Overview
POLI 301: Governance, the Public Sector, and Corporate Power explores the changing relationships between business, society, and government in contemporary Canada. It examines the colonial structure upon which it is based, and it studies the changing patterns of governance; the position of corporate Canada in society’s power structure; the phenomenon of globalization and the international extension of business power; the role of the mass media in shaping culture and dominant ideas within society; the restructuring of economic and social policy; constitutional change; the marketization of the state; the transformation of citizens into customers; the demands of marginalized groups for inclusion; and the increased threat to social cohesion. Finally, it considers the future of the public sector in Canada.
Outline
The course is divided into the following nine units.
- Unit 1: Exploring the Course Themes: Conceptual and Historical Remarks
- Unit 2: Globalization and Governance
- Unit 3: The State–Market Relationship: Theoretical Approaches to Understanding the Settler State
- Unit 4: Changing Patterns of Governance in Canada
- Unit 5: Public Sector Reform: New Public Management and the Privatization of the Social Responsibility
- Unit 6: The Changing Role of the Voluntary Sector in Canada
- Unit 7: Technology, the Media, and Democratic Governance in the Twenty-First Century
- Unit 8: Civil Society, Social Cohesion, and Social Exclusion in Canada
- Unit 9: Governance and the Erosion of State Power
Evaluation
To receive credit for POLI 301, you must complete all of the assignments listed below and achieve a minimum grade of D (50 percent) for the course.
Students will be evaluated on their understanding of the concepts presented in the course and on their ability to apply those concepts. The final grade in the course will be based on the marks achieved for the following activities.
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1: Critical Reflection Paper | 10% |
| Assignment 2: Connections Assignment | 15% |
| Assignment 3: Thesis Statement Assignment | 15% |
| Assignment 4: Annotated Bibliography | 15% |
| Assignment 5: Research Paper | 30% |
| Assignment 6: Check your Knowledge Assignment | 15% |
| Total | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
This course either does not have a course package or the textbooks are open-source material and available to students at no cost. This course has a Course Administration and Technology Fee, but students are not charged the Course Materials Fee.
All materials for this course are provided online.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive creditfor the POLI 301 challenge registration, you must complete all required components, and achieve an overall grade of at least D (50 percent).
| Activity | Weight |
| Written Assignment 1 | 10% |
| Written Assignment 2 | 10% |
| Written Assignment 3 | 10% |
| Exam | 70% |
| Total | 100% |
Challenge for credit course registration form