Sirvan Karimi
School of Public Policy and Administration
Associate Professor
Office: 133 MCLaughlin College
Phone: 416-736-2100 Ext: 22782
Email: dalaho@yorku.ca
Media Requests Welcome
Accepting New Graduate Students
Dr. Sirvan Karimi has written his doctoral dissertation on Comparative social policy in Canada and Australia. His PhD dissertation is titled; Social Classes, National Settings, and the Welfare State: The Public Pension Systems in Canada and Australia. His research focuses on Canadian politics, public policy, public administration, and public law . In addition to publishing several scholarly articles, he is the sole author of two scholarly books; Beyond the Welfare State: Postwar Social Settlement and Public Pension Policy in Canada and Australia. Toronto: University of Toronto press, 2017 and The Tragedy of Social Democracy. Winnipeg: Frenwood Publishing, 2015.
His research interests focus on Comparative social policy, Social Democracy, and Democratic Administration. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of his academic background, he has published numerous articles on various areas related to Canadian politics, Comparative Politics, and international politics with a specific focus on the democratization in the Middle East.
Dr. Karimi has been teaching courses at both graduate and undergraduate levels since 2007. In addition to teaching at York University, he has also taught courses at Brock and Ryerson Universities. He has been teaching courses along all three streams (Public Policy, Public Administration and Public Law) within the School of Public Policy and Administration curriculum. He has also supervised MRPs for several MA students in the Master of Public Policy, Administration and Law (MPPAL) program.
Dr. Karimi has been recognized for his teaching efforts with a variety of teaching nominations and awards, including being nominated for the President's University-Wide Teaching Award for 2013-2014 and receiving the Dean's Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Faculty of Liberal Arts &Professional Studies for 2015-2016.
Degrees
Ph.D , York UniversityMA , York University
B.A. Honours , University of Winnipeg
Research Interests
- Dean's Award of Excellence in Teaching in Faculty of LA&PS - 2016
- Nominated for President’s University Wide Teaching Award, York University - 2013-2014
- Academic Proficiency Scholarship, University of Winnipeg - 1999
- Yuonne Perfontaine Memorial Award in Political Science, University of Winnipeg - 1998
- Academic Proficiency Scholarship, University of Winnipeg - 1998
- The J.D. Jessiman Scholarship in Political Science, University of Winnipeg - 1996
- Academic Proficiency Scholarship, University of Winnipeg - 1996
- Board of Regents Undergraduate Bursary, The Senate, University of Winnipeg - 1995
- Albert Clifford Matthews Memorial Scholarship, University of Winnipeg - 1999
bolster individual freedom and human dignity. The indispensability of vibrant
civil liberties to a healthy and well-functioning society lies in the grounds that
they provided for citizens to participate in the democratic process, criticize
their respective governments, and hold their governments accountable. Civil
liberties are not luxuries but inalienable entitlements that are essential and
imperative for human development and society's socioeconomic progress.
Consequently, civil liberties protection has emerged as the most fundamental
and cherished human aspiration in developed, developing, and
underdeveloped countries. Within the existing literature on human rights
protection, it has been the conventional wisdom that effective protection of
civil liberties requires the entrenchment of a Bill or the Charter of Rights in
the constitution. In addition to signing or ratifying the UN Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, almost all countries across the world have with
varying degree entrenched civil liberty protection mechanisms in their
respective constitutions. While constitutional protection of civil liberties is
believed to be a necessary mechanism to safeguard individual rights, it can be
argued that it is society’s political culture shaped by deeply ingrained liberal
values and principles fostering constitutionalism, not mere written words of
the constitution, that can effectively function as a bulwark against state
encroachment of civil liberties
Rights and Freedoms is conducive to rationalizing liberalism's conception of
the role of the state. Contrary to the hasty expectation of social rights
advocates who hoped that they can utilize the Charter to advance social rights
in Canada, the Charter has in fact been interpreted by the courts in a manner
that justifies the subordination of the social rights to the vicissitudes in the
economic sphere, which has historically been ingrained as an overriding tenet
of liberalism. In line with a long-held liberal principle that the real threat to
individual liberty emanates from the state, not private property relations
which are indeed the basis for socio-economic inequalities, the Charter
interpretations by the courts have, in fact, reinforced a legal rationalization for
the neoliberal-motivated forces of welfare state retrenchment which are
reflected in the courts’ refusal from imposing any positive obligation on the
state to provide the basic means of subsistence for citizens as a matter of
right. Thus, judicial interpretation of the Charter reflects and reinforces the
nineteenth-century liberal tenet that the judiciary can restrain but cannot
compel the state to take positive actions.
Approach to Teaching
My approach to teaching at the university level is based on a pedagogical approach that promotes the development of critical skills in line with the course curriculum designed to meet the learning goals of students. This student-centred teaching approach puts heavy emphasis on employing effective learning strategies to engage students in their learning. In order to enhance skills development of students, I have attempted to integrate a critical perspective into course materials and assignments. My approach has been greatly structured by my teaching experience in a variety of Public Policy, Public Administration and Public Law courses over the past several years. My teaching experience includes teaching a variety of class sizes ranging from 20 to 200 students. In my teaching, I employ diverse teaching methods such as conventional lectures, group exercises, seminars, reflective learning, simulation and experiential education.
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2025 | AP/PPAS2110 3.0 | M | Canadian Government | LECT |
| Winter 2025 | AP/PPAS3190 6.0 | M | Public Administration | LECT |
| Fall/Winter 2024 | GS/PPAL6100 3.0 | A | Canadian Constitutional Law | SEMR |
| Fall/Winter 2024 | GS/PPAL6100 3.0 | B | Canadian Constitutional Law | SEMR |
Dr. Sirvan Karimi has written his doctoral dissertation on Comparative social policy in Canada and Australia. His PhD dissertation is titled; Social Classes, National Settings, and the Welfare State: The Public Pension Systems in Canada and Australia. His research focuses on Canadian politics, public policy, public administration, and public law . In addition to publishing several scholarly articles, he is the sole author of two scholarly books; Beyond the Welfare State: Postwar Social Settlement and Public Pension Policy in Canada and Australia. Toronto: University of Toronto press, 2017 and The Tragedy of Social Democracy. Winnipeg: Frenwood Publishing, 2015.
His research interests focus on Comparative social policy, Social Democracy, and Democratic Administration. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of his academic background, he has published numerous articles on various areas related to Canadian politics, Comparative Politics, and international politics with a specific focus on the democratization in the Middle East.
Dr. Karimi has been teaching courses at both graduate and undergraduate levels since 2007. In addition to teaching at York University, he has also taught courses at Brock and Ryerson Universities. He has been teaching courses along all three streams (Public Policy, Public Administration and Public Law) within the School of Public Policy and Administration curriculum. He has also supervised MRPs for several MA students in the Master of Public Policy, Administration and Law (MPPAL) program.
Dr. Karimi has been recognized for his teaching efforts with a variety of teaching nominations and awards, including being nominated for the President's University-Wide Teaching Award for 2013-2014 and receiving the Dean's Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Faculty of Liberal Arts &Professional Studies for 2015-2016.
Degrees
Ph.D , York UniversityMA , York University
B.A. Honours , University of Winnipeg
Research Interests
Awards
- Dean's Award of Excellence in Teaching in Faculty of LA&PS - 2016
- Nominated for President’s University Wide Teaching Award, York University - 2013-2014
- Academic Proficiency Scholarship, University of Winnipeg - 1999
- Yuonne Perfontaine Memorial Award in Political Science, University of Winnipeg - 1998
- Academic Proficiency Scholarship, University of Winnipeg - 1998
- The J.D. Jessiman Scholarship in Political Science, University of Winnipeg - 1996
- Academic Proficiency Scholarship, University of Winnipeg - 1996
- Board of Regents Undergraduate Bursary, The Senate, University of Winnipeg - 1995
- Albert Clifford Matthews Memorial Scholarship, University of Winnipeg - 1999
All Publications
bolster individual freedom and human dignity. The indispensability of vibrant
civil liberties to a healthy and well-functioning society lies in the grounds that
they provided for citizens to participate in the democratic process, criticize
their respective governments, and hold their governments accountable. Civil
liberties are not luxuries but inalienable entitlements that are essential and
imperative for human development and society's socioeconomic progress.
Consequently, civil liberties protection has emerged as the most fundamental
and cherished human aspiration in developed, developing, and
underdeveloped countries. Within the existing literature on human rights
protection, it has been the conventional wisdom that effective protection of
civil liberties requires the entrenchment of a Bill or the Charter of Rights in
the constitution. In addition to signing or ratifying the UN Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, almost all countries across the world have with
varying degree entrenched civil liberty protection mechanisms in their
respective constitutions. While constitutional protection of civil liberties is
believed to be a necessary mechanism to safeguard individual rights, it can be
argued that it is society’s political culture shaped by deeply ingrained liberal
values and principles fostering constitutionalism, not mere written words of
the constitution, that can effectively function as a bulwark against state
encroachment of civil liberties
Rights and Freedoms is conducive to rationalizing liberalism's conception of
the role of the state. Contrary to the hasty expectation of social rights
advocates who hoped that they can utilize the Charter to advance social rights
in Canada, the Charter has in fact been interpreted by the courts in a manner
that justifies the subordination of the social rights to the vicissitudes in the
economic sphere, which has historically been ingrained as an overriding tenet
of liberalism. In line with a long-held liberal principle that the real threat to
individual liberty emanates from the state, not private property relations
which are indeed the basis for socio-economic inequalities, the Charter
interpretations by the courts have, in fact, reinforced a legal rationalization for
the neoliberal-motivated forces of welfare state retrenchment which are
reflected in the courts’ refusal from imposing any positive obligation on the
state to provide the basic means of subsistence for citizens as a matter of
right. Thus, judicial interpretation of the Charter reflects and reinforces the
nineteenth-century liberal tenet that the judiciary can restrain but cannot
compel the state to take positive actions.
Approach to Teaching
My approach to teaching at the university level is based on a pedagogical approach that promotes the development of critical skills in line with the course curriculum designed to meet the learning goals of students. This student-centred teaching approach puts heavy emphasis on employing effective learning strategies to engage students in their learning. In order to enhance skills development of students, I have attempted to integrate a critical perspective into course materials and assignments. My approach has been greatly structured by my teaching experience in a variety of Public Policy, Public Administration and Public Law courses over the past several years. My teaching experience includes teaching a variety of class sizes ranging from 20 to 200 students. In my teaching, I employ diverse teaching methods such as conventional lectures, group exercises, seminars, reflective learning, simulation and experiential education.
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2025 | AP/PPAS2110 3.0 | M | Canadian Government | LECT |
| Winter 2025 | AP/PPAS3190 6.0 | M | Public Administration | LECT |
| Fall/Winter 2024 | GS/PPAL6100 3.0 | A | Canadian Constitutional Law | SEMR |
| Fall/Winter 2024 | GS/PPAL6100 3.0 | B | Canadian Constitutional Law | SEMR |
