Applicants are accepted under the general regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants to the M.A. program must have a 4-year undergraduate degree in political science or equivalent with a minimum B+ average; applicants to the Ph.D. must have an M.A. in political science or equivalent with an A- average.

Further information regarding program requirements may be found in the Graduate Handbook, available on the Department's website.

Relevant Facilities

The Centre for the Study of Democracy and Diversity (CSDD)

The Centre was established as the Centre for the Study of Democracy in 1993 with a broad set of objectives related to research, education, and policy to support democratic development. Under its new mandate as the Centre for the Study of Democracy and Diversity, its objectives have been expanded to incorporate a specific stream of activities focused on research, education, and international assistance to promote and support democratic development in ethnically and culturally diverse societies. (https://www.queensu.ca/csdd/)

Canadian Opinion Research Archive (CORA)

The Canadian Opinion Research Archive makes available commercial and independent surveys to the academic, research and journalistic communities. Founded in 1992, CORA contains hundreds of surveys including thousands of discrete items collected by major commercial Canadian firms dating back to the 1970s. The CORA website (Canadian Opinion Research Archive (http://www.queensu.ca/cora/) includes readily accessible results from these surveys, tracking Canadian opinion over time on frequently asked survey questions, as well as tabular results from recent Canadian surveys, and more general information on polling. Individuals conducting research for non-commercial purposes are able to get access to the CORA electronic holdings and conduct searches of the database. Researchers are able to conduct the full range of bivariate and multivariate analysis on data through the Nesstar interface.

The Institute of Intergovernmental Relations (IIGR)

This institute was established to provide a centre for research into the problems of intergovernmental relations in Canada and elsewhere. The Institute is pleased to support the work of graduate students with an interest in federalism keeping in mind that the Institute does not offer courses or grant degrees. (https://www.queensu.ca/iigr/home)

The Centre for International and Defence Policy (CIDP)

The Centre was established in 1975. It is an interdisciplinary research centre located in the School of Policy Studies. The Centre's research interests focus on defence policy, homeland security policy, and Canada's international policy. The Centre offers no courses, but welcomes the active involvement of graduate students who have complementary research interest. (https://www.queensu.ca/cidp/)

The School of Policy Studies

Departmental staff occasionally contribute to the teaching program of the School of Policy Studies. During the Spring Session (April-June), the School offers seminars in public policy in which there is sometimes room for Politics students. Special enrolment permission should be sought from both the Graduate Chair and the School. (https://www.queensu.ca/sps/)

Financial Assistance

The department is able to offer a number of teaching assistantships, which involve assisting professors in undergraduate courses. For details, consult the Graduate Chair.

Faculty

Head
Rose, J.

Graduate Chair
Goodyear-Grant, E.

Professor
Csergö, Z., Farrelly, C., Goodyear-Grant, E., Haglund, D.G., Haklai, O., Laforest, R., Little, M., McGarry, J.¹, Moore, M., Rose, J., von Hlatky, S.

Associate Professor
Cox, W., Grant, J.A., Hanniman, K.¹, Lister, A., MacDonald, E., Martel, S.¹

Assistant Professor
Albaugh, Q., Baisley E., Bouka, Y., Delaney, D., Gardner, P., Larin, S., Lu, F.

Professor Emeritus
Amyot, G.G., Banting, K.G., Conaghan, C., Goldman, P., Hiebert, J., Khalaf, N., Lele, J.K., Leys, C., Meisel, J., Nossal, K.R., Page, S.C., Pentland, C.C., Perlin, G.C., Wood, P.

Cross-Appointed
Amarasingam, A., Boulden, J., Breede, H.C., Brock, K.L., Chouinard, S., Kymlicka, W., Leuprecht, C., Scoppio, G., Soederberg, S., Sokolsky, J.

¹

on Leave July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025

Programs of Study

Courses

Not all courses listed below will be offered in any one year. Early in the summer, the Department publishes a list of courses offered in the coming year, as well as other changes that are made after the publication of the Calendar. Please see our Department of Political Studies website for the latest information.  Courses marked † are offered jointly with a 400-level (fourth-year undergraduate) course.

CANADIAN POLITICS
 

POLS 810 Canadian Politics     
A critical analysis of the literature on Canadian politics. Topics covered include parliamentary institutions, federalism, the courts, multiculturalism and citizenship, Aboriginal politics, women and politics, political economy, interest groups and social movements, the mass media, political parties, public opinion and voting. 

†POLS 814 Politics in Quebec     
An introduction to the political history of Quebec: the development of ideologies (including nationalism), constitutional developments, and the building of the Quebec state during the Quiet Revolution. Some contemporary issues in Quebec politics, and the relationship between Quebec and the rest of Canada. (Offered jointly with POLS 414 ).  Not offered 2024-25.

†POLS 818 Canadian Federalism     
An examination of the evolution and operation of the Canadian federal system. Topics include the concept and meaning of federalism, the implications of provincial/federal interdependence, and the politics of constitutional reform. (Offered jointly with POLS 415 ). Not offered 2024-25.

†POLS 819 Political Communication     
Communication in the modern state with special attention to the role of the mass media, the concept of public opinion in political and social philosophy, and a theoretical and empirical study of mass communication. (Offered jointly with POLS 419). Not offered 2024-25.

POLS 821 Elections     
An examination of the importance of elections to the maintenance of democratic systems. Six themes are discussed: the history and theory of democratic participation; the legal framework; campaign organization; why people vote the way they do; the manifestation of social cleavages during campaigns; and the future of electoral participation. Canadian examples are placed in a comparative context. One 3-hour seminar. Winter.   

†POLS 822 Public Opinion     
This course presents a critical analysis of opinion research, examining both the ways in which its results have been interpreted and used and the methodologies by which it is conducted. This analysis is set in the context of a discussion of assumptions in liberal democratic theory about the citizen's role in politics and government. (Offered jointly with POLS 422 ) One 3- hour seminar. Not offered 2024-25.

POLS 823 Political Parties
This course examines the role of political parties in democratic politics. It focuses on approaches to studying political parties, along with classic questions and contemporary debates in the study of political parties. It pays particular attention to the relationships between political parties and historically marginalized groups. Canadian examples are placed in a comparative context. Not offered 2024-25.

POLS 829 Canadian Political Institutions     
An analysis of the role of political institutions in Canadian politics. The course will examine institutionalist theories in the Canadian context, and provide an in depth analysis of selected aspects of the institutional framework of Canadian politics. Not offered 2024-25.

COMPARATIVE POLITICS
 

POLS 830 Comparative Politics I     
A systematic examination of political systems in order to account for significant similarities and variations among them.  At the core of the field are two issues: what are the major contending approaches to determining what is significant, and what is the nature of the comparative method? This course aims to develop criteria for choosing between approaches and research strategies for empirical work. One 3-hour seminar. 

POLS 831 Comparative Politics II     
This course deals with major topics in the current literature in the sub field, including democracy and democratization, institutions and parties, political economy, political culture, selected policy areas, or particular parties, movements, and interest groups.  Greater stress is laid on the empirical reference of theoretical approaches than in POLS 830 . One 3-hour seminar. (Offered jointly with POLS 400 ).  Not offered 2024-25.

POLS 832 Theories and Politics of Nationalism     
This course examines major theoretical debates in the scholarship of nationalism and evaluates influential contributions to the understanding of nationalism in sub state and global politics. Readings combine broader theoretical approaches and empirical studies.  Winter.

†POLS 833 Problems of American Democracy     
This seminar focuses on the recent debates about the sources of malaise in the American system, with a special emphasis on understanding the dynamics of mass public opinion and the factors influencing public disaffection from political institutions. (Offered jointly with POLS 433 ).  Not offered 2024-25.

POLS 834 Politics of Law and Courts
This course explores theoretical and empirical questions at the intersection of politics and law. The course examines the function of constitutions, how judges on constitutional courts make decisions, and the function of judicial decision making situated more broadly in a democratic society. When do courts matter and for whom? Fall.

POLS 835 Comparative Indigenous Politics
This course is a graduate level survey of major themes in Indigenous politics through a comparative analysis of selected cases. The goals are to provide a foundation of major themes and methodologies within the field that will allow students to engage in the emerging literature and diversify their methodological portfolio.  Fall.

POLS 838 Politics of Ethnic Conflict     
This course will explore a variety of theoretical and empirical issues related to the politics of ethnic conflict. The politics of ethnic conflict encompass a wide range of issues that present distinct challenges to states and societies. Themes invested in this course include the construction of ethnic identities, sources of conflict, types of mobilization, state ethnicity relations, changes in territorial and social boundaries, and the complex interaction between ethnicity and democracy.  Not offered 2024-25.

†POLS 839 Topics in American Politics     
The focus of this seminar will vary from year to year depending on the research interests of the faculty members involved. See the departmental homepage for further details. (Offered jointly with POLS 439 ). Not offered 2024-25.

POLS 840 Comparative Politics of Development      
A critical survey of the main theoretical approaches to development, including modernization theory, neo Marxism, underdeveloped theory and neo liberalism. These are considered in relation to issues of ethnicity and culture, the role of the nation state in development, technology and industrialization and the globalization of the world economy. One 3-hour seminar. Not offered 2024-25.

†POLS 842 Topics in Latin American Politics     
An examination of topics such as economic policy, social movements, parties and elections, women in politics, culture, immigration, Chicano politics, and guerrilla movements and political violence. (Offered jointly with POLS 442 ) One 3-hour seminar. Not offered 2024-25.

POLS 843 Gender and Globalization     
The role of women in international resistance acts as an organizational theme. An essential aspect of this is conceptualizing various forms of oppression based on gender, race and class in the context of the world system. One 3-hour seminar. (Offered jointly with POLS 443) Not offered 2024-25.

POLS 844 Governing Difference: How States Respond to Ethnic, National and Religious Diversity
The course offers an advanced study of how states around the world respond to ethnic, national and religious diversity. It covers the full range of state responses, from genocide and ethnic expulsions to assimilation, power-sharing and territorial autonomy. Not offered 2024-25.

†POLS 846 Citizenship and Non Citizenship     
Focussing on issues of citizenship and non citizenship in the modern world. How issues of nationality and nationalism, minority rights, gender, class, race and ethnicity, and immigration status impact on the rights and obligations of citizenship is central to the politics of these debates. The relevance of these issues to the current Canadian context will be an ongoing theme of the course. (Offered jointly with POLS 446 ) One 3-hour seminar. Not offered 2024-25.

POLS 848 Democracy and Globalization     
The course examines how domestic and international politics intersect to produce transition processes in contemporary "Third Wave democracies" and how national and global forces continue to shape political development in the post transition period. Not offered 2024-25.

POLITICAL THEORY
 

POLS 850 Political Theory     
This course provides an introduction to contemporary normative political theory. The course will focus on the analysis basic concepts, such as liberty, equality, power, and authority, their use in different theoretical traditions, and their application to current debates about politics and policy. Not offered 2024-25.

POLS 851 Global Justice     
An exploration of issues of justice in international politics from a normative and philosophical perspective. The course will explore the nature of our duties to people in other countries, the basis of the nation state and the limits of its territorial claims, and the justification of global institutions. The course will cover topics such as just war theory, humanitarian intervention. secession, migration, human rights, and global distributive justice. Fall.

POLS 852 Contemporary Liberal Democratic Theory     
This course examines the main theoretical approaches in contemporary liberal democratic theory including theories of justice, conceptions of equality and the  'deliberative turn’ in democratic theory. One 3-hour seminar.  Not offered 2024-25.

POLS 853 Topics in Political Theory     
An examination of the reorientations in contemporary political thought.  One 3-hour seminar.  Topic: Intergenerational Justice.
Fall.

†POLS 856 Debates in Contemporary Political Theory     
An investigation into different theoretical perspectives on the issue of identity and the importance of these perspectives for the politics of identity. Theories of gender, race, class, nation, and sexual orientation, from a variety of perspectives, including Marxist, feminist, postmodern, and psychoanalytic theory. (Offered jointly with POLS 456 ). Not offered 2024-25.

POLS 857  Science and Justice     
The word "science" comes from the Latin scientia which means "having knowledge".  What is the relation between science and normative political ideals like democracy, justice and equality?  The topics covered in any given year will vary, but may include the ethical, legal and social consequences of advances in the biomedical or environmental sciences. 
Prerequisites: M.A. or Ph.D. student in Political Studies, or permission of instructor. Winter.

POLS 858 Pol, Legal and Moral Phil Colloquium     
This course examines new work in political, legal and moral philosophy or at the interstice of these three. One 3-hour seminar.  Various instructors. Not offered 2024-25.

†POLS 859 Marxist Theories and Debates     
A study of a selected topic or topics in Marxist theory with an emphasis on the reading of original texts and recent interpretations and applications. (Offered jointly with POLS 459 ) One 3-hour seminar.  Not offered 2024-25.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
 

POLS 860 International Relations     
This course is a comprehensive examination of the evolution and current state of the field of International Relations (IR). It covers international theory, the structure of the international system, key concepts, readings from the canon, and themes in the study of IR such as war, security, foreign policy, the state, gender, global systems, and concepts of power. This course also locates IR in relation to Global Political Economy (GPE) and other related fields of study. Fall.

POLS 861 International Security     
This course will focus on foreign policy analysis and international security, with a focus on alliances, defence cooperation, and issues affecting national and international peace and security. Not offered 2024-25.

†POLS 862 Topics in American Foreign Policy     
The course examines major trends in American foreign policy covering domestic as well as external variables in pre and post war administrations. Emphasis is placed on the USA's global role, the part it plays in international organizations and alliance systems, and the conflicts and controversies that characterize them. (Offered jointly with POLS 470 ).  Fall.

POLS 863 Race and International Politics     
This course is about the role of race and racism in international politics. The goal of the course is to provide a foundation into critical race approaches to understand IR’s disciplinary origins, its theories, and how they help shape the world order. The course integrates various concepts, theories, and issues from different subfield to bring back the concept of “the color line” into our conversations about global politics.  Winter.

POLS 864 International Political Economy     
This course is designed to introduce graduate students to the systematic study of international relations and international political economy. It will attempt to address a wide range of theoretical approaches and issues within the field, paying particular attention to the foreign economic policies of advanced industrial states and the various issues surrounding the redistribution of wealth and influence in the contemporary international system.  Not offered 2024-25.

POLS 865 Political Economy of Global Development     
This course examines the political, social, spatial and ideological dimensions of the global financial system, with special reference to the role of debt.  By drawing on an interdisciplinary lens, we explore a wide range of issues and theories relating to finance and debt in both the developed and developing worlds. Not offered 2024-25.

POLS 867 Approaches to Global Governance     
An exploration of the theory and practice of global governance which traces the emergence of the concept in modern international relations; the academic and public policy debates to which it has given rise; and its application in the design and work of selected international institutions.  Winter.

†POLS 869 Issues in Canadian Foreign Policy 
This course focuses on Canadian American relations, emphasizing the interaction both in bilateral and multilateral contexts. Primary concern will be with issues of trade, investment and resources, with some attention paid to security issues. (Offered jointly with POLS 469 ) One 3-hour seminar.  Not offered 2024-25.

GENDER AND POLITICS  
 

POLS 843 Gender and Globalization     
The role of women in international resistance acts as an organizational theme. An essential aspect of this is conceptualizing various forms of oppression based on gender, race and class in the context of the world system.  (Offered jointly with POLS 443 ).  Not offered 2024-25.

POLS 880 Gender and Politics     
This course addresses the diverse and developing field of Gender and Politics in the discipline of Political Science. The focus will vary depending on the instructor, addressing topics such as: representation; feminist methodology; identity; gender and work; gender and citizenship; the politics of the family; queer theory; intersectionality of race, gender and class; and gender and globalization.  Winter.

†POLS 883 Feminist Theory and Political Science     
This course examines the ways in which political science has characteristically studied women's relationships to political life and, by way of comparison, what feminist perspectives bring to political study. The purpose of the inquiry is to situate feminist theory within the broad corpus of theoretical approaches to political study. (Offered jointly with POLS 483 ). Not offered 2024-25.

OTHER COURSES
 

POLS 801 Quantitative Data Analysis
 Introduction to quantitative data analysis, including types of data commonly used in political studies, appropriate methods for analyzing each type, and best practices in data management. Students will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to be informed, critical consumers of quantitative research, laying the foundation for further study.  Winter.
EXCLUSION: SOCY 917. In addition, this course is at an introductory level therefore excludes all higher- level courses in probability and statistics from departments such as Economics and Math. 

†POLS 886  The Politics of Rights     
An examination of contemporary debates about whether rights provide an appropriate critical standard for evaluating state action and looks at different institutional methods to assess the justification of state actions. (Offered jointly with POLS 486 ) One 3-hour seminar. Not offered 2024-25.

†POLS 891 Topics in Political Studies     
Seminars offered by regular and visiting faculty on topics related to their own research or interests. See the departmental brochure for further details. Not offered 2024-25.

POLS 898 Master's Research Project     

POLS 899 Master's Thesis Research  

POLS 900 Methods of Political Studies     
This course covers approaches to the discipline, the philosophy of social science, and issues and problems in research design. This course is compulsory for doctoral students who have not already completed a similar graduate course. Doctoral students who have completed a similar course will take another course as their sixth. Students in the Political Studies MA program are eligible to take this course with permission from the Graduate Coordinator.  Fall.

POLS 999 Ph.D. Thesis Research     

DIRECTED READING COURSES
 

POLS 901 Readings in Political Studies I     
Fall/Winter/Summer

POLS 902 Readings in Political Studies II   
Fall/Winter/Summer

POLS 910 Field Course in Canadian Politics 
Fall.

POLS 911 Readings in Canadian Politics
Fall/Winter/Summer         

POLS 930 Field Course in Comparative Politics  
Winter

POLS 931 Readings in Comparative Politics 
Fall/Winter/Summer    

POLS 941 Readings in Comparative Politics of Development
Fall/Winter/Summer         

POLS 950 Field Course in Political Theory   
Fall/Winter/Summer    

POLS 951 Readings in Political Theory
Fall/Winter/Summer         

POLS 953 Topics in Political Theory     
This course focuses on a specific debate or topic in political theory. The course might focus on the work of a leading theorist, or on an important theoretical tradition, or it might engage a number of different theoretical perspectives on a particular political problem. Fall/Winter/Summer    

POLS 960  Field Course in International Relations
Fall

POLS 961  Readings in International Relations
Fall/Winter/Summer         

POLS 980 Field Course in Gender and Politics
Winter

POLS 981 Readings in Gender and Politics     
Fall/Winter/Summer    

Courses in Related Fields    

Students may also take courses in cognate fields, such as Economics, Geography, History, Law, Global Development Studies, Philosophy, Policy Studies, etc.