Case Studies

UBC Case Studies: Global Climate Justice (CC BY)

The overall goal of this case study is to stimulate students to try to generate original ways to approach or frame the issue of global climate change that might provide a more productive path forward.

Monographs

Labour and Value: Rethinking Rethinking Marx’s Theory of Exploitation (CC BY)

In this book Ernesto Screpanti provides a rigorous examination of Marx’s theory of exploitation, one of the cornerstones of Marxist thought. With precision and clarity, he identifies the holes in traditional readings of Marx’s theory before advancing his own original interpretation, drawing on contemporary philosophy and economic theory to provide a refreshingly interdisciplinary exegesis.

On Civic Republicanism: Ancient Lessons of Global Politics (CC BY)

On Civic Republicanism explores the enduring relevance of the ancient concepts of republicanism and civic virtue to modern questions about political engagement and identity. Examining both ancient and early modern conceptions of civic republicanism, the contributors respond to the work of thinkers ranging from Plato and Aristotle to Machiavelli, Montesquieu, and Wollstonecraft.

Vulnerable: The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19 (CC BY-NC-ND)

This book confronts the vulnerabilities and interconnectedness made visible by the pandemic and its consequences, along with the legal, ethical and policy responses. These include vulnerabilities for people who have been harmed or will be harmed by the virus directly and those harmed by measures taken to slow its relentless march; vulnerabilities exposed in our institutions, governance and legal structures; and vulnerabilities in other countries and at the global level where persistent injustices harm us all.

Supplemental Materials

Democracy In Brief – PowerPoint Slides (CC BY)

PowerPoint slides that provide an introduction to democracy and are designed to accompany Democracy in Brief. This resource was created by Janni Aragon at the University of Victoria.

Democracy in Brief – Summary and Questions [Word] (CC BY)

A summary of Democracy in Brief plus a collection of multiple choice and short answer questions on different topics related to democracy. This resource was created by Janni Aragon at the University of Victoria.

The Food Security Quest (CC BY)

A learning game focused on the topic of food security. The game allows players to step into the life of a fictional character in order to help the character navigate different decisions while trying to stay food secure.

Textbooks

2018 Political Year of the Woman Election: A Critical Examination (CC BY-NC)

This book consists of student-authored original research papers collectively examining the ways in which gender shaped, and was shaped by, the 2018 Year of the Woman elections.

African Luxury (CC BY-NC-ND)

Moving far beyond predominant views of Africa as a place to be ‘saved’, and even more recent celebratory formulations of it as ‘rising’, African Luxury: Aesthetics and Politics highlights and critically interrogates the visual and material cultures of lavish and luxurious consumption already present on the continent. Methodologically, conceptually and analytically, the collection dismantles taken-for-granted ideas that the West is the source and focus of high-end and hyper-desirable material cultures. It explores what the culture of consumption means in Africa in both historical and contemporary contexts, studying diverse luxury phenomena including fashion advertising, reality television, retail, gendered consumption and gardening to re-centre the discussion on existing contemporary luxury cultures across the continent.

Attenuated Democracy (CC BY-NC-SA)

A critical introduction to U.S. government and politics.

The Basics of American Government (CC BY-SA)

A comprehensive overview of the American political system for students taking introductory courses in American national government. Most of its chapters offer a piece of original scholarship as a case study bolstering the material in the chapter. Additionally, most chapters present a civic engagement-type exercise and discussion questions.

Canada and Speeches from the Throne (CC BY)

This book by senior undergraduate and graduate student in the Department of History at the University of Regina describes how Canadian Prime Ministers articulated their vision of Canada from 1935 to 2015 through their Speeches from the Throne and in their Leaders’ Day speeches. It demonstrates that each of Canada’s Prime Ministers had a vision for the country and articulated that vision in their speeches and through their words.

Keys to Understanding the Middle East (CC BY-SA)

This open textbook published by The Ohio State University is intended for readers who have never studied the Middle East, or who would like to improve their knowledge of the region. Chapters focus on the languages, cultural, religious and sectarian communities of the region, and certain turning points in history which are keys for understanding the region.

The Cause and Consequence of Human Trafficking: Human Rights Violations (CC BY-NC)

This text is intended to convey the importance of understanding how the violation of human rights is a cause and consequence of human trafficking.

Political Ideologies and Worldviews: An Introduction – 2nd Edition (CC BY-NC)

This book brings together Canadian and international scholars in a contemporary, pluralistic volume introducing undergraduates in a variety of relevant disciplines to political ideologies and worldviews. This introductory textbook is also suitable for a wider general audience. This fully open textbook on political worldviews deals with the historical development of classical ideologies, while expanding and updating the subject using contemporary political examples and non-Eurocentric examinations of ideology. The textbook includes chapters on Indigenous worldviews, Confucianism, and the future of ideology in the emerging global order. On top of containing discussion questions, this new and revised second edition offers an increased number of exercises and interactive content.

The Politics of Sports (CC BY-NC-SA)

A collection of texts and materials that team together students’ familiarity with sports and critical inquiry skills. The Politics of Sports has the potential to capture the interest of college students in order to excite them to begin a research journey with a sense of authority and investment in a topic that is at once familiar and complex enough to yield a wide range of inquiry.

Videos

The Making of the US President (CC BY)

Featuring Professor Frank Cogliano of the School of History, Classics, and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh, this series of videos provides an introduction to the main parties and individuals involved in the election of 1796 and the election of 1800.