Academic Year 2022/2023

Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) considerations are bringing new scrutiny to the role and implications of public policy in (re)presenting and (re)producing social identities.  This seminar examines the language and discourse of public policy through the critical lens of EDI to uncover and unpack the ways in which different social identities are described and deployed in policy texts.

Students will be introduced to theoretical perspectives and concepts from within and outside the field of public policy studies to inform and help guide their explorations of contemporary EDI policy texts.  They will be challenged to consider how different and intersecting social identities not only emerge from policy texts but also how they operate in real-world contexts, impacting the lives of those they mean to demarcate.

This course will provide students with an opportunity to engage in critical debate and reflection on themes in EDI and the role public policy plays in undermining or advancing meaningful and sustainable change.

Description coming…

Transportation policy has pro­found ef­fects on the national economy and the mobility of individual Canadians.  Look no further than the Covid-19 restrictions to see it up close and personal.  This course will enable students to participate in framing and im­ple­menting government and indust­rial trans­port­ation policy that touches the lives of everyone.  The course will cover all the principal modes—road, rail, air, and marine.  And it will deal with urban mobility and infrastructure, safety and security, technology and inno­vation, and regional priorities and challenges, along with a special look at the pandemic shock-waves and how we are likely to emerge from the stunning disruption.

This course is designed to provide a broad understanding of the aviation industry, a highly regulated and complex mode of transport. It will use a multidisciplinary approach of analysis, combining economic, business and negotiation principles, law as well as technology, among others. A practitioner’s perspective will also be provided to help students integrate theoretical concepts with real-life situations/events. At the end of the course, students will be able to explain the key components of the sector as well as its public policy underpinnings. In addition, they will gain critical insights into the challenges and issues faced by airlines, airports and the federal government. Registration is open to students in all faculties where an elective in public policy and administration at the master’s level can count towards their degree.