POLS
POLITICAL SCIENCE
Note: See beginning of Section H for abbreviations, course number and coding.
INTRODUCTORY LEVEL COURSES
POLS 1000
Introduction to Politics
6 ch (6C) [W]
This course introduces the student to some of the important ideas of politics. It draws
special attention to conceptions of the state, democracy and capitalism, and their
significance for contemporary life. Available only online.
POLS 1103
North American Politics
3 ch (3C) [W]
Introduces students to the major issues and concepts involved in the study of political
science through a comparison of politics in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The
course is built around an exploration of the links between the institutions and processes of
government (executives, legislatures, courts and elections) and the political society of each
country (its values, cultures, ideologies, and social conflicts).
POLS 1203
Political Issues that Divide Canadians
3 ch (3C) [W]
Examines contemporary and enduring issues within the context of the Canadian political
system. Topics may include: Quebec and national unity, aboriginal self-government, cultural
and regional diversity, class conflict, and electoral reform.
POLS 1303
Pivotal Political Events
3 ch (3C) [W]
Considers the political origins and long-term political impact, as well as the effect on the
field of political science, of crises which have shaped the contemporary world, such as the
Russian Revolution, the Holocaust, the dropping of the atomic bomb, the Cold War, the rise
of the welfare state, the UN Declaration of Human Rights, and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
POLS 1403
Contemporary Political Ideas and Ideologies
3 ch (3C) [W]
Introduces students to the important political ideas and movements of the past century that
shape present day society. Tracing the development and thinking about political life in the
twentieth century, it examines such diverse ideologies as: liberalism, social Darwinism,
existentialism, feminism, ecologism, and post-modernism.
POLS 1503
Law, Power, and Politics
3 ch (3C) [W]
Introduces students to some of the main concepts of political science, including:
constitutionalism, the rule of law, rights, citizenship, obligation, authority, and legitimacy.
Students will also study the concrete applications of these principles in specific
circumstances by examining selected political problems, public policies, and legal
procedures.
POLS 1603
Politics of Globalization
3 ch (3C) [W]
The term 'globalization' has quickly become one of the most popular, yet least understood,
words in the contemporary political vocabulary. This course introduces students to the key
issues involved in the study of globalization. Topics examined may include: militarization
and warfare, the rise of the global neo-liberal order, the end of the Cold War, international
ecological politics, transnational corporations, the condition of women in the global
economy, changing relations between North and South, and the impact of globalization on
the role of the nation-state.
POLS 2101
The American Political Experience
3 ch (3C) [W]
Surveys the American political experience with a focus on the post-1945 period. Topics
include the paranoid tradition in American politics, the New Deal consensus, the Cold War,
the Civil Rights movement, the Second Wave feminist movement, the war against Vietnam,
the rise of the New Right and post-9/11 American Foreign policy.
POLS 2200
The Canadian Political Experience
6 ch (6C) [W]
An introductory course in Canadian government and politics, dealing with the following
topics: the constitution and civil liberties; federalism, with some focus on Quebec; the
legislative, executive and judicial branches of government; political parties and interest
groups; representation and electoral behaviour; nationalism in Canada. Students cannot
hold credit for both POLS 2200 and POLS 3282 .
POLS 2203
Issues in Canadian Public Policy
3 ch (3C)
Major issues in Canadian public policy-making and related approaches to policy analysis are
examined from the perspective of political science. Topics will include health policy,
economic policy, and cultural policy.
POLS 2303
Politics of the Developing World
3 ch (3C) [W]
This course introduces students to key political issues facing developing countries using a
comparative politics approach. Key themes include state formation; sovereignty, democracy
and accountability; economic strategy; impact of globalization.
POLS 2373
An Introduction to the Politics & Society of the Middle
East
3 ch (3C) [W]
This course focuses on only two parts of what we call the Middle, or Near, East: the first is
the Fertile Crescent or Mashrek, which includes Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan
and Syria; the other deals with the states of the Persian Gulf with particular concentration
on Iran and Iraq.
POLS 2503
Women and Politics
3 ch (3C) [W]
This course maps the rise of the Second Wave feminist movement in North America,
examining women’s engagement with politics on issues concerning citizenship, the
economy, legal status, the division of public and private, and bodily autonomy.
POLS 2603
Comparative Politics of the Industrialized World (A)
3 ch (3C) [W]
This course introduces students to similarities and differences in the political culture,
political insitutions and public policies of countries in the industrialized world (Western
Europe and North America primarily).
POLS 2703
Introduction to International Relations
3 ch (3C)
A general introduction to the theory and practice of international relations. Issues examined
include: war, the global economy, international organizations, and the environment.
ADVANCED LEVEL COURSES
Canadian Government and Politics
POLS 3211
Canadian Governance in the Global Era
3 ch (3C)
Introduces students to the complex mechanisms through which governance has taken
shape, with a particular emphasis on recent policy shifts.
POLS 3213
Capitalism, Canada and Class
3 ch (3C) [W]
This course examines, the shifting class structure of Canada from the standpoint of the
evolution of global capitalism. Topics covered include the decline of the established worker,
the growth of non-standard work, migrant labour, unemployment, the deregulation of
labour law, the minimum wage debate and the gendering of low-wage sphere.
POLS 3237
The Politics of Memory in Canada and the United
States
3 ch (3C) [W]
What gets remembered and how it gets remembered are necessarily political. This course
will examine specific aspects of the national memory in Canada and the United States from
the late nineteenth-century through to the present. Topics will include the Native in the
North American imagination, the commemoration of slavery, the commemoration of military
events (for example, the Great War in Canada, the Vietnam War in the United States), and
history and the tourist gaze.
POLS 3241
Canadian Foreign Policy
3 ch (3C) [W]
An analysis of the foreign policy formulation process and a consideration of sectors other
than the Canadian-American relationship.
POLS 3242
Canadian-American Relations
3 ch (3C) [W]
An analysis of the political aspects of sectoral relations between Canada and the United
States.Restriction: Credit may not be obtained for both POLS 3242 and HIST 3364 (History
of Canadian-American Relations).
POLS 3247
Trudeau’s Canada
3 ch (3C) [W]
This course will focus on Canadian and Quebec politics in the Trudeau era. Topics will
include the Quiet Revolution, constitutional renewal, the 1980 referendum and the Charter
of Rights and Freedoms. The course will also focus on the Charter era through an
examination of key legal decisions. Finally, the course will examine Trudeau as a cultural
icon in English Canada.
POLS 3251
Canadian Federalism
3 ch (3C) [W]
Considers theories of federalism, the development of the Canadian federal system, and the
impact of current issues.
POLS 3257
Law and Politics in Canada
3 ch (3C) [W]
Analyzes the relationship between law and politics in Canada, with an emphasis on the
impact of judicial decisions on Canadian politics. Topics covered include the Rule of Law in
the Canadian Constitution, the judicial process, the Canadian Court system, judicial
recruitment and selection, judicial independence, judicial review, and judicial decisionmaking.
POLS 3263
Canadian Provincial Politics
3 ch (3C) [W]
Designed to provide the student with an overall grasp of the nature of government and
political processes in the Canadian provinces.
POLS 3267
Quebec Politics and Government
3 ch (3C) [W]
A survey of the political and social evolution of Quebec from the 17th century to the present
day. Emphasis is placed on 20th century events and on the nationalist dimension of Quebec
politics, particularly its modern incarnation in the period since 1960. Recommended prior
course: POLS 2200
POLS 3271
Community and Culture in Canadian Politics
3 ch (3C) [W]
A consideration of the impact of cultural and regional differences on prospects for political
unity and political change in Canada. Topics will include: English-French differences in
political culture and their policy implications; Indian and Inuit culture and its relevance for
the political process; the growth and political impact of regionalism and provincialism; the
politics of Canadian multiculturalism in comparative perspective.
POLS 3282
The Canadian Political System
3 ch (3C) [W]
An analysis of the Canadian political system with emphasis on the constitution, federalism,
parliamentary government, and the Canadian political culture. Students cannot hold credit
for both POLS 2200 and POLS 3282.
POLS 3292
Self-Government and Aboriginal Community
3 ch (3C) [W]
A systematic analysis of the principles, structures and institutions of traditional and
contemporary Indian self-government in Canada.
Public Policy
POLS 3212
Topics in Provincial Public Administration
3 ch (3C) [W]
Focuses on the study of selected aspects of the structure and process of provincial public
administration.
POLS 3227
Poverty, Governance, and Citizenship in Canada
3 ch (3C) [W]
This course explores the relationships between poverty policy, governmental forms, and
conceptions of citizenship. Students will critically evaluate major documents from
Confederation to contemporary policy debates. The central objective is to map out shifts,
turning points, and transformations in governing practices and sensibilities.
POLS 3391
Governance
3 ch (3C)
Investigates shifts that are occurring in the rationales, strategies, and practices of
governance, with a particular focus on contemporary transformations. Students will be
introduced to traditional tools of public administration analysis as well as new analytical
tools that have emerged at the turn of the 21st century. They will also be asked to explore
how new governing mechanisms take shape through shifting discourses, programs, and
techniques.
POLS 3392
Comparative Public Administration
3 ch (3C) [W]
A detailed study of contemporary public administration in selected countries in Europe and
North America with the emphasis on a comparative study of selected issues and topics.
POLS 3461
Public Policy Analysis
3 ch (3C) [W]
A critical examination of the institutions that form public policy, as well as the policy process
in relation to a number of selected areas.
Comparative Government, International Politics and Area
Studies
POLS 3103 Rights in Conflict in North America
3 ch (3C)
[W]
Investigates competing visions of rights in contemporary North American politics in
historical, ethical and theoretical perspective.
POLS 3112
The Political Economy of Russia and Ukraine (Cross
Listed: ECON 3112)
3 ch (3C)
[W]
Examines the political, economic and social dynamics of government in the two Slavic
nations in the post-Gorbachev era.
POLS 3113 The Foreign Policies of East European States
3 ch (3C)
[W]
Examines the major characteristics of foreign policy-making in the following countries:
Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic states, Poland, Germany, Romania, Serbia, Croatia,
Czechoslovakia, and Hungary.
POLS 3323 Cities in the ‘Urban Century’
3 ch (3C)
[W]
In the 21st century, half of the world’s population will be urban dwellers. The importance of
enhancing our knowledge of cities has never been greater. This course will address cities
within the context of globalization, economic change, state reform, citizenship, and social
justice. While emphasis will be placed on Canadian examples, comparisons with other
countries also will be made.
POLS 3343
The European Union in Transition (Cross Listed: ECON
3343)
3 ch (3C)
[W]
This course examines the economic, political, and legal aspects of the EU and its member
states. Topics included are money and finance and government institutions and further
political/economic integration with Eastern Europe. This course is an elective in the Law and
Society program.
POLS 3361 Eastern Europe in Transition (Cross Listed: ECON 3361)
3 ch (3C)
[W]
This is an introduction to the politics and economics of Eastern Europe. The course
examines how the countries of Eastern Europe, Eurasia and the former Yugoslavia emerge
into a market system and integrate with Western Europe and the rest of the world. Money,
banking, trade, and government policies will be emphasized.
POLS 3363 Contemporary Germany
3 ch (3C)
[W]
This course deals with both the internal and external politics of unified Germany. It
examines Germany's place in the European Community, studies the wide political spectrum
of Germany's multi-party system, and focuses on its cultural and political influence over the
rest of Europe.
POLS 3615 International Relations Theory (O)
3 ch (3C)
[W]
Examines the evolution of international relations theory to the present. Attention is given to
the socio-philosophical foundations of the Realist paradigm, and to recent challenges to
Realism emanating from modern and post-modern critical schools.
POLS 3633 International Public Law (Cross Listed: ECON 3633)
3 ch (3C)
[W]
Examines the sources of law such as custom and treaties and addresses specific issues in
the international system: the law of armed conflict, human rights, dispute settlement,
intergovernmental and supranational organizations, intellectual property rights, the
environment, and the relationship between business corporations, sovereign states and
private citizens.
POLS 3635 Critical Conflict Studies (O)
3 ch (3C)
[W]
Overviews traditional conflict research and then examines the nature of contemporary
warfare in terms of class, race, gender and sexual orientation. Particular focus is given to
WWI, WWII, the Vietnam War, and the 1991 Gulf War.
POLS 3647 Democratic Disengagement
3 ch (3C)
[W]
Examines the sources of democratic discontent and declining political participation in
Canada and other established democracies, along with potential remedies. Topics covered
include civil society and social cohesion, the changing role of political parties and the merits
of institutional changes such as electoral reform and direct democracy. Recommended prior
course: POLS 2200 or POLS 2603 .
POLS 3711 Political Economy of Development in Africa
3 ch (3C)
[W]
This course explores the political economy of development in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing
on challenges in the last two decades and drawing on several case studies from the region
to explore how they have unfolded in specific countries. The course emphasizes the role of
states, corporations, and international institutions in the development process. It examines
several recent challenges for the continent such as food, poverty reduction, agriculture and
rural development, urbanization and informalization, and HIV/AIDS. Recommended prior
course : POLS 2303 , POLS 2703 , or IDS 2001 .
POLS 3712 Globalization and Everday Life (A)
3 ch (3C)
[W]
The course examines the globalization of production, work and consumption as localized
changes that affect people on a daily basis. The course explores their transnational links by
utilizing one case study a year (such as clothing, toys, food products or footwear) and
emphasizing North-South relationships. Recommended prior course: POLS 2303 , POLS
2703 or IDS 2001 .
POLS 3713
The Global Economy: Production, Profits, Power and
People
3 ch (3C)
[W]
Surveys the primarily theoretical and empirical literature on the global political economy.
Issues addressed include imperialism, dependency, U.S. hegemony, the internationalization
of production, global finance, and the evolution of the Fordist production regime.
Recommended prior course: POLS 2303 , POLS 2703 or IDS 2001 .
POLS 3715 The Critique of Alienation in Social and Political Thought
3 ch (3C)
[W]
This course surveys the critique of alienation in social and political thought in the last two
hundred years. Thematic emphasis is on i) the theory of estranged labor, ii) the historic
forms of social consciousness, iii) the conditions of life in modern society, and iv)
humanity’s relationship to nature. Writers canvassed in lectures may include Hegel, Marx,
Durkheim, Weber, Heidegger, authors in the Frankfurt tradition, and more recent
commentators like Ivan Illich or Vandana Shiva.
POLS 3717 The Politics of Nationalism
3 ch (3C)
[W]
A general examination of nationalism as an ideology and political force, with some focus on
specific nationalist movements in both the developed and developing worlds. Topics include:
competing definitions of nations and nationalism, the underlying causes of nationalist unrest
and secessionism, and methods of conflict management in ethnically divided societies.
Recommended prior course: POLS 2303 or POLS 2603 .
POLS 3725 The Political Economy of Latin American Society (O)
3 ch (3C)
[W]
Surveys the social and economic foundations of South and Central American politics.
Specific issues examined include the relationship of the region to the global economy,
state/military relations, state repression, U.S. regional hegemony, political reform and
revolutionary movements.
POLS 3731 Governments and Their Spies
3 ch (3C)
[W]
This is a course about a nation's covert and secret intelligence activity aimed against both
internal and external enemies, which is distinct from law enforcement. We examine the
many types of intelligence and their bureaucracies: human intelligence, signals, satellites,
military, and special ops. The main countries examined will be : the U.S., Russia, U.K.,
Germany, France, China, Iran, Arab States and Israel.
POLS 3831 Contemporary China (Cross Listed: ECON 3831)
3 ch (3C)
[W]
The course studies various macro-economic and political aspects of a modern China in
transition. China's global position (defence and foreign policies) will also be examined.
Political Theory and Analysis
POLS 3312
Political Sociology (Cross Listed:SOCI 3312)
3 ch (3C)
Examines the relations between society and the state by comparing traditional political
sociology with the contemporary approach. Issues include the nation state as the center of
political activity, how power is exercised through institutions, social groups, class, the
production of identity or subjectivity, how globalization and social movements de-center
state political activity, the impact of these changes on citizenship and democracy.
POLS 3410
Survey of Political Thought
6 ch (6C)
[W]
A survey of the most important writers and the main currents of political thought from
Ancient Greece to the beginning of the 20th century.
POLS 3413
Modern Theories of the State
3 ch (3C)
[W]
Examines the emergence of the modern conception of the state, and discusses some of the
important theoretical arguments concerning the scope and justification of the state.
POLS 3415
Liberalism (O)
3 ch (3C)
[W]
The historical and textual foundations of the liberal tradition and its contemporary variants.
Central concepts and problems in the development of liberal thought to be examined will
include: rights, property, liberty, toleration, and political participation.
POLS 3417
Politics and Music
3 ch (3C)
[W]
This course surveys the connection between politics and music. Particular thematic attention
is given to the relationship between various musical genres and the social relations of
power. Topics surveyed may include Plato’s treatment of modes, music and nationalism, the
friendship between Wagner and Nietzsche, songs of social protest and rebellion, and antiwar music in the 20th century.
POLS 3423
The Politics of Repression
3 ch (3C)
[W]
Examines a variety of thinkers and movements that are concerned with the question of
repression. Attempts to answer such questions as: what is repression and what causes it?
Are some groups in society particularly repressed? What are the varieties of repression?
POLS 3433
Late Modern Political Thought
3 ch (3C)
[W]
This course surveys recent political thinkers from the celebrated critic of modernity Friedrich
Nietzsche to the post-modernist Jean-François Lyotard. It coheres thematically by focussing
on their implicit and explicit responses to the three grand questions of the 20th century:
What is wrong with modernity? What happened to the proletarian revolutions of Europe?
How can the Holocaust be explained? Other thinkers examined include Lukács, Weber,
Gramsci, Cassirer, Horkeimer, Arendt, de Beauvoir, Voegelin and Foucault.
POLS 3441
Women Political Thinkers
3 ch (3C)
[W]
Examines women’s contributions to the history of Western ideas on politics, rationality,
autonomy and the body, and violence and war. Key women thinkers include Mary
Wollstonecraft, Virginia Woolf and Simone de Beauvoir.
POLS 3443
Feminist Issues in Political Thought
3 ch (3C)
Examines critical issues in feminist theory. Its central focus is on the understanding of
women's political and social roles found in the history of political thinking and the response
to these arguments presented by contemporary feminist theorists.
POLS 3471
When Bards are Bothered: Political Critique in
Literature
3 ch (3C)
[W]
Examines the nature of political critique found in literature. It surveys different literary
genres and forms, including tragedy, comedy, satire, poetry, the essay, the short story, and
the novel. Some of the authors discussed may include Aristophanes, Sophocles, Thomas
More, Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, and more recent writers such as Aldous Huxley, George
Bernard Shaw, George Orwell, Virginia Woolf, and John Steinbeck.
POLS 3473
Marxism and Anarchism: Alternative Political
Communities
3 ch (3C)
[W]
Surveys the organization, political and social rationale, and critiques of alternative political
communities. Topics may include the utopian socialist societies and anarchist experiments
of the nineteenth century, the Israeli kibbutzim, European co-operative networks, and the
North American counter-culture communities of the twentieth century.
POLS 3483
Hegel and Marx
3 ch (3C)
[W]
Examines the theories of history and the historical process in Hegel and Marx. Pays
particular attention to the question of the causes of historical change. Then discusses these
theories in their relation to Hegel's and Marx's political thought.
POLS 3533
Research Methods in Political Science
3 ch (3C)
[W]
Intended to familiarize students with processes, methods and techniques of inquiry in
political science. Required for all Honours students. Strongly recommended for Majors
students.
Independent Study
POLS 3900
Independent Study in Political Science
6 ch
Upon application through the co-ordinator of honours and majors programs, students
pursuing an honours or majors degree in Political Science may undertake independent
studies with a member of the department. It is expected that students will have a clear idea
of their intended area of study and will submit a written proposal justifying it as an
independent studies course.
No student will be allowed to take more than 6chs of independent study in completing the
requirements for a majors or honours degree in political science. Independent studies
courses will NOT count as meeting the honours thesis requirements.
POLS 3903
Independent Study in Political Science
3 ch
Upon application through the co-ordinator of honours and majors programs, students
pursuing an honours or majors degree in Political Science may undertake independent
studies with a member of the department. It is expected that students will have a clear idea
of their intended area of study and will submit a written proposal justifying it as an
independent studies course.
No student will be allowed to take more than 6chs of independent study in completing the
requirements for a majors or honours degree in political science. Independent studies
courses will NOT count as meeting the honours thesis requirements.
POLS 3905
Independent Study in Political Science
3 ch
Upon application through the co-ordinator of honours and majors programs, students
pursuing an honours or majors degree in Political Science may undertake independent
studies with a member of the department. It is expected that students will have a clear idea
of their intended area of study and will submit a written proposal justifying it as an
independent studies course.
No student will be allowed to take more than 6chs of independent study in completing the
requirements for a majors or honours degree in political science. Independent studies
courses will NOT count as meeting the honours thesis requirements.
Honours Research
POLS 4000
Directed Reading and Research in Political Science
6 ch (6C) [W]
A compulsory reading and research course for fourth year honours students. The student
prepares a research program in consultation with a professor in the field concerned and is
expected to present a research essay after regular consultations with the professor
concerned who will be assigned to the student by the chair of the department.
Honours Seminars
POLS 4000-level courses are seminars intended for POLS students in the Honours program
and all other advanced level students who wish to explore Political Science topics in greater
depth and in a seminar format. Students normally should have completed at least 60 ch, of
which 18 ch should be in POLS (with at least 6 ch at the upper level), prior to taking a
4000-level course. POLS Honours students must complete at least 6 ch from these seminars
and Joint Honours students must complete at least 3 ch in order to meet their program
requirements.
POLS 4416 Canadian Politcal Thought
3 ch (3S)
[W]
Historical and comparative examination of the various strands of thought that make up the
Canadian political tradition: liberalism, conservatism, socialism and nationalism. (Students
cannot earn credit for this course and POLS 3416 ).
POLS 4463
Eros and Leadership: The Philosophy of the Good Ruler
Through the Ages (A)
3 ch (3S)
[W]
This course surveys the intellectual and philosophical criteria for political leadership as they
were established by past thinkers. Some of the intellectual material addressed may include
the assessment of Pericles by the ancients, Plato's nations of philosophical rule, Aristotle's
conception of class rule, Plutarch's biographies, Marcus Aurelius reflections, Machiavelli's
counsels, Marx's critique of bourgeois rule, Lenin's conception of vanguardism, Weber's
observations regarding charisma and Gramsci's defence of the organic intellectual.
Throughout the course the standards set in the past are applied to current political leaders,
and teh conerns raised by contemporary intellectuals like Christopher Lasch and Neil
Postman are broached and assessed. (Students cannot earn credit for this course and POLS
3463) .
POLS 4496 Thucydides: War and Empire (A)
3 ch (3S)
[W]
This course will examine The History of the Peloponnesian War as the founding text of
International Relations. The course will also focus on the various readings of the History.
POLS 4534 Quantitative Approaches in Political Science (A)
3 ch (3S)
[W]
This course provides a basic grounding in methods of quantitative commonly used in
political science. In addition to statistical theory and techniques, the course also focuses on
interpretation of quantitative political science literature and provides students with
instruction in conducting statistical analysis using public opinion and election data sets.
Recommended prior or concurrent course: POLS 3533 . (Students cannot earn credit for this
course and POLS 3534) .
POLS 4703 Seminar in Contemporary Issues in World Politics (A)
3 ch (3S)
[W]
This course deals with current trenda and developments on the international scence
including the global balance of power, relations between the superpowers, ideological
conflicts, the Third World and North-South tensions: war, revolution and coups d'etat as
these occur. (Students cannot earn credit for this course and POLS 3703.)
POLS 4721
Beverages abd International Development in Historical
Perspective
3 ch (3S)
[W]
This course explores the politics of international development by investigating the historical
development of international processes and markets for beverages such as coffee, tea, cola,
juice, wine, rum and water. The course uses these case studies to ground theoretical
analysis of development strategies, trade institutions, corporate practices, worker struggles
and consumer initiatives. (Student cannot earn credit for this course and POLS 3721.)
POLS 4722 Women, Gender and Development (A)
3 ch (3S)
[W]
This course introduces students to critical issues in the study of women, gender and socioeconomic development. The course presents contending theoretical approaches, and applies
them through case studies that explore how women are affected by and in turn shape socioeconomic development processes in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
(Students cannot earn credit for this course and POLS 3722 ).