Munk School of Global Affairs

The Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto is an interdisciplinary academic centre with various research and educational programs committed to the field of globalization. It offers master's degrees in Global Affairs, Public Policy, European, Russian, and Asia-Pacific studies. The school also offers a certificate program in global journalism. Munk is a member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs a group of the world's leading schools that educate leaders in international affairs. Admission to the Munk School is highly competitive.

Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
TypeGraduate school
Established2000 (2000)
Parent institution
University of Toronto
DirectorInterim: Randall Hansen[1]
Location
Toronto
,
Ontario
,
Canada
CampusUrban
AffiliationsAPSIA
Websitemunkschool.utoronto.ca

History

It was founded as the Munk Centre for International Studies in 2000 and named after Canadian businessman and philanthropist Peter Munk, who made a $6.4 million donation to finance the construction.[2] It occupies the historic Devonshire House, a former residential hall of the university's Trinity College, and in 2012 opened a second location at 315 Bloor Street West after an $80 million collective contribution from the Peter and Melanie Munk Foundation, the Government of Canada, and the Government of Ontario.[3]

The School is located in the north and south wings of the Devonshire House building on Devonshire Place, which is shared with Trinity College's John W. Graham Library. In 2012, the School opened its second location at the Observatory site at 315 Bloor Street West (formerly Admissions and Awards), which houses the offices of the Citizen Lab and the Master of Global Affairs program.

The founding director was Janice Stein OC, who held the position until 2014. The School was then directed by Stephen Toope OC before he became the 346th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge in 2017. The current interim director is Randall Hansen, who is also the director of the School's Centre for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies.

On April 6, 2018, the University of Toronto announced that the Munk School of Global Affairs would merge with the School of Public Policy and Governance to become the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.[4] The merger took effect on July 1, 2018.[5][6]

On November 12, 2019, Michael Sabia was announced as the Munk School's new head, starting in February 2020.[7]

Devonshire House, home to the Munk School of Global Affairs

Academics

Master of Global Affairs

The Munk School's Master of Global Affairs (MGA) program is two-year interdisciplinary professional degree aimed at equipping students with an awareness of global and financial systems, global civil society, and global strategic and security issues. The program requires students to complete a relevant internship with an NGO, an international organization such as the UN or WTO, or at an embassy or consulate abroad. Admission to the MGA is highly selective and only 80 students are admitted each year.

After a general first year of study, students specialize in one of three streams:

Global Economy and Markets
Global Civil Society
Global Institutions

MGA students can also complete their degrees concurrently with an MBA at the Rotman School of Management or with a JD at the University Of Toronto Faculty Of Law. The Munk School and Sciences Po also offer a dual degree program between their respective MGA and Master in Public Policy (MPP) degrees.[8]

Master of Public Policy

The Munk School's Master of Public Policy (MPP) program is a two-year professional degree, with a core curriculum emphasizing practical and applied dimensions of policymaking. Core courses include micro and macroeconomics, legal analysis, political science and quantitative methods for policy analysis. The curriculum also includes five electives, that allow students to bridge the spheres of domestic policy, law, and international policy. Invited visiting public sector leaders and external researchers bridge theory and practice, providing contact with senior professionals in government and the broader public, private and community sectors. Approximately 80 students are admitted each year.

Second Year MPP students can compete for exchanges with partner institutions in Europe and Asia. Partner institutions include:

In addition to the two-year course work students are required to complete an internship during the summer between the first and second year. The school internship partners include the Canadian Federal Public Service, the Ontario Public Service, the City of Toronto, the City of Mississauga, as well as many non-governmental organizations and research think tanks.[9]

Joint and Collaborative Degrees
Collaborative Master’s/PhD Program in South Asian Studies
Collaborative Master’s Program in Asia-Pacific Studies
Ethnic and Pluralism Studies Collaborative Graduate Program
Fellowship in Global Journalism
The Dynamics of Global Change Collaborative Doctoral Program

Trudeau Centre for Peace, Conflict and Justice

Established as a degree program in 1985 and as a centre in 2001, the Trudeau Centre for Peace, Conflict and Justice administers the Peace, Conflict and Justice program (PCJ) in the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

It grew out of the Peace and Conflict Studies programme established by Anatol Rapaport in the early 1980s. In 1990, Thomas Homer-Dixon assumed the Directorship and continued in that role through 2001 when the programme was institutionalized as the Trudeau Centre. Homer-Dixon's Directorship ended in 2007.[10]

Undergraduate programs
American Studies
Contemporary Asian Studies
European Studies
Hungarian Studies
International Relations
Munk One Program
Peace, Conflict and Justice
Public Policy
South Asian Studies

Research centres
  • Asian Institute
  • Canada Centre For Global Security Studies
  • Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies
  • Centre for South Asian Studies
  • Centre for the Study of Korea
  • Centre for the Study of the United States
  • Centre for the Study of France and the Francophone World
  • Dr. David Chu Program in Asia-Pacific Studies
  • The Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History
  • Trudeau Centre for Peace, Conflict and Justice

Criticism

The school has been criticized by students and faculty for accepting $35 million from Peter Munk and the terms of agreement between the school and Peter Munk.[11] Paul Hamel and John Valleau, faculty members at University of Toronto, stated that that agreement will allow Munk family to determine the university's priorities in place of the faculty and students, reduce the academic independence, and allow the Munk family to shape the academic work.[12][13] [14]

Research and public education
  • R.F. Harney Program in Ethnic, Immigration, and Pluralism Studies
  • The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Chair in Israeli Studies
  • The Global Ideas Institute
  • The Global Justice Lab

Notable alumni
  • Frank Ye, Community activist who spoke out against anti-Chinese racism and xenophobia during the COVID-19 pandemic [15]

References
  1. http://munkschool.utoronto.ca/profile/hansen-randall/
  2. news19971029 Archived April 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Our Founding Donors". Munk School of Global Affairs.
  4. https://www.utoronto.ca/news/introducing-u-t-s-new-munk-school-global-affairs-and-public-policy
  5. "School of Public Policy and Governance and Munk School of Global Affairs Merge to Create New School". Academia.ca.
  6. "Students Protest Munk Donation". The Toronto Star.
  7. Barron's accessed November 13, 2019
  8. "U of T's Munk School offers dual master's degree in global affairs and public policy with Sciences Po in Paris". University of Toronto - News.
  9. "Master of Public Policy Program". Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
  10. "Program". Munk School of Global Affairs.
  11. "MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT made as of this 23rd day of November 2009 between The Peter and Melanie Munk Charitable Foundation and the Governing Council of the University of Toronto" (PDF).
  12. "Profs allege donor influence". The Varsity. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  13. "The uneasy ties between Canada's universities and wealthy business magnates". Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  14. "U of T students protest Munk donation". The Star.
  15. Jaynes, Allie (28 January 2020). "Chinese Canadians speak out against racism, misinformation in wake of coronavirus". CBC.ca. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.

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