The following courses are instructed by Liu Institute Faculty:
HESO 449: Contemporary Issues in International Health Aid
Jerry Spiegel
Jerry is supervising two students (Iran Seyed-Raeisy and Trisha Taneja) who have organized an exciting student directed seminar this fall on Contemporary Issues in International Health Aid. To register and/or learn more about this, please go to the link below or contact Iran or Trisha directly.
The issue of international health is one that does not fall under a specific category of Sciences or Arts, or even one that can be condensed into a few specific courses. Global health, and specifically global health inequalities require a multi-directional approach, and ultimately, interdisciplinary solutions. Through this course we hope to specifically address the issue of international health aid. Although we cannot hope to exhaustively cover the different aspects of international health aid, we hope that course participants can learn to critically appraise both the problems and the solutions that currently exist, and set an example of the kind of interdisciplinary approach that is needed in studying global health. Ultimately, our course reaches out to a large population of students from all disciplines with a passion for global health, and an interest in gaining a deeper understanding of the complex issues surrounding international health aid.
For more information on the course outline and how to apply, please visit: http://inthealthaid.wordpress.com/
RMES 500G: Climate Change: Global Challenges and Local Responses
Hisham Zerriffi & Milind Kandlikar
Winter Session 2008 (Term 1), Tue-Thu 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM - Liu Institute Boardroom, 3rd Floor
Enrolment: Graduate Students (or advanced undergraduates with instructor approval)
Climate Change has emerged as the most complex environmental challenge facing the planet. On the one hand, changes in global climate are likely to have significant impacts in many parts of the world, and while a small number of regions / sectors may benefit many others could be devastated. On the other hand, reducing greenhouse gas emissions poses significant technological, economic and political challenges. Reductions of greenhouse gas gases will be made in the presence of incomplete information and continued scientific and economic uncertainty. Changes in human behaviour and technological innovations of the magnitude needed to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions may be difficult to achieve. This course focuses on how the global challenge results in local effects and local opportunities and challenges. It will provide students with a ‘hands-on’ perspective on local responses. Click here for course syllabus.
POLI 327- 951 - European Integration
Yves Tiberghien
This course addresses three key questions:
1. What is the European Union? Is it an international organization, a forum of states seeking to maximize their interests, or a super state in formation?
2. Why are European states giving up so much sovereignty to supranational institutions?
3. Where is the EU going now? It is still expanding and growing, or is it deadlocked? Is is international weight growing and why? What drives the EU behavior on the world scene? Click here for course syllabus.
POLI 322-951 - Japanese Government and Politics
Yves Tiberghien
By any yardstick, Japan is one of the most important countries in the world: second largest economy, first country outside Europe and North America to industrialize, most important US ally in Asia, largest aid donor in the world, largest and most established democracy in East Asia. Click here for course syllabus.
Global Health and Human Security - Offered as SPPH 523 and INDS 502S
Jerry Spiegel
Increasingly, humanitarians intervene in violent intra-state conflicts to protect civilians, provide assistance and to promote stability and peace, often working alongside militaries to do so. This arguably blurs and therefore compromises traditional humanitarian principles and potentially, increases civilian vulnerability and fuels war economies. On the other hand, if humanitarian aid can feed war, so too can it feed peace. Through readings and exercises, this course will guide students through various debates, actor responses as well as the policy options and challenges facing humanitarians today. Click here for course syllabus.
POLI 461/561: Peace and Conflict Studies (The Politics of Humanitarianism)
Erin Baines
Increasingly, humanitarians intervene in violent intra-state conflicts to protect civilians, provide assistance and to promote stability and peace, often working alongside militaries to do so. This arguably blurs and therefore compromises traditional humanitarian principles and potentially, increases civilian vulnerability and fuels war economies. On the other hand, if humanitarian aid can feed war, so too can it feed peace. Through readings and exercises, this course will guide students through various debates, actor responses as well as the policy options and challenges facing humanitarians today. Click here for course syllabus and to visit the course website.
WMST 403/503: Gender, Globalization and International Politics (Gender and Armed Conflict)
Erin Baines
This course examines how aspects of armed conflict such as military strategies, ideologies, war crimes, humanitarian responses and displacement, are gendered processes with differential impacts on men and boys, women and girls. Students will be provided learning opportunities to analyze empirical data and apply theoretical models to a range of case studies. This course will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00 - 3:30 pm. Click here for course syllabus and to visit the course website.
RMES 500T: Biofuels for Transport: Science, Policy and Politics of an Emerging Energy System
Milind Kandlikar
This course will analyze the pros and cons of using biofuels for transport: We will study the lifecycle environmental impacts of different types of biofuels for global problems such as climate change and loss of biodiversity, to those at the regional scale such as local air pollution, and land use. Click here for course details.
RMES 500E: Energy & Rural Development
Hisham Zerriffi
Currently there are approximately 1.5 billion people in the world without access to electricity and 2 billion people without access to modern cooking fuels, primarily in rural areas. Even those with access to modern energy services are often faced with inadequate supplies, poor quality energy, and high prices. Exploring and understanding the complex linkages between current energy use, changes in rural energy and human welfare is the focus of this course.
GEOG 329: Introduction to Political Geography
Philippe Le Billon
The heritage of political geography; the spatial structure of political organization including regional and global structures.
GEOG 519: Environment, Development and Security
Philippe Le Billon
Analysis of environment-development-security linkages in relation to livelihoods and conflicts in poor countries, with a focus on Africa.
GEOG 496: Geography of Africa
Philippe Le Billon
A critical introduction to social, political and economic geographies of Africa from pre-colonial times to the present, with a focus on contemporary environmental and development issues.
GEOG 4XX: Gender and Africa, Student Directed Seminar
Philippe Le Billon
IAR 500: Methods and Perspectives in Policy Analysis / Infrastructure and Development in Asia
Milind Kandlikar
RMES 500L: Alternative Fuels
Milind Kandlikar
Faculty and students from different disciplines act as an interdisciplinary team studying specific resource problems with ecological, economic, demographic and social dimensions. Techniques and methods are emphasized to show their value in integrating knowledge, defining policy and facilitating communication. Several sections with different emphasis offered each year.
POLI 370A: Issues in International Conflict Management
Michael Byers
Problems of managing conflict in the international system (e.g., intervention, mediation, sanctions). Topics will vary from year to year. Click here to download the Fall 2007 outline.
POLI 563A: International Organizations
Michael Byers
This graduate seminar will examine breaking developments in global politics and international law. These developments could include military actions overseas, major trade disputes, international criminal prosecutions or prominent diplomatic initiatives. Current and controversial subjects will be explored and debated in a fully interdisciplinary manner. Prior knowledge of international law is recommended but not required. Students will contribute directly to the choice of topics and selection of readings. They will also take what they learn and implement it through policy-directed action. Click here for a previous year's course outline.
Gender and Armed Conflict
Erin Baines
This course examines how aspects of armed conflict such as military strategies, ideologies, war crimes, humanitarian responses and displacement, are gendered processes with differential impacts on men and boys, women and girls.
Transitional Justice
Erin Baines
This course is a study of the emerging new field of transitional justice, one that seeks to move societies torn apart by violence beyond seemingly intractable pasts and towards a new future using various retributive and restorative approaches to justice.
The Politics of Humanitarianism
Erin Baines
This course examines the political and practical implications shifting approaches of UN and NGOs to the practice of humanitarian work in conflict affected areas.
The Global Refugee Crisis
Erin Baines
This course surveys the history and current phenomenon of forced displacement due to conflict and natural disasters and the emerging norms, institutions and practices to address and contain it.
