This course examines how different types of legal frameworks affect processes and outcomes of policy-making. It contrasts policy-making in Westminster parliamentary systems and separation of powers systems; unitary versus multi-level or federal systems; and systems with and without constitutional bills of rights.

Areas of Focus: Public Policy and Public Law

This course examines theoretical debates about the extent of moral and political obligations to non-citizens. Topics include human rights, immigration, global poverty, development, terrorism, and just war.
Area of Focus: Political Theory

This course introduces students to the foundations of international law, its sources, its rationale, and challenges to its effectiveness and implementation. Areas of international law discussed include the conduct of war, trade, and diplomacy, as well as the protection of human rights and the environment.
Areas of Focus: International Relations and Public Law

This course examines the interaction between law, courts, and politics in countries throughout the world. We begin by critically examining the (alleged) functions of courts: to provide for “order,” resolve disputes, and to enforce legal norms. We then turn to examine the conditions under which high courts have expand their powers by weighing into contentious policy areas and sometimes empower individuals with new rights. We analyze case studies from democracies, transitioning regimes, and authoritarian states.

Areas of Focus: Comparative Politics and Public Law

Topics and Area of Focus will vary depending on the instructor.

Topics will vary depending on the regional interests and expertise of the Instructor.
Area of Focus: Comparative Politics

To best understand contemporary political controversies, this course draws from a variety of disciplines and media to understand the politics of racial and ethnic identity. The class will explore historical sources of interethnic divisions, individual level foundations of prejudice and bias, and institutional policies that cause or exacerbate inequalities.

Topics and Area of Focus will vary depending on the instructor.

Topics and Area of Focus will vary depending on the instructor.

This course is an introduction to Indigenous/Canadian relations and will give students a chance to begin learning and understanding an important component of Canadian politics and Canadian political science. A vast majority of topics in Canadian politics and Canadian political science can, and do, have a caveat and component that reflects, or should reflect, Indigenous nations and peoples that share territory with the Canadian state. Both Indigenous and Settler contexts will be used to guide class discussion. The course readings will also delve into Canadian/Indigenous relationships, their development, histories, contemporary existence, and potential futures.

This course examines the ideas and success of the environmental movement in Canada. The course focuses on how environmental policy in Canada is shaped by the ideas of environmentalists, economic and political interests, public opinion, and Canada's political-institutional framework. Combined lecture-seminar format.

Areas of Focus: Canadian Government and Politics; Public Policy

This course examines relations between provincial and federal governments in Canada, and how they have been shaped by the nature of Canada's society and economy, judicial review, constitutional amendment, and regionalisation and globalization. The legitimacy and performance of the federal system are appraised. Lecture-seminar format.
Areas of Focus: Canadian Government and Politics; Public Policy

This course explores key historical and contemporary issues in indigenous politics. Focusing on the contemporary political and legal mobilization of Indigenous peoples, it will examine their pursuit of self-government, land claims and resource development, treaty negotiations indigenous rights, and reconciliation. A primary focus will be the role of Canada’s courts, its political institutions, and federal and provincial political leaders in affecting the capacity of indigenous communities to realize their goals.

Areas of Focus: Canadian Government and Politics, and Public Law

This course examines intergovernmental relations in various areas of public policy and their effects on policy outcomes. It evaluates how federalism affects the capacity of Canadians to secure desirable social, economic, environmental and trade policies. Lecture-seminar format.
Areas of Focus: Canadian Government and Politics; Public Policy

This course explores the foundational concepts of nation and nationalism in Canadian and comparative politics, and the related issues associated with diversity. The first section looks at the theories related to nationalism and national identity, while the second applies these to better understand such pressing issues as minorities, multiculturalism, conflict and globalization.

Areas of Focus: Canadian Government and Politics; Comparative Politics

This course focuses on analyzing and influencing individual and collective choices of political actors to understand effective strategies for bringing about policy changes. We will draw on the psychology of persuasion and decision-making, as well as literature on political decision-making and institutions, emphasizing contemporary issues. During election years in North America, special attention will be paid to campaign strategy. There may be a service-learning requirement.
Areas of Focus: Comparative Politics, and Public Policy

This course provides an introduction to the field of political economy from an international and comparative perspective. The course explores the globalization of the economy, discusses traditional and contemporary theories of political economy, and examines issues such as trade, production, development, and environmental change.

Areas of Focus: Comparative Politics; International Relations

This course introduces students to central concepts in political theory. Readings will include classical and contemporary works that examine the meaning and justification of democracy as well as the different forms it can take. Students will also explore democracy in practice in the classroom and/or in the local community.

Area of Focus: Political Theory

This course introduces students to central concepts in political theory, such as sovereignty, liberty, and equality. Readings will include modern and contemporary texts, such as Hobbes' Leviathan and Locke's Second Treatise of Government.
Area of Focus: Political Theory

The course investigates the concept of political liberty in various traditions of political thought, especially liberalism, republicanism, and Marxism.  The course will investigate key studies by such theorists as Berlin, Taylor, Skinner, Pettit, and Cohen, as well as historical texts by Cicero, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Hegel, Constant, Marx, and Mill.
Area of Focus: Political Theory

This course is a study of the major political philosophers of the nineteenth century, including Hegel, Marx, J.S. Mill and Nietzsche.
Area of Focus: Political Theory

This course is a study of the major political philosophers of the twentieth century. The theorists covered will vary from year to year.
Area of Focus: Political Theory

This course examines the principles of research design and methods of analysis employed by researchers in political science. Students will learn to distinguish between adequate and inadequate use of evidence and between warranted and unwarranted conclusions.
Area of Focus: Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis

This course examines the challenges and contributions of feminist political thought to the core concepts of political theory, such as rights, citizenship, democracy, and social movements. It analyzes the history of feminist political thought, and the varieties of contemporary feminist thought, including: liberal, socialist, radical, intersectional, and postcolonial.
Area of Focus: Political Theory

This course introduces students to the International Relations of Africa. This course applies the big questions in IR theory to a highly understudied region. The first half of the course focuses on security and politics, while the latter half pays heed to poverty, economic development, and multilateral institutions.
Area of Focus: International Relations

This course examines the foreign policy of the United States by analyzing its context and application to a specific region, regions or contemporary problems in the world.
Areas of Focus: International Relations; Public Policy; Comparative Politics

This course explores the possibilities and limits for international cooperation in different areas and an examination of how institutions and the distribution of power shape bargained outcomes.

Area of Focus: International Relations

Traditional International Relations Theory has concentrated on relations between states, either failing to discuss, or missing the complexities of important issues such as terrorism, the role of women, proliferation, globalization of the world economy, and many others. This course serves as an introduction to these issues - and how international relations theory is adapting in order to cover them.
Area of Focus: International Relations

This course provides students with a more advanced examination of issues in development studies, including some of the mainstream theoretical approaches to development studies and a critical examination of development practice in historical perspective. Seminar format.
Area of Focus: Comparative Politics

This course explores the origins of Latin America's cycles of brutal dictatorship and democratic rule. It examines critically the assumption that Latin American countries have made the transition to democratic government.
Area of Focus: Comparative Politics