Course Descriptions

Today, the lives of individuals and communities are increasingly shaped by political, social and economic forces that are of global scope. This course examines the complex relationship between the “local” and the “global” by exploring the processes of globalization and the manner in which these affect the prospects of diverse societies around the world. It explores these dynamics in issues such as international law, global governance institutions, non-governmental organizations, terrorism and security, global public health, environmental policy, international trade, foreign aid and development, and the experiences of Indigenous peoples, migrants, and refugees.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Note: Students with credit for IS 110.3 may not take this course for credit.

Who is able to exercise power in society, and on what authority? Does democracy confer legitimacy? How are individual rights balanced against collective rights and decision-making by the majority? How do institutions shape democratic decision-making? How are governments enabled or constrained by international politics? This course introduces students to the core concepts and institutions, such as those in Canada, the profoundly impact our daily lives. This course prepares students to be successful in political studies, be more informed citizens, and understand the political processes that govern our and other societies.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

What laws should a society have? How should a society be organized and governed? At root, these are questions of justice and injustice. This course introduces students to different ways of thinking about the idea of justice in a political society and will explore important issues of justice and injustice that arise in contemporary political and legal systems. It explores issues and debates such as poverty and economic justice, responsibility for historical injustice, environmental justice, justice beyond borders, and questions of justice in law and policy in the case of minority and Indigenous groups.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

The objective of this course is to introduce students to various aspects of global citizenship, global cultures and coexistence. Special emphasis is devoted to two important and interrelated questions. First, what are or what should be the roles, rights and responsibilities of individual and groups in an increasingly globalized world? Second, what are the implications of cultural plurality for a globalized world, and vice versa? Third, what forms and degrees of coexistence have emerged to date and will likely emerge in the future? This course will facilitate efforts of students to answer such questions.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Note: Students with credit for IS 201.3 may not take this course for credit.

This zero credit unit course is designed to recognize global experiential learning acquired by students through various means deemed valid by the Program Coordinator, including: (a) studying abroad; (b) completing an internship abroad with a bona fide international, regional or local organization; or (c) working or serving abroad with any governmental or non-governmental agency or corporate entity. An alternative means of meeting the global experiential learning requirements of this course is to serve as an intern or a volunteer for at least sixty hours with any agency or company that deals with international issues, relations, immigrants, or international students, or any other organization that provides students with learning opportunities that provide them with valuable insights on global issues deemed valid by the Program Coordinator. Students will use their experience to contribute to a series of discussion boards during the term and participate in an end of term colloquia. This course will also provide students with materials and assignments related to cultural learning designed to develop what is commonly referred to as cultural competency.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Permission of the department is required.
Note:This is a required course in the Certificate in Global Studies program. Contact the Department of Political Studies for more information and permission to register.
Note: Students with credit for IS 202.0 may not take this course for credit.

Institutions shape the policies that governments in Canada adopt and the avenues through which political activists and advocacy groups can influence those policies. The course introduces students to the main structures and processes of Canadian government, including the Constitution, Parliament, cabinet, federalism, provincial governments, municipal governments, electoral systems, and First Nations' governments.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or 18 credit units at the university level.
Note: Students with credit for POLS 203 may not take this course for credit.

How do Canada's diverse regional, political, and social identities shape its politics? How do Canadian parties and social movements navigate diverse political cultures and communities to shape change? What impact has Canada's unique political history, culture, and sociology had on the decisions made by governments and other political actors? This course introduces students to the societal context of Canadian political life, exploring the difficult compromises and contentious debates that shape a diverse Canadian society.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or 18 credit units at the university level.
Note: Students with credit for POLS 203 may not take this course for credit.

This course provides an introduction to feminist political theory. It focuses specifically on feminist critiques of and responses to the Western political theory tradition. Political theories that have, in turn, responded to and expanded feminist interventions will also be introduced, such as perspectives rooted in Black feminist thought, queer theory, political economy, postcolonial studies and/or critical disability studies.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or 18 credit units at the university level including at least 3 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

What does it mean to be Indigenous? In what ways are Indigenous politics similar and different in the Global North and Global South? Which political issues dominate the landscape of contemporary Global Indigenous politics? While the course examines contemporary Indigenous politics in Canada, it privileges a more global and comparative perspective to explore the connections between the Global South (e.g. Africa, Asia, Latin America) and Global North (e.g. Australia, Europe, United States). More specifically, the course is organized around key sections which consider the following: the contentious politics of defining Indigeneity, the diverse historical experiences of Indigenous peoples, the politics around land and natural resources, and global challenges around Indigenous peoples' struggles in the areas of cultural survival and human rights. The course concludes by using a case study approach to consider the above issues in greater detail in select political contexts across Africa, Latin America, North America and Oceania.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or 18 credit units at the university level.

An analysis of existing and emerging systems of Indigenous governance and politics at the local, regional, provincial and national levels in Canada.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or INDG 107; or 60 credit units at university level.

An introduction to the basic structures, processes, and principles of public administration system at the national and sub-national levels in Canada. In addition to an introduction to the roles and responsibilities of various policy-making and implementation agencies, it also provides an introduction to regulatory and administrative law regimes.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or 18 credit units at the university level.
Note: Students with credit for POLS 220 may not take this course for credit. This course is typically offered every second year.

How are policies developed and policy decisions made in Canada. This course introduces students to the conceptual and theoretical frameworks for describing and analyzing the nature, determinants, and effects of public policy in Canada. Special attention is devoted to genesis, evolution, and politics of some policies, such as population, Indigenous, immigration, intercultural relations, minority rights, social, education, and environmental, as well as others that students may wish to explore for a particular class assignment. The precise mix of policies that will receive special attention may vary over time.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or 18 credit units at the university level.
Note: Students with credit for POLS 220 may not take this course for credit. This course is typically offered every second year.

An introduction to the ideas of key historical political theorists, including Plato, Aristotle, Niccolo Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes. Emphasis will be placed on the emergence of their ideas in their historical context as well as on their ongoing relevance for politics today. Issues to be covered include the origins of political authority, the causes of stability and revolution, the nature of justice and the value of democracy.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or 18 credit units at the university level.
Note: Students with credit for POLS 235 may not take this course for credit.

An introduction to political theory in the modern era. It will focus specifically on the development of liberal democratic thought and the responses of its critics. Key issues to be examined include the idea of equality, the nature of freedom and the concept of rights. Political theorists to be studied include John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill and Karl Marx.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110, POLS 111, POLS 112; or 18 credit units at the university level.
Note: Students with credit for POLS 235 may not take this course for credit.

Ideology is undoubtedly one of the most important concepts in political science. This course examines the major ideologies of the 21st century that are transnational and global in nature. The course begins by defining the term “ideology” and exploring the different ways in which political scientists study it. It then moves on to the study of specific ideologies that are currently popular around the globe: liberalism, cosmopolitanism, secularism, multiculturalism, social democracy, radical leftism, feminism, environmentalism, communism, nationalism, fascism, conservatism, populist authoritarianism, and religious fundamentalism.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or 18 credit units at the university level

Introduces students to the conceptual and theoretical approaches to understanding the politics of developing countries on a comparative basis. Topics studied include the nature and role of an engaged civil society, as well as theoretical frameworks such as ’neo-patrimonialism’ to explain the nature of political relationships and political competition. An understanding of these conceptual and theoretical dimensions will enable students to analyze politics in any region of the developing world.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or 18 credit units at the university level.
Note: Students with credit for POLS 246.6 may not take POLS 244.3 for credit.

This course provides an introduction to African politics by exploring a broad range of issues from both historical and contemporary perspectives. This includes an examination of the legacy of colonialism, the post-colonial state, nationalism and authoritarian rule, democratization, ethnic politics, political violence, post-conflict peace-building, and Africa's political and economic relations with the international community. While the course provides a survey of important themes related to African politics, it also draws upon the wider theoretical literature from political studies to ground the analyses in broader debates within the discipline.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or 18 credit units at the university level.
Note: Students with credit for POLS 246.6 may not take POLS 245.3 for credit.

Examines the formal and informal processes of the American system of government. Topics include the institutions of the Presidency, the Congress, and the bureaucracy and their interaction, as well as the mass media, public opinion, political parties and interest groups.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or 18 credit units at the university.

Examines various theories in order to understand the state within a global context. Theories studied include liberalism, realism, pluralism, feminism, Marxism, as well as new theories such as ecologicalism.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or 18 credit units at the university level.
Note: Students with credit for POLS 252 may not take this course for credit.

Focuses on the study of social movements and their roles in political change and stability. The course also explores the various theoretical approaches and concepts relevant to the study of social movements and collective behaviour.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or 18 credit units at the university level.
Note: Students with credit for POLS 252 may not take this course for credit.

An introduction to political science research design, including research questions, sampling, and selected methods of data collection, and ethics.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or 18 credit units at the university level.
Note: Students with credit for POLS 255 may not take this course for credit. This course is offered every second year.

An introduction to the dynamics of international politics. It introduces students to the evolution of international politics with a focus on major events and ideas in the development of the modern international system, with particular emphasis on political concepts, ideologies and theories regarding the nature, meaning and development of the international system.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or 18 credit units at the university level.
Note: Students with credit for POLS 260 will not receive credit for this course. Non-refundable costs, in addition to tuition, apply to this course.

Examines major international and non-governmental organizations and institutions such as the UN, EU, NATO, Red Cross, Greenpeace as well as the role of traditional states to understand how they work and to assess their success in dealing with various issues that challenge the international community. The issues considered include conflict and security, the environment, human rights, humanitarian intervention, as well as economic development and well-being.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of IS 110, POLS 111, POLS 112; or 18 credit units at the university level.
Note: Students with credit for POLS 260 will not receive credit for this course.

In the absence of a "world government", the international system is often characterized as anarchic. However, despite there being no overarching authority, international actors have developed international organizations, laws, and norms to provide rules and structures to manage transnational relations and contribute to the solutions for problems of global scope. While some view international organizations and law as simply a means by which powerful states pursue their own interests, others argue that international law has power beyond politics and can rein in self-interest and provide the means and methods for cooperation, coordination, and respect for human rights. This course introduces students to the history, design, and contemporary operations of some of the legal structures underpinning international relations, such as the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court, and explores how politics and law interact in shaping contemporary international relations and the lives of individuals globally.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): Any two of POLS 110.3, POLS 111.3, POLS 112.3; or 18 credit units at the university level.

The Hague is considered the legal capital of the world and is home to many international courts, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. This study abroad course, in conjunction with its prerequisite, will consider the Netherlands’ history with atrocity and then examine how international legal institutions can provide the means and methods for international cooperation, coordination, and respect for human rights and human security. Politics, Public International Law, and Human Security will focus on the ways International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law, and International Criminal Law work to protect individuals from the worst abuses. As an experiential learning course, students are able to pair what they learned in lecture with increased knowledge of the institutions housed in the Hague, and the international challenges they aim to address, from within their very walls.

Prerequisite(s): POLS 261.3 or POLS 263.3.
Note: Costs in addition to tuition will apply to this course. Please contact the department for details.

Offered occasionally by visiting faculty and in other special situations. Students interested in these courses should contact the department for more information.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

Offered occasionally by visiting faculty and in other special situations. Students interested in these courses should contact the department for more information.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

This course critically examines the needs of a community in the aftermath of conflict and explores various approaches to peace-building and justice as attempted in northern Uganda. Uganda has struggled, and continues to struggle, with difficult decisions about how to address legacies of violence and human rights violations. For two decades (1986-2006), northern Uganda was the site of fear and violence as the rebel group ‘the Lord’s Resistance Army’ terrorized communities with brutality and kidnapping, creating and maintaining a force of attacking child soldiers. Also accused of atrocity is the government and its army, the UPDF. Uganda came into the spotlight as local and international human rights practitioners debated peace-vs-justice, especially with regards to the imposition of international criminal justice (the first indictments from the International Criminal Court in 2005; first and only conviction happened in March 2021) and the abilities of traditional mechanisms of justice to address mass atrocity and promote reconciliation. There have also been questions about the need or usefulness of a truth and reconciliation commission or possibly the need for vetting in the Ugandan UPDF, (among the options of mechanisms to pursue justice and reconciliation). This study abroad course explores practical questions of transitional justice using Uganda as a case study.

Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST; and permission of the instructor.
Note: Costs in addition to tuition will apply to this course. Please contact the department for details.

This course will examine the politics and social reproduction of work in Canada. It will begin by examining how working people have responded to workplace conditions, beginning in the 19th century and moving to the present day. Here we will examine work broadly, focusing on how both paid and unpaid labour is shaped by class, gender, race and other forms of social inequity. The course will then look at how governments regulate work in the 21st century, examining how employment is structured as a strict legal relationship between those who sell their labour for a wage and those who purchase that labour in order to create additional value through profit. Examining these intersections, the class will then examine the numerous legal structures that shape the modern workplace, focusing on rules of unionization, individual employment relations, and occupational health and safety.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

Introduces students to Canada's constitution, with special emphasis on the judicial system. It will also examine Canada's constitutional debates, with specific emphasis on the judicial role in shaping federal/provincial division of powers since Confederation.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

Introduce students to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Special attention is devoted to the intersection between law and politics, including debates surrounding the introduction of the Charter and those regarding the exercise of judicial power. The course will include extensive case reviews.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.
Note: Students with credit for POLS 307 Topics in Canadian Politics: Law, Politics and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (offered in 2010-11 and 2011-12) may not take this course for credit.

An examination of the institutions and processes of Canadian provincial political systems with particular emphasis on Saskatchewan.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

An examination of various aspects of local government in Canada, including the evolution of the structures, functions, finances and powers of local government, and the purposes and politics of various contemporary reform issues.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.
Note: This course is typically offered every second year.

An examination of policies and programs impacting Indigenous peoples in Canada, including those developed by Indigenous nations and those established by the federal and provincial governments.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units 100-level POLS; or POLS 222.

This course offers students an overview of historical and contemporary Métis, otehpayimusuak and âpihtawikosisânak politics and governance. The use of these three names emphasizes the diversity of distinct, self-determining groups situated in Canada commonly referred to under the single term of ‘Métis.’ The term 'otehpayimusuak' is a Cree-language derived term for 'people who own themselves' and âpihtawikosisânak may be translated as “half-son” or “half-cousin.”

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): POLS 222.3
Note: This course consists of a textbook, with 10 modules and required readings that will be available for students through the WordPress site and via the Canvas course portal. This course is offered online.

States around the world struggle with many of the same policy issues and challenges. As they search for the best policy solutions, they look to other states, epistemic communities and even their own histories for ideas, while recognizing differences in national political cultures and circumstances. This course introduces students to the methods used to compare the public policies of various countries, using case studies of common issues to explore the interplay of political environments, national realities and policy options.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

Political marketing is a sub-field of political science that applies concepts from business marketing literature to the study of politics. It explores the use of marketing techniques by political parties to win elections, governments to ‘sell’ their policies to citizens, and social movements to sway public opinion in their favour and lobby decision-makers. In this course, students will learn the basic concepts of political marketing and apply these concepts to examples from Canada and around the world.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

An introduction to the purposes, approaches, methods, ethics and politics of public policy analysis. It is designed to provide an understanding of how to produce and analyze documents needed for policy-making and decision making purposes in various organizational settings both in the governmental sector and in the non-governmental sector.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.
Note: This course is typically offered every second year.

This course introduces students to the principal theoretical positions used to understand, justify, and evaluate law at both the national and international levels. It asks students to critically engage with classical and critical theories about the nature of law and legal obligations. Questions include: by whom, for whom, and for what purpose should law be created; is law inherently connected to state power? What is the relationship between law and democracy? Is law simply what those with political power make it or is there an inherent connection between law and morality? On a more practical level, can laws and legal systems that are not backed up with enforcement power truly be called law? Examples from the Canadian legal system and international law offer opportunities to test and develop insights about the meaning and proper reach of the law.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

Justice and democracy are two key ideas in contemporary politics. While we generally think they are harmonious ideas, often times they come into conflict. This course addresses contemporary theoretical approaches to the relationship between justice and democracy. Issues to be covered include, what is to be done when democracies reach unjust decisions, what kind of democracy does justice require and how can democratic institutions be designed to produce more just outcomes.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

The course provides an introduction to the government and politics of the nations of East Asia, as well as some of the pressing issues that confront the region. It seeks to provide students with a foundation for a lifelong engagement with a fascinating and increasingly important part of the world.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

This course examines the historical as well as contemporary political, social and cultural processes that have shaped Ukraine’s national identity while exploring their impact on current state-building efforts.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

The world-wide hunger for resources has spurred an explosion in extractive industry development, particularly in mining, oil and gas. This in turn has given rise to wide-spread conflicts between the resource industry and the groups and communities detrimentally affected by it. In many contexts, anti-extractive mobilization is spearheaded by Indigenous groups on whose territories a disproportionately large number of such operations are occurring. Focusing primarily on large scale metal mining, this course will examine the factors giving rise to the global expansion in resource extraction, and the political, social and economic effects of this development on, and the responses of, stakeholders at the local, national and international levels.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for POLS 398.3 Resource Extraction Resistance and Sustainable Development may not be able to take this course for credit.

As a multinational, ethnoculturally diverse, state Canada must grapple with questions surrounding immigration, integration, and cultural diversity. This course explores the politics of Canadian multiculturalism and immigration policy. It includes discussions of immigration and citizenship rules, recognition of cultural diversity, anti-racism and human rights policy and law, and employment equity. It also explores the relationship between Canada’s cultural diversity and nation-building projects in different regions of Canada such as Quebec.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

This course introduces students to the foundations and theory of Canadian Political Economy, with a particular focus on the historical development, and present-day conditions, of capitalism in Canada. The course also explores issues such as the relationship between the Canadian state and the economy; the intersection of capitalism and colonialism; and the political economy of migration, the resource industry, and/or care work. Lastly, the course emphasizes how socio-economic changes have also engendered new forms of struggle and resistance.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

This course introduces students to the foundations and theory of political economy, analyzing global capitalism through a variety of lenses including Classicism, Neo-Classicism, Marxism, Keynesianism, and Neoliberalism. The course also explores issues such as the intersection of capitalism with gender and racial hierarchies, the international monetary systems and finance, the political economy of resource extraction and climate change, and the interactions between economic systems and a variety of political institutions.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

Examines the goals, strategies and actions of international terrorist groups, the efforts of governments to combat terrorism, and the effect of international terrorism on contemporary international relations. Special attention is given to philosophies of violence and to ethical issues surrounding terrorist and counter-terrorist actions.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

An examination of post-war global politics, through the lens of Foreign Policy Analysis. Major attention is given to the ways that the practice and study of foreign policy are embedded in the broader actors, institutions, and processes of global politics. This framework is then applied to contemporary and indicative case studies to understand how the contemporary international order came to be, the tensions that exist within it, and what it might look like in the future.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

Why is war perceived to be a useful and inescapable political activity? This course examines theories and practices of war and militarism beyond the narrow confines of strategic thought to consider the complex lifeworld of organized violence. It examines how war shapes and is shaped by the states, societies and peoples who wage it, in relation to classical texts as well as technological, ethical, and commercial transformations reconfigured by the “global war on terror.”

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

This course examines various approaches to peace-building in the aftermath of conflict, focusing on the restorative role of political reconciliation.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.

Introduction to Canada's role in the world, studying the factors that continue to shape the country's position on global issues and the processes by which its foreign policy is made.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of POLS and/or IS; or 36 credit units at the university level, including at least 6 credit units of ANTH, ENG, HIST, INDG, IS, POLS, RLST, SOC, or WGST.
Note: Students with credit for POLS 365 may not take this course for credit.

Covers topics in Political Studies, offered by the Washington Center, Washington D.C. Possible courses include Religion and Global Politics, Peaceful Solutions, The Road to the White House, Ethics and the U.S. Congress, How Washington Really Works, U.S. Foreign Policy in the 21st Century, Peaceful Solutions, International Human Rights, The Rationality/ Psychology of Conflict, Violence, and War, Most Dangerous Woman in the World, Intercultural Communications, Public Policies that Reduce Hunger and Poverty, U.S. and China in the 20th and 21st Centuries, Global Policy Issues, Strategic Communication for the Policy Making Process, Press, Politics, and Power, Campaigning for a Cause, Scandalous Washington, Crime, Power, & Punishment, Citizenship in Multicultural Society, Government and Business in the New Economic and Political Reality, Introduction to Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure, International Organizations and Humanitarian Law, Managing the American Intelligence Community, Non-profit Leadership and Management, or other topics approved by the Department of Political Studies.

Prerequisite(s): 60 credit units of university level study including 6 credit units senior POLS
Note: Registration in this course is restricted to students selected for the Washington Center Term Abroad program.

This course offers students the opportunity to intern with an organization for a term. Internship opportunities vary but will give students work experience relevant to their degree. Assignments will allow students to acquire insights into how organizations/units are structured and administered, and how policies are developed and implemented. Students will learn about the importance of effective research in policy development, and be able to better understand the relationship between their studies and potential career routes.

Prerequisite(s): 60 credit units at university level and permission of the department.
Note: The internship involves a commitment of 100 hours over the course of the term. Registration is limited to students selected as interns with specific organizations. Interested students must contactpolitical.studies@usask.ca at least two months prior to the start of the term in which they wish to enroll in the course.

Offered occasionally by visiting faculty and in other special situations to cover, in depth, topics that are not thoroughly covered in regularly offered courses.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Note: Costs in addition to tuition may apply to certain sections of this course. Please contact the department for information.

Offered occasionally by visiting faculty and in other special situations to cover, in depth, topics that are not thoroughly covered in regularly offered courses.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours

Students will be introduced to theories of law, politics and justice in modern Canadian society. In addition to examining judicial decision-making, the course will also question how law influences administrative actors with regards to such policy fields as labour, immigration, health, multiculturalism, the environment and Indigenous rights.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 54 credit units at the university level, including 18 credit units POLS and/or IS.

An examination of Canadian federalism that deals with enduring and contemporary issues such as the constitutional division of powers, intergovernmental relations, fiscal federalism, the federal spending power, regionalism, the role of Quebec in the federal system, and constitutional change.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 54 credit units at the university level, including 18 credit units POLS and/or IS.

Elections and political parties are crucial components of Canadian democracy. This course explores the ideology and organization of Canadian political parties as well as how these parties interact with the media and the role they play in our parliamentary institutions.  The course will also examine various aspects of Canadian elections such as vote choice, political marketing, party financing, campaign strategy, social media, and electoral regulations.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 54 credit units at the university level, including 18 credit units POLS and/or IS.

Examines the ‘critical turn’ in the study of global security by tracing the shift away from a state-centred militaristic conception of security towards a more expansive and deepened conception of security that involves issues spanning economic, social, political and environmental spheres.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 54 credit units at the university level, including 18 credit units in POLS and/or IS

Examines Indigenous governance strategies in Canada, with particular attention to First Nations in Saskatchewan. Attention is devoted to cultural, economic, and political development among Indigenous peoples that is self-determined and sustainable. It is designed to provide students with an academic basis for analyzing existing governance development strategies among Indigenous nations.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): POLS 222; or 54 credit units at the university level, including 18 credit units POLS and/or IS.

An advanced seminar covering a selected topic at the forefront of debates in contemporary political theory. Possible topics include, social justice, political authority and obligation, and human rights.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 54 credit units at the university level, including 18 credit units POLS and/or IS.

An assessment of the prospects for multi-party democracy in Africa. Special attention is given to issues of re-democratization since 1989 and to the setbacks which have resulted from military interventions or from autocratic rulers manipulating their instruments of power to block a successful political transition.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 54 credit units at the university level, including 18 credit units POLS and/or IS.

An examination of the ideas and debates, such as cosmopolitanism, that inform international ethical thought, followed by consideration of contemporary international political issues about which difficult ethical choices have been made or about which there is ethical controversy, including international intervention, gender rights protections, reintegration of child soldiers, and participation in slum and volunteer tourism amongst others.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 54 credit units at the university level, including 18 credit units POLS and/or IS.

Designed as a selected topics seminar in international relations. Each offering will focus on one of the subfields- including Canadian Foreign Policy Processes, Ethical Issues in International Relations, International Development, International Terrorism, International Political Economy, International Trade and Globalization. The undergraduate students will investigate the methodology and applications of the theory and evidence related to that subfield.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 54 credit units at the university level, including 18 credit units POLS and/or IS.
Note: Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the Department to ensure that the topics covered are different. Students may not receive credit for both POLS 461 and POLS 867.

This course provides an introduction to the International Criminal Court (ICC), a treaty based international organization that prosecutes individuals suspected of committing "the gravest crimes of concern to the international community", and explores the international politics and domestic considerations that affect and are affected by the existence and operations of the ICC in the wake of mass human rights violations.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 54 credit units at the university level, including 18 credit units in POLS courses.
Note: Students who took this topic as POLS 461.3 may not take POLS 463.3 for credit.

An examination of the impact of globalization on groups such as labour, women, and the poor. As well the course looks at the effects of particular transnational processes to which globalization has contributed, such as environmental degradation, refugee flows and the spread of ethnic conflicts.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 54 credit units at the university level, including 18 credit units POLS and/or IS.

Offered occasionally by visiting faculty and in other special situations to cover, in depth, topics that are not thoroughly covered in regularly offered courses.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours

Offered occasionally by visiting faculty and in other special situations to cover, in depth, topics that are not thoroughly covered in regularly offered courses.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours

An examination of selected aspects of Canadian governance and politics. Topics include the Canadian constitution, the prime minister and cabinet, Parliament, the courts, political parties, elections, public opinion, federalism, political culture, and provincial governance and politics.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours

Provides an examination of some of the major theories employed in the modern study of Canadian governance and politics. It pays particular attention to the theoretical works and perspectives of scholars who are engaged in the study of institutions, processes and/or policies at the national level of Canadian politics.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): B.A. in Political Studies.

A required course for all graduate students in Political Science. Introduces students to conceptual, theoretical and methodological issues in the discipline of Political Studies and teaches them skills that will prepare them to write their thesis. It also examines current themes in the political and policy discourse.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Note: Students with credit for POLS 818.6 may not take this course for credit.

A required course for all graduate students in Political Studies. Core concepts in the discipline of Political Studies are explored by means of reading, student presentations, and seminar discussion. Seminars are led by faculty teaching and researching in the respective sub-disciplines.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): Honours degree or its equivalent in Political Studies.

An examination of selected topics in Aboriginal public policy and administration. Topics include Aboriginal policy in Canada, comparative Aboriginal-state relations, political theory and rights of Aboriginal peoples, and Aboriginal administrative and management systems.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours

Examines a topic or issue in political theory, or the work of a particular political theorist, through the examination of selected works in classic and/or contemporary political theory. Topics include problems in the philosophy of social sciences, natural rights, the public interest, justice, obligation, and freedom.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours

This course studies the scope of Political Theory and the methods of analysis and argument used in the area through an examination of selected classic and contemporary works in political theory.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours

An examination of selected topics in Comparative Government and Politics. Topics include Comparative Public Policy, Comparative Politics: Developing Countries, Comparative Politics: Industrialized and Post-Industrialized Countries, Comparative Federalism, and Political Parties and Voting Behaviour.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours

Investigates the range of theories that are being used in contemporary Political Science to examine political phenomena from a cross-national perspective. Also examines the methodological issues that arise in approaching the study of politics and government in this way.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours

An examination of selected topics in International Relations. Topics include The Canadian Foreign Policy Process, Ethical Issues in International Relations, International Terrorism, Nationalism, International Political Economy, and International Trade.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Note: Students may not receive credit for both POLS 461 and POLS 867.

Surveys and assesses major theories of international relations and examines the assumptions and methodological approaches that underlie them. While this is a survey course and many different theories are examined, the major emphasis is upon those that concern the nature, causes and significance of terrorism in contemporary international relations.

Weekly hours: 2.5 Seminar/Discussion hours

Reading, essays, and discussion in an approved special field.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

Reading, essays, and discussion in an approved special field.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

Papers and discussions on topics in political studies. Graduate students are required to attend and take part in these meetings.

This is a research course for graduate students in the Project Option of the Master's Degree Program in Political Studies. The major research paper should be approximately 40 pages in length and be written on a topic agreed upon by the supervisor and the student. It should demonstrate the student's ability to undertake advanced research, his/her knowledge of literature relevant to the chosen topic, and his/her capacity to articulate a research question and address it in a coherent, organized and well-written manner. The paper will be evaluated by the faculty member who is the supervisor and who has expertise in the field of the topic.

Prerequisite(s):Open to students admitted to the Department of Political Studies in the Major Research Project Option of the Master's program.

Students writing a Master's thesis must register for this course in each term before completion of their degree.

Students writing a Ph.D. thesis must register for this course.