University of Toronto Department of Political Science

PhD Core Courses

Each field has a core course which, with the exception of Political Theory, must be taken by students who have chosen the field as one of their fields of study. Core courses attempt to provide an overview of the field, though with some variation from year to year, reflecting the views of instructors and changes in the literature. Political Theory is organized a little differently. Although the core course in Political Theory is not required, it is good preparation for writing the Field Examination in Political Theory. The core course in Field 1 should be taken in the first year of the Ph.D. program, and many students also take the second core course in that year.

The Core courses are as follows:

POL2000Y – Comparative Studies in the History of Political Thought
POL2100Y – Government of Canada
POL2200Y – International Politics
POL2318H – Comparative Public Policy & Theory
POL2400H – Theories & Issues – The Politics of Development
POL2700Y – Comparative Politics