Course Descriptions

Grounded in the historical context, this course is forward looking, studying the Métis journey in creating uniquely Métis governance processes in the North-West that reflect the will of their people, examining current governance issues, and exploring the path to developing appropriate and effective governance frameworks necessary for sustained self-determination. The course spans from historical underpinnings to current Métis self-governance initiatives. As a distinctive component of the Canadian Indigenous governance landscape, Métis governance embodies a unique combination of influences from Indigenous and Western political traditions. The course first explores the birth of the Métis Nation, their interactions with colonial authorities, and the effects of historical policy and legislation on the Métis people, then critically examines Métis self-governance, exploring Métis law and policy, Indigenous rights and land claims, self-determination, and modern treaties. The course discusses how Métis self-governance has affected Canada's political, social, and economic fabric, exposing Indigenous self-governance's challenges and opportunities.

Analyzes governing institutions and the process of modern government within Canada as a means of enhancing a student's understanding of policy formulation and implementation. This course is intended to provide a basis for critically assessing political and administrative decision making and policy outcomes.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

Provides a survey of Canadian public finance. Students will examine rationales for government intervention in a market economy, the assessment of public policy, how government decisions are made and the impact of government expenditures and taxation on the economy and the well-being of Canadians, in terms of economic efficiency and interpersonal equity.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

Provides students with the statistical concepts and techniques required for conducting research and critically evaluating empirical studies. Topics include statistical inference, sampling theory, and data and regression analysis as applied to problems in public policy.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

To provide an economic framework for the analysis of public policy. The course uses microeconomic concepts to examine when and how the government should intervene in the economy. Using the starting point of policy as intervention, the course examines the circumstances under which government involvement is most likely to be desirable. The course then moves to consider the key instruments that government uses in its intervention. In the examination of these two broad issues, the course pays particular attention to how people and firms behave and how they are likely to respond to policy instruments. The course also develops the key concepts associated with cost-benefit analysis and shows how these concepts are used in the analysis of public policy.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

Focuses on the analysis of the processes whereby public policies arise and are enacted in Canada. The course compares theories and models of policy making and decision making to illustrate the special requirements of the Canadian environment and examines the roles of various participants in the policy process: legislators, political parties, interest groups, administrators and administrative structures, citizens, and the judiciary.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

Administrative decision making and policy development often require the analysis of quantitative data. This course will introduce students to descriptive and inferential statistics often used in policy environments so that they will be effective data users and interpreters. Students will be taught how to use and present descriptive statistics.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

There is growing attention being given to executive leadership, applied ethics and efforts to create and sustain trust within and through the profession of public administration. This course descriptively and critically examines these three key concepts in relation to the professional public servant and the environments of public sector decision and policy making.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

Boards and managers of co-operatives and nonprofits are accountable to a wide range of public and private stakeholders. This course introduces students to strategic leadership issues in these organizations, focusing on governance, executive leadership, interactions with external stakeholders, and the board’s roles in strategy formation and implementation. Case studies will be used as tools for critical reflection on the unique ways in which co-operatives and nonprofits define their social mission and purpose, deliver on that purpose, and maintain healthy relationships with key stakeholders.

Examines the increasing role played by the third sector in Canada. Students will examine alternative allocations of responsibility for solving particular social and public problems – voluntary, not-for-profit, for-profit, joint public/private, public encouraged/subsidized, and publicly coerced – along with examples, reasons, and theories for particular forms of organization, new methods of accountability and tensions between government and its new partners.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

Will compare neo-classical and feminist approaches to the analysis of public policy. Students will examine the labour market and gender-based inequality; the family, with a particular focus on intra-household resource allocation; and will consider macro-economic issues and provide gender-based analysis in relation to public policy in Canada.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

Uses a comparative perspective to analyze how public policy is formulated, how it can change, and why. It will discuss the roles of formal and informal institutions, of actors, structures, and networks. The aim of the course is to provide the participants with a greater understanding of classical and contemporary theories of public policy; with the ability to critically analyze and compare public policy; and to develop frameworks for comparative policy analysis.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

Designed to provide students with an introduction to economic concepts and analysis relevant to health, health care and health care systems. Students will examine economic aspects of various elements of the healthcare sector, identify relevant policy questions and apply economic concepts and techniques to analyze them.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.
Note: This course is offered at the University of Regina.

Exposes students to the significant financial issues that have practical significance in the management and operations of public sector departments, agencies, and initiatives. The course will focus on select aspects of public sector governance and financial management. Students will be expected to apply the knowledge they learn from the course materials and lectures to problems and assignments that could typically arise in a public administration setting.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

This course examines how societal institutions and policy shape the role played by co-operatives in the economy, and how co-operative practices and innovations have in turn shaped these institutions and policy. Combining theoretical insights from the areas of institutions, economics, organizational behaviour, law and policy with case studies of co-operative organizations, the course allows students to develop their knowledge of the actions that both the state and co-operatives have undertaken, and provides students with a conceptual framework within which these actions can be viewed.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Restriction(s): Restricted to students in the College of Graduate Studies and Research.

The social economy includes non-profit, community-based organizations, co-operatives and social enterprises. This course looks at how these organizations shape and are shaped by policies at different levels of government as well as pressing issues facing the sector. Students will examine the origins and evolution of the social economy and the ways that social economy organizations are funded evaluated and held accountable by stakeholders. Community capacity building and partnership development are also addressed. This course includes interviews and guest lectures with leaders in the sector.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

The JSGS internship program is a competitive process open to students in the MPA program who have completed at least 50 percent of their program and have little or no experience in the public sector. Students will be exposed to the skills used by managers at senior levels in the public sector and will perform a variety of tasks.

Prerequisite(s): Must have completed at least 50% of the M.P.A. program course work

Provides students with the opportunity to learn and practise inquiry processes for conducting qualitative research. Students will examine the following topics: issues in qualitative data (ontology, epistemology, methodology and method), collection of qualitative data (e.g., interviewing, ethnography, focus groups, case studies), analysis of data, and combining qualitative and quantitative data.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): Students must have successfully completed an undergraduate course in statistics.
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

Addresses negotiations and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in the workplace, including theoretical models and applications relevant to managing conflict in employment settings. Students will gain a firm understanding of how to resolve workplace conflict in both unionized and non-unionized environments.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

Is designed as a course in the theory and practice of innovation policy, including science and technology. Students will investigate the theory, methodology, and applications of innovation policy through primary readings, discourse, and writing.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

Focuses on the politics of aggregating individual decisions into collective action, revealing the difficulty of formulating and implementing public policy broadly construed. The course readings emphasize formal approaches to this subject, while the assignments and discussion emphasize their application to real problems.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

Begins with the historic framework for contemporary public policy established by treaties, reserves and legislation. Then it examines contemporary developments, including constitutional negotiations, influential court case, urbanization, comprehensive claims and self-government.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

An interdisciplinary course that offers a comparative and historical perspective on social policy development, in Canada and in other advanced industrial countries.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

Examines the manner in which decisions are made in organizations, with a particular focus on policy decisions. The course uses a wide variety of behavioral theories to look at phenomena such as policy traps, framing, unwarranted optimism, and group think.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Restriction(s): Admission to the M.P.A., M.P.P., Ph.D. or permission of the instructor.

Will introduce students to applied policy analysis and key policy research methods including interviews, focus groups, and surveys. As an applied project class students will work with faculty and representatives from the Saskatchewan Government to conduct a policy analytic review for a provincial ministry.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.

The objective of this course is to review and discuss major theoretical perspectives that contribute to our understanding of public policy. Featuring extensive class discussions, the course focuses on three related factors: ideas, institutions, and power, and will help research students grasp major theoretical debates in policy analysis, with a special emphasis on sociological, political science, and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the JSGS Ph.D. program.

Will ask whether contemporary water systems embody principles that will allow them to adapt and function in a changing climate, a rapidly evolving economy, a changing settlement system, and new lifestyles. The format will include lectures, class discussion, jigsaw readings in which students read separate material and then teach content to peers, guest lecturers, documentaries, and Web-based content. Students will develop a collaborative, interdisciplinary framework for evaluating sustainable water governance. Each student will use this framework to evaluate climate adaptation policy in the water sector in a major world city.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, admission into a program in the School of Environment and Sustainability, or by permission of the instructor.

Governance refers to “who gets to decide what” in political systems, sectors of the economy, the use of technology, and organizations. This course examines the development of governance systems in response to authority no longer being confined entirely to government, and examines arrangements leading to both desirable and undesirable outcomes.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program.

Students will develop the critical skills necessary to examine Canada’s constitutional framework, including the judicial system, the division of powers, the treatment and rights of Aboriginal Peoples, and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program, Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) program, Ph.D. program, or by permission of the instructor.
Note: This course is offered at the University of Regina.

The course focuses on developing practical knowledge and skills public sector managers require to effectively “get things done” through others. Management skills developed include self-assessment/reflection, goal-setting, teamwork/collaboration, verbal/written communication, influence/persuasion, conflict resolution, stress management, and creative thinking.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program.

This residency pass/fail course will provide students with an introduction to the six MPA competency fields and the JSGS research clusters. It will also provide several refresher sessions on Canadian institutions, public sector processes, basic math skills, and introduce the final MPA portfolio project.

Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program.

This course requires the submission and presentation of a professional portfolio at the end of the MPA program where students demonstrate evidence that an acceptable level of proficiency in each of the six MPA competency fields has been acquired.

Restriction(s): Admission into the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program.
Prerequisite(s): JSGS 883.

Negotiations and consultations are central to managing relations among Indigenous governments and organizations, non-Indigenous governments (municipal, provincial, and federal), and non-Indigenous groups (e.g., businesses, NGOs). This course has three goals: 1) provide an overview of the state of legal and political environment on consultation, including legal benchmarks arising from court decisions on the duty to consult and accommodate; 2) examine seminal and current research on consultation and negotiations among Northern actors; and 3) provide applied learning experience through negotiation simulation exercises.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Note: This course is mutually-exclusive with NORD 838.3: Communications II – Negotiations and Consultations because of overlapping content. Students cannot receive credit for both courses.

This pass/fail course provides students with an introduction to the three MPA competency fields, and the overarching areas of knowledge required of policy professionals. It will also provide introductory classes on Canadian institutions, public sector processes, basic policy making skills, public servants’ roles and responsibilities.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Note: Students with credit for JSGS 883 will not receive credit for this course.

This course requires the development, submission, presentation and validation of a capstone report and presentation at the end of the student’s MPA program.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Note: Students with credit for JSGS 884 will not receive credit for this course.

Indigenous peoples' governance frameworks, while diverse, are intrinsically informed by Indigenous worldviews. This course explores settler-colonial Canada’s attempts to eradicate Indigenous nationhood and the Indigenous peoples’ resistance to these attempts through the continued practice of governance. In particular, Indigenous worldviews will be presupposed to transform colonial inequity in contemporary Indigenous/Canadian governing relationships.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours

This course develops a structure by which the connection between the traditional and contemporary forms of governance can decolonize and mitigate colonial inequity in settler-colonial Canada. Among the questions considered are: How is decision making informed by traditional approaches to Indigenous governance? What impact does settler colonialism have on political, social, and economic institutions and developments in Indigenous communities? What role can governance have on economic performance? How can Indigenous self-governance transform settler-colonial inequity?

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours

This pass/fail course is designed to provide students with an opportunity and forum for dialogue, knowledge sharing, and networking. The course provides students with an introduction to the MPA competencies and an introduction to Indigenous nation-building and its importance to contemporary Canada. The course also introduces students to the tools that are used to engage in and support Indigenous nation-building. The residency will use cases to illustrate concepts and will be informed by Old Ones, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers/Guardians who will help shape content and, where appropriate, assist with delivery.

This course will explore critical nation-building issues confronting Indigenous peoples. While during the course, comparisons can be made to relevant international cases - the primary focus will be on Indigenous nation building in Canada. The course will examine multi-dimensional settings that confront Indigenous peoples in their pursuit of social, cultural, political, educational, and economic development. It will provide in-depth, hands-on exposure to issues related to nation-building, including: sovereignty, territorial integrity and expansion, economic development, constitutional reform, leadership, governance, national identity and epistemic authority, as well as institutional building and cultural match.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours

Offered occasionally in special situations. Students interested in these courses should contact the department for more information.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Note: There are additional refundable costs in addition to tuition fees.

Offered occasionally in special situations. Students interested in these courses should contact the department for more information.

A required non-credit seminar for graduate students in the MPP and PhD programs. The course features reports and discussions on current research and policy issues presented by students, researchers, policy practitioners, and faculty. Students must attend at least 25 seminars and present their own research in one session before completing their program of study.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

Students writing a Master's of Public Policy thesis must register for this course.

Restriction(s): Admission to the M.P.P. program.

Required of all students in the PhD program.

Restriction(s): Admission to the Ph.D. program.