For MSA 2026, we will host two separate sessions, each with two academic streams. MSA students may only participate in one.
We are currently making updates to our courses. Below are the course descriptions from MSA 2025 to give you an idea of what we will cover.
Through a series of lectures, case studies, simulations, experiments, and debates, we will explore the complex structure and function of the human nervous system. We will outline some of the stories of McGill scientists that lead to major breakthroughs in understanding the brain.
Brain development will be traced to examine how the nervous system develops from a single cell. We will contrast how the neonatal brain differs from an adult brain and how it continues to change as we get older.
Students will then survey different systems in the brain that encode and process sensory information to help us feel and understand our world. After this survey, we will illustrate how the brain creates a motor response that allows us to move and speak.
We will apply our knowledge of structure and function in the nervous system to understand what happens in neurological disorders. We will also examine how various classes of drugs influence the functioning of the nervous system.
This course examines the concept of international order through both descriptive and normative lenses. It analyzes prevailing understandings of the contemporary international system and the goals of international institutions, including the promotion of stability, predictability, and diplomatic engagement. To do this, students will explore historical, legal, social and political debates using a cosmopolitan lens to critically interrogate key concepts such as state sovereignty, international law, history of international order formation, and norms of international systems of cooperation. To orient students' learning, this course is designed around the following core question: How do international institutions, laws, and norms shape global politics, and who benefits from the ways they are organized?
Students will engage in critical discussions, analyze relevant case studies, and explore different perspectives within existing literature to develop a comprehensive understanding of the complexities surrounding the current organization of the international system. Key topics will include: international organizations, international law, human rights, conflict and cooperation, peacekeeping, and international development, climate change, and indigenous and non-state approaches to international order.
A significant aspect of the course will be a two-day international organization simulation which encourages students to collaborate and participate in the democratic process of constructing parameters for their learning about international order. The simulation will allow students to build and demonstrate skills such as critical reading, presentation confidence and applied critical thinking through a dynamic, team-based environment.
By engaging with real-world complexities that shape international relations and global governing systems, this course addresses the challenges faced by all individuals subject to the decisions made within an international order, and the debates surrounding so-called ‘best practices’ and ‘ideal norms’ of the current day. Overall, the course will emphasize the importance of empathy, accountability and solidarity that is necessary to foster inclusive societies.