Political Science

The study of politics has been an integral part of a university education since the philosopher Plato established an academy in classical Greece to teach the "royal art". Political decisions shape the character of our public and private institutions, determine our foreign and domestic policies, and through these, establish our character as a people. As the eighteenth-century writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau observed in a letter "everything is radically connected with politics."

At Mount Allison, courses in Political Science fall into four sub-disciplines: Political Theory, Canadian Politics, Comparative Politics, and International Politics. The department offers a range of courses in each of these sub-disciplines. As a small department we also encourage students to develop more specialized interests by taking related courses in other disciplines and by taking advantage of the Directed Readings course offered to senior students with high academic standing.

Political Science 1001 is the introductory political science course and is the normal prerequisite for all of the second year Political Science courses. Students should consult the program advisor for additional information.

Disciplinary B.A. Programs

MINOR in Political Science is 24 credits earned as follows:

3	from POLS 1001
21	from Political Science 2/3/4000 level, including at least 6 credits from 3/4000 level courses

MAJOR in Political Science is 60 credits earned as follows:

3	from POLS 1001
39	from Political Science 2/3/4000 level, 6 to 9 of these credits may be taken at the 2000 level. At least three credits at the 3/4000 level must be taken from each of the four sub-disciplines in Political Science corresponding with the series numbers for Political Theory (30/40), Canadian Politics (31/41), Comparative Politics (32/42) and International Politics (33/43)
18	credits from complementary courses in Arts & Letters, Humanities and Social Sciences, chosen in consultation with the Program Advisor

HONOURS in Political Science is 72 credits earned as follows:

60	credits as in the Major, plus:
12	from Political Science at the 3/4000 level, chosen in consultation with the Program Advisor. At least six credits at the 3/4000 level must be taken from each of the four sub-fields in Political Science (corresponding with the series numbers for Political Theory (30/40), Canadian Politics (31/41) Comparative Politics (32/42), and International Politics (33/43)

POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES

Note: The listing of a course in the Calendar is not a guarantee that the course is offered every year.

Note: Students must obtain a grade of at least C- in all courses used to fulfill prerequisite requirements. Otherwise, written permission of the appropriate Department Head or Program Co-ordinator must be obtained.

POLS 1001 (3CR)
FOUNDATIONS OF POLITICS
Format: lecture 3 hours
Exclusion: POLS 1000
This course is an introduction to the foundations of politics through the medium of political theory, Canadian politics, comparative politics, or international politics.

POLS 2001 (3CR)
DEMOCRATIC THOUGHT
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: POLS 1000 or 1001; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: Any version of POLS 2001 previously offered with a different title
This course examines democratic thought from its origins in the ancient polis through to its modern incarnation in the writings of Rousseau, Tocqueville, John Stuart Mill and selected contemporary theorists. It places particular emphasis on the conflict between participatory and elite models of democratic citizenship.

POLS 2101 (3CR)
CANADIAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: POLS 1000 or 1001; or permission of the Department
This course is a study of the political process in Canada. It presents an overview of the constitution, institutions, and political actors that represent the essential components of Canada's political culture and government.

POLS 2201 (3CR)
GOVERNMENT OF THE U.S.A.
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: POLS 1000 or 1001; or permission of the Department
This course is a study of political institutions and practices in the United States of America.

POLS 2211 (3CR)
CANADA AND THE WORLD
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: POLS 1000 or 1001; or permission of the Department
This course is a critical analysis of Canada's place in a rapidly evolving global order. It places particular emphasis on media technology.

POLS/INLR 2301 (3CR)
TOPICS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: POLS 1000 or 1001; or permission of the Department
Note: This course is cross-listed as INLR 2301 and may count as 3 credits in either discipline.
This course is a study of the major issues and themes in international relations, including the nature of war and the conditions of peace.

POLS 3001 (3CR)
ANCIENT POLITICAL THOUGHT
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: Six credits in Political Science at the 2000 level, or POLS 1000; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: Any version of POLS 3001 previously offered with a different title
This course examines the ancient tradition of political thought from Plato, Aristotle, and Augustine through to its eclipse in Machiavelli. It emphasizes the enduring themes of nature, virtue, citizenship, property, religion and the best regime.

POLS 3011 (3CR)
MODERN POLITICAL THOUGHT
Format: lecture3 hours
Prereq: Six credits in Political Science at the 2000 level, or POLS 1000; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: Any version of POLS 3011 previously offered with a different title
This course examines the modern tradition of political thought from its origins in Hobbes and Locke to its zenith in Rousseau and Marx. It emphasizes the defining problems of freedom, history, property, revolution, and the state.

POLS 3021 (3CR)
SOCIALIST THOUGHT
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: Three credits from POLS 2001 or 3011; or permission of the Department
This course examines the socialist tradition from Marx to the present, with particular emphasis on the relationship between theory and practice in the writings of Lukács, Gramsci, and the Frankfurt School. It also considers the recent challenges of feminism and postmodernism.

POLS 3031 (3CR)
WOMEN AND POLITICS
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: Six credits in Political Science at the 2000 level; or permission of the Department
This course examines the relationship between women and politics. Its topics may include the historical and conceptual roots of the problem of citizenship for women, patterns of women's participation in politics and government, the politics of the women's movement, and women's effects on public policy.

POLS 3101 (3CR)
POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IN CANADA
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: Six credits in Political Science at the 2000 level or POLS 1000; or permission of the Department
This course studies the various public offices in Canada and the individuals who fill them, including the Prime Minister, Provincial premiers, members of parliament, mayors and judges. It emphasizes the opportunities and challenges that each faces in providing political leadership in Canada.

POLS 3111 (3CR)
CANADIAN FEDERALISM AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: Six credits in Political Science at the 2000 level, or POLS 1000; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: Any version of POLS 3111 previously offered with a different title
This course is an examination of the evolution and operation of the Canadian federal system. Its topics may include the concept and meaning of federalism, constitutional reform, fiscal federalism and intergovernmental relations.

POLS 3121 (3CR)
CANADIAN ELECTORAL STUDIES
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: Six credits in Political Science at the 2000 level, or POLS 1000; or permission of the Department
This course is a study of Canadian elections and the Canadian electoral system. Its topics include an examination of how rules shape electoral competition; the role of the media in election campaigns; obstacles facing women candidates; and whether elections provide governments with mandates.

POLS 3200 (6CR)
EUROPEAN POLITICS
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: POLS 2211; or permission of the Department
This course is a comparative analysis of government and politics with particular emphasis on Europe's role in a changing geopolitical order.

POLS 3310 (6CR)
STRATEGIC STUDIES
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: POLS 2211 and 2301; or POLS 1000; or permission of the Department
This course is an analysis of strategic thought in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with particular reference to the ideas of Karl von Clausewitz and their relevance to the nuclear era.

POLS 4000 (6CR)
PROBLEMS IN THE HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT
Format: seminar 3 hours
Prereq: Three credits from POLS 3001, 3011 or 3021; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: Any version of POLS 4000 previously offered with a different title
This course examines a selected problem in the history of political thought.

POLS 4001 (3CR)
FEMINIST POLITICAL THOUGHT
Format: seminar 3 hours
Prereq: Three credits from POLS 3001, 3011 or 3031; or permission of the Department
This course examines contemporary feminist political thought with particular emphasis on feminist critiques and reconstructions of traditional concepts such as politics, citizenship, equality, justice, and freedom.

POLS 4011 (3CR)
LIBERAL DEMOCRACY AND ITS DISCONTENTS
Format: seminar 3 hours
Prereq: Three credits from POLS 3001 or 3011; or permission of the Department
This course examines the critical theories of the culture and politics of liberal democracy which have shaped the main currents of modern political thought from the nineteenth century to the present.

POLS 4131 (3CR)
CANADIAN POLITICAL PARTIES
Format: seminar 3 hours
Prereq: Three credits from POLS 3101, 3111 and 3121 or POLS 3100; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: POLS 4100
This course is an examination of political parties primarily from a Canadian perspective. Its topics include the principal models of political parties, the organization, character and functions of parties, and the development of party systems.

POLS 4141 (3CR)
INTEREST GROUPS AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN CANADA
Format: seminar 3 hours
Prereq: Three credits from POLS 3101, 3111 and 3121 or POLS 3100; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: POLS 4100
This course is an examination of interest groups and social movements primarily from a Canadian perspective. It studies the development and role of interest groups and social movements both in the past and present.

POLS 4200 (6CR)
POLITICAL AND CULTURAL CHANGE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE
Format: lecture/seminar 3 hours
Prereq: Three credits in Political Science at the 2000 or 3000 level; or permission of the Department
A comparative analysis of the impact of political change on the broader culture, as expressed in literature, cinema, architecture and communications media. Examples will be taken from North American and European experience.

POLS 4211 (3CR)
POLITICS AND LITERATURE
Format: lecture/seminar 3 hours
Prereq: Three credits in Political Science at the 2000 or 3000 level; or permission of the Department
An analysis of the relationship between literature and social change. Selected works of a number of recent Latin American and Central European writers will be examined.

POLS 4300 (6CR)
CANADIAN FOREIGN POLICY
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: POLS 3310; or permission of the Department
A study of the major themes and issues in post-1945 Canadian Foreign policy, with a focus on the concept of internationalism as the foundation for Canada's post-war approaches to international order and security.

POLS 4950/4951 (6/3CR)
INDEPENDENT STUDY IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Format: Independent Study
Prereq: Permission of the Department/Program Advisor. Students must obtain consent of an instructor who is willing to be a supervisor and must register for the course prior to the last day for change of registration in the term during which the course is being taken.
Note: A program on Independent Study cannot duplicate subject matter covered through regular course offerings.
Note: Students may register for POLS 4950/51 more than once, provided the subject matter differs.
This course permits senior students, under the direction faculty members, to pursue their interest in areas not covered, or not covered in depth, by other courses through a program of independent study.

POLS 1991/2991/3991/4991 (3CR)
SPECIAL TOPIC IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Format: Variable
Prereq: Set by the Department/Program when the topic and level are announced
Note: When a Department or Program intends to offer a course under this designation, it must submit course information, normally at least three months in advance, to the Dean.
Note: Students may register for POLS 1991/2991/3991/4991 more than once, provided the subject matter differs.
This course either focuses on topics not covered by the current course offerings in a department or program or offers the opportunity to pilot a course that is being considered for inclusion in the regular program.