Current Courses

This course is an introduction to the study of politics. It has two objectives. The first is to give students a sense of the meaning and importance of politics. The second is to study a number of the concepts essential to the study of contemporary politics: the state, sovereignty, legitimacy and authority, law, power, equality, democracy, nationality, freedom and citizenship are typically covered. The specific content and readings used vary from section to section.

This course provides an introduction to the concepts of nation and state, sovereignty, forms of government, and political conflict. It does so through consideration of issues in world politics, such as human rights and social justice, ecological imbalance, economic inequalities, war, global governmental institutions and organizations.

This course will examine fundamental disagreements at the core of the Canadian polity that have plagued constitutional debate since its creation. Special attention is paid to the constitutional implications of conflicting conceptions of individual, provincial, ethno-linguistic, and multi-national equality.

This course introduces students to the comparative study of governments in the industrial and post-industrial societies. It examines the question of how various political systems are classified, dealing with such issues as organization of the state, governance and policy-making, representation, and political legitimacy. Prerequisite: 3 credits in Political Science.

This course introduces students to International Relations theory, with a focus on the mainstream theories in the field, namely realism and its variants, liberalism and constructivism. These theories are illustrated and developed through the use of case studies and examinations of the institutions and structures of the international system. Prerequisite: POLS 1013 or permission of the instructor.

This course will introduce students to seminal texts in political philosophy focussing on the ancient and early medieval period. Texts may include: Plato's Apology, Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle's Politics, Bible, and St. Augustine's City of God.

This course will be a study of the fundamental concepts and prevalent theories of political leadership using a comparative methodology involving local, national, and global levels of leadership. It will allow students to study the significance of individual leaders' personalities, styles, and ideas in relation to their institutional and cultural contexts.

This course offers a comparative introduction to Latin American politics, with a particular focus on the themes of democracy, state-building, and political institutions. It examines the way in which past authoritarian regimes continue to influence democratic progress in Latin America, as well as the other challenges that contemporary regimes face from factors such as state capacity, corruption, inequality, and violence. In this way, the course emphasizes the ways in which Latin America has pushed us to rethink theories based on the European experience and to redefine our understanding of democracy. Pre-requisites: At least 6 credit hours in Political Science or permission of the instructor.

This course will focus on how the relations of the regional powers (China, Japan, and the United States) intersect and affect the shape of the Asia Pacific's politics and economics. The course will also provide an overview of the interactions between the other regional states and the various efforts to build Asia Pacific-wide economic and security institutions.

This course will prepare students for participation in a Model United Nations, either Canadian or American sponsored. In a model UN simulation, students represent an assigned country's foreign policy on assigned issues on the UN agenda. The course will begin with an examination of the UN and its procedures. Subsequent topics will include researching the assigned UN issues and the assigned country's policy on them: preparation of working papers and motions, and strategies for effective conference participation. Fund raising for the trip required: half credit course, but meets first and second terms; limited enrolment.

In this course, students will engage in an intensive study of a small number of texts by some of the following authors: Herodotus, Thucydides, Aristophanes, Plato, Xenophon, and Aristotle. Among the problems to be considered are: the nature of justice, the character of the best regime, the good life for a human being, and the relationship between the individual and the political community. Prerequisite: POLS 2803 (or 2806) or permission of the instructor.

The purpose of this course is to afford students who seek to write the Honours thesis an opportunity to develop a thorough thesis proposal, including a substantial annotated bibliography. A small number of classes will be held at the beginning of the course in order to show students how to prepare the proposal. Thereafter, the class will meet only occasionally.

This is a seminar directed primarily at Political Science Majors and Honours students. The specific topic of the seminar will change from year to year. Students will be expected to do advanced research and to present and defend their work in class. Prerequisite: POLS 2103 or permission of the instructor.

This course provides an introduction to the concepts of the regime, authority, the rule of law, citizenship, and political obligation. It does so through a consideration of the institutions of Canadian government and covers the following topics: the framing of the constitution, federalism, parliamentary government, the Charter of Rights, the judiciary, political parties, public opinion, interest groups, and constitutional reform.

This course provides an introduction to the concepts of nation and state, sovereignty, forms of government, and political conflict. It does so through consideration of issues in world politics, such as human rights and social justice, ecological imbalance, economic inequalities, war, global governmental institutions and organizations.

This course introduces students to the comparative study of governments in the developing world. It focuses on such issues as the politics of development, modernization, and the interplay of political and social forces in selected developing nations. Prerequisite: 3 credits in Political Science.

This course introduces students to the critical and non-mainstream variants of International Relations (IR) theory. These include Marxism, Gramscianism, feminist theories of IR, and other forms of critical theory. These theories are illustrated and developed through the use of case studies and examinations of the institutions and structures of the international system. They are also contrasted with mainstream IR theories. Prerequisite: POLS 1013 or permission of the instructor.

This course will introduce students to seminal texts in political philosophy focussing on the medieval, early modern and modern periods. Texts may include: Aquinas' Treatise on Law, Machiavelli's The Prince, Hobbes' Leviathan, Locke's The Second Treatise on Government, Rousseau's Discourses, Hegel's Introduction to the Philosophy of History. Prerequisite: POLS 2803.

Canada's major national parties are examined in regard to their historical evolution, internal structure, ideological orientation, and public image and reputation. Trends in voting behaviour are discussed, as are the implications of voting patterns in Canada. Distinctive provincial political parties (such as the Parti Quebecois) are also considered.

This course will examine the UN as an international political institution, its structure and processes in the context of contemporary and enduring issues of world politics, including peace, security, development, and environmental sustainability.

This course will prepare students for participation in a Model United Nations, either Canadian or American sponsored. In a model UN simulation, students represent an assigned country's foreign policy on assigned issues on the UN agenda. The course will begin with an examination of the UN and its procedures. Subsequent topics will include researching the assigned UN issues and the assigned country's policy on them: preparation of working papers and motions, and strategies for effective conference participation. Fund raising for the trip required: half credit course, but meets first and second terms; limited enrolment.

An introduction to quantitative research methods and descriptive statistics as applied to the study of political phenomena. In addition to covering basic statistical principles, the course focuses on key issues related to research design, sampling and case selection, measurement and operationalization, data collection and analysis, and the communication and interpretation of results. Pre-requisites: At least 9 credit hours in Political Science or permission of the instructor.

The purpose of this course is to afford students who seek to write the Honours thesis an opportunity to develop a thorough thesis proposal, including a substantial annotated bibliography. A small number of classes will be held at the beginning of the course in order to show students how to prepare the proposal. Thereafter, the class will meet only occasionally.

This course is intended to serve as a capstone seminar for majors and Honours students in Political Science. The course is an investigation of the perennial issues involved in the study of politics. We shall examine critically the dominant approaches in Political Science with the aim of understanding how the method utilized affects the substance of any account of political phenomena.