Courses

Course: ECON 357: Topics in Applied Economics | Inequality and Poverty in Canada
Term: Spring/Summer 2024
Section: OP01
Instructor: Dr. Abdallah Zalghout

This course focuses on the measurement and analysis of inequality and poverty in Canada. We introduce various indices for assessing inequality and poverty, exploring the estimation and interpretation of their levels and trends using Canadian microdata. The examination extends across different socio-economic groups, characterized by factors such as race, indigenous identity, immigration status and education level.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C - in ECON 101 or ECON 102, and one of ECON 289, MATH 114, STAT 151, or STAT 161.

Permission Required: No

Course: POLS 390: Topics in Political Science | 20th Century Political Thought
Term: Spring/Summer 2024
Section: OP01
Instructor: Luke Sandle

This course examines the key political thinkers and issues of the 20th Century. We will look at thinkers who articulated some of the 20th Century’s most well known political projects: totalitarianism; communism; liberalism; populism; human rights; imperialism. We will look at some of the central dilemmas to emerge from these projects, such as justifications for political violence; the ethical implications of wielding state power; whether there can be “too much” democracy; the place of religion in public life. We will also examine some of the critical and reactionary movements of the twentieth century: the birth of “social movements”; conservative reactions to liberalism or “progressivism”; and movements that declare themselves “anti-imperial”. Our main aim is to isolate the twentieth century as a century of novelty, dynamism and acceleration. Why were there so many grand and ambitious projects in the twentieth century? What do those projects – and the reactions to them – tell us about the capacities of human beings? How do we sift through and weigh up the various normative claims and projects of the twentieth century, given the totalizing and demanding claims they make on us?

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in a 200 level course in Political Science.

Permission Required: No

Course: ANTH 389: Topics in Anthropology | Oral History of the North American First Nations
Term: Fall 2024
Section: AS01
Instructor: Judy Half

This course examines oral history through the understanding and perspective of story and narrative used among Treaty Six First Nations in western Canada. Within an anthropological framework, the grounded and specific oral history approach provides an alternative lens of inquiry to understand how distinct groups such as the Plains Cree use their intellectual knowledge systems as distinct identities and language systems that link to the land, animals, spirituality, and cosmos.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in ANTH 250 or permission of the department.

Permission Required: No

Course: ANTH 497: Topics in Anthropology | Beaded Sexualities: Indigenous Arts-Based Resurgence
Term: Fall 2024
Section: AS01
Instructor: Brittany Johnson

Beads are more than simply a part of material cultures and artistic practice - they are our relatives and teachers. This seminar course will introduce students to research-creation and how it intersects with critical Indigenous theories such as decolonization and resurgence, with an emphasis on sexual and reproductive justice. Relationality will be core to both theoretical readings and engagement with beads as teachers. Storytelling from an Indigenous perspective will be a major component. Students will learn basic and advanced beading stitches to create a few smaller and one final beaded project.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in ANTH 250, one of ANTH 206, ANTH 207, ANTH 208, or ANTH 209, and any 300-level ANTH course.

Permission Required: Yes

Course: ECON 443: Topics in Financial Economics | Risk Management and Derivatives
Term: Fall 2024
Section: AS01
Instructor: Yixuan Li

This advanced financial economics course provides students with specialized knowledge of risk management and derivatives, integral components of modern financial markets. The focus will be on quantitatively evaluating the risks associated with financial investments and hedging using financial derivatives. The course is designed to prepare students for roles that necessitate effective risk management using derivatives in professional financial environments.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in one of FNCE 301 or ECON 442, or consent of the department.

Permission Required: No

Course: POLS 444: Topics in Policy Studies | Theory and Practice of Policy Evaluation
Term: Fall 2024
Section: AS01
Instructor: Brendan Boyd

How do we know whether a policy has met its goals or what impact it has? This course focuses on the outputs of the political and the policy process to measure and assess the effectiveness of government policy interventions. The question is a critical, although understudied, component of public policy and democratic governance. The course includes the study of theories, approaches and models of policy evaluation and the role of evidence in policy decisions. Working with government, private or community partners, students will perform an actual evaluation on a policy, program or initiative to determine its impact and whether it has met its intended goals. Students will complete the course with practical skills and knowledge that can applied while working in the field of policy making and analysis.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in POLS 244.

Permission Required: No

Course: POLS 461: Topics - International Politics | Human Rights Norms and Their Implementation
Term: Fall 2024
Section: AS01
Instructor: Chaldeans Mensah

This course explores human rights governance in the post-Second War period, focusing on the theory and practice of human rights, tracing the evolution of human rights regimes in the UN system since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. It analyzes how our conceptions of human rights have been broadened by these regimes and contributed to the establishment of norms for a culture of human rights around the world. The course addresses the contestation of universal human rights principles by state and non-state actors using the notion of cultural relativism and the rejection of imposition of “western” notions of human rights on their societies. The course critically assesses the disconnect between the embrace of new norms of human rights expressed in the global-level regimes and the backsliding in their implementation at the state-level by looking at cases of human rights challenges in both the Global South and Global North.

Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in POLS 264.

Permission Required: No

Course: POLS 470: Selected Topics-Comp. Politics | Social Justice and Contentious Politics
Term: Fall 2024
Section: AS01
Instructor: Chong-su Kim

This seminar course aims to provide students with an understanding of contentious politics outside the bounds of institutional politics that confront a wide array of social injustices. In other words, this course focuses on two types of problems. Firstly, this course examines various global social justice movements that combat social injustice, including exploitation, oppression, violence, inequality, discrimination, marginalization, and disempowerment. The second aspect of this course is that it focuses on the contentious politics that have transformed politics over the past few decades outside of the domain of institutional politics. The scope of this course will touch on several major theoretical approaches to the study of contentious politics and social justice. Furthermore, this course will address environmental justice, class justice, gender, sexual minority and indigenous justice, as well as urban justice, migration justice, and global social justice movements as concrete and empirical manifestations of these theories.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in POLS 200.

Permission Required: No

Course: POLS 490: Advanced Study in Political Science | Politics of Information
Term: Fall 2024
Section: AS01
Instructor: Jeffery Rice

This course examines the politics of knowledge and information in the context of national and international security. Although disinformation campaigns and fake news have garnered significant attention in recent years, especially when used by foreign powers, the act of using information as a tool (or weapon) is not new. In order to better understand the present-day concerns surrounding information and disinformation, this course examines the politicization and weaponization of information in contemporary and historical settings. Some of the core topics that will be covered in the course include: the history of state-sponsored propaganda, the role of mass communications in conflict, disinformation campaigns and their impact on electoral integrity, the rise of fake news and conspiracy theories, and seemingly more benign topics, but no less consequential, such as the politics of education, music, and movies.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in POLS 200, POLS 214, POLS 215, POLS 224, POLS 225, POLS 244, and POLS 264, or consent of the department.

Permission Required: No

Course: ANTH 389: Topics in Anthropology | Oral History of the North American First Nations
Term: Winter 2025
Section: AS01
Instructor: Judy Half

This course examines oral history through the understanding and perspective of story and narrative used among Treaty Six First Nations in western Canada. Within an anthropological framework, the grounded and specific oral history approach provides an alternative lens of inquiry to understand how distinct groups such as the Plains Cree use their intellectual knowledge systems as distinct identities and language systems that link to the land, animals, spirituality, and cosmos.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in ANTH 250 or permission of the department.

Permission Required: No

Course: ANTH 497: Topics in Anthropology | Anthropology and Science Fiction
Term: Winter 2025
Term: AS01
Instructor: Katie Biittner

In order to satisfy Anthropology’s prime directive, this course will draw on classic and contemporary anthropological themes in science fiction from a holistic, four field approach. As such, students will boldly go where few MacEwan students have gone before and examine readings from key figures in anthropological thought and theory in conversation with selections from science fiction in many of its forms (TV, literature, and film). Cross-cultural comparison will be used to illuminate various constructions of what science fiction is and could be. The topics and themes encountered may include human evolution, cyborgs and cybernetics, race and racism, gender, human environment interactions, translation, language, archaeology, culture contact, colonialism, and answers to “the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe and Everything” (Adams 1980). Spoiler: it’s not 42.

Prerequisites: Minimum of C- in one of ANTH 206, ANTH 207, ANTH 208, or ANTH 209 and a minimum grade of C- in any 300-level ANTH course.

Permission Required: No

Course: ANTH 497: Topics in Anthropology | Gender and the Body
Term: Winter 2025
Term: AS02
Instructor: Leslie Dawson

Beginning in the 1980s, the body, as a social and cultural artifact, became a keen focus for anthropologists. At the same time, understandings of gender were broadening and intersecting with a variety of identities within systems of power and oppression. Through the lens of gender, we examine cross-cultural and historical variations in how societies understand and experience the human body as a site upon which socio-cultural processes are inscribed, where power relations converge and are articulated, and as sites of oppression and resistance. In this seminar, we connect major theoretical approaches to gender and the body to contemporary issues, and explore gendered bodies as naturalized, medicalized, commodified, sexualized, racialized, colonized, and nationalized.

Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in one of ANTH 206, ANTH 207, ANTH 208, or ANTH 209 and a minimum grade of C- in any 300-level ANTH course.

Permission Required: No

Course: ECON 357: Topics in Applied Economics | Introduction to Financial Economics
Term: Winter 2025
Term: AS01
Instructor: Yixuan Li

This course provides an overview of the foundational theories in financial economics and their practical applications. It introduces key concepts related to financial markets, financial institutions, and risk management from an economics perspective, and serves as a crucial precursor to advanced-level courses in Financial Economics. The primary goal is to equip students with insights into the decision-making processes of individuals, businesses, and governments regarding financial resources and the consequential impact on resource allocation.

Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in ECON 101

Permission Required: No

Course: POLS 390: Topics in Political Science | Modern Politics of East Asia
Term: Winter 2025
Term: AS01
Instructor: Chong-su Kim

This course explores and compares modern politics in East Asian countries: China, Japan, North and South Korea, and Taiwan. This course aims to understand the modern political development of East Asia by appreciating the commonalities and differences of East Asian countries. It addresses themes of political institutions, political economy, political culture, political changes, recent political development and challenges, non-state political actors, and the region’s global impact and future.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in a 200 level course in Political Science.

Permission Required: No

Course: POLS 410: Topics in Political Philosophy | Political Theology and the Problem of Evil
Term: Winter 2025
Term: AS01
Instructor: Gaelan Murphy

“But what would a disagreement be, which we could not settle, and would cause us to be enemies and to be angry with each other? Perhaps you cannot give an answer offhand; but let me suggest it. Is it not about right and wrong, noble and disgraceful, and good and bad? Are these not the questions about which you and I and other people become enemies, when we do become enemies, because we differ about them and cannot come to any satisfactory agreement?” Plato, Euthyphro Contrary to conventional accounts that understand politics variously in terms of a conflict over interest, over power, or over ideas, this course examines the suggestion that politics, human beings living together in a political community, is rooted in theological commitments that are prior to and define our differing interests, power relations, and ideas.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in POLS 214 and POLS 215, or consent of the department.

Permission Required: No

Course: POLS 490: Advanced Study in Political Science | Politics of Memory
Term: Winter 2025
Term: AS01
Instructor: Chong-su Kim

“Learning from history” or “what the past can teach us” presupposes a solid line separating the past from the present and the out-there history, assuring the stable past with archived lessons waiting to be excavated. While history served as a crucial architect for nation-state building since the Enlightenment, memories have emerged as an essential building block of post-colonial, -modern, and -truth eras. In recent decades, the politics of memory has been deeply embedded into critical political and historical events such as the Holocaust, Apartheid, democratic transitions, and the wars in Ukraine and Palestine. The politics of memory unearths the past and buries the future while it looks backward to move forward.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in POLS 200, POLS 214, POLS 215, POLS 224, POLS 225, POLS 244, and POLS 264, or consent of the department.

Permission Required: No

Course: POLS 490: Advanced Study in Political Science | Theories of Policy Process
Term: Winter 2025
Term: AS02
Instructor: Brendan Boyd

How is public policy made? How are we to make sense of the various influences that shape and constrain governments’ policy choices? In this course, we examine the different theoretical approaches that have been designed to explain the process through which policy is developed. We examine these theories’ origins and their different iterations to understand their strengths and weaknesses. We assess how these theories are used in contemporary policy making by applying them to the societal issues that policymakers are currently addressing. These include, but are not limited to, pandemics, climate change, economic development, healthcare reform and technology and innovation.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in POLS 200, POLS 214, POLS 215, POLS 224, POLS 225, POLS 264, and either POLS 244 or POLS 265, or consent of the department.

Permission Required: No

Course: URBW 497: Topics in Urban Wellness | Global Perspectives on Urban Wellness
Term: Winter 2025
Term: AS01
Instructor: Marielle Papin

In this course, we will further the analysis of urban wellness looking at how cities around the world understand and practice it. We will analyze differences between cities from developed and developing countries, or between global, large and small municipalities. We will also look at how cities work collectively on urban wellness, particularly through transnational networks and partnerships. We will discuss the involvement of private actors, including philanthropic foundations and companies, in the governance of urban wellness. We will use an interdisciplinary lens on urban wellness, building on fields such as political science, anthropology, economics, geography, or urban planning.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in URBW 389 or permission of the Department.

Permission Required: No