governance both as an area of study within International Relations theory, and as a set of norms and procedures that guide ongoing practices within international politics. The course will take students through the early development of the concept in the 1990s to present times. It will also cover key challenges to Global Governance.

This course builds on earlier conceptual discussions in POL344H5, to illustrate how Global Governance is practiced within specific empirical contexts. Students will take a deep dive into pressing examples of Global Governance practices and challenges (e.g., the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the global political economy).

This course examines urban politics and policy problems such as inequality, sustainability, immigration, and regionalism. Readings and other course content will focus on contemporary cases of urban policy challenges and conflict in cities and urban regions.

After covering crucial background on tsarist Russia and the Soviet system, the course considers the legacies of Soviet rule. We then address questions of identity politics in Russia, the country’s changing political economy, the shape of authoritarian institutions, the dynamics of protest and repression, how the authoritarian regime in Russia manages flows of information, and the nature of colonialism in the Russian context.

How are laws, policies, and social norms affected by the overwhelmingly multicultural character of contemporary societies? This course examines how the realities of contemporary multiculturalism have reshaped civic life, both in Canada and in other societies. The course will attempt to cover both empirical and theoretical-normative approaches to these issues.

This course offers a comparative and transnational analytical approach to the historical foundations of nation and state building as well as patterns of regime change in Latin America. Specific topics may include revolutions, populism, (neo)colonialism, “racial democracy,” Indigenismo, dependency, among others.

This course surveys a range of important issues in contemporary Latin America with a focus on the promises and failures of democracy under neoliberalism and post-neoliberalism. Specific topics may include Indigenous politics, Black politics, feminist politics, class conflict, “iron fist” regimes, the War on Drugs, among others.

This course exposes students to the tensions between the mobility of people across international borders, and the hardening regimes of governance facing migrants. The course pays special attention to the intersections of class, race and gender at stake in the politics of migration.

This course examines the various interventions that have marked the development of feminist political thought from the mid-20th century onward. These include efforts to complicate the category 'woman', to understand gender in its intersections with race and class, to develop queer feminist accounts of ‘sex’ and ‘sexuality’, and to investigate the meaning of 'feminism' as a political project in and of itself.

An introduction to gender and politics that examines women as political actors and their activities in formal and grassroots politics.

This course identifies natural resource exploitation as a prominent focus in discourses and policies concerned with African countries in the post-independence era (~1960s onwards), particularly when dealing with issues of conflict, democratization, economic development, poverty and regime crisis.

This course examines the contemporary relationship between politics and media.

This course explores how political actors such as political parties, pressure groups and governments use media to secure their political objectives.

Students will examine the political dynamics of selected states in the Middle East and North Africa. Issues to be covered include: state-building; Arab nationalism; Zionism; Islamism; tribalism; gender; the politics of oil. Specific themes relevant to contemporary politics will vary from year to year.

Content of course will vary from year to year. Consult the UTM Timetable.

Content of course will vary from year to year. Consult with the Political Science Handbook.

Content of course will vary from year to year. Consult the UTM Timetable.

Content of course will vary from year to year. Consult the UTM Timetable.

Content of course will vary from year to year. Consult the UTM Timetable.

This course provides a richly rewarding opportunity for students in their third year to work in the research project of a professor in return for POL399H course credit. Students enrolled have an opportunity to become involved in original research, learn research methods and share in the excitement and discovery of acquiring new knowledge. Participating faculty members post their project descriptions for the following summer and fall/winter sessions in early February and students are invited to apply in early March. SeeExperiential and International Opportunities for more details.

This course provides a richly rewarding opportunity for students in their third year to work in the research project of a professor in return for POL399Y course credit. Students enrolled have an opportunity to become involved in original research, learn research methods and share in the excitement and discovery of acquiring new knowledge. Participating faculty members post their project descriptions for the following summer and fall/winter sessions in early February and students are invited to apply in early March. See Experiential and International Opportunities for more details.

This course provides students with the basic skills and knowledge necessary to complete a major independent research paper. The course will have a broad theme (power, equality, justice, federalism, etc.) and students will pursue a research project of their own interest that relates to the course theme. This Y course will meet weekly in the first semester and every other week in the winter semester. Under the course instructors’ supervision, students will identify potential research questions, acquire methodological and research skills appropriate for addressing the research questions, and conduct primary research. Students will present their paper in an open forum late in the second term. This course is intended for students with a strong academic background who intend to pursue graduate studies.

Content of course will vary from year to year. The contact hours for this course may vary in terms of contact type (L,S,T,P) from year to year, but will be between 24-36 contact hours in total. Consult the UTM Timetable.