Current Courses

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

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

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

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

This course introduces students to International Relations theory, with a focus on the mainstream theories in the field, namely realism and its variants, liberalism and constructivism. These theories are illustrated and developed through the use of case studies and examinations of the institutions and structures of the international system. Prerequisite: POLS 1013, POLS 1603, or permission of the instructor.

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

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

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

This course considers human rights in international relations. It focuses on how the emerging human rights regime is affecting the practice of traditional state sovereignty. Special attention will be paid to the political and philosophical arguments around such issues as universal human rights versus cultural relativism, and the problems associated with humanitarian intervention.

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

Designed as an upper-level seminar for students of Political Science, this course will focus on theories of comparative politics and their application to a major issue of interest to the discipline. Prerequisite: POLS 2303 and 2313, or permission of the instructor.

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

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

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

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

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

This course introduces students to the critical and non-mainstream variants of International Relations (IR) theory. These include Marxism, Gramscianism, feminist theories of IR, and other forms of critical theory. These theories are illustrated and developed through the use of case studies and examinations of the institutions and structures of the international system. They are also contrasted with mainstream IR theories. Prerequisite: POLS 1013, POLS 1603, or permission of the instructor.

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

This course will focus on the manner in which the evolution of constitutional law has shaped the Canadian federal system. The course will proceed primarily by means of class discussion of leading constitutional decisions and by student presentations.

This course examines several important themes surrounding Canada's judicial process including types of law, Canada's courts, jury trials, the movement of a case from investigation through to appeal; judicial appointment and independence; and interest group use of courts for policy ends. The course will also cover important legal cases and salient contemporary issues. Prerequisite: POLS 1103 or permission of the instructor.

This course is a study of Canada and its role in the world. It will focus, in particular, on the historical development of Canada's foreign policy and the continuities between the past and the present. Is Canada a principal power or is it highly constrained by the imperatives of its relationship with the United States? A significant component of the course will be spent in evaluating Canada's role in a post-Cold War and post-9/11 world. Particular attention will be paid to issues related to the question of multilateralism and Canada's evolving approach to this tradition. Prerequisite: POLS 2613 or POLS 2623, or permission of the instructor.

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

The focus of this course is on the problems modern political philosophy has confronted in attempting to show how nature can be used as a standard for judging the best life and the just political order. The writings of one or two of the following authors will be considered: Machiavelli, Hobbes, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Burke, Jefferson, Nietzsche, and Heidegger. Prerequisite: POLS 2803 and 2813 (or 2806) or permission of the instructor.

This course surveys the structure of American Government and the cultural, legal, and economic contexts in which it is embedded. Students examine how these contexts shape the nature of social problems and delimit the scope of government policy responses.