Winter courses 2023-24Courses on rotation
What are the relationships and principles that structure and inform global society? What institutions and practices uphold them? What is the nature of international conversations and negotiations? How is power used and misused internationally? What are the limits of globalization? This introduction to the field of global politics addresses these and related questions. SOCIAL & POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY (2000)
What is human nature? Should society be organized to reflect this? What is justice? Are states coercive by nature? How does property inform politics? What is ethical citizenship? These questions are explored through a survey of Western political thinkers, including Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, de Gouges, Burke, Wollstonecraft, Mill, and Marx, and by examining their contemporary legacy Ecological economics (formerly "economics of social change" / 2000)
Processes of social change (related to poverty reduction, peace-building, environmental sustainability, economic development) can be supported or inhibited by economic forces. This course will examine and apply (in a non-technical manner) key economic principles that impact efforts to create social change. It also examines the assumptions of economic approaches, and the role of economics in the social sciences. Course website and syllabus. SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP (2000)
Social entrepreneurs are motivated by a desire to make a social impact in business while recognizing the need to balance financial realities. This course examines the role of blended value or “triple bottom line” strategies in particular social, political, economic, or ecological contexts. We will explore the unique management issues confronting social business structures and critically review their impacts. In particular, we will consider examples designed to address environmental degradation and inequality. We will also consider the value of the "entrepreneurial" approach, including attitudes towards risk tolerance, experimentation, and problem-solving. Course website and syllabus SOCIAL WELFARE (2000)
This course explores how economic, political, and ethical theories on society and human nature manifest in societal responses to human need and the provision of social services. We will survey the history of social welfare in Canada and the roles of major social welfare institutions. Course website and syllabus CITIZENSHIP, LAND, ECONOMY ("POLITICAL ECOLOGY" / 2-3000)
Economic and ecological challenges – including climate change and inequity – are symptoms of a deeper spiritual and cultural conflict: human separation from each other, our inner-beings, and the land. This course examines acts of land justice through re/connections to people and place. We examine philosophical questions related to land justice and stewardship, including those surrounding economic scale, economic and ecological literacy, land use, land speculation, and consider alternative ways of being and acting that might foster a more just society. Course website and syllabus. This course examines the relationship between the mass communications media and the political and social processes in which they operate, investigating the state of research on mass media, the role of media in creating and shaping political awareness, and in influencing human behaviour and values. Examples of topics that may be covered include media ownership and organization patterns, media in the electoral process, media in different global contexts, media and populism, propaganda, media freedom, and public opinion. Course website and syllabus. social innovation lab (3-4000)
In this hands-on course, hosted by the CMU Centre for Resilience, a transdisciplinary cohort of students will co-design and implement ideas proposed by community organizations and businesses. Students will work with mentors and faculty members in small teams. They will select a topic, draft a course of action, and produce a final product. The course is applied and competency-based, embracing a “problem-based learning” approach where students will share knowledge, peer support, and feedback on an ongoing basis. Course website and syllabus not-for-profit management (2-4000)
This course explores the unique challenges inherent in managing not-for-profit organizations. Topics will include mission, governance, marketing, volunteerism, fundraising, stakeholder services, and the internationalization issues faced by not-for-profit organizations. Course website and syllabus. symbols of canadian identity (3-4000)
From multiethnic estrangement to multicultural mosaic, this course will rhetorically interrogate images that reflect understandings of “Canadian identity.” How are constructions of the "Canadian" something that can be prided over, questioned with a settler imagination, and/or reimagined in a postcolonial context? The course will consider political cartoons and media artefacts that span Canadian history, with an emphasis on the last 50 years. What images represent "Canada?" Whose story did they reflect, mute, critique, or amplify? How do symbols of Canadian identity work? Course website and syllabus. organizational leadership (3-4000)
In environments of rapid change, mindboggling complexity, and pervasive ambiguity, how do leaders organize people and resources? Organizational leadership is hard work, and places formidable demands on individuals' intellect, skill, stamina and character. This course will explore these issues through case studies drawn from a range of sectors, companies, and industries. We will explore why things go well, why they sometimes go wrong, and how leaders might succeed or fail. Course website and syllabus. |
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