Overview

Political Science courses are arranged into five areas of study:

• Political Theory
• Canadian Government
• International Relations
• Comparative Politics
• Development Studies

Political Theory

Political Theory is concerned to clarify the purposes of political arrangements, the functions of political institutions, or the uses of political power. The core courses in Political Theory, POL 200Y and POL 320H1F, present a historical sequence of the major texts in political thought. With the background of these courses, students may proceed to courses at the 300- and 400-level in twentieth century political thought or specialized areas of political theory (such as psychology and politics, Marxism, liberalism, politics and morality, ancient and medieval political thought, theories of revolution). Some courses in philosophy are closely related to these same concerns.

Canadian Government

The courses in this area are designed to take students from a general introduction to the subject to more advanced study of special topics, notably policy-making, public administration, party politics, federalism and the constitution, provincial and local government and politics, the Canadian-American relationship, and political ideas and ideologies. The material covered in these courses is placed in a comparative perspective as far as time permits so as to enable students to understand both unique and general characteristics of Canadian political life. In addition, several courses in other areas have an important Canadian content and will contribute substantially to a student’s understanding of the Canadian scene.

International Relations

This area of Political Science deals with relations among states sometimes referred to as international actors. Recently a school has developed that regards as international actors not only states but other, nongovernmental institutions, units or groups. The main emphasis, however, remains on states as international actors. There are two fundamental approaches to the subject, one which may be called a macro or systemic approach looking at the multitude of states as a system, and one which may be called a micro approach looking at the subject from the vantage point of the individual foreign policy of each state.

The Department offers a wide variety of courses in the area ranging from a survey course dealing with general problems and principles to more specialized courses at the 300- and 400 levels. Most upper-level courses require POL 208Y as a prerequisite.

Comparative Politics

An outgrowth of the study of foreign government, the area of comparative politics aims at developing generalizations about government and politics through cross-national and other kinds of comparisons. Under the rubric of “Comparative Politics” are courses dealing with the governments of the USA, USSR and its successor states, Japan, and of the countries of Eastern and Western Europe.

First and second-year courses introduce students to the governments of particular countries and to the various types of political systems (e.g., presidential, parliamentary, single party, authoritarian). Third-year courses are more concerned with explicit comparisons since they either deal with several countries (or a non-Western country) or are organized around topics or issues of analysis. Fourth-year courses are specialized seminars. Some of the courses deal with the history of government and politics in industrial countries as well as with contemporary events and are therefore relevant to students interested in the relationship between modernization and political affairs.

Useful preparation for advanced courses in “Comparative Politics” includes not only the more basic courses in the area but also courses on Canadian politics, political behaviour, and the modern history of industrial nations.

Development Studies

Countries in the “Third World” (often called less developed countries) include close to three-quarters of the world’s population. They are important suppliers of much of the food and raw materials used in the industrialized West and have an important role in international politics. The purpose of the courses offered in the “Development Studies” section, is to give students a basic exposure to the contemporary patterns of politics in these countries. Higher level courses are more specialized and deal with questions of theory in a more sophisticated fashion.

The “Third World” courses offered in this Department involve both the traditional study of “areas” (i.e. Asia, Africa, Latin America) as well as the study (in third and fourth years) of more specialized topics (such as economic development, comparative administration, and urbanization) that cut across all Third World areas. The theories that are applied to this vast range of countries include the “historical institutional approach”, various Marxist analyses of dependency and class formation in peripheral capitalist societies, “political development” and “modernization”, and a whole range of middle-range analyses which help to explain particular countries, or why certain choices (such as the choice between socialism and capitalism) have been taken in typical examples. POL 201Y may be regarded as a useful introduction to all the later courses in the field.

First Year
The discipline of Political Science is known for the breadth of subjects it investigates and the diversity of approaches it employs. Breadth and diversity, therefore, characterize the subject matter of the 100-level courses we offer. These qualities also suggest ways to choose and sequence courses as you begin to build a program of study.

Some disciplines require students to take a set of compulsory courses that serve as a gateway to that discipline – micro and macroeconomics, for instance, or organic and inorganic chemistry. The approach in Political Science is a bit different. There is no single “gateway” into the discipline. Rather, we encourage you to mix and match among the various first-year courses to find the combination that most fully engages your interest.

Here’s how it works: To join the Political Science program (which most students do at the end of their first year or the beginning of their second) you must complete 1.0 FCE (full course equivalents) in Political Science at the 100-level. This means that you will want to take two H (or half) courses in your first year from the “menu” of 100-level courses. The large lecture courses (like POL 101H1, 106H1, 107H1, and POL109H1) count towards this requirement, so do 0.5 credit from the POL First-Year Foundation (FYF) Seminars (designated with a course code in the 190s), and so do a number of the One program courses taught in the Colleges and the Munk School. (To see a list of approved other courses you can use to fulfil part of the 100-level requirement, go to “Courses” and follow the link to “Other Units FYS”).

So, if you’re interested in Political Science, we strongly recommend that you take two POL 100-level courses of your choice, or one POL 100-level course and 0.5 POL FYF Seminar, or one POL 100-level course and 0.5 approved Other Units FYS.  See details of program requirements in the Faculty of Arts & Science Calendar.  That way you will be ready to advance to the next set of courses at the 200-level.

Second Year
In the second year, students may enrol in any POL 100-level lecture course or any “200″ level courses. Students concentrating their studies in Political Science should take POL 200Y (Political Theory: Visions of the Just/Good Society) and at least one other core course in the discipline. POL 200Y is the first half of a two-course sequence with POL 320H (Modern Political Thought: Freedom and Equality) and POL321H (Modern Political Thought: Progress Through History) and is the core course in the political theory area.

POL 201H (Politics of Development) and POL 218H (State, Society, and Power in Comparative Perspective) deal with a number of different political systems. These two courses are classified as comparative politics courses. Because studying the political life and institutions of particular countries involves the use of analytical concepts and techniques of more general significance, it is advisable to complete one or more of these courses before attempting more advanced courses in comparative government.

POL 208H (Introduction to International Relations) provides an introduction to this important field and should be completed before students attempt courses in international relations at the “300″ or “400″ level. 

POL 214H (Canadian Government) offers students an in-depth introduction to Canadian political institutions and processes. It serves as a prerequisite for more specialized courses on the Constitution, federalism, parties, and other courses.

POL 222H and POL 232H acquaint students with some of the major research methods and quantitative techniques employed in contemporary Political Science. It is a requirement for students in the Political Science Major (POL 222H) and Specialist (POL 222H and POL 232H) Programs.

Consult the department’s website for additional general interest courses at the 200 level that may be offered in any year.

Third Year
Enrolment in 300-level courses is limited, with priority given to students who are enrolled in Political Science programs. Prerequisite requirements are strictly enforced. Please consult the POL section of the Faculty of Arts & Science Calendar.  Students without course prerequisites or permission from the instructor to waive the prerequisite will be removed at any time they are discovered.

Students entering their third year should examine the courses at both the “200″ and “300″ levels. Students who have done little previous work in Political Science may be well advised to take one or more courses at the “200″ level.  In choosing courses for their third year, students who are concentrating in the area of Political Science should also keep in mind the Department’s requirements for the distribution of courses among several of the areas of the discipline.

Students specializing in Political Science should take at least one course in political theory or quantitative methods in their third year. POL 320H (Modern Political Thought: Freedom and Equality) and POL321H (Modern Political Thought: Progress Through History) are the second part of the two-course sequence (with POL 200Y) in the history of political thought.  (To see a list of approved POL300-level Quantitative Methods courses you can use to fulfil the Specialist program, go to “Courses” and follow the link to “Quantitative Methods Courses”).

Fourth Year
The Department’s 400-series courses are limited and nearly all courses are offered as joint undergraduate-graduate seminars in two-hour blocks with class sizes ranging from 20-30 students. Most have specific course prerequisites and require extensive reading, research, and writing as well as seminar discussion. Priority in enrolment is given to graduating POL Specialists and POL majors during the 400-level preference period.  Prerequisite requirements are strictly enforced. Please consult the POL section of the Faculty of Arts & Science Calendar.  Students without course prerequisites or permission from the instructor to waive the prerequisite will be removed at any time they are discovered.

Registration and enrolment procedures are outlined in the Fall/Winter Timetable, which is available on the Faculty of Arts & Science Course Information site.

The Department of Political Science uses various indicators to guide enrolment in its courses. Courses with a “P” or “P*” indicator in column E of the Timetable are limited for pedagogical reasons. If an ”E” indicator denotes courses, students must obtain written permission from the Department of Political Science to enrol. Courses that have no indicators are limited by the size of the classroom in which they are held.

Students must have met all prerequisite requirements as published in the most recent release of the Faculty of Arts & Science Calendar. Students enrolled in courses for which they do not have the published prerequisites may have their registration in those courses canceled at any time without warning. Students from other faculties, transfer students, non-degree and visiting students must submit a transcript to the Undergraduate Office, SSH 3027. Failure to do so may result in removal from the course.

Requests for a waiver will only be considered for students in extenuating circumstances. To request a prerequisite waiver, complete a waiver form which can be downloaded from the Department’s website. The waiver form must be approved by the instructor and filed with the Undergraduate Office before students register for the course.

The Department as a whole has no single, fixed method of evaluating the work of its students. Most 100-, 200-, and 300-level courses have formal final examinations; a few do not. Others have take-home or classroom tests. In almost all courses, the final mark is determined on the basis of term papers, or some other kind of written work, and some form of examination. In lecture-tutorial courses, or in seminars, the final mark may be partially based upon student participation in group discussions. In every course, the requirements and the method of evaluation are made clear in the classroom at the beginning of term.

Students should make sure that they understand well in advance what the requirements are in any course they are taking. If they have doubts they should approach the instructor directly. The Faculty of Arts & Science deadlines for submission of all written assignments to individual instructors must be adhered to. Individual instructors do not have the authority to grant any extensions past these dates. In cases of misunderstandings and problems which cannot be handled directly between the student and instructor, the Director of Undergraduate Studies should be consulted.