Undergraduate Courses

This course explores the dynamic world of politics from a Canadian and comparative perspective. From the national to the local, we see politics shaping how we address controversial issues, such as possession of guns or drugs, and provision of public health care. Through the study of public opinion, constitutions and laws, political parties and the ideologies that motivate them, and social movements, we can identify patterns that help us to understand the distinctive political worlds within countries.

This course takes students on a journey through today's breathtaking global terrain. It explores how we are resolving (or not) today's international and global challenges: from nuclear proliferation to human trafficking, from clashes of competing ideologies to the management of a global economy. Governments and international organizations are part of the mix, but so are less-conventional players like al-Qaeda, Doctors without Borders, Monsanto, Amazon, the Vatican, and even celebrities. 

Notes

• PO101 is not a prerequisite for PO102.

This course is designed to provide students with the basic skills necessary to understand and write about legal decisions in a manner intended to enrich broader public dialogue; it will equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to make the legal system intelligent to the ‘outside’ world. Topics to be covered in the course may include: legal research and preparation; understanding and communicating legal challenges, libel/privacy/contempt and criminal cases; legal commentary and analysis; and legal writing in a digital age.

Notes

• An approved required course for the Legal Studies Option.

This course is designed to introduce student to the Canadian legal system. Topics to be explored include: the sources of Canadian law; the structure of the Canadian court system; the process of judicial dispute resolution; and the nature of some of the major branches of law (i.e. constitutional law, administrative law, criminal law, tort law, family law and estates, contract law, employment law, and property law).

Notes

• An approved required course for the Legal Studies Option.

This course provides the foundation required to develop sound research projects, and the skills necessary to assess the quality of research conducted by others. Topics include: what makes political science a "science?"; the importance of the research process,; how to ask questions; and the stages involved in writing research papers. Also introduces students to qualitative and quantitative methods used to collect information, and the digital tools used to analyze data.

Grounds students in the methods used to answer questions in political science and social science in general. The course includes hands-on training in the use of software employed in the social sciences, offering students the opportunity to develop transferable skills in addition to combining theory with practice.

The course introduces students to major issues and perspectives in comparative politics. Its thematic approach will allow students to examine the challenges of the modern state formation, different types of political systems and their governing institutions, and the relationship between the state and citizens, and state and identity formation in an increasingly global world. A wide array of country/case studies will be examined in a way that will encourage students to use major concepts in comparative politics and engage in comparison of experiences of major (post)industrialized states in Europe and North America, with those in Latin America, Asia and Africa.

A study of the institutions and actors in the American political system, focusing on political and social contexts that have contributed to confrontation, polarization, and dysfunction in the United States.

This course examines the principal ideas, actors, institutions, processes and power relations in world politics and their changing nature under forces of globalization and securitization. The course introduces students to theories of international relations, globalization and global governance within the context of historical and contemporary world events, policy decisions, and case studies. Topics include the study of the nuclear age and the Cold War, forms of military and humanitarian intervention, the globalized war economy, and the global "war on terror."

Every day, huge quantities of products, sums of money, and numbers of people cross international borders. This course introduces the analytical tools and frameworks that political scientists use to understand and explain the nature of the international political economy. Topics may include trade, regionalism, development, migration, the environment, international law and institutions, and the role of non-state actors.

This course introduces students to policy-making as both the “art” and the “science” of developing responses to our collective problems – e.g. climate change, drug policy, health care provision. Despite the attempt to discover general principles to guide policy design (the science), crafting “good” public policy means grappling with the more political, and unpredictable, realities that must be factored into all stages of the policy cycle (the art). Students will explore this tension through a series of current policy case studies, and by examining complex issues surrounding policy instrument choice. The class sessions will mix lectures, discussions, group activities, and guest speakers.

This course is designed to introduce students to the contexts, institutions and processes that frame the practice of politics in Canada. Topics will include trends in Canadian political attitudes, the evolving nature of Canadian parliamentary government and federalism, and the complex dynamics between citizens and the state.

Notes

• Canadian course.
• SPO263 and PO264 may be taken to fulfil both the Canadian and the Field requirements for the Honours BA in Political Science.

This course confronts the real world of Canadian politics and government through an examination of enduring and contemporary political challenges. Topics may include issues relating to the management of diversity in Canadian society (e.g., gender, ethnicity and First Nations), the response of state institutions to a more active citizenry, and the engagement of Canadian actors in the global community.

Notes

• Canadian course.
• PO263 and PO264 may be taken to fulfil both the Canadian and the Field requirements for the Honours BA in Political Science.

This course examines the sources of contemporary Québécois identity in fiction, film, theatre and non-fiction. It explores both the legacy of Québec’s distinctive historical trajectory and recent political, economic, and social developments in the province, along with their impact on public policy. As well, it examines Québec’s relations with the rest of Canada, the situation of Francophones outside of Québec, and Québec’s aspirations to be an actor in the international arena. (Cross-listed as NO315.)

Note

• Canadian course.

This course examines challenges of building democracy in a region where the political, economic and social legacies of the colonial period and 19th century continue to have their effect. It explores how highly inequitable social structures and patterns of economic growth have provoked acute and violent conflicts in the past, and continue to do so today.

Note

• Area Studies course.

An introduction to the political dynamics of contemporary sub-Saharan Africa. This class will examine the impacts of historical patterns of development; the post-colonial state and its role in socio-economic change, social actors, movements, and divisions, economic and social crises; and the contemporary democratic trend. There will be an emphasis on the diversity existing within and among African nations in order to challenge some of the common media-based stereotypes of the continent.

Note

• Area Studies course.

This course will introduce students to the issues of human displacement and refugees in global politics. It will address the causes, effects and domestic/international responses to these issues in historical and contemporary contexts. Students will critically engage with key theoretical, political and ethical questions related to these issues and will in turn use these debates to reflect upon the state of contemporary global politics.

This course introduces students to the institutions, processes, actors and dynamics of global governance across a range of issue areas, including human rights and peace and security. Students explore contending theoretical perspectives (realist, liberal, constructivist, critical) and analyse complex governance challenges in order to understand continuity and innovation in contemporary global politics.

An introduction to the nature, sources, and basic concepts of public international law, and to the role and value of international law both as a means of understanding international relations, and as an integral component of international relations.

Notes

• An approved required course for the Legal Studies Option.

Provides students with the basic skills necessary to understand and write persuasively about political issues, both for practitioners and for a broader audience. It is divided into three sections: preparation for political writing; political writing for practitioners; and political writing for a broader public. After developing strategies for knowledge acquisition and crafting persuasive texts, students learn to identify and undertake writing projects specifically addressed to different political and policy audiences, including the policy brief, memoranda, legislative documentation, political commentary and speech-writing.

A theoretical and practical examination of the Canadian policy-making process, with a focus on decision-making, power, policy change, policy creation, evaluation, and implementation.

Notes

• Canadian course.

This course explores the idea of justice, focusing on conflicts between liberty and equality, and especially on contemporary debates surrounding the work of John Rawls. Arguments and proposals advanced by utilitarians, libertarians, Marxists, egalitarians, liberal and radical feminists, communitarians and republicans will be evaluated.

Notes

• An approved required course for the Legal Studies Option.

Investigates the seismic shifts in the contemporary politics of the Middle East. Despite the optimism expressed in recent years, the Middle East remains a region fraught with enduring contradictions and challenges. The course’s focus on contemporary political life in the context of current social and political fault lines and relations will aid students in arriving at a more nuanced understanding of Middle East politics and in dismantling common stereotypes about the region.

Notes

• Area Studies course.

A survey of the political economy of Eastern Asia. The class will examine key historical dynamics, including colonialism, state formation, industrialization and nationalism, before introducing such contemporary issues as regionalism, trade, investment, gender, democratization and international relations. The course focuses particularly on China, Japan and Thailand.

Notes

• Area Studies course.

For thirty years, the battle over nationalism, regionalism and separatism made federalism the hottest topic in the land. But today, new generations of Canadian students have never lived through the scare of the country breaking up (as in 1976, 1981 and 1995), or been exposed to a serious political discussion about the future of Canada as a national project. This course seeks to revive interest in Canadian federalism as a crucial form of political order in a deeply divided and diverse society.

Municipal decisions regularly shape our daily lives. More than policy makers for traffic lights, garbage collection, and sidewalks, this course will expose students to the municipal legislative framework, including municipal governance, elections, land use planning, heritage, and freedom of information and privacy issues. Students will practically apply course concepts to contemporary problems facing municipalities through local case studies.

A series of seminars and workshops, with particular emphasis on exploring the field of border studies as it relates to both the US-Mexico and Canada‐US border, on the idea of Canada as a "border culture," and on how these perspectives feed into border policy. Prepares students for an oral presentation at the annual Crossing Borders Student Conference held jointly by the University of Buffalo and Brock University.

Cross-listed as NO401.

The Canadian state and nation have undergone a significant transformation since the end of the Second World War. This seminar focuses on the nature of that transformation and the forces that helped to shape it. Topics may include: multi-nationalism (Québec and Aboriginal Peoples), multiculturalism, gender, diversity, globalization, the rights revolution, economic prosperity and decline, neo-liberalism, new public management.

This seminar evaluates the state of democracy in Canada. It uses the literature on democratic theory to interrogate the democratic nature of Canada's political institutions and practices. Topics may include the democratic deficit, electoral reform, citizen assemblies, referendums, judicial activism, parliamentary reform, governing from the centre, e-democracy, civic engagement, voter behaviour, campaign finance reform, and citizen politics.

This seminar examines contemporary policy problems and issues facing the Canadian state. Areas that may be covered include health care, the environment, education, social policy, fiscal policy, trade, family policy, economic and regional development, and Aboriginal policy.

Notes

• Canadian course.

Examines the different ways in which Canadian political parties seek to finance themselves and conduct election campaigns in order to win votes and gain political power. Topics to be examined may include campaign finance legislation (both federal and provincial), parties' use of social media (blogging, Facebook and Twitter), political communications during specific election campaigns, the dynamics of leadership races, and third-party spending.

An advanced seminar that explores the structure of political thinking at the individual level, examines factors accounting for individual differences in opinions and attitudes, and investigates factors affecting the movement of public opinion at the aggregate level.

An in-depth exploration of selected issues of current interest in Global South politics. This class will draw on case studies from nations and regions undergoing political challenges and transformations, investigating the roots of change as well as assessing responses.

This course examines the problem(s) of post-war and post-conflict reconstruction in states and societies. Using examples and case studies as well as conceptual frameworks, Peace and Reconstruction covers war and conflict termination and the political, economic, military, legal and societal issues arising from (and after) war’s end.

An examination of the nature and development of social science theories, the relationship of theory and research, and the theories and approaches that are commonly used to explain political phenomena.

Notes

• Full-credit course offered in one term.

Students in this course apply the skills and knowledge they have acquired in PO478 and PO217 (and throughout their studies) to the creation and execution of a major research project on a topic of their choice.

Notes

• Full credit course offered in one term.

The seminar explores populist politics and rhetoric by addressing the following questions: What is populism? Why is it so hard to define it? Are there significant regional and historical differences between left and right populism? What are the similarities and differences between populism and nationalism? And, finally, is populism a threat or corrective to liberal democracy? The main sociological and political approaches to populism will first be reviewed. Then, we will empirically examine these topics through the range of comparative country cases covering different regions in the world.

This class explores the role of gender in lives of people in the Global South, with attention to how global, economic, and political systems create and reinforce inequalities.

This course explores the evolution of the field of International Relations through the lens of key issues. We examine contending perspectives with an eye to exploring their respective contributions to an understanding of global politics. In the process, we explore prevailing epistemological debates. We also investigate new directions in IR theory, including the relationship between theory and practice, shifts away from the state as the primary actor, and the move toward ethics and global governance.

The Earth’s ecosystems are entering a period of rapid change shaped by rising patterns of plant and animal extinctions. These changes could permanently alter ecosystems across the planet, affecting all of the communities who rely on them. Although extinction is usually treated as a matter of Western scientific research and/or management, it is deeply influenced by political, economic, social and cultural factors. This online seminar explores multiple facets of extinction through a political lens, and from a variety of knowledge systems, including Indigenous, BIPOC and other marginalized knowledge systems and various strands of the Western sciences. It also introduces students to multiple disciplinary approaches, including those from environmental studies, political ecology, political science/political studies, geography, global political economy, policy studies and more.