• Administrative procedures, costs and admission requirements
• Admission request form (The form will only be open during the application period)
• To obtain a copy of the course syllabus, please send an email to the professor Daniel Stockemer ([email protected])

This course is offered in Englishonly, and is open to students at the undergraduate and master’s levels. The course will take place from July 31 to 15, 2027.

Fees: 

• A non-refundable deposit of $100 
• Tuition fees
• Plane ticket: estimated around $2000 for round-trip ticket (students must be on the same flight)

Bursary: $500 ($250 from the Faculty of Social Sciences and $250 from International Experience)

Important dates:

Professor contact information

Daniel Stockemer
School of Political Studies
Social Sciences Building (FSS)
Room 7076
Phone: 613-562-5800 ext. 2696
[email protected]

Office Hours: by appointment

The research-creation committed to multispecies justice

During the summer of 2026, this course will explore the concept of multispecies justice through a field study on the relationships between Japanese knotweed—often labeled an “invasive” species—and environmental protection actors in the Gatineau-Ottawa region. Students will discover how anthropology is evolving to include all living beings, using multi-species ethnography and creative research methods to better understand our interdependence with nature. Through readings, discussions, and fieldwork, participants will analyze the social, political, and ecological dimensions of human–plant interactions. The course will culminate in a collective project that invites reflection on how humans can coexist more fairly and sustainably with other forms of life.

Polarization in Canada, the United States of American and Europe

How polarized are modern democracies? What are the origins of modern political, cultural, and economic divides? What role do institutions—political parties, media outlets, businesses, think tanks—play in shaping partisan conflict? How does polarization link to related concepts such as populism or conspiracy theory beliefs? Who is to blame for societal divisions? Is it the masses, elites or the media? This course will explore and debate these questions focusing on Canada, the United States of America and Europe. We’ll spend considerable time examining the racial, eco-nomic, and alternative schisms dominant in contemporary democratic societies and seek to understand how these get translated into politics. In addition, we will look at the role of institutions in creating, perpetuating, or alleviating stifling divisions, including political parties, (social) media, and inbred human characteristics. We will also debate far-reaching consequences of polarization focusing on the flaws of democracy, democratic backsliding, as well as the rise of populism and extremism.

The course will also include some guest lectures from German professors from the University of Rostock and from the National Dang Hwa University, who will compare the Canadian experience of polarization with the German and the Taiwanese experience. These guest lectures will hope-fully show some avenues of learning between the three countries.

Summer School Reunification (SARU)

When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 nobody could imagine that – not even a year later – Germany would be a unified country. The separation was too long; the political, economic and personal differences that resulted from that division seemed too big. Things have changed quite a bit since then, not only in terms of city landscapes, but also in terms of cultural and political landscapes. The process of unification was also an enormous economical undertaking. Nobody could be certain if it would/could work. But once the decision was made, there was no going back.

Through a two-week long intensive summer school featuring students from Rostock, Germany, South Korea, our aim will be to discover and live Germany’s and Berlin`s vivid recent history from 1945 to today. We will understand and decode the processes that led to the division of Germany in the late 1940s, as well as the dynamics that allowed the country to become reunited 40 years later. We will also extensively discuss the cultural, economic and social life before and after reunification, as well as the challenges citizens of East and West Germany have faced after reunification. The course will be taught in a very practical way: we will visit and discover the innumerable layers of memory that remain present and alive in the Berlin’s and East Germany’s landscape. To help students connect the themes, which we will elaborate in the seminar, there will be several practical exercises that help students connect with Germany’s past and present.  In the 2025 session, there will be a special focus on polarization. We will compare polarization in Canada, Germany, and South Korea.

Divisions, Reconciliation and Unity: the Korean Experience

The summer school Divisions, Reconciliation and Unity: the Korean Experience is a unique opportunity for graduate and undergraduate-level students to explore Korean identity, culture, division, and the prospect of reunification. The program is built around three themes: (1) the Cold War History of Korea, (2) inter-Korean relations in the post-Cold war era, (3) current North-South Korean relations, and (4) the two Koreas in the current international environment. This intense and highly interactive two-week summer school will feature a mixture of lectures, group work, and excursions. The first week of the summer school will be dedicated to the Cold War period, and will give students some background information to better understand the current state of the two Koreas. The second week will then be dedicated to more contemporary topics. The course will also include some guest lectures from German professors from the University of Rostock, and some presentations by myself on the relations between Germany/ Canada and the two Koreas. These guest lectures will hopefully show some avenues of learning between  students of the three participating countries.

Watch the 2024 group video - The Korean Experience