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 setting and confrontational environment of the American political system including the political culture, extremism, the constitution, public opinion, the role of the media, elections, parties, money and interest groups. Course work will include an assignment proposing an election campaign or policy implementation project.

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.

Historical origins of the Western tradition, examining shifting ideas about freedom, power, and legitimacy against the ebb and flow of empires, the horrors of plague and war, the beginnings of capitalism and modern science, the rise of extraordinary sophistication in music and visual art, and the emergence of the sovereign territorial state.

From its beginning in the 17th century, the modern world has been accompanied and shaped by debates about the role of the state in society, power of the majority, protection of human rights, individual liberty and social equality. This course revisits these debates in the classical texts of political thinkers from Locke and Rousseau to Marx and Nietzsche by critically examining their continued relevance for a postmodern world.

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 is designed to expose students to the set of skills that lawyers use on a daily basis in the practice of law. These may include interviewing clients and witnesses, gathering evidence, oral argument, researching and interpreting case law, and negotiation. These various skills draw on student’s capacity to problem solve, think critically and communicate clearly.

Note

• An approved required course for the Legal Studies Option.

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.

Explores the context of Canadian environmental policy-making, including natural resource dependence, federalism, partisan, electoral and interest group dynamics, and political culture. The course will then enhance students' understanding of policy instrument choice, policy capacity, and policy impact in specific issue areas, such as climate change and energy policy, water management, air quality and biodiversity.

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 examines global conflict and security in the post-Cold War era from a variety of theoretical perspectives with particular attention to contemporary debates and issues. Topics may include peacekeeping, humanitarian intervention, the military-industrial complex, the ‘war on terror', refugees and migration, poverty and development and environmental security.

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.

Examines some of the most complex legal problems in modern conflict. The conduct of international affairs can be a rough business, but one in which actions remain constrained by the rule of law. Students are provided with a basic understanding of the core principles of public international law, before advancing to a critical examination of the dynamic interplay between international politics and international law in modern conflict and global security. Topics covered may include prohibitions on the use of force and cyber-attacks, unmanned aerial strikes and territorial sovereignty, bio-warfare and international espionage.

Note

• An approved required course for the Legal Studies Option.

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 provides a theoretical and practical examination of Canadian Public Administration with a focus on organizational theory, organizational choice, and ideological impacts. A case study approach will be employed in which students will choose a government organization to demonstrate their knowledge of course material.

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.

This course will introduce students to the phenomenon of political corruption and the study of its incidence. Attention will be paid to historical examples, contemporary scandals, and analytical articles, dealing with the nature, causes and effects, and proposed cures to political corruption, and the ethical dilemmas inherent in political life.

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.

This course examines the evolution of Canada’s constitutional regime and the role of the judiciary in the practice of politics of Canada. Topics may include the Canadian Founding, Federalism, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, constitutional reform and amendment, judicial appointment and selection, judicial review and Canadian democracy, judicial activism, the dialogue thesis, and the role of interest groups in judicial litigation.

Notes

• An approved required course for the Legal Studies Option.
• Canadian course.

Relations between indigenous peoples and the state underwrite some of the most significant policy challenges - and opportunities - in Canada. This course explores policy-making through the lens of this evolving relationship, including its impacts on such critical issues as self-determination and land claims, economic and resource development, and barriers to adequate education, employment, housing and health for indigenous communities. The Canadian case will be explored in comparative context, with reference to American and Mexican policy-making and indigenous advocacy. (Cross-listed as NO330.)

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.

Notes

• Canadian course.

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 in the electoral process, strategy and analysis. In addition to mastering conceptual discussions of various theories that influence voting behaviour, students are expected to pursue an original research study that involves the design and analysis of campaign strategy.

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 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 (mostly) open, liberal international economy constructed since World War II is widely seen to be facing an existential crisis. The global financial crisis, the election of Donald Trump, and the rise of populism in Europe have cast doubt on the commitment to economic openness of western countries, while the growing power of non-western states – most notably China – has changed the contours of world politics. This course explores contemporary trends in the global political economy and the prospects for significant conflict and transformation in the years to come.

Students of public policy are increasingly aware that the transnational flow of policy ideas, in which international organisations play an important part, cannot be ignored. This is as true for OECD countries as it is for the countries of Eastern and Central Europe and the Global South. At the same time, in international relations, both rational choice theorists and social constructivists have come to recognise that international organisations are not simply instruments of nation states. Rather what they do and how they ‘think” is at least in part shaped by internal dynamics.

At the macro level, this course explores international organisations' contributions to the complex field of transnational or "global" governance and the instruments (both hard and soft) to which they have recourse. At the micro and meso-levels, it assesses the role international organisations play in the transnational diffusion of public policy ideas and “best practices.” It examines major international organisations such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the OECD, and then considers their role in the governance of key policy areas. Focusing on policy areas such as poverty reduction, migration, food and the environment, makes it easier to trace the relations of competition and cooperation into which they enter into with each other and with other actors, national and transnational.

Citizenship is commonly understood as a modern liberal institution conferring legal status, rights and duties, and membership in a political community (usually the nation-state). It also involves the practices and subjectivities that constitute the citizen-subject as the quintessential political subject. But citizenship has also been a part and parcel of the more violent aspects of nation-building and state-making processes, involving the exclusion and elimination of various groups of people from the polity. The boundaries of citizenship are challenged when those lacking rights, status, and belonging make demands for greater inclusion. This course examines this contested politics of citizenship through several recent debates within the field of critical citizenship, border and migration studies that include questions such as: Who is, and historically has been, considered the citizen? What are the boundaries of citizenship? Must citizenship be located within the nation-state? What challenges do concepts of cosmopolitan and transnational citizenship pose for understanding citizenship? If the history of expanding the boundaries of citizenship has been made by those groups previously excluded from it, what potential do new social movements (such as youth activism, migrant/refugee rights-based, sexual and other cultural social movements) offer for contesting and expanding the parameters of our understandings about the relationship between belonging, identity and the boundaries of political community? Can they contribute to fostering more equitable, inclusive and just societies? What are the limits of citizenship politics?

The purpose of this seminar is to read and critically discuss some of the classics of modern political thought. The focus on female thinkers allows for reflections on gender difference and equality. Beginning with the first modern feminist, Mary Wollstonecraft, the readings will include texts by the American anarchist Emma Goldman, the German socialist revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg, and one of 20th century’s greatest intellectual minds, Hannah Arendt.

This course addresses international and Canadian human rights policies. Topics of study normally include international human rights law; a brief history of human rights; the question of cultural relativism and human rights; the right to development; the role of civil society in human rights; and human rights in Canadian foreign policy. For their written assignment students are expected to pick one policy topic, explain its background, critique a major policy document such as an international human rights treaty, and make new policy proposals.

We live in a world where populist leaders, movements and parties have shaken up the liberal-democratic traditions that inform Western political systems.  Populism is often associated with right wing politicians in the form of Trump in the US or Putin and Erdogan in Russia and Turkey. However, it also shows itself on the left, with politicians such as Sanders in the US. Populists may also support leftist ideologies symbolized in social justice movements like Occupy and Black Lives Matter. Or, on the other side of the spectrum, populist movements may espouse extreme ideologies of white nationalism and nativism that feed into extreme anti-immigrant movements. One commonality, even amongst this diverse spectrum of ideologies, is that they all claim to represent the real interests of ‘the people’. Additionally, they all seem to agree that, for one reason or another, the current liberal democratic institutions have failed them. The rise of these ideas, ideologies, political parties and movements around the globe will be the focus of this course. The major questions addressed in this course are: What is populism? How does it relate to the crisis of democracy? Is there an actual crisis? What are the consequences of a populist explosion on liberal democratic systems as we know them? The seminar will analyze these issues from a comparative perspective using examples from different parts of the world.

This seminar examines the political cultures, political economies, party systems and policy outputs of the ten Canadian provinces – and, to a lesser extent, the three territories. In 2019-2020, particular emphasis will be placed on the efforts to resolve inter-provincial tensions created by the carbon tax, pipelines, climate change, and non-tariff barriers to trade, especially those involved in the “free-the-beer” case [R v. Comeau 2018 SCC 15].

Note:

• Canadian course.