Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2026 - IS 210 D100

States, People, and Power Around the World (3)

Class Number: 3443

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 9 – Dec 6, 2026: Tue, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Introduces students to the variety of systems of governance in the world today, including how power is constituted and contested in different kinds of states (e.g., authoritarian, democratic, hybrid) by various state and non-state actors (e.g., corporations, civil society, militias, social movements) through diverse technologies (e.g., the ballot box, digital surveillance, religious institutions). Breadth-Humanities/Social Sciences.

COURSE DETAILS:

Power over people's lives is exercised in remarkably different ways around the world today – through ballots and surveillance, through militias and religious institutions, through media and propaganda, through democratic promises and authoritarian controls. This course examines who exercises power in the world, over whom, and through what institutions, instruments, and arrangements.
 
We begin by focusing on states and on the major types of political regimes in the world today, from democracy and authoritarianism to hybrid regimes. We examine the key institutional features of these political systems and consider how they shape the distribution of rights, representation, and resources in society. We then explore how these systems of governance are experienced ‘from below’: what does it mean to live as a citizen in a flawed democracy, and to push back against entrenched systems of power? How do citizens under authoritarian rule navigate and resist the power dynamics that shape their daily existence?

In the second half of the course, we examine contemporary cases that focus on the role of armed groups, social movements, religious institutions, and corporations in constituting and contesting power alongside (or against) the state. We also examine how states – and, increasingly, corporations – deploy digital surveillance technologies as instruments of power over people.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Drawing on political science, sociology, anthropology, and history, the course combines academic readings with journalistic writing and with first-person perspectives on being governed and resisting power. Our goal in the course is to develop a deeper understanding of how power shapes the political world we inhabit, in order to discern and evaluate possibilities for constructive change.

Grading

  • Midterm exam 25%
  • Term project* 20%
  • Final exam 35%
  • Participation (includes in-class exercises) 20%

NOTES:

*The term project includes a written individual component and an in-class peer review exercise.

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

Required readings will be available electronically through the SFU Library or online.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.