Political Science Honours (B.A.) (48 credits)
Offered by: Political Science (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Program credit weight: 48
Program Description
The Honours program in Political Science focuses on four fields in Political Science: comparative politics, international relations, Canadian politics, and political theory, including empirical methods that complement the the four substantive fields of Political Science.
Students may enter the Honours program at the start of U2. To enter, remain and graduate in Honours, students must achieve/maintain a 3.3 average in their political science courses and more than half of the political science grades must be at the B+ level or higher. According to Faculty regulations, Honours students must maintain a minimum CGPA of 3.00 in general.
Degree Requirements — B.A. students
To be eligible for a B.A. degree, a student must fulfil all Faculty and program requirements as indicated in Degree Requirements for the Faculty of Arts.
We recommend that students consult an Arts OASIS advisor for degree planning.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Required Course (3 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLI 210 | Political Science Research Methods. 1 | 3 |
Political Science Research Methods. Terms offered: Summer 2025 This course provides an introduction to political science research methods. The aim of the course is to familiarize students with the scientific study of politics, the variety of research methodologies in political science, and the challenges that arise when researchers attempt to explain or measure political phenomena, demonstrate causal relationships and draw methodologically- defensible conclusions from research . | ||
Complementary Courses (45 credits)
45 credits of complementary courses selected with the following specifications:
12 credits must be taken at the 200 level – 3 credits must be taken in each of the four fields: Political Theory, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Canadian Politics. ). The remaining 33 credits must come from POLI courses at the 300 level and above.
6 credits in POLI Methods courses must be taken at the 300 or 400 level. The 9-credit methods requirement (including POLI 210 Political Science Research Methods.) can only be fulfilled with courses taken at McGill. Credits transferred from other universities are not accepted for this purpose.
At least 12 credits of political science courses must be at the 400 level and above, including one mandatory 500-level Honours Seminar which must be taken at McGill.
No more than one-half (24 credits) of a student’s political science credits may be in any one field (Canadian Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory). However, if the field is Comparative Politics the maximum is 27 credits.
To take an upper-level POLI course (i.e. courses at the 300, 400 or 500 level), students must have taken a 200-level POLI course in the same field. Students are therefore expected to take all their 200-level courses in their first two years.
No more than 15 Political Science transfer credits can be used toward the program requirements.
Course lists for each group of political science courses are provided below.
Canadian Politics
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLI 221 | Government of Canada. | 3 |
Government of Canada. Terms offered: Summer 2025 An examination of the central governmental institutions, including parliament, federalism, and the judiciary. | ||
| POLI 222 | Political Process and Behaviour in Canada. | 3 |
Political Process and Behaviour in Canada. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to contemporary political life in Canada that examines how demands are identified and transmitted through the political systems. Emphasis will be placed on: the Canadian political culture; socialization and political participation; the electoral system; elections and voting; the role and structure of political parties; and the influence of organized interest. | ||
| POLI 226 | La vie politique québécoise. | 3 |
La vie politique québécoise. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Une introduction à la vie politique québécoise à travers l'étude des institutions, des idéologies et des comportements politiques. Une attention particulière sera accordée à la structure et aux changements dans le système politique québécoise. | ||
| POLI 318 | Comparative Local Government. | 3 |
Comparative Local Government. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the organization and conduct of local government in Canada, the United States, and selected European countries. Attention to theories of local government, the criteria for comparative analysis, the provision of public goods and bads, urban political patterns and the constitution of new institutional arrangements to deal with "urban crises" in North America. | ||
| POLI 320 | Issues in Canadian Democracy. | 3 |
Issues in Canadian Democracy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Critical analysis of selected issues and debates in Canadian politics, including citizen participation, electoral system effects, party financing, office-seeking, approaches to representation, and direct democracy and non-party alternatives. Topics are examined from both the perspective of the general population and the specific experience of women and ethno-racial minorities. | ||
| POLI 321 | Issues: Canadian Public Policy. | 3 |
Issues: Canadian Public Policy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Canadian political process through an analysis of critical policy issues in community development, welfare state, education, and institutional reforms in public service delivery systems. Diagnostic and prescriptive interpretations of public choices in a federal-parliamentary regime. | ||
| POLI 326 | Provincial Politics. | 3 |
Provincial Politics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The effect of regional and provincial culture on the operation of political parties and the institutions of government; the effect of institutional modernization on provincial governments; the role of provincial sub-systems within the Canadian political system. | ||
| POLI 336 | Le Québec et le Canada. | 3 |
Le Québec et le Canada. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Comment les Canadiens anglais et les Québécois se perçoivent-ils? Les différences culturelles entre les deux groupes. Les relations politiques et économiques entre les deux groupes. L'impact de la Révolution Tranquille. La place des francophones et des anglophones dans la vie collective. Les projets de réaménagement du cadre politique. | ||
| POLI 342 | Canadian Foreign Policy. | 3 |
Canadian Foreign Policy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The development and articulation of Canadian foreign policy. Theoretical approaches. The environmental setting. Historical perspectives. Trans-Atlantic linkages. The American connection. The Common Market. The United Nations. Military security. Developing relations with Asia, Africa, Latin America. Canada in global society. | ||
| POLI 348 | Gender and Canadian Politics. | 3 |
Gender and Canadian Politics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of a variety of key thinkers and debates around gender in Canadian politics. Aims to give students the critical tools to examine the complexity of Canadian political society and gain a firm grasp on both the limits and possibilities of analyzing “gender” as it intersects and interlocks with other facets of identity and ideology. | ||
| POLI 371 | Challenge of Canadian Federalism. | 3 |
Challenge of Canadian Federalism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An analysis of the origins, evolution and nature of federalism in Canada. Topics and themes will include the impact of federalism on political institutions, the effect of different regional perspectives, and the issues and conflicts that currently confront Canadian federalism. | ||
| POLI 372 | Indigenous Peoples and the Canadian State. | 3 |
Indigenous Peoples and the Canadian State. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The relationship of Indigenous politics to larger debates and literatures within political science, such as citizenship theory, federalism, and collective action. Subjects covered include Canada's treaty history, constitutional changes, key policy frameworks, and Indigenous political development. | ||
| POLI 379 | Topics in Canadian Politics. | 3 |
Topics in Canadian Politics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in Canadian politics. | ||
| POLI 410 | Canadian Political Parties. | 3 |
Canadian Political Parties. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course examines Canadian political parties and party systems, stressing patterns of historical development, party organization and finance, relationships with social movement, and the impact of Canadian federalism. | ||
| POLI 412 | Canadian Voting/Public Opinion. | 3 |
Canadian Voting/Public Opinion. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A critical examination of major debates within the literature on Canadian voting behaviour and public opinion. | ||
| POLI 417 | Health Care in Canada. | 3 |
Health Care in Canada. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course analyzes the theory and politics of health policy and institutions, comparing provincial models and contextualizing Canadian systems with international perspectives from the U.S. and Europe. Current health reform debates will be explored, particularly those involving federal-provincial relations, sustainable financing and the role of the state in social protection. | ||
| POLI 424 | Media and Politics. | 3 |
Media and Politics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The role of media in domestic and international politics, with reference to recent studies in political science. Themes in the study of mass media and politics in democracies. | ||
| POLI 426 | Partis politiques et comportements électoraux au Québec. | 3 |
Partis politiques et comportements électoraux au Québec. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. | ||
| POLI 427 | Selected Topics: Canadian Politics. | 3 |
Selected Topics: Canadian Politics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Selected problem areas in Canada's political process, political culture, constitutional development, and machinery of government. | ||
| POLI 436 | Aboriginal Rights in the Canadian Constitution. | 3 |
Aboriginal Rights in the Canadian Constitution. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course explores the inclusion, impact, and interpretation of s.35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. In s.35, "the existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada are hereby recognized and affirmed". What does it mean for Canada to recognize, affirm, define, justify, and implement such rights? The course sets out how one might think about the constitutional promise of s.35, and challenges us to address whether this promise has been realized. It sets out how s.35 has structured Indigenous-settler politics since 1982. | ||
| POLI 478 | The Canadian Constitution. | 3 |
The Canadian Constitution. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of legislative and judicial protection of rights and liberties in Canada. Topics to be covered include civil rights and the division of powers; the implied bill of rights theory; the 1960 Bill of Rights; establishment and enforcement of human rights legislation; and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. | ||
| POLI 521 | Seminar: Canadian Politics and Government. | 3 |
Seminar: Canadian Politics and Government. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Selected problems of Canadian socio-economic and political structures; political culture; constitutional development, and governmental structure. | ||
Comparative Politics
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLI 212 | Introduction to Comparative Politics – Europe/North America. | 3 |
Introduction to Comparative Politics – Europe/North America. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to fundamental comparative politics concepts and research that focuses on Europe and North America. Topics include: state and state institutions, parties and party systems, elections, protest and social movements, rule of law, corruption, regime transitions— democratization and autocratization. | ||
| POLI 227 | Introduction to Comparative Politics - Global South. | 3 |
Introduction to Comparative Politics - Global South. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to politics across the Global South. A comparative examination of the legacies of colonialism, the achievement of independence, and political and socio-economic development in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Topics include modernization, dependency, state-building, political violence, revolution, the role of the military, authoritarianism, and democratization. | ||
| POLI 316 | Black Lives Matter and American Democracy. | 3 |
Black Lives Matter and American Democracy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Explores the history, ideological origins, and contemporary politics of the Black Lives Matter movement and its relationship to American democracy. | ||
| POLI 318 | Comparative Local Government. | 3 |
Comparative Local Government. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the organization and conduct of local government in Canada, the United States, and selected European countries. Attention to theories of local government, the criteria for comparative analysis, the provision of public goods and bads, urban political patterns and the constitution of new institutional arrangements to deal with "urban crises" in North America. | ||
| POLI 319 | Politics of Latin America. | 3 |
Politics of Latin America. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course will deal with the dynamics of political change in Latin America today. | ||
| POLI 322 | Political Change in South Asia. | 3 |
Political Change in South Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Political change in South Asia in late colonial and post-colonial periods. Issues covered include social and cultural history; colonial rule, nationalism and state formation; democratic and authoritarian tendencies; economic policies and consequences; challenges to patterns of dominance and national boundaries; prospects for democracy, prosperity and equality. | ||
| POLI 324 | Comparative Politics of Africa. | 3 |
Comparative Politics of Africa. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The government and politics of African states south of the Sahara with reference to the ideological and institutional setting as influenced by the forces of tradition and the impact of Western colonialism. | ||
| POLI 325 | U.S. Politics. | 3 |
U.S. Politics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The founding of the American political system, with emphasis on the major documents, the Constitutional Convention, and the Federalist Papers, as well as the development of the constitutional system. Other fundamental characteristics, including political thought and federalism, will be examined. The main institutions, including the presidency, Congress, and the Supreme Court, will receive attention. | ||
| POLI 328 | Comparing European Democracies. | 3 |
Comparing European Democracies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the study of contemporary European politics. The course presents the basic concepts and approaches used in the field of European comparative politics and examines patterns of similarity and difference across Europe, as well as some current political debates in Europe. | ||
| POLI 329 | Russian Politics. | 3 |
Russian Politics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Broad introduction to contemporary Russian politics. Examination of the Soviet system and its collapse. Exploration of key elements of Russian politics such as formal and informal political institutions; economic transformation and statebusiness relations; nationalism, memory, and identity; civil society and social movements; and Russian foreign policy. | ||
| POLI 330 | Law and Courts in Europe. | 3 |
Law and Courts in Europe. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Judicial politics in continental Europe, including theoretical accounts of the rule of law, judicial independence, power, and accountability, and the judicialization of politics. Empirical examples will be drawn from both Western and Eastern Europe countries, as well as the constitutional and the ordinary judiciaries. | ||
| POLI 331 | Politics in East Central Europe. | 3 |
Politics in East Central Europe. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Analysis of recent dramatic changes in East Central Europe in light of the historical development and current structure of these states, their relationship to their societies, with emphasis on diversity and its sources. | ||
| POLI 338 | Topics in Comparative Politics 1. | 3 |
Topics in Comparative Politics 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Selected aspects of the Third World. In any given year the course will concentrate either on a particular region or on a relevant thematic problem. | ||
| POLI 339 | Topics in Comparative Politics 2. | 3 |
Topics in Comparative Politics 2. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Selected aspects of comparative politics. | ||
| POLI 340 | Comparative Politics of the Middle East. | 3 |
Comparative Politics of the Middle East. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the societies, political forces and regimes of selected countries of the Eastern Arab world (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia). | ||
| POLI 357 | Politics: Contemporary Europe. | 3 |
Politics: Contemporary Europe. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of political institutions and processes in today's Europe, concentrating on the member-states of the European Union and on the Union itself. The course is organized thematically rather than on a country-by-country basis. | ||
| POLI 361 | Political Participation in Comparative Perspective. | 3 |
Political Participation in Comparative Perspective. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Exploration of how citizens engage in politics. Theories and examples of current forms of political participation and mobilization will be introduced, including voting, party membership, transnational movements, political consumerism, culture jamming and internet activism. Examples are drawn from Europe and North America and sometimes from the developing world. | ||
| POLI 369 | Politics of Southeast Asia. | 3 |
Politics of Southeast Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics covered include: colonialism, nationalism, democracy, authoritarianism, war, economic development, social development, overseas Chinese, ethnicity, religion, populism, and international relations, as they apply to Southeast Asian politics. | ||
| POLI 380 | Contemporary Chinese Politics. | 3 |
Contemporary Chinese Politics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course provides an introduction to key issues in contemporary Chinese politics, spanning the period from the Communist Revolution through the Maoist (1949-1976) and reform eras (1978 to present). Topics include both domestic politics and foreign policy. | ||
| POLI 381 | Politics in Japan and South Korea. | 3 |
Politics in Japan and South Korea. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to key issues of contemporary politics in Japan and South Korea, covering the politics and economic development of Post-WWII Japan and Post-Korean War South Korea. Themes include: How were the contemporary political systems established in Japan and South Korea? How have these systems changed over time? What are the impacts of political institutions on the political and economic development in the two countries? How do social actors and political and economic institutions interact with each other? What are the foreign policymaking strategies in the two countries? | ||
| POLI 421 | The Politics of Misinformation. | 3 |
The Politics of Misinformation. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The impact that “fake news” and “disinformation” are having on citizens across the world. The political implications of the dissemination of media that is known to be false according to the best scientific evidence. | ||
| POLI 422 | Advanced Topics in Comparative Politics 1. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Comparative Politics 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A specific problem area in comparative politics. | ||
| POLI 423 | Politics of Ethno-Nationalism. | 3 |
Politics of Ethno-Nationalism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Theories of ethno-nationalism examined in light of experience in Asia, Middle East and Africa. Topics include formation and mobilization of national, ethnic and religious identities in colonial and post-colonial societies; impact of ethno-nationalism on pluralism, democracy, class and gender relations; means to preserve tolerance in multicultural societies. | ||
| POLI 424 | Media and Politics. | 3 |
Media and Politics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The role of media in domestic and international politics, with reference to recent studies in political science. Themes in the study of mass media and politics in democracies. | ||
| POLI 425 | Topics in American Politics. | 3 |
Topics in American Politics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course involves a detailed analysis of a limited area of American politics and government. | ||
| POLI 430 | Politics of Art. | 3 |
Politics of Art. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Drawing on political and aesthetic theory, as well as on a wide range of artworks, artistic practices, and art criticism, exploration of the ways in which art and politics intersect. In addition to analyzing artworks’ subject-matter, examination of their conditions of production, dissemination, and reception. Examination of how art is deployed politically and pressing political issues such as democratic representation, free speech, and structural inequality. | ||
| POLI 431 | Nations and Nationalism. | 3 |
Nations and Nationalism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The role of nationalism in the political development of modern nation-states. Topics include: the origins of nationalism, nationalism and state-formation, anti-colonial nationalism, secession and sub-state nationalism, war and nationalism, federal and consociational arrangements in multi-national societies. | ||
| POLI 432 | Advanced Topics in Comparative Politics 2. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Comparative Politics 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in comparative politics. | ||
| POLI 435 | Identity and Inequality. | 3 |
Identity and Inequality. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Inequality is often particularly durable between groups whose boundaries are based on assumed ancestry - e.g., the major ethnic categories in former European settler colonies, castes in South Asia. This course explores ongoing changes in the relationship between identity and social, economic and political inequality in some of these contexts. | ||
| POLI 450 | Peacebuilding. | 3 |
Peacebuilding. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of transitions from civil war to peace, and the role of external actors (international organizations, bilateral donors, non-governmental organizations) in support of such transitions. Topics will include the dilemmas of humanitarian relief, peacekeeping operations, refugees, the demobilization of ex-combatants, transitional elections, and the politics of socio-economic reconstruction. | ||
| POLI 451 | The European Union. | 3 |
The European Union. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The emergence of the EU and its innovative institutions and policies will be studied through lectures, discussions, and a simulation (of a European Council or Parliament session). Emphasis upon current debates about the EU's developing identity, its internal political economy, its institutions of 'multilevel' governance, and its external relation. | ||
| POLI 452 | Conflict Simulation. | 3 |
Conflict Simulation. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the use of serious games for conflict analysis. The course will address the history of wargaming, the professional use of gaming techniques by governments and other organizations, and conflict simulation design. | ||
| POLI 473 | Democracy and the Market. | 3 |
Democracy and the Market. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The relationship between economic and political change by focusing on dual processes of economic reform and democratization. | ||
| POLI 474 | Inequality and Development. | 3 |
Inequality and Development. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The political structures and social forces underlying poverty and inequality in the world; the historical roots of inequality in different regions, varying manifestations of inequality (class, region, ethnicity, gender), and selected contemporary problems. | ||
| POLI 475 | Social Capital in Comparative Perspective. | 3 |
Social Capital in Comparative Perspective. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Social capital as an important societal resource that helps to overcome collective action and development problems. Introduction to the roots of the concept of social capital, and discussion on how and why this resource influences the political and economic life of countries, regions, cities and individuals. | ||
| POLI 476 | Religion and Politics. | 3 |
Religion and Politics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The relationship between religion and politics in the world, including the relationship between religion and the state, and specific topics in which religion plays a salient role: political parties; social movements; democratization; fundamentalism and democracy; violence; and capitalism and economic development. | ||
| POLI 522 | Seminar: Comparative Politics 1 . | 3 |
Seminar: Comparative Politics 1 . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar on comparative politics. | ||
| POLI 524 | Seminar: Comparative Politics 2. | 3 |
Seminar: Comparative Politics 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar on comparative politics. | ||
International Relations
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLI 243 | International Politics of Economic Relations. | 3 |
International Politics of Economic Relations. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to international relations, through examples drawn from international political economy. The emphasis will be on the politics of trade and international monetary relations. | ||
| POLI 244 | International Politics: State Behaviour. | 3 |
International Politics: State Behaviour. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Offers a comprehensive introduction to the behaviour of nation states. Explores how states make foreign policy decisions and what motivates their behaviour. Other covered topics include the military and economic dimensions of state behaviour, conflict, cooperation, interdependence, integration, globalization, and change in the international system. | ||
| POLI 341 | Foreign Policy: The Middle East. | 3 |
Foreign Policy: The Middle East. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the changing regional security environment and the evolving foreign policies and relationships of Arab states in three areas - relations with non-Arab regional powers (Israel, Iran), inter-Arab relations, Great Power relations. The course will focus particularly on Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. | ||
| POLI 342 | Canadian Foreign Policy. | 3 |
Canadian Foreign Policy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The development and articulation of Canadian foreign policy. Theoretical approaches. The environmental setting. Historical perspectives. Trans-Atlantic linkages. The American connection. The Common Market. The United Nations. Military security. Developing relations with Asia, Africa, Latin America. Canada in global society. | ||
| POLI 345 | International Organizations. | 3 |
International Organizations. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The politics and processes of global governance in the 21st century, with a special emphasis on the United Nations system. | ||
| POLI 346 | American Foreign Policy. | 3 |
American Foreign Policy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An exploration of American foreign policy from 1945 to the present. Topics to be addressed are the origins of the Cold War, deterrence, strategy and arms control, American intervention in Latin America and Vietnam, U.S. policy in the Post Cold War era - Gulf War, Haiti, Somalia, Yugoslavia and relations with Japan. | ||
| POLI 347 | Arab-Israel Conflict, Crisis, Peace. | 3 |
Arab-Israel Conflict, Crisis, Peace. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Concepts - protracted conflict, crisis, war, peace; system, subsystem; Conflict-levels of analysis; historical context; images and issues; attitudes, policies, role of major powers; Crises-Wars - configuration of power; crisis models; decision-making in 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982 crisis-wars; conflict- crisis management; Peace-Making - pre-1977; Egypt-Israel peace treaty; Madrid, Oslo, Israel-Jordan peace; prospects for conflict resolution. | ||
| POLI 349 | Foreign Policy: Asia. | 3 |
Foreign Policy: Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An overview of the foreign policies of two rising powers - China and India - in addition to Japan, covering the historical evolution, goals and determinants of their foreign policies, interactions with the rest of Asia and the world, and efforts at institutionalised cooperation in South and East Asia. | ||
| POLI 350 | Global Environmental Politics. | 3 |
Global Environmental Politics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Environmental problems like climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and ocean acidification transcend national borders. Solving these problems will require global cooperation on an unprecedented level. This course will explore the challenges of contemporary global environmental governance and the innovative solutions being advanced at the community, municipal, provincial, national, and international levels. | ||
| POLI 351 | The Causes of Major Wars. | 3 |
The Causes of Major Wars. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examination of the competing theoretical explanations for major wars; application of the theories to the outbreak of World War I. | ||
| POLI 352 | International Policy/Foreign Policy: Africa. | 3 |
International Policy/Foreign Policy: Africa. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of international politics in Africa; including Africa in the U.N., the Organization of African Unity, African regional groupings and integration, Africa as a foreign policy arena and African inter-state conflict and diplomacy. | ||
| POLI 353 | Politics of the International Refugee Regime. | 3 |
Politics of the International Refugee Regime. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course explores the causes and consequences of displacement, and international responses to this issue, focusing on forced migration linked to conflict, persecution and human rights abuses. It examines key actors, interests and norms that shape the international refugee regime, and international responses to other forms of displacement. Particular attention is devoted to the ways in which displaced persons themselves navigate and shape the regime, and to challenges including the resolution of displacement crises, and accountability for forced migration. | ||
| POLI 354 | Approaches to International Political Economy. | 3 |
Approaches to International Political Economy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The course presents theoretical approaches to understanding change in the international political economy. | ||
| POLI 355 | The Politics of International Law. | 3 |
The Politics of International Law. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of the relationship between international politics and international law. The study of the international legal regulation of such phenomena as war, humanitarian intervention, and transnational terrorism, is oriented towards a richer apprehension of the nature of international conflict, cooperation and governance in the contemporary world. | ||
| POLI 358 | Political Economy of International Organizations. | 3 |
Political Economy of International Organizations. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The course focuses on the main issues in international cooperation and on the role of economic international institutions in world politics. The first part addresses the main debates related to international cooperation. The second part covers the international trade institutions such as the World Trade Organization. The third part covers the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the European Union, and environmental and energy organizations. | ||
| POLI 359 | Topics in International Politics 1. | 3 |
Topics in International Politics 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A specific problem area in International Relations. | ||
| POLI 360 | Security: War and Peace. | 3 |
Security: War and Peace. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Focuses on international security and strategies of war and peace in historical and comparative frameworks. Topics include case studies of 20th century wars, conventional and nuclear strategy, and various approaches to peace. | ||
| POLI 362 | Political Theory and International Relations. | 3 |
Political Theory and International Relations. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Key contributions of political theory to the study and practice of international relations. Three prevailing theoretical traditions will be examined: realism, 'international society', and cosmopolitanism. Key practical issues to be explored from these perspectives include war, humanitarian intervention, economic globalization, environment, and gender. | ||
| POLI 441 | International Political Economy: Trade. | 3 |
International Political Economy: Trade. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Politics of international trade, such as the international rules governing trade in goods, the functioning of international bodies such as the WTO, and the domestic sources of these international policies. | ||
| POLI 442 | International Relations of Ethnic Conflict. | 3 |
International Relations of Ethnic Conflict. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Issues related to the internationalization of ethnic conflict, including diasporas, contagion and demonstration effects, intervention, irredentism, the use of sanctions and force. Combination of theory and the study of contemporary cases. | ||
| POLI 443 | Intervention in World Politics. | 3 |
Intervention in World Politics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examination of the history, theory and politics of intervention, focusing on the 19th century onward. It examines interventions for humanitarian purposes and interventions in civil wars in the 19th century, critical cases of non-intervention from the first half of the 20th century, intervention and resistance in the Cold War and decolonization periods, and interventions since the end of the Cold War. Legal, ethical and political frameworks for assessing the legitimacy and effects of intervention as a contemporary practice, the ways in which it has been contested, and its relationship to core principles, such as state sovereignty. | ||
| POLI 444 | Topics in International Politics 2. | 3 |
Topics in International Politics 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A specific problem area in International Politics. | ||
| POLI 445 | International Political Economy: Monetary Relations. | 3 |
International Political Economy: Monetary Relations. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced course in international political economy; the politics of international of monetary relations, such as international rules governing international finance, the reasons for and consequences of financial flows, and the functioning of international financial bodies such as the IMF and World Bank. | ||
| POLI 446 | International Law and Politics of Human Rights. | 3 |
International Law and Politics of Human Rights. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The relationship between state behaviour and individual rights recognized by international law. Introduction and critiques of the concept of human rights, and exploration of the institutional framework of human rights law. Surveys of the current international human rights regime’s most important entitlements for individuals and groups. The politics of human rights, highlighting the challenges to their effective protection. | ||
| POLI 447 | Political Economy of Multinationals. | 3 |
Political Economy of Multinationals. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Exploration of the economic and political behaviour of one of the most important non-state actors in the international system: multinationals. The main models in international trade, including the New New Trade Theory. The main issues related to the political economy of foreign direct investment (FDI). The impact of FDI on development as well as the role of MNCs in emerging markets. | ||
| POLI 448 | Gender and International Relations. | 3 |
Gender and International Relations. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The course will help students deepen their understanding of international relations by introducing them to gender analysis of global politics and feminist approaches to international relations. Part one examines gender-sensitive and feminist theories in international relations research. The second part then applies these approaches to a range of substantive issues including security, violence, peacebuilding, international law and political economy. | ||
| POLI 449 | Diplomacy in Practice. | 3 |
Diplomacy in Practice. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the evolution of diplomatic practices over time, with a special emphasis on emerging trends in the 21st century. It focuses on key sites of diplomacy, from foreign ministries to international organizations, and evaluates the role of new technologies and non-states actors in shaping global intercourse. | ||
| POLI 450 | Peacebuilding. | 3 |
Peacebuilding. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of transitions from civil war to peace, and the role of external actors (international organizations, bilateral donors, non-governmental organizations) in support of such transitions. Topics will include the dilemmas of humanitarian relief, peacekeeping operations, refugees, the demobilization of ex-combatants, transitional elections, and the politics of socio-economic reconstruction. | ||
| POLI 451 | The European Union. | 3 |
The European Union. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The emergence of the EU and its innovative institutions and policies will be studied through lectures, discussions, and a simulation (of a European Council or Parliament session). Emphasis upon current debates about the EU's developing identity, its internal political economy, its institutions of 'multilevel' governance, and its external relation. | ||
| POLI 452 | Conflict Simulation. | 3 |
Conflict Simulation. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the use of serious games for conflict analysis. The course will address the history of wargaming, the professional use of gaming techniques by governments and other organizations, and conflict simulation design. | ||
| POLI 575 | Seminar: International Politics. | 3 |
Seminar: International Politics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A research seminar dealing with topics in the field of international politics. | ||
Political Theory
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLI 231 | Introduction to Political Theory. | 3 |
Introduction to Political Theory. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The course introduces students to political theory through critical examination of classic texts in the history of political thought. In addition to gaining an understanding of several different traditions of political thought, students are encouraged to develop their skills in textual interpretation, critical reasoning, and essay-writing. | ||
| POLI 333 | Western Political Theory 1. | 3 |
Western Political Theory 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The major themes and writers in the political theory of classical antiquity. The political ideas of Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, and the Hellenistic philosophers will be explored through the significant texts of this period. | ||
| POLI 334 | Western Political Theory 2. | 3 |
Western Political Theory 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Medieval and renaissance political philosophy, from Saint Augustine to Sir Thomas More. Scholastic and neo-scholastic political thought, natural law and natural rights, as well as civic and northern humanism, republicanism and liberty. Twentieth century work on similar concepts will be used. | ||
| POLI 362 | Political Theory and International Relations. | 3 |
Political Theory and International Relations. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Key contributions of political theory to the study and practice of international relations. Three prevailing theoretical traditions will be examined: realism, 'international society', and cosmopolitanism. Key practical issues to be explored from these perspectives include war, humanitarian intervention, economic globalization, environment, and gender. | ||
| POLI 363 | Contemporary Political Theory. | 3 |
Contemporary Political Theory. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course explores fundamental currents of thought in political philosophy. Topics will vary from year to year, and may include issues such as classical liberalism and its opponents, the foundations of socialism and Marxism, rational choice theory and its critics. | ||
| POLI 364 | Radical Political Thought. | 3 |
Radical Political Thought. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Radical themes in contemporary political thought and action. | ||
| POLI 365 | Democratic Theory. | 3 |
Democratic Theory. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A series of lectures and seminars on democratic theory. | ||
| POLI 366 | Topics in Political Theory 1. | 3 |
Topics in Political Theory 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A specific problem area in Political Theory. | ||
| POLI 367 | Liberal Political Theory. | 3 |
Liberal Political Theory. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The development of liberal political thought and theories of justice, including a selection of authors from: Locke, Montesquieu, Smith, Constant, Kant, Mill, Tocqueville, Berlin, Hayek, Rawls, Nozick, Walzer, and Kymlicka, as well as some of their critics. | ||
| POLI 368 | Political Theory and Indigeneity. | 3 |
Political Theory and Indigeneity. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Engages with diverse approaches in political theory that address the political situation of Indigenous peoples in multiple settler colonial contexts. Explores how indigeneity requires transformations in the conduct of political theory and in our understanding of the history of political thought, including Indigenous political thoughts as articulated by Indigenous scholars. | ||
| POLI 433 | History of Political/Social Theory 3. | 3 |
History of Political/Social Theory 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Early modern political philosophy, from Luther to Rousseau and Burke. Resistance theories of the 16th century, Hobbes and Locke, the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. Twentieth century work on concepts developed in this period such as rights, revolution, legitimacy, democracy, authority and liberty. | ||
| POLI 434 | History of Political/Social Theory 4. | 3 |
History of Political/Social Theory 4. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A consideration of selected writers and themes of late 19th and 20th century political theory. Writers include Hegel, Clausewitz, Marx, Mill, Nietzsche, Lenin, Rowis, Foucault, and Habermas. The rise of industrial society, scientism, the romantic revolt, revolutionary movements, socialism and liberal-democracy. | ||
| POLI 458 | (De-) Coloniality. | 3 |
(De-) Coloniality. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Explores the theorization of colonialism, including settler colonialism, as a political phenomenon. Explores the connection between colonialism and political thought, with both an historical and contemporary focus. Explores how political thinkers have and are responding to, resisting, and undermining coloniality. | ||
| POLI 459 | Topics in Political Theory 2. | 3 |
Topics in Political Theory 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course will deal with a specific problem area in Political theory. | ||
| POLI 470 | Philosophy, Economy and Society. | 3 |
Philosophy, Economy and Society. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The application of normative political theory and the history of political thought to state-society and state-market relations and governance. The justice and ethics of economic policies and modes of production; social-theoretic and economic examinations of the state and the state system from social theory and economic theory. | ||
| POLI 561 | Seminar: Political Theory. | 3 |
Seminar: Political Theory. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A topic in political philosophy such as democracy, liberty, property or nationalism, or a political philosopher, is studied to enable students to research a topic in depth, to present their papers to the seminar, and to engage in and profit from discussion and debate. | ||
Methods
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLI 210 | Political Science Research Methods. | 3 |
Political Science Research Methods. Terms offered: Summer 2025 This course provides an introduction to political science research methods. The aim of the course is to familiarize students with the scientific study of politics, the variety of research methodologies in political science, and the challenges that arise when researchers attempt to explain or measure political phenomena, demonstrate causal relationships and draw methodologically- defensible conclusions from research . | ||
| POLI 311 | Introduction to Quantitative Political Science. | 3 |
Introduction to Quantitative Political Science. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Building on POLI 210 (or equivalent), this course will introduce students to modern quantitative political science methods and teach them the requisite programming skills for data analysis. The course will provide students the foundational statistical skills to apply to their own research projects and to become more informed consumers of quantitative data in and outside of the academic context. | ||
| POLI 312 | Intermediate Quantitative Political Science. | 3 |
Intermediate Quantitative Political Science. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Building on POLI 311 (or equivalent), this course will deepen students’ understanding of modern quantitative political science tools as well as deepen their statistical programming skills. | ||
| POLI 313 | Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Political Science. | 3 |
Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Political Science. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the basic concepts, approaches, and techniques of qualitative research methods in political science. It covers both positivist and interpretivist approaches, and techniques such as interviewing, focus groups, case studies, comparative historical analysis, discourse analysis, archival research, and ethnographic research. | ||
| POLI 461 | Advanced Quantitative Political Science. | 3 |
Advanced Quantitative Political Science. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A lab course that deals with topics not covered in POLI 311 or POLI 312 and applicable across political science subfields. Such topics include: Estimating models with limited and categorical outcomes; dealing with time-dependent data; estimating models of duration; advanced spatial methods; advanced text-as-data methods; advanced network methods . | ||
Special Courses
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLI 490 | Independent Reading and Research 1. | 3 |
Independent Reading and Research 1. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Final year Major, Joint Honours and Honours students wishing to pursue a specialized interest will be allowed to undertake a program of independent reading and/or research in that area under the supervision of a member of staff. Students will not be permitted to register for this course until they obtain consent from a Political Science professor to supervise them. | ||
| POLI 499 | Honours Essay. | 3 |
Honours Essay. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Regular meetings between student and professor, and the writing of a well researched essay. The essay should demonstrate some experience with primary sources, the ability to explore various theoretical perspectives as well as to organize and present a set of arguments in a systematic and thorough manner. The essay will be graded by a second reader from the Department designated by the supervisor. Students will not be permitted to register for this course until they obtain consent from a Political Science professor to supervise them. | ||
| POLI 599 | Internship: Political Science. | 3 |
Internship: Political Science. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The internship shall consist of a minimum of 150 hours of work over a period of 12 weeks, plus a major research project based on the internship. The major project will ordinarily consist of a major research paper, plus a substantial written record of the work conducted during the internship. | ||