Fall/Winter Timetable

POL476H1S L0201

Graduate Course Code: POL2376H1S L0201

Topics in Public Policy

Narrative and Politics

Themes

With the rise of Internet-enabled government and the explosive growth of social media, narrative has become an essential mode of public discourse, a key means through which ideas about politics, governance, policy, and activism are articulated and circulated. In this course we will explore archetypal narratives shaping the way politics is represented (in popular cultural genres, especially film) and practiced (in campaign advertising). We will consider dominant narrative constructs and, drawing on recent interdisciplinary research, the mechanisms that make them so powerful. Finally, we will practice telling our own stories.

Texts

Sandford Borins, Governing Fables: Learning from Public Sector Narratives.

Format and Requirements

One two-hour class per week. Course Requirements: participation, presentation, term paper.