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Political Science

Political science is a central element in the social sciences and focuses on the use of rationality and knowledge applied to public policy, government structure, international relations, and combines these sorts of foci with a deep exploration of the foundational ideas that underpin politics, the state, morality, ethics, freedom, security, and, ultimately, the “good” life.

Course Decriptions

Select a course below to see full descriptions. (#) Indicates amount of credits per course

The aim of this course is to introduce students to the various systems which communities use to establish, elect, structure, and manage their governing bodies. Students will learn about the impact of political systems on the major issues of the day, including climate change, globalization, the threat of nuclear war, the distribution of wealth, race relations, cultural hegemony, and regional dynamics.

Prerequisite(s):

ENGL 098

Transfer to:

UBC POLI 100 (3)
SFU POL 100 (3) B-Soc
UVIC POLI 103 (1.5)
UNBC POLS 100 (3)
TRU POLI 1XXX (3)

This course will introduce students to mainstream and critical theories of world politics and their application to current and historical case-studies. It focuses on nation-states, international organizations, civil society, economic actors, and individuals in global politics. Geo-political events since the end of the Cold War have led to a shift in the concept of nation-state, marking a fundamental change in the nature of world politics.

Prerequisite(s):

ENGL 099, POLI 100

Transfer to:

UBCV POLI 260 (3)
SFU POLI 141 (3) B-Soc
UNBC POLS 2XX (3)
UVIC POLI 240 (1.5)
TRU POLI 2600 (3)

Faculty

Learning Methods

Students will be initiated into a world of politics through traditional lectures, in-class activities, debates, current events and journalism, popular media resources, and historical and present-day case studies.

Students will be thoroughly introduced to the languages of political study and practice in Canada, and worldwide, too.

Career Outlook

Political science graduates work in all sectors of life and their skills with reading policy tables, interpreting and analyzing data, strategic communications, historical research, and many other relevant fields and sub-fields, leave them well-placed in the community.

Political scientists are often lawyers, work in the government, throughout the corporate world, in research and think tanks, in the media and in journalism, and, of course, old-fashioned retail campaign politics.

This is an exciting field to enter at a time where the growth of the role of the state in society will demand more and more critical thinking and political skills from all people.

Resources

  1. International Encyclopedia of Political Science
  2. ipsa.org

  3. The Federation of American Scientists
  4. fas.org

  5. Foreign Policy in Focus
  6. fpif.org

  7. Podomatic: All things politics and culture
  8. podomatic.com

  9. CBC Podcasts: Power and Politics
  10. cbc.ca

  11. Canadian Political Science Association
  12. cpsa-acsp.ca

Alexander College acknowledges that the land on which we usually gather is the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work in this territory.

Alexander College acknowledges that the land on which we usually gather is the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work in this territory.