Spring 2019 Graduate Calendar


POLITICAL SCIENCE: COURSES

All courses listed will not necessarily be offered in any given year. Courses are normally two hours a week.

POLS-8000. Scope and Approaches to Political Science
A review of the state of the discipline and a survey of approaches to research. This course is mandatory, as students will focus on their major paper/thesis research design.

POLS-8010.Selected Topics in Contemporary Political Theory
This course explores one or more themes in political theory through discussions and seminar presentations. While the focus is on political themes, the readings might be drawn from other disciplines, e.g., literature, psychology, religion, history, or sociology.

POLS-8020. International Relations Theory
A survey of recent literature on theories and methods in the study of international politics.

POLS-8100. Quantitative Methods in Political Science
The course will give an overview of quantitative methods and techniques which are core to the analysis of empirical data analysis in Political Science. The aim is to provide an understanding of statistical methods to be able to (1) conduct statistical tests in a variety of applications, and (2) quantify dependencies between variables. The course requires that students have had some introduction to questions of research design and basic descriptive statistics at the undergraduate level. Along with this introduction to various methods, their application through the use of statistical computer packages (e.g. SPSS) will also be a core part of the course. This course is also designed to help students obtain and analyze data for their major paper/thesis.(Prerequisite: POLS-8000).
    POLS-8200. Federalism in Canada
    Analysis of selected topics in Canadian federalism. Topics may include: federalism, federal/provincial relations, the social union, and the debate over the future of Quebec in Canada.

    POLS-8210. Canadian Politics: Participation and Processes
    Analysis of selected topics in Canadian politics. Topics may include: parties, elections, voting behaviour, pressure groups, representation, new social movements, Canadian political theories, ideologies, and public opinion as measured through survey research and communication surveys.

    POLS-8220. Canadian Public Policy
    A review of the applicability of contemporary theories of public policy-making, policy evaluation, and policy delivery within the context of the Canadian political system. May include a focus on specific areas of public policy.

    POLS-8230. Canadian Foreign Policy
    An examination of selected issues in Canadian foreign policy, chosen for the relevance in driving the contemporary research agenda. Topics may include human security, Canadian defence policy, peacekeeping, and/or Canadian aid and development policy.

    POLS-8300. International Organizations
    A theoretical overview of International Organizations; the course will examine why these organizations exist, how they operate, and their impact on international affairs. The course may also focus on specific organizations, for example, the UN, the EU, ASEAN and/or the OAS.

    POLS-8320. The Third World in International Relations
    An examination of the theoretical literature on such topics as the foreign policy of third world states, nonstate actors, structural dependence, North-South conflict, and regional integration.

    POLS-8330. International Political Economy
    Study of the major theoretical perspectives in international political economy as applied to such issues as multinational corporations, trade, and international development.

    POLS-8340. International Security
    An examination of selected topics in security. Examples of topics may include inter- and intra-state conflict, different approaches to conflict resolution, the utility of force, the causes of war, non-traditional approaches to security and/or detailed case studies of selected conflicts.

    POLS-8350. Globalization, Poverty and Development
    This course provides a foundation for understanding the fields of Globalization and Development Studies, with special emphasis on the problem of persistent poverty and inequality on a global scale, and the relation of this condition to global political economy, global justice, and global politics. With a focus on the role of the state and market, the course combines expertise and perspectives from the fields of Politics, International Political Economy, and Sociology of Development to provide an interdisciplinary learning environment. It covers a range of relevant topics including the definitions of globalization(s); the definition(s) and measurement of poverty; the analysis of the relationship between globalization, development and poverty; global politics and development, global justice and global ethics; and the 2007 global crisis and its relation to global poverty and development.

    POLS- 8360. Politics and Security in Russia and Eurasia
    This course examines the politics of and security issues facing the Russian Federation, the five Central Asian Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and the Caucasian Republics of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. For the purposes of this course, the role and influence of Turkey, Iran, China and the United States on the politics and security of these Eurasian states will also be considered. The approach taken in this course is inter-disciplinary, drawing heavily from the fields of political science, history, and economics. The students will be introduced to political, economic and social issues affecting the region and taught how to research these issues through the lens of historical analysis and political economy.

    POLS-8400. American Politics and Government
    Analysis of selected topics in American politics and government. Topics may be selected from the institutional or behavioural areas of the discipline, or may include a comparative analysis of Canadian and American politics.

    POLS-8410. Political Economy, Mass Media and Democracy
    This course examines the linkages between media, democracy and the larger political economy. Students will research a media conglomerate; identify media roles in how governments and publics interact. Hegemony, ideology and institutional/organization analyses will bring students an integrated understanding of the role of media in a democracy.

    POLS 8430. Collective Action and Contentious Politics
    This course explores the conditions and processes shaping protests, riots, revolutions, and other forms of contentious politics. The course examines major theories about revolutions and social movements and considers competing explanations for the emergence of collective action. Particular attention is paid to the conditions under which people do or do not rebel and various aspects of the strategic interaction between social movements and states, and the determinants of movement outcomes. The students will read theoretical works and review several cases of revolutions and social movements in both democratic and nondemocratic state settings, thinking through parallels and differences among them.

    POLS-8420. Politics in the Developed World
    An examination of the political systems of economically developed countries. Topics may include comparative government, managing ethnic conflict, new social movements, democratic development, and the development of international political and economic institutions.

    POLS-8679.Islamic Political Thought
    This course examines the rise and development of Islamic political thought from the formative period of Islam (622-661 CE) down to the contemporary era described here as the ‘age of fundamentalism’ (1920s – present). The focus of the course will revolve around ideas of significant Muslim thinkers, and, where appropriate, look into the political, legal and cultural traditions that provided the contextual milieu of these intellectual contributions. Preference would be given to those with a background in Political Theory and/or Islamic or Middle Eastern Politics.

    POLS-8910. Selected Topics in Political Science
    Topics of current interest selected by the Political Science faculty which may vary from year to year. (May be repeated for credit if offered as a different topic with the permission of the program coordinator.)

    POLS-8920. Readings in an Approved Special Field
    Intended for students with a special interest in and knowledge of areas not covered in sufficient depth by other courses. (To be taken only with the permission of the program coordinator.)

    POLS-8950. Political Science MA Internship
    The Political Science MA Internship places students in a full-time work placement relating to public policy and political science generally. Students will be placed with an organization for approximately six months in the summer and fall semesters. During this period they will have the opportunity to continue their study of politics at a practical level, synthesizing the theory to practice. Interns will meet periodically during the internship in a class setting to evaluate the progress of their internships. At the conclusion of the work placement, students will prepare a research paper relating to their work experience. This paper will be publicly presented at a conference in December.

    POLS-8960. Major Paper

    POLS-8970. Thesis