POLS 2000

Students will study the legislative and executive aspects of the Canadian state in relation to the major global institutions and multi-national organizations connected to food, agriculture and natural resources. This course will further provide students with the basic knowledge of how the agri-food system operated internationally and historically. Specific themes to be covered include governance issues, the rise of global food corporations, the WTO trade regime, agricultural subsidies, political economy of tenure and property rights (e.g., for land, forest, genetic resources), debates surrounding, for example, food security and food sovereignty, technology and GMOs. Animal conservation issues will also be covered including natural resource conservation, issues in world wildlife preservation and community and international responses to these issues.