Public Policy and Governance

Complex societal problems require good governance and the development of effective public policies - which often entails close collaboration between a wide array of government and non-governmental actors. But how do these actors work together? How do they define problems, develop solutions, implement, and evaluate policies? How are decisions made? This course answers these key questions and introduces students to the major concepts, theories, and skills involved in the study of public policy and governance. Three credits.

At the core of public policy analysis is problem solving. It involves the development, assessment, and communication of policy advice, options, and recommendations. This course assesses the approaches, methods, ethics, and politics of public policy analysis. It is a practical course, focused on providing students with the analytical frameworks, tools, and skills required by professional policy analysists, including critical thinking, collaboration, research, and effective communication. Credit will be granted for one of PGOV 201 or PSCI 342. Prerequisite: PGOV 101. Three credits.

Governance is now recognized as an integral part of modern politics, operating at all scales and in a variety of institutions. Settings include the state, corporations, universities, sports leagues and religious organizations among others. Key governance concepts will be explored and applied. Deep case studies may include topics such as pandemic governance, police governance and the governance of the internet. Prerequisite: PGOV 101. Three credits.

The course provides an intermediate examination of public policy formulation and implementation across systems and levels of government. Policies and governance in Canada and other democratic systems will be compared to give students the tools to understand the evolution and diversity of policy formulation and implementation. Credit will be granted for one of PGOV 301 or PSCI 342. Prerequisites: 6 credits PGOV. Three credits.

This course provides an examination of the contemporary practice of public administration, whether it be local, provincial, national or international entities. It explains and investigates how government departments and agencies are best managed, how political leaders and public sector managers deal with issues such as political power and bureaucracy, accountability, participation and citizen rights, and the management of financial and other resources. Credit will be granted for only one of PGOV 302 or PSCI 341. Prerequisites: 6 credits PGOV. Three credits.

This course introduces students to the use of quantitative analysis in political science. While studying the logic of statistical inference, students will learn practical skills, including survey questionnaire design, dataset management, and data presentation. By the end of the course students will be able to critically assess quantitative research and apply quantitative tools to pursue their own research questions. Cross-listed as PSCI 399. Prerequisites: 6 credits PGOV. Three credits.

This course is all about asking interesting questions in political science and public policy and then coming up with ways to answer these questions. We will introduce the concept of variance and causality, units of analysis, and strategies for case selection. At the end of the course, students will be able to formulate research questions, generate a research design, and discuss a range of methodological approaches that can be used to explore the world of politics and policy. Cross-listed as PSCI 397. Credit will be granted for only one of PGOV 304 or PSCI 399 offered up until 2019-2020. Prerequisites: PSCI 101, 102 and 6 credits of PSCI at the 200 level. Three credits.

How can we make the world a more gender equal and socially just place? This course examines the relationships between gender, systems of inequality, and public policy. The course focuses on understanding contemporary approaches to creating gender-responsive public policy and theoretical tools for analyzing public policy. The course also explores how to apply this knowledge to contemporary social issues. Credit will be granted for only one of PGOV 305 or PSCI 398/WMGS 399 (2021-2022). Cross-listed as WMGS 304. Prerequisite: PGOV 101 or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

This course introduces concepts, approaches, and trends associated with science policy and science-based policy decision making in Canada. Students will be introduced to key concepts and structures in Canadian public administration, the evolution of key policy actors and organizations that have contributed to science policy decisions in Canada with a focus on the federal level of government, learn the development of science policy in Canada, as well as understand Canadian approaches to science-based policy decisions with a focus on environment-related examples and case studies. Credit will be granted for only one of CLEN 301 or PSCI 389 offered from 2016-2018. Cross-listed as CLEN 301. Prerequisite: PGOV 101 or 3 credits PSCI; ECON 101, or permission of the coordinator. Three credits.

This course examines political communications and their impact on public opinion and political behaviour, with a particular focus on Canadian media. The course will explore key themes, including: news construction and the media landscape, media effects and public opinion; mass media, social media, and political entertainment; and political communications on campaigns. Cross-listed as PSCI 319. Prerequisite: PGOV 101 or PSCI 101; or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

Armero. Katrina. Fukushima. The Turkey-Syria Earthquake. This course explains how failures of policy, planning, and preparation have resulted in the worst disasters in modern history – and how societies and governments have learned or failed to learn from these disasters. Using applied research and simulation-based learning, this course will also examine the policies and programs that can help societies prevent/mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from hazards as they increase in frequency and severity. Prerequisite: PGOV 101 or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

The topic for 2024-2025 is Gender-Based Violence Policy & Politics. What is gender-based violence and how can society work towards ending it? This course focuses on understanding debates about and approaches to gender-based violence policy and politics. Students will develop knowledge of key concepts and theories to develop skills to critically assess gender-based violence policies and politics in Canada and comparative contexts. Cross-listed as WMGS 399. Prerequisites: PGOV 101, or WMGS 100, or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

In this required capstone course for PGOV majors, students will be engaged on topics pertaining to public sector management with an emphasis on problem-solving and strategic governance in a comparative context. Course methods include lectures, cases, presentations, as well as guest speakers. Prerequisites: 6 credits at the 300 level in PGOV core courses. Three credits.

This course is required for honours with subsidiary students and recommended for majors in PGOV who wish to engage with the academic literature on contemporary public policy and governance issues. Students will review and discuss literature in the field and complete several assignments, both oral and written, in relation to these readings. Prerequisite: 6 credits at the 300 level in PGOV core courses. Three credits.

This experiential course provides students with the opportunity to practice the concepts and ideas explored in the classroom in a real-world setting. Students will spend the equivalent of one term, usually the summer between the junior and senior year, gaining hands-on experience in a government or governance setting. Students will reflect and report on their internship experience and its relevance to the evolving knowledge of a policy sector, and share these learnings in a post-internship seminar. Restricted to students completing an honours, major or minor in PGOV. Prerequisites: PGOV 301 or 302, and 303 or 304 (or a substitute research methods course approved by the PGOV Coordinator). Three credits.

Under the supervision of a professor each student completes a research project, from conception to completion, over the course of the year. Students are responsible for choosing a topic in consultation with their supervisor, the theoretical and methodological soundness of the thesis, and the literary quality of the final project. Restricted to honours students. Six credits.