MA Major Research Paper
A major research paper written under guidance of a supervisor and approved by a supervisory committee of the supervisor and a second reader.
Thesis
A research project involving the preparation and defence of a thesis which shall demonstrate a capacity for independent work. The research shall be carried out under the supervision of a faculty member and shall be defended at an oral examination.
The Philosophy of Law
Traditional and contemporary accounts of law and their implications for issues of contemporary concern.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P01.
Ancient Political Theory
Premodern political philosophy examined in the works of Plato and Aristotle, emphasizing those features distinguishing ancient political science and philosophy from that of modernity.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P02.
Modern Political Theory
Modern political theory examined in selected texts. May focus on a theme such as historicism, consent, progress, equality or on a selected author, such as Rousseau, Kant, Hegel.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P03.
Politics and Tyranny
Comparative accounts of ancient and modern tyranny are examined with a view to assessing whether political domination has varied significantly in the western tradition.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P04.
Postmodern Political Theory
Perspectives on the postmodern condition in the works of selected 20th century thinkers. Topics may include notions of the self, aesthetics and politics, reason and power, the construction of meaning.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P07.
Issues in Local Government
Policy making and service delivery in local government in such areas as economic development, fire, parks, policing, public health, recreation, and social services.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P10.
Canadian Civil Society
Role of Canadian political parties, interest and advocacy groups, and social movements in influencing public opinion, laws, policies, and in mobilizing citizens for political action.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P12.
Federalism in Canada
Canadian concepts of federalism, judicial interpretation of the constitutional distribution of powers, the social, economic and cultural factors that influence federal-provincial relations, issues in federal-provincial relations, the impact of federalism on public policy, and the politics of constitutional change.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P14.
Canadian Political Economy
The political economy tradition in Canada, from the writing of Innis, Mackintosh and Creighton to contemporary neo-Marxist and dependency theorists. Topics may include foreign investments, regional development, the labour movement, resources and Canada's place in the new international economic order.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P15.
The Canadian Judicial Process
The structure, functions, and political dimensions of the judiciary in Canada. Topics may include judicial decision-making, appointment and independence; the policy impact of judicial rulings; the criminal process; the influence of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms on the judicial system; and the players in the judicial process, including judges, interest groups and governments.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P19.
Globalization and Global Governance
Factors explaining the globalization of national politics and the reconstruction of politics at a global level. Topics may include policy problems linked to the effectiveness of international and national institutions; theoretical considerations on new concepts of politics and democracy in the globalized world.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P20.
The Global Political Economy
Examination of the international trade and monetary systems from the perspective of economic theory. Focus on the policy choices facing governments.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P21.
Canada and the Developing World
Canada's role in addressing global inequality in a comparative context. Topics may include the political economy of Canadian policies towards the developing world; international ethics; international cooperation on issues of vital interest to the developing world.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P22.
Private Global Governance
Interactions between global corporations, voluntary standards associations, non-governmental organizations, states and industry associations and the influences that drive global private governance arrangements and global standard setting.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P24.
International Politics and National Security
Conditions affecting the use of force in the post-Cold War international system, with emphasis on the basis of state security and the effects of the security dilemma.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P26.
Theories of International Relations
International relations theory emphasizing the nature of the international system and its relationship to the choices and actions of individual states.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P27
The Political Economy of North America
Examines the intertwined political and economic relations of Canada, Mexico and the United States from a regional perspective, including specific emphasis on labour and economic production, security and the environment, and policymaking in a continent dominated by the world's only superpower.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P28
Comparative Mass Media
Selected problems concerning the mass media and the political process in Canada and other states.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P32.
Comparative Judicial Systems
Global expansion of judicial power and the role of courts in democratization, rights protection, political centralization, and resolving societal conflict. Domestic as well as supranational courts from around the world are considered, representing both common law and civil law systems. Topics include the success and failure of the "rights revolutions," the judicialization of politics, court reform, and justifications for judicial review.
Note: Taught in conjunction with POLI 4P34.
Comparative Democratization in a Global Age: Reform, Revolution and Reversal
Analysis of the origins, processes, and outcomes of democratization in countries around the world, including historical cases in Western Europe and contemporary cases in less-developed parts of the world. Cases of de-democratization will also be examined. Emphasis is on broadly comparative theories and issues while avoiding over generalization.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P36.
Students completing this course will forfeit credit in POLI 5V36.
Nationalism and Ethnic Politics
A combination of theory and specific case studies examining the causes and consequences of nationalism. The origins and resolution of national conflict, the mobilization of ethnic groups and the role of international forces in what have been viewed traditionally as domestic conflicts. Case studies situate Canada's ethnic tensions within a broader comparative perspective.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P38.
Elites and Power
The bases of power and of the degree of power concentration in government, industry, bureaucracy and media in Canada, United States and other selected countries and an analysis of characteristics, life styles, interrelationships and actions of the individuals in senior positions of power.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P39.
Arab Politics
Topics include religion, pan-Arab nationalism and political culture; problems of economic development; the Palestinian factor in Arab politics; the Gulf War and its aftermath and a comparative analysis of ways in which political processes and institutions have influenced and responded to these forces.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P47.
Machinery of Government
The structures and processes of federal and provincial government in Canada. Emphasis on the operation of government departments, central agencies, regulatory agencies and crown corporations.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P50.
Business-Government Relations
The politics and management of relations between business organizations and governments in Canada, with particular emphasis on current research and issues. Topics include theories of business-government relations, the legislative and regulatory environment of business, public enterprise and privatization, lobbying and interaction among government, business, the media and labour.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P54.
The Politics of Environmental Scarcity
Political and economic conditions leading to scarcity of renewable resources in various settings. and institutions and policies developed to govern rivalries and conflicts endemic to scarcity. Canadian cases in comparative perspective.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4P66.
Comparative Public Policy
Major concepts, theoretical approaches and issues in Comparative Public Policy, assessing the various frameworks used for understanding and addressing public policy issues in different countries and regions. Cases will be drawn from Canada, the United States, Europe, and the developing world.
Note: This course can also be counted toward a sub-field specialization in Comparative Politics. Taught in conjunction with POLI 4P67.
Social Movements and Globalization
(also offered as SOCI 5P68)
Restructuring of social movements from around the world in new alliances for global justice. Topics may include: relationship between local and global scales; cross-cultural collaboration; tensions between unity and diversity; conflicts and unequal power relations in networks; North-South inequalities. Movements may include: indigenous movements; transnational feminism; the anti-corporate globalization movement; environmentalism.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI/SOCI/GEOG 4P68
Great Works in Politics
A critical examination of some of the most significant writings in political science. Core seminar.
Research and Research Methods
An exploration of theories and approaches to research in Political Science. Issues and problems in research design will be assessed with a view to helping students develop the research skills and acquire the tools necessary for the successful completion of a thesis or major paper. Core seminar.
Graduate Seminar in Canadian Politics
An examination of major aspects of Canadian government and politics and of different approaches to the study of Canadian politics through the discussion and analysis of significant books in the field. Core seminar.
Graduate Seminar in Political Theory
(also offered as HUMA 5P83)
A comparison of important and opposing contemporary approaches to the interpretation of major texts or issues in political theory. Core seminar.
Graduate Seminar in Public Policy
An examination of significant writings and issues in public policy and policy development. Core seminar.
Graduate Seminar in Comparative Politics
A critical examination of significant writings and issues in comparative politics. Core seminar.
Graduate Seminar in International Relations
A critical examination of significant writings and issues in international relations and foreign policy. Core seminar.
Selected Topics in Political Theory
A particular writer, work or theoretical problem in political theory is examined.
Selected Topics in Canadian Politics
A selected aspect of Canadian government and politics or an issue of contemporary concern.
Selected Topics in International Relations
Selected problems and issues drawn from both the system and nation-state levels of international politics.
2011-2012: Intervention, Security and Development
Interventionism with humanitarian justifications, security and development in international relations; the management of humanitarian problems by the international community and the aid industry; military and civilian practices of intervention.
Note: taught in conjunction with POLI 4V23.
Selected Topics in Comparative Politics
A comparative study of selected political institutions, processes or policies in various states.
Selected Topics in Public Administration
Selected problems and issues in public administration drawn from the federal, provincial and/or municipal levels.
Selected Topics in Canadian Public Policy
A field or topic in Canadian public policy, including the analysis of policy making and policy outcomes.
Political Science Tutorial
Guided readings on a particular topic which is not covered in the department's regular course offerings. Topics must be chosen in consultation with a faculty member willing to supervise the tutorial.
Prerequisite(s): permission of the Graduate Program Director and faculty supervisor.