X. Degree Programs
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Political Science (POLS)
Department of Political Science, College of Social and Applied Human Sciences
The Department of Political Science offers courses in the following areas: Political Thought; Canadian Politics; Public Policy, Governance, and Law; Comparative Politics; and International Relations and Global Studies. The Department of Political Science also participates in several interdisciplinary programs, including Criminal Justice and Public Policy, International Development Studies, Environmental Governance, and European Studies.
Students taking courses in Political Science may enrol initially in POLS*1150, POLS*1400, POLS*1500, the latter 2 courses providing overview and introductory treatments of particular interest to students who wish to take higher level courses in the department but who do not intend to specialize in the discipline. For students intending to pursue a general or honours specialization in Political Science, however, POLS*1150 is required.
Courses at the 2000 level provide students with essential grounding in specific areas of the discipline and are normally prerequisite for enrolment in 3000 and 4000 level courses. Students in the honours program major are required to take POLS*2650 and POLS*3650. Students in the honours program minor are required to take POLS*2650.
In addition to the requirements set out in the B.A. Program Regulations, the Department of Political Science requires that students pursuing general and honours programs successfully complete a core requirement of 2.50 credits and meet specific distribution requirements as follows:
Core Requirements
| POLS*1150 | [0.50] | Understanding Politics | |||||||||
| POLS*2300 | [0.50] | Canadian Government and Politics | |||||||||
| One of: | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| One of: | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| One of: | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Area of Concentration (General Program)
A minimum of 5.00 credits is required, including:
| POLS*1150 | [0.50] | Understanding Politics | |||||||||
| POLS*2300 | [0.50] | Canadian Government and Politics | |||||||||
| One of: | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| One of: | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| One of: | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
2.50 additional credits, at least 1.50 of which must be at the 3000 level or above.
Major (Honours Program)
A minimum of 9.00 credits is required, including:
| POLS*1150 | [0.50] | Understanding Politics | |||||||||
| POLS*2300 | [0.50] | Canadian Government and Politics | |||||||||
| POLS*2650 | [0.50] | Political Inquiry and Research Methods | |||||||||
| POLS*3650 | [0.50] | Quantitative Methods of Data Analysis | |||||||||
| One of: | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| One of: | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| One of: | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
at least 0.50 credits at the 3000 level in three of the five fields in the department
1.50 credits at the 4000 level, which must include one course from the 1.00 credit-weighted research and writing intensive seminar courses or the two courses which comprise the POLS*4970/POLS*4980 Honours Thesis sequence.
A maximum of 2.00 credits at the 4000 level may be counted towards a major in Political Science.
4000 level courses that fulfill the writing and research intensive course requirement:
| POLS*4050 | [1.00] | Advanced Topics in Law and Politics |
| POLS*4070 | [1.00] | Courts and Parliament |
| POLS*4100 | [1.00] | Women, Justice and Public Policy |
| POLS*4140 | [1.00] | Conceptions of Canada |
| POLS*4160 | [1.00] | Multi-Level Governance in Canada |
| POLS*4200 | [1.00] | International Political Economy |
| POLS*4250 | [1.00] | Topics in Public Management |
| POLS*4260 | [1.00] | Topics in Public Policy |
| POLS*4300 | [1.00] | Human Rights, Ethics, and Development |
| POLS*4340 | [1.00] | Nationalism, State-building and Identity |
| POLS*4710 | [1.00] | Topics in Comparative Politics |
| POLS*4720 | [1.00] | Topics in International Relations |
| POLS*4730 | [1.00] | International Relations of the Middle East |
| POLS*4740 | [1.00] | Advanced Topics in Rights and Liberties |
| POLS*4900 | [1.00] | Special Topics Seminar in Political Science |
an additional 2.50 credits from courses in Political Science.
** Students interested in pursuing graduate or professional studies related to Political Science are encouraged to consider taking the POLS*4970/POLS*4980 Honours Thesis sequence. Interested students must obtain instructor consent in order to register for this option.
Minor (Honours Program)
A minimum of 5.00 credits is required, including:
| POLS*1150 | [0.50] | Understanding Politics | |||||||||
| POLS*2300 | [0.50] | Canadian Government and Politics | |||||||||
| POLS*2650 | [0.50] | Political Inquiry and Research Methods | |||||||||
| One of: | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| One of: | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| One of: | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
1.00 credits from Political Science at 3000-level or above
1.00 additional credits from courses in Political Science
Choices for fulfillment of prerequisites for 4000 level courses (see course descriptions for corresponding requirements).
Canadian Politics
| HIST*3160 | [0.50] | Canadian Political History |
| POLS*3050 | [0.50] | Canadian Campaigns & Elections |
| POLS*3140 | [0.50] | Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms |
| POLS*3210 | [0.50] | The Constitution and Canadian Federalism |
| POLS*3270 | [0.50] | Local Government in Ontario |
| POLS*3470 | [0.50] | Business-Government Relations in Canada |
Public Policy, Governance and Law
| POLS*3130 | [0.50] | Law, Politics and Judicial Process |
| POLS*3140 | [0.50] | Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms |
| POLS*3210 | [0.50] | The Constitution and Canadian Federalism |
| POLS*3250 | [0.50] | Public Policy: Challenges and Prospects |
| POLS*3300 | [0.50] | Governing Criminal Justice |
| POLS*3370 | [0.50] | Environmental Politics and Governance |
| POLS*3440 | [0.50] | Corruption, Scandal and Political Ethics |
| POLS*3470 | [0.50] | Business-Government Relations in Canada |
| POLS*3670 | [0.50] | Comparative Public Policy and Administration |
Comparative Politics
| POLS*3000 | [0.50] | Politics of Africa |
| POLS*3060 | [0.50] | Politics of the Middle East and North Africa |
| POLS*3080 | [0.50] | Politics of Latin America |
| POLS*3160 | [0.50] | Global Gender Justice |
| POLS*3320 | [0.50] | Politics of Aid & Development |
| POLS*3410 | [0.50] | U.S. Politics and Government |
| POLS*3440 | [0.50] | Corruption, Scandal and Political Ethics |
| POLS*3450 | [0.50] | European Governments and Politics |
| POLS*3670 | [0.50] | Comparative Public Policy and Administration |
| POLS*3890 | [0.50] | Government and Politics of India |
| POLS*3920 | [0.50] | Politics of China |
International Relations and Global Studies
The Department of Political Science offers an academic advising service for students in Political Science.
Students are encouraged to consult with the faculty advisor for either of these programs about course selection, substitution of courses offered by other departments, or other matters.