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MA & PhD in Political Studies Program
Details about courses that will be offered and their instructors can be found below. Please note that these courses are subject to change.
Internal Courses Offered in 2025-2026
Field courses (POLS 910, POLS 930, POLS 950, POLS 960, and POLS 980) are the PhD-level equivalents of the MA-level core courses (POLS 810, POLS 830, POLS 850, POLS 860, POLS 880) offered in each field. PhD and MA-level courses are offered jointly in each related field. Doctoral students will be registered under the field course number and Master’s students will be registered under the core course number. Doctoral students will receive a supplementary reading list that will provide additional depth on the topics covered in the core course to help them prepare for their field examinations. In years when a field cannot offer the 800-level core course, the doctoral field course will be offered as a reading course to doctoral students taking it for field exam preparation.
CANADIAN POLITICS
POLS 810/910 Canadian Politics (Field Course)
A critical analysis of the literature on Canadian politics. Topics covered include parliamentary institutions, federalism, the courts, multiculturalism and citizenship, Aboriginal politics, women and politics, political economy, interest groups and social movements, the mass media, political parties, public opinion and voting. Fall.
POLS 821 Elections
An examination of the importance of elections to the maintenance of democratic systems. Six themes are discussed: the history and theory of democratic participation; the legal framework; campaign organization; why people vote the way they do; the manifestation of social cleavages during campaigns; and the future of electoral participation. Canadian examples are placed in a comparative context. One 3-hour seminar. Winter.
COMPARATIVE POLITICS
POLS 830/930 Comparative Politics I (Field Course)
A systematic examination of political systems in order to account for significant similarities and variations among them. At the core of the field are two issues: what are the major contending approaches to determining what is significant, and what is the nature of the comparative method? This course aims to develop criteria for choosing between approaches and research strategies for empirical work. One 3-hour seminar. Fall.
POLS 832 Theories and Politics of Nationalism
This course examines major theoretical debates in the scholarship of nationalism and evaluates influential contributions to the understanding of nationalism in sub state and global politics. Readings combine broader theoretical approaches and empirical studies. Fall.
POLS 834 Politics of Law and Courts
This course explores theoretical and empirical questions at the intersection of politics and law. The course examines the function of constitutions, how judges on constitutional courts make decisions, and the function of judicial decision making situated more broadly in a democratic society. When do courts matter and for whom? Fall.
POLS 835 Comparative Indigenous Politics
This course is a graduate level survey of major themes in Indigenous politics through a comparative analysis of selected cases. The goals are to provide a foundation of major themes and methodologies within the field that will allow students to engage in the emerging literature and diversify their methodological portfolio. Winter.
POLS 838 Politics of Ethnic Conflict
This course will explore a variety of theoretical and empirical issues related to the politics of ethnic conflict. The politics of ethnic conflict encompass a wide range of issues that present distinct challenges to states and societies. Themes invested in this course include the construction of ethnic identities, sources of conflict, types of mobilization, state ethnicity relations, changes in territorial and social boundaries, and the complex interaction between ethnicity and democracy. Winter.
POLS 840 Comparative Politics of Development
A critical survey of the main theoretical approaches to development, including modernization theory, neo Marxism, underdeveloped theory and neo liberalism. These are considered in relation to issues of ethnicity and culture, the role of the nation state in development, technology and industrialization and the globalization of the world economy (Offered jointly with DEVS 801). Fall.
POLITICAL THEORY
POLS 851 Global Justice
An exploration of issues of justice in international politics from a normative and philosophical perspective. The course will explore the nature of our duties to people in other countries, the basis of the nation state and the limits of its territorial claims, and the justification of global institutions. The course will cover topics such as just war theory, humanitarian intervention. secession, migration, human rights, and global distributive justice. Fall.
POLS 853 Topics in Political Theory: Exploitation
An examination of the reorientations in contemporary political thought. One 3-hour seminar (Offered jointly with POLS 451). Winter.
POLS 857 Science and Justice
The word "science" comes from the Latin scientia which means "having knowledge". What is the relation between science and normative political ideals like democracy, justice and equality? The topics covered in any given year will vary, but may include the ethical, legal and social consequences of advances in the biomedical or environmental sciences.
Prerequisites: M.A. or Ph.D. student in Political Studies, or permission of instructor. Winter.
POLS 858 Pol, Legal and Moral Phil Colloquium
This course examines new work in political, legal and moral philosophy or at the interstice of these three. One 3-hour seminar. Various instructors. Fall.
INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
POLS 860/960 International Relations (Field Course)
This course is a comprehensive examination of the evolution and current state of the field of International Relations (IR). It covers international theory, the structure of the international system, key concepts, readings from the canon, and themes in the study of IR such as war, security, foreign policy, the state, gender, global systems, and concepts of power. This course also locates IR in relation to Global Political Economy (GPE) and other related fields of study. Winter.
POLS 862 Topics in American Foreign Policy
The course examines major trends in American foreign policy covering domestic as well as external variables in pre and post war administrations. Emphasis is placed on the USA's global role, the part it plays in international organizations and alliance systems, and the conflicts and controversies that characterize them. (Offered jointly with POLS 462). Fall.
POLS 864 International Political Economy
This course is designed to introduce graduate students to the systematic study of international relations and international political economy. It will attempt to address a wide range of theoretical approaches and issues within the field, paying particular attention to the foreign economic policies of advanced industrial states and the various issues surrounding the redistribution of wealth and influence in the contemporary international system. (Offered jointly with POLS 467). TBA.
POLS 867 Approaches to Global Governance
An exploration of the theory and practice of global governance which traces the emergence of the concept in modern international relations; the academic and public policy debates to which it has given rise; and its application in the design and work of selected international institutions. Winter.
GENDER AND POLITICS
POLS 880/980 Gender and Politics (Field Course)
This course addresses the diverse and developing field of Gender and Politics in the discipline of Political Science. The focus will vary depending on the instructor, addressing topics such as: representation; feminist methodology; identity; gender and work; gender and citizenship; the politics of the family; queer theory; intersectionality of race, gender and class; and gender and globalization. Winter.
OTHER COURSES
POLS 801 Quantitative Data Analysis
Introduction to quantitative data analysis, including types of data commonly used in political studies, appropriate methods for analyzing each type, and best practices in data management. Students will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to be informed, critical consumers of quantitative research, laying the foundation for further study.
EXCLUSION: SOCY 917. In addition, this course is at an introductory level therefore excludes all higher- level courses in probability and statistics from departments such as Economics and Math. Winter.
POLS 898 Master's Research Project
POLS 899 Master's Thesis Research
POLS 900 Methods of Political Studies
This course covers approaches to the discipline, the philosophy of social science, and issues and problems in research design. This course is compulsory for doctoral students who have not already completed a similar graduate course. Doctoral students who have completed a similar course will take another course as their sixth. Students in the Political Studies MA program are eligible to take this course with permission from the Graduate Coordinator. Fall.
POLS 999 Ph.D. Thesis Research
DIRECTED READING COURSES
POLS 901 Readings in Political Studies I
Fall/Winter/Summer.
POLS 902 Readings in Political Studies II
Fall/Winter/Summer.
POLS 911 Readings in Canadian Politics
Fall/Winter/Summer.
POLS 931 Readings in Comparative Politics
Fall/Winter/Summer.
POLS 941 Readings in Comparative Politics of Development
Fall/Winter/Summer.
POLS 950 Field Course in Political Theory
Not offered 2025-26.
POLS 951 Readings in Political Theory
Fall/Winter/Summer.
POLS 953 Topics in Political Theory
This course focuses on a specific debate or topic in political theory. The course might focus on the work of a leading theorist, or on an important theoretical tradition, or it might engage a number of different theoretical perspectives on a particular political problem. Fall/Winter/Summer.
POLS 961 Readings in International Relations
Fall/Winter/Summer.
POLS 981 Readings in Gender and Politics
Fall/Winter/Summer.
Courses in Related Fields
Students may also take courses in cognate fields, such as Economics, Geography, History, Law, Global Development Studies, Philosophy, Policy Studies, etc.
ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE
*Queen’s/R.M.C. Visiting Graduate Student Application form required. Please contact gradpols@queensu.ca.
MA in Political and Legal Thought (PLT) Program
For 2025-2026 PLT program course offerings, please see the PLT timetable at the top of this page
Other
Students may also request courses in cognate fields, such as Economics, History, Cultural Studies, SURP, Sociology, Gender Studies, etc. See the ³ÉÈË´óƬ SGSPA Academic Calendar for more information about courses in other departments at Queen's.
ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE
*Queen’s/R.M.C. Visiting Graduate Student Application form required. Please contact gradpols@queensu.ca.
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External Course Options
Graduate students are permitted to take one external course that is not offered in the Political Studies department. Below are links to external departments that may be of interest. Enrollment in external courses is subject to availability. All course selections should be discussed with the Graduate Coordinator.
Course on Research Ethics (CORE)
The non-credit is mandatory for all incoming graduate students who will engage in research involving human subjects. It is a web-based tutorial providing familiarity with and practical application of Canada's national standard of ethics for research as outlined in the Tri-Council Policy Statement.
For detailed descriptions of the Political and Legal Thought courses, please refer to each link organized by department:
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