Examines the evolution of European imperialism in Africa and Asia from the end of the Napoleonic Wars to the outbreak of the First World War.  Topics to be covered include: causes of the revival of imperialism; the French conquest of Algeria; British expansion in South Africa; the evolution of British rule in India, French rule in Indochina, and Dutch rule in Indonesia; the European powers and informal imperialism in China; the expansion of European control in Africa; theories and practices of colonial rule; the role of explorers and missionaries; race, gender, and class in colonial societies; the promotion of imperialism in popular culture; and resistance to imperialism.

Examines the evolution of European Imperialism after the outbreak of the First World War, and ends with a detailed examination of post-1945 decolonization.  Topics to be covered include: the impact of the First World War on European empires; gender, race, and class relations in colonial societies; cultures of imperialism in the 1920s and 1930s; the evolution of imperial systems of control; the rise of anti-colonial nationalist movements; the impact of the Second World War; counter-insurgency and colonial wars after 1945; the causes and dynamics of decolonization; and the legacies of empire.

Investigates competing visions of rights in contemporary North American politics in historical, ethical and theoretical perspective. 

Engage with classical and contemporary sociological perspectives on social movements and protest politics. Emphasis is on the emergence, development, dynamics, and consequences of social movements using contemporary cases such as Idle No More, Black Lives Matter, anti-austerity movements, student movements, and climate justice movements. Learn what activists and organizers do to achieve their goals, why they succeed or fail, and why social movements, as agents of social and political change, matter. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both POLS 3212 and SOCI 3212. 

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 growth of precarious labour, the lingering effects of the 2008 crisis, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Examines Canadian environmental politics and policy. Explores the influence of economic and political interests, public opinion, Canada's political-institutional frameworks, and social movements on envrionmental policy and outcomes. Topics include climate policy, species at risk, air and chemical pollution, water management, land management, and environmental justice. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both POLS 3217 and ENVS 3217.

Examines the politics of memory in different national contexts. What is remembered and how it is remembered is necessarily political. Topics include colonialism, slavery, war, and the tourist gaze. 

An analysis of the foreign policy formulation process and a consideration of sectors other than the Canadian-American relationship.

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. 

Considers theories of federalism, the development of the Canadian federal system, and the impact of current issues.

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 decision-making.

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. NOTE: Students cannot obtain credit for both POLS 3312 and SOCI 3312.

Examines urban politics and policy problems in both a Canadian and comparative context. Introduces students to the key theories in urban politics scholarship and explores policy issues facing cities such as: democratic engagement; economic competitiveness; decentralization; poverty and polarization; intergovernmental relations; and climate mitigation and adaptation. 

Examine the political, social, and religious transformations reshaping the Middle East and North Africa. Explore the region’s political systems, ideologies, and institutions, focusing on Arab-majority countries, Iran, Israel, and Turkey. Topics include the legacy of history and religion, modernization challenges, authoritarian regimes, political Islam, sectarianism, and the "Arab Spring’s" aftermath. Gain critical tools to understand the region’s complexities and its growing strategic importance in global politics. 

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.

Examine the development and evolution of feminist political thought with a focus on critical issues such as equality, freedom, sexuality, violence, bodily autonomy, and identity. A range of historical and contemporary theorists will be considered.

Examines the relationship between politics, rationality, and public policy making. Topics include the policy cycle (agenda setting, policy information, decision making, implementation, and evaluation), policy durability and change, and globalization and policy making. 

Intended to familiarize students with processes, methods and techniques of inquiry in political science. NOTE: Required for all Honours students. Strongly recommended for Majors students.

Introduces students to quantitative methodologies used in political science, with a focus on public opinion research and election studies. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the history and current practice of this type of academic research and will develop a basic foundation in methods of statistical analysis using political science datasets. NOTE: Students can obtain credit for only one of POLS 3534 and POLS 4534. 

Provides a set of ethical frameworks and concepts with which we can assess the issue of how members of national states should treat "outsiders," under contemporary conditions of globalization. Also explores the practical implications of that issue in relation to international challenges of migration and refugees, international aid and development, political violence and warfare, humanitarian intervention, making and sustaining peace, and global poverty. Normally taught online.

Introduces students to the intellectual history of North American International Relations (IR), through in-depth exploration of some of the most significant works of IR theory. Theories explored include realism, liberalism, constructivism, Marxism, feminism, and post-colonial theory. Contemporary issues in IR (e.g. war, migration, the environment) are examined through these theoretical lenses. NOTE: Recommended prior course: POLS 2703, POLS 2403, or POLS 3403.

Explores the nature of war in terms of the social relations of class, race, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation. Particular focus is given to WWI, WWII, the Vietnam War, the Afghan War, the Iraqi Wars of 1991 and 2003, and the war on terror.

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.

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.

NOTE: No student will be allowed to take more than 6 ch 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.

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.

NOTE: 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.

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.

NOTE: No student will be allowed to take more than 6 ch 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.