Political Science


Political Science: Introduction

Faculty Affiliation

Arts and Science

Degree Programs

Political Science

MA

  • Fields:
    • Political Science;
    • Political Theory

PhD

Note: admissions to the transfer option have been administratively suspended.

  • Fields:
    • Canadian Politics;
    • Comparative Politics;
    • Development Studies;
    • International Relations;
    • Political Theory;
    • Public Policy

Combined Degree Programs

STG, Law, JD / Political Science, PhD

Collaborative Specializations

The following collaborative specializations are available to students in participating degree programs as listed below:

Overview

The Department of Political Science is one of the largest political science departments in the western world. It is committed to fostering a collegial environment for graduate students and personal interaction between faculty and students.

The department has a large and academically diverse research-oriented faculty, well represented in the various sub-fields of the discipline (Political Theory, International Relations, Comparative Politics, Development Studies, Canadian Politics, and Public Policy). The department also participates in a wide range of interdisciplinary graduate programs.

Since entrance requirements and standards of work are high, so is the calibre of students. Many hold prestigious fellowships, and several have recently won major awards, including the Canadian Political Science Association and American Political Science Association’s prizes for best doctoral theses in their areas.

Graduates have gone on to academic careers, public service, and other work in all provinces of Canada, the United States, and many other countries. The University maintains an active placement service to assist graduate students seeking employment in the academic world. Graduate students have established the Graduate Association for Students in Political Science to foster intellectual exchanges, social events, and student participation in all aspects of department life.

Contact and Address

Web: politics.utoronto.ca/graduate
Email: louis.tentsos@utoronto.ca
Telephone: (416) 978-2017
Fax: 416-978-5566

Department of Political Science
University of Toronto
Room 3025, 100 St. George Street
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3
Canada


Political Science: Graduate Faculty


Political Science: Political Science MA, PhD Courses

Some listed courses have an undergraduate component and begin the first week of the session. Not all courses are given every year. Consult the departmental timetable.

Canadian Politics

Course CodeCourse Title
Issues and Foundations in Canadian Government (core)
Topics in Canadian Politics I
Topics in Canadian Politics II
Canadian and Comparative Political Development (core)
Federalism and Diversity in Canada (and Beyond)
The Canadian Welfare State in Comparative Perspective
Politics and Policy Analysis

Comparative Politics

Course CodeCourse Title
The Canadian Welfare State in Comparative Perspective
POL2241HCivil War and Counterinsurgency
Politics and Policy Analysis
Topics in Comparative Politics
Topics in Comparative Politics I
Topics in Comparative Politics II
Democracy and Dictatorship
Business and Politics: Power in a Global World
POL2344HLand and Indigenous Politics
Politics of Growth in Developing Countries
POL2355HTwentieth Century Ukraine
POL2370HMedia and Politics
Topics in Comparative Politics
Topics in Comparative Politics III
Topics in Comparative Politics IV
Innovation and Knowledge Transfer in City Regions
Topics in Asian Politics
POL2418HTopics in Middle East Politics
JPF2430HConceptualizing Cities in a Global Context
JPF2431HGlobal Cities — Core Issues and Challenges
Foundations and Approaches to Comparative Politics (core)
Comparative Institutional Politics: Governance, Parties, and Structures of State Power (core)
Constituent Power in Comparative Perspective: Identity, Contention, and Mobilization (core)
POL2780HPolitical Science Workshop

Development Studies

Course CodeCourse Title
Democracy and Dictatorship
Politics of Growth in Developing Countries
Theories and Issues — The Politics of Development (core)
POL2401HRegions and Methods — Development Studies
Topics in Latin American Politics
Political Economy of International Development
Topics in Asian Politics
Topics in Middle East Politics
JPF2430HConceptualizing Cities in a Global Context
JPF2431HGlobal Cities — Core Issues and Challenges
POL2431HDynamics of Political Change in Contemporary China

International Relations

Course CodeCourse Title
JPJ2037HInternational Trade Regulation
JPJ2046HLaw, Institutions, and Development
POL2200HInternational Relations Field Seminar I (core)
POL2201HInternational Relations Field Seminar II (core)
POL2205HTopics in International Politics I
POL2206HTopics in International Politics II
POL2207HTopics in International Politics III
POL2212HHuman Rights, Politics, and International Relations
POL2213HGlobal Environmental Politics
POL2216HMilitary Instruments and Foreign Policy
POL2217HThe Military Instrument of Foreign Policy: Concepts and Approaches
POL2226HEthics and International Relations
POL2241HCivil War and Counterinsurgency
POL2256HGlobal Summit Governance and Diplomacy
POL2335HBusiness and Politics: Power in a Global World
POL2780HPolitical Science Workshop

Political Theory

Course CodeCourse Title
POL2000HAncient Political Thought to the Rise of Modernity (core)
POL2001HTheoretical Bases of Political Institutions
POL2002HModern and Contemporary Political Thought (core)
POL2011HProblems in the Political Thought of the Socratic School
POL2019HMoral Reason and Economic History
POL2024HFeminist Theory
POL2026HTopics in Political Thought I
POL2027HTopics in Political Thought II
POL2028HApproaches to Political Theory
POL2038HStudies in Comparative Political Theory
JPR2051HFanaticism: A Political History
JPR2058HPost-secular Political Thought: Religion, Radicalism, and the Limits of Liberalism
POL2075HPost-Modern and Contemporary Thought
POL2080HPolitical Theory Workshop
POL2226HEthics and International Relations
POL2344HLand and Indigenous Politics
RLG3622HMaimonides and His Modern Interpreters

Public Policy

Course CodeCourse Title
Global Environmental Politics
POL2317HPolitics and Policy Analysis
Public Policy: Theories and Approaches (core)
POL2319HPublic Policy: Applications (core)
Business and Politics: Power in a Global World
Topics in Public Policy

Methods and Research Seminars

Course CodeCourse Title
Thinking Through Research Design
Statistics for Political Scientists
Qualitative Methods in Political Research
POL2507HMultiple Regression Analysis for Political Scientists
Quantitative Methods and Data Analysis
Topics in Methods
POL2809HPolitics and the Public Sphere: Academic Internship
MA Research Seminar I
MA Research Seminar II
PhD Dissertation Proposal Seminar

Independent Study and Special Topics

Course CodeCourse Title
Special Topics I
Special Topics II
Reading course in an approved special field
Reading course in an approved special field