Political Science

General information

One of the most common words used to describe human society in the early 21st century is crisis. Economic systems are in a state of decline and threatened collapse, our natural environment is being pushed beyond its ability to sustain us, more people live in poverty than ever and, for the first time in history, the current generation can expect to have a lower standard of living than their parents. The Political Science program is designed to equip future professionals and citizens with tools to address these and other vital issues. Since the problems we face result directly from the type of society we have designed, students in this program will develop the ability to explore ways in which economies, laws, political systems and cultures can be re-imagined. This dynamic and innovative program draws from the strengths of an interdisciplinary faculty with expertise in areas such as community development, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, public policy, culture, politics, economics, environment and social movements. With their guidance, students will come to understand the ways in which communities can be mobilized and policies designed to yield economic prosperity, environmental sustainability and social justice.

Our university’s Political Science program offers optional specializations in Political Communication, as well as Social Justice, Globalization and Development.

Political Communication specialization

This interdisciplinary specialization combines core political science concepts with a focus on the politics of media and communication, as well as the complex and sometimes contradictory relationship between political, economic, and cultural practices and forces.

Social Justice, Globalization and Development specialization

This interdisciplinary specialization focuses on human rights and social change and allows students to integrate legal and criminological perspectives into their Political Science degree.

Admission requirements

Admission is competitive. The specific average or standing required for admission varies from year to year. Students are selected by taking into consideration a wide range of criteria including school marks, distribution of subjects taken, and performance in subjects relevant to the academic program. Possession of the minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance. Preference will be given to applicants with the best qualifications.

Current Ontario secondary school students must complete the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) with six 4U or 4M credits including English (ENG4U). All other applicants should refer to admissions  for the requirements for their specific category of admission.

Practicum

A limited number of fourth-year students are granted an opportunity to participate in a learning experience with a community organization. The Practicum course consists of 100 hours of fieldwork, in-class seminars, a set of academic assignments and a major research paper and poster. As part of the pre-practicum process, students will be required to acquire a Vulnerable Sector check. For additional information, please refer to the course description for SSCI 4098U .

Internship

This program offers students who have successfully completed three years of study with a cumulative 3.0 GPA (B average on a 4.3 scale) an opportunity to engage in a work-integrated learning partnership with organizations locally and globally. The internship program not only gives students an opportunity to apply classroom concepts to the challenges of organizational life, but also helps them to gain valuable and relevant work experience to promote networking and life-long career success.

The internship program placement equates to a minimum of 280 hours of paid or unpaid field experience. The intern’s wages, where applicable, are paid by the sponsoring organization over a contracted period. The faculty may provide links to various internship placement opportunities or a student may secure an internship opportunity that meets the criteria as prescribed by the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities. Successful work placement completion and both a verbal and written final project will result in the intern receiving a mark and three credits toward the Honours Bachelor of Arts degree requirements.

Admission to the internship program is competitive. While students are participating in an internship program, they may enroll in up to one additional course (three credits) per semester. This course must not interfere with the internship schedule outlined by the employer. For additional information, please refer to the course description for SSCI 4103U .

Double majors

Students registered in a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) program within the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities at the university have the opportunity, in most cases, to combine two majors within the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities concurrently as a double major (note - some restrictions apply). Double major program maps have been approved by the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities and are available through the Academic Advising Office. Students undertaking a double major within the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities will, in most cases, be required to complete more than 120 credit hours. Students wishing to declare a double major must consult with the Academic Advising office.

Degree and Major requirements

To be eligible for the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Political Science, students must meet both the degree requirements  and requirements of the major as outlined below for a total of 120 credits. Each year prior to course registration, the order and timing of course offerings will be released by the faculty and communicated to students.

Required first-year courses for all Bachelor of Arts students [21 credit hours]

• COMM 1100U – Introduction to Communication Studies
• CRMN 1000U – Introduction to Criminal Justice
• LGLS 1000U – Foundations of Legal Studies
• POSC 1000U – Introduction to Political Science
• PSYC 1000U – Introductory Psychology
• SOCI 1000U – Introductory Sociology
• SSCI 1910U – Writing for the Social Sciences

Political Science major core courses [75 credit hours]

• POSC 1200U – Introduction to Democracy in Theory & Practice
• POSC 2000U – Canadian Politics
• POSC 2100U – Global Politics
• POSC 2200U – Fundamentals of Policy Theory
• POSC 2300U – Mobilizing for Change
• POSC 2502U – Community Development Policy
• POSC 3000U – Policy, Democracy and Governance
• POSC 3800U – Principles of Economics and Political Economy
• POSC 4000U – International Politics and Policy
• POSC 4010U – Policy Development
• POSC 4300U – Special Topics in Political Science

• Three of:

• POSC 3100U – Political Economy of Global Development or
• POSC 3101U – Inequality and Development or
• POSC 3102U – Race and Racism in Political Culture or
• POSC 3300U – Building Sustainable Communities or
• POSC 3301U – Eco-Justice or
• POSC 3302U – Environment and Globalization or
• POSC 3600U – Politics of Education in Canada or
• POSC 3700U – Technology, Politics and Social Theory or
• POSC 3750U – American Politics and Political Culture or
• POSC 3751U – Media, War and Conflict

• Two of:

• POSC 3201U – Rural Communities or
• POSC 3203U – Urban Development or
• POSC 3500U – Equity Policy or
• POSC 3501U – Poverty and Public Policy or
• POSC 3601U – The Politics of Health or
• POSC 3602U – Labour in the Global Economy or
• POSC 3603U – The Politics of Housing

• One of:

• POSC approved elective* or
• POSC 4005U – Independent Study or
• SSCI 4101U – Honours Thesis I or
• POSC 4104U – Directed Research

• One of:

• POSC approved elective* or
• SSCI 4098U – Practicum or
• SSCI 4103U – Internship

• One of:

• POSC approved elective* or
• SSCI 4102U – Honours Thesis II

•  

• Six general electives**

Additional required courses

The remaining 24 credit hours are selected based on the student’s choice to pursue the political science major, or the political science major with a specialization.

Political Science major [24 credit hours]

• Two of:

• LGLS 2940U – Legal Research Methods or
• SSCI 2900U – Research Methods or
• SSCI 2910U – Data Analysis or
• SSCI 2920U – Qualitative Research Methods

•  

• Six general electives**

Political Science major with Social Justice, Globalization and Development specialization [24 credit hours]

• LGLS 2940U – Legal Research Methods
• SSCI 2900U – Research Methods

• Three of:

• CRMN 2030U – Social Control or
• CRMN 2831U – Critical Race Theory or
• CRMN 2840U – Gender, Sex, and (In)Justice or
• LGLS 2120U – International Law or
• SSCI 2020U – Issues in Diversity

• Two of:

• CRMN 3010U – Social Justice/Criminal Justice or
• LGLS 3230U – Law and Globalization or
• LGLS 3300U – Disability and the Law or
• LGLS 3310U – Indigenous Peoples, Law and the State in Canada or
• LGLS 3320U – Race, Ethnicity and the Law or
• LGLS 3330U – Gender, Sexuality and the Law or
• LGLS 3430U – International Human Rights

• One of:

• LGLS 4030U – Law and the Body or
• LGLS 4070U – Public Governance through Law or
• LGLS 4200U – Law and Social Change

Political Science major with Political Communication specialization [24 credit hours]

• Two of:

• LGLS 2940U – Legal Research Methods or
• SSCI 2900U – Research Methods or
• SSCI 2910U – Data Analysis or
• SSCI 2920U – Qualitative Research Methods

• Two of:

• COMM 2220U – The Media in Canada or
• COMM 2270U – Entertainment Goes Global or
• COMM 2411U – Digital Media Policy

• Two of:

• COMM 3310U – Communication, Communities and Social Change or
• COMM 3610U – Persuasion or
• COMM 3710U – Intercultural Communication or
• COMM 3720U – Communicating Identities

• One of:

• COMM 4420U – Digital Media, Politics and Democracy or
• COMM 4510U – Public Relations or
• COMM 4610U – Communication and Conflict Resolution or
• COMM 4710U – International Communication

•  

• One general elective**

Total [120 credit hours]

*POSC approved electives

Students must be aware of and plan appropriately for elective prerequisites.

• COMM 3310U – Communication, Communities and Social Change
• COMM 3510U – Work in the Digital Age
• COMM 3720U – Communicating Identities
• COMM 4610U – Communication and Conflict Resolution
• CRMN 3040U – Restorative Justice
• CRMN 3056U – Race-ing Justice
• LGLS 2940U – Legal Research Methods
• LGLS 3230U – Law and Globalization
• LGLS 3300U – Disability and the Law
• LGLS 3310U – Indigenous Peoples, Law and the State in Canada
• LGLS 3320U – Race, Ethnicity and the Law
• LGLS 3520U – Law and Technology
• LGLS 3620U – Human Rights Mediation
• LGLS 4040U – Law and the Environment
• LGLS 4070U – Public Governance through Law
• LGLS 4200U – Law and Social Change
• SSCI 2900U – Research Methods
• SSCI 2910U – Data Analysis
• SSCI 2920U – Qualitative Research Methods
• SSCI 3910U – Advanced Data Analysis
• SSCI 3920U – Advanced Qualitative Methods
• SSCI 4020U – Leadership and Administration

Note:

Not all Political Science electives will be offered every year.

**General electives

General electives can be taken at/or adjoining their year level, where permission has been granted and prerequisites have been fulfilled. No more than three 1000-level elective courses can be included. For students not pursuing a specialization, a minimum of three elective courses must be offered by the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities but outside of major and at the 2000-level or higher. ALSU 1101U  or POSC 1100U  recommended as a general elective in first year.

SSCI 4101U and SSCI 4102U Honours Thesis I and II

In order to be considered for the Honours Thesis I , students must apply during their sixth semester to begin their Honours Thesis I  in semester seven. The course application must include a detailed statement of intent outlining the methodology, theoretical significance and the projected timelines for completion of the project. To proceed to Honours Thesis II , a student must have successfully completed Honours Thesis I with a minimum A- and prepare a written statement outlining the projected timelines for completion of the project.

Please note: only a limited number of applicants will be admitted to the Honours Thesis. Consent is required from both the instructor and the dean.