PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & INDIGENOUS GOVERNANCE
COURSE LIST
CERTIFICATE (1.5 Years)
PAI103 - Canadian Public Administration: Institutions and Processes
This course considers contemporary public administration in democratic societies, as well as the fundamental requisites for democracy, such as the rule of law. It also examines the machinery of government in maintaining the public system of administration, problems of political and administrative accountability, the structure and process of policy formulation, as well as topics such as intergovernmental relations, the impact of public-private partnerships and how all of the above are expressed in Indigenous communities.
PAI104 - Foundations of Indigenous Governance
This course offers a survey of Indigenous theoretical approaches to governance from 1969 onwards paired with the application of models of Indigenous public administration. Reviewing works by leaders and intellectuals, the course helps establish Indigenous thought as a distinct area of scholarship relating to governance. Case studies from Indian Act and self-governing nations will focus on responsibilities for leadership, staff and community; administrative institutions; service delivery; and issues of social, economic, and treaty policy.
PAI105 - Indigenous Rights, Equity and the State
This course offers a critical examination of State and Indigenous approaches to issues of human rights. It explores the concept of Rights through the Canadian constitutional sources, Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Canadian Human Rights Act, provincial codes, judicial rulings and United Nations conventions and declarations. It considers how the practice of these rights impacts, supports and/or limits Indigenous rights while describing alternative conceptions of rights and responsibilities from Indigenous perspectives.
PAI106 - Canada's Systems of Government
In analyzing Canada’s federal political system, this course assesses the ideas, interests and institutions that help define limits of both state and societal power. It provides students with a clear understanding of the system of governance guiding the lives of Canadian citizens and how it intersects, clashes or complements the lives of Indigenous people and governments. Topics include political culture and ideas, the social and economic context and the constitutional and institutional mechanisms of governance.
PAI107 - Colonialism and Indigenous Governance
This course examines the social, political, legal and historical context of colonialism in Canada and how it has shaped the lives and governance of Indigenous Peoples. Through an exploration of early colonial policy frameworks and the current expressions of Indigenous policy, institutions and processes, this course will foster a better understanding of the roots of contemporary Indigenous policy regarding self government, land claims, implementation of treaty rights and social and economic policy and public administration.
+ 2 Professionally-related Course and 1 Lower Level Liberal Studies Course
ADVANCED CERTIFICATE (3 Years)
PPA122 - Local Politics and Government
The principal focus of this course is municipal institutions, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area. Topics discussed include local government and democratic theory, the impact of urbanization and "globalization," political and administrative structures, provincial-municipal relations, local finance, and the influence of major actors such as business, labour and citizens groups. The course will end with a study of the major challenges in achieving healthy and sustainable cities.
PPA703 - Dispute Resolution in an Aboriginal Context
This course introduces students to the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), with an in-depth focus on mediation. The course combines basic theory and concepts of ADR and conflict analysis or diagnosis, along with applying ADR in practical situations within Aboriginal communities. Students will assess the relevance of ADR and mediation within an Aboriginal context and formulate appropriate adaptations.
PPA705- Sustainable Development and First Nations
This course will examine alternative models of development for Aboriginal communities. Fundamental concepts of development and progress will be assessed in the context of aboriginal culture and traditions. Examples of alternative and sustainable development in other jurisdictions will be evaluated in terms of their relevance for First Nations communities and nations within Canada.
PPA333 - Research Methods in Public Admin
This is a one-semester course utilizing both lecture and lab experience. No familiarity with the fundamental elements of research or statistics is assumed. The course gives students of public administration the practical methods needed to statistically describe and analyze phenomena and to present those results. Emphasis throughout the course is on practical uses and application of these techniques, rather than on their mathematical derivations.
+ 3 Professionally-related Courses and 1 Lower Level Liberal Studies Course
BACHELOR’S DEGREE (5 YEARS)
PPA50A/B- Practicum (2)
Enrolment in the Practicum Option and this course requires evidence of at least two years of full-time and appropriate work experience relevant to the application of knowledge and skills in public administration. Students must also have completed PPA333 and at least seven of the courses in Required Group 3 in order to be enrolled in this course. Students will conduct reviews of literature relevant to their practicum project, and a substantive research paper drawing on those reviews and their public sector work environment and experience.
PPA211 - Public Policy
This course offers both a thematic and a practical introduction to the Canadian public policy-making process, beginning with the context in which ideas, institutions and interests inform public policy. With the use of a variety of contemporary social, economic and environment policy cases, the course examines the process by which public policy is formulated, implemented and evaluated - including its success rate. Lastly, the changing nature of, and contemporary challenges to, policy making are explored.
PPA303 - Financial Management
This course will provide students with an overview of public sector planning and budgetary processes, the financial management systems within governmental organizations and mechanisms for ensuring accountability. Changing structures of accountability and the merging of private and public sector budgeting, planning and management principles will be critically evaluated. Students will also be given hands on training in accessing the financial and budgetary information relevant to public and parapublic organizations.
PPA335 - Theories of Bureaucracy
This course surveys different approaches to organization and bureaucracy in advanced industrial societies. The major focus is on the exercise of power and control in organizations and the implications of this for different organizational groups. The course also examines a number of areas about which traditional approaches have been relatively silent, especially those dealing with race, gender and class. Another major theme of the course involves analysis of the changing nature of work, focusing on how new information technologies have affected the distribution of power and control in the workplace.
PPA402 - Program Planning and Evaluation
When governments choose to intervene in a policy area, they create programs. This course examines the process by which planning and evaluation of government programs takes place and explores the various methods that are used to determine whether programs are achieving their objectives. Programs in a broad range of areas will be examined, including health, criminal justice, education, welfare, environment, housing, poverty and development.
PPA425 - Intergovernmental Relations
This course examines both the formal and informal relations between the federal and provincial governments of Canada, as well as the effect these relations have on Canadian politics and public policies. Themes include national unity and regional diversity, elite decision making and democratic participation, the Aboriginal question, Quebec separation, and the effects of federal/provincial turf wars on social, environment and economic policies and programs. The course culminates in a 1st Minster's Conference simulation.
PPA700 - Comparative Aboriginal Politics/Policies
This course examines the key issues in contemporary comparative indigenous policy and politics by comparing both the similarities and the differences between the North American experience and that of indigenous people from other lands. What are the key political and economic processes that characterize the challenges and problems currently facing indigenous nations and communities in regions around the world? The relevance of Aboriginal knowledge and wisdom to the search for solutions to contemporary environmental problems and survival issues is examined.
PPA701 - Aboriginal Private-Public Partnerships
This course examines the role of private-public partnerships in the economic development and delivery of services in aboriginal communities. The challenges and opportunities of First Nations communities partnering with private and public sector organizations will be assessed, particularly in the context of governance and administration issues.
PP702 - Administrative Law in an Indigenous Context
This course examines the statutory and regulatory basis of public administration in the context of First Nations communities. It analyzes the regulatory function of administration, as well as the institutional and procedural characteristics and practices of administrative tribunal and judicial review, and assesses their relevance for First Nations communities and peoples.
PPA704 - Current Issues in Indigenous Governance
This course is designed to be responsive to addressing key issues which emerge in the rapidly evolving establishment of aboriginal governance. Consequently, the issues covered by this course will change from year to year. Possible areas of study include Indian Act Reform, Social Policy in the context of Self-Governance, Bill C-31, Citizenship, the Constitution and Off-Reserve Peoples.
+ 1 Professionally-related Course, and 1 Lower Level Liberal Studies, and 3 Upper Level Liberal Studies Courses
