Political Studies
| POL 100 | Introduction to Politics and Government | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| This survey course is recommended for both Political Studies majors and those students interested in discovering how politics affects their lives and how they in turn can affect politics. Students are introduced to the basic concepts of Political Theory, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Public Policy, and Canadian Government, offering Political Studies majors a firm foundation in the methods, approaches and issues inherent in the discipline. Non-majors will find the course will help them understand the local, national, and international political events that shape their world. | ||
| Note: This course is required for all students planning to transfer into the Political Science Department at SFU. | ||
| POL 102 | Comparative Government | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| Throughout history, humans have organized themselves into many different types of political systems, from tribes to empires, city-states to nation-states. This course will introduce students to the wide range of political systems that exist throughout the world today, be it Asia, Africa, Europe, or the Americas. By studying these systems in detail, students will gain an appreciation for how political behaviour varies throughout the world, as well as develop a better critical understanding of their own. | ||
| POL 104 | Canadian Government | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| This course introduces students to the formal institutional structures and processes of Canadian government and politics. Topics to be explored will include political culture, the constitution, federalism, Quebec sovereignty and Aboriginal self-government. The course will examine the institutions of government, political parties and their impact on the quality of Canada's parliamentary democracy. Regardless of career goals or preferred disciplines, all students will benefit from an exposure to the politics of their immediate society. | ||
| Note: This course serves as a Canadian Studies credit. | ||
| POL 110 | An Introduction to Western Political Thought | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| An introductory examination of the tradition of Western political thought from the Ancient Greeks to the emergence of the Nation State. The significance and contributions of Plato, Aristotle, the medieval thinkers, and Machiavelli concerning fundamental questions about the relationship between the individual and the state will be explored from an historical and philosophical perspective. This course is of particular relevance to those in the Humanities - literature, drama, fine arts, philosophy - as the shared themes provide for an interesting comprehensive analysis of Western Civilization. | ||
| POL 111 | Contemporary Ideologies | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| This course explores the historical development of the commonly recognized ideologies of the modern era: Liberalism, Conservatism, Anarchism, Marxism, Fascism and Social Democracy. These underlying political ideas will provide the backdrop for a critical discussion of the more recent ideological formations such as Feminism, Ecologism, Nationalism and the different movements associated with religious fundamentalism. Students will be encouraged to think critically about the role and impact of political ideas in the world in which they live. | ||
| POL 201 | International Relations | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| Global warming, the debt crisis, child poverty, militarism, human rights violations, civil, regional and global war - what are the causes of these international problems and what are the possible solutions? Students who take this course will examine these and many other international issues in detail. In short, International Relations is for those students wishing to explore events - and the explanations for those events - in a global system so much in flux since the end of the Cold War and the rise of the global division of labour. | ||
| POL 202 | Government and Politics of British Columbia | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| This course is an introduction to the major forces that shape politics in contemporary British Columbia. Specifically, it is intended to familiarize students with the activities of political parties and government institutions in the province. Topics explored include B.C. political culture, federal-provincial relations, the party system and an examination of legislature and executive in public policy formation (e.g. Aboriginal, fishing, forestry, health policy). | ||
| Note: POL 100 and POL 104 are recommended as prerequisites. | ||
| Note: This course serves as a Canadian Studies credit. | ||
| POL 203 | International Organizations | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| International organizations are increasingly shaping the character of international relations. Be it the UN in Cambodia, NATO in the former Yugoslavia, Greenpeace on the high seas, or the increased power of regional organizations like the European Union and ASEAN, international organizations are challenging the sovereignty of nation-states. Are international organizations really taking on a life of their own? Are new institutions at the international level such as those addressing international law or economic regimes really taking root? Or is the state-centric system destined to continue as it has since 1648? These are some of the issues explored in this, the complementary course to International Relations. | ||
| POL 204 | Canadian Public Policy | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| The centre of the political process of any society is the creation of public policy. How governments arrive at and select policies from the various competing demands placed upon them - in the areas of health, education, environment, economic development, immigration etc. - is the focus of this course. Students are introduced to the basic concepts and theories associated with the making of public policy as well as an analysis of the processes by which policy is defined, addressed and implemented. | ||
| Note: POL 100 and POL 104 are recommended as prerequisites. | ||
| Note: This course serves as a Canadian Studies credit. | ||
| POL 206 | Scope and Methods of Political Analysis | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| This course introduces the student to the variety of approaches and tools available to those studying politics. Students will become familiar with the nature of and debates inherent in contemporary political studies, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the various methods employed by students of politics. By developing their own research project, students will struggle first-hand with the issues central to all types of social science research: selecting from alternative models of explanation, attempting to isolate variables, and dealing with questions of cause and effect to name but a few. Students may have the opportunity to develop and work on a prototype political studies journal as well. | ||
| POL 207 | Selected Issues in Contemporary Social and Political Theory | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| Prerequisite: POL 111 | ||
| Current themes and controversies in contemporary social and political thought is the subject of this course. Topics will shift from term to term to reflect either important issues or individual theorist's contributions to contemporary society. Areas of interest might include, for example, the role of the state in capitalist societies, the significance of the Frankfurt School, the contradictions and fate of the welfare state, the current debates in democratic theory, the role and place of "new" social movements in contemporary society, an examination of the meaning of liberty in complex societies, the renewal of nationalism, the place of religion (Islamic fundamentalism), the persistence of violence in civil society, the insights of political biography. Alternatively, or in conjunction with these themes, students will develop a thorough analysis of a particular theorist: for example, Arendt, Gramsci, Marcuse, Foucault, Habermas, Offe, Williams, Rawls, Rorty, Pateman, Gorz and Melucci to name a few. | ||
| Note: This course transfers as a 300 level course at SFU. | ||
| POL 208 | Aboriginal Politics in Canada | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| This course is designed to help students come to an understanding of the various political forces that shape both the theory and practice of relations between Aboriginal peoples and the Canadian polity. Students will gain a critical and evaluative understanding of such concepts as colonialism, culture, identity, treaties, comprehensive and specific claims, aboriginal rights and title, self-determination, and self-government. Two central questions will be used to guide class discussions - In what way do Aboriginal Peoples present themselves and their political aspirations to the Canadian state? And, to what degree does the manner in which these aspirations are presented make the Canadian state more or less receptive to Aboriginal political objectives? | ||
| Note: This course serves as a Canadian Studies credit. | ||
| POL 222 | Regional Comparative Politics | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| This course will further explore the field of comparative politics from a regional perspective. The region will change according to the interest/expertise of the instructor and/or important political events of the time. By taking this course, students will deepen their understanding of political systems, and hone their critical analysis of the political development process around the world. | ||
| Note: POL 100 and/or POL 102 are recommended as prerequisites. | ||
| POL 320 | Global Ecopolitics | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| Prerequisite: 45 lower level credits including POL 100 and one additional POL 100 or 200-level course | ||
| This course provides students with the opportunity to engage in an in-depth study of how environmental issues are dealt with across national boundaries. Theoretical approaches are critically evaluated in order to organize a systematic study of relevant actors, institutions and agreements in the field of global ecopolitics. Key concepts associated with environmental issues such as sustainability, ecological footprint, and the precautionary principle are also critically evaluated. | ||
| POL 330 | The Political Economy of Globalization | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| Prerequisite: 45 lower level credits including POL 100 and one additional POL 100 or 200-level course | ||
| This course introduces students to the political economy of international trade, finance, development and production, and the major theoretical perspectives which are employed to understand how the global economy is organized. The emphasis on state-market interactions focuses attention on the ways in which international economic exchanges are mediated through structures of governance which may operate at the bilateral, regional or global level. Students will learn to apply the theories introduced in the course to a number of case studies. | ||
| POL 340 | Citizenship and Belonging: From Local to Global Perspectives | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| Prerequisite: 45 lower level credits including POL 100 and one additional POL course | ||
| This course provides a comprehensive overview of the main debates on citizenship in liberal democracies and the implications of globalization on those debates. The course will examine citizenship from the perspective of rights, participatory democracy and identity politics as expressed in cultural, ethnic, national, and gendered contexts. The course will also consider the degree to which globalization has de-territorialized and fragmented citizenship thereby raising new challenges about how community identity, civic ties, human rights, environmental stewardship and social justice are to be practiced and experienced. | ||
| POL 490 | Directed Studies | |
| 3.00 credits | (4,0,0) hrs | 15 wks |
| Prerequisite: 15 upper level credits including a minimum of one 300-level POL course | ||
| Students will work with a Political Studies faculty member to guide them in the development of a research-based project. Specific course details will be arranged between individual students and faculty members. See the Department of Political Studies website for complete details on the application process. | ||