Political Science Co-op (POLS:C)
Department of Political Science, College of Social and Applied Human Sciences
The Department of Political Science offers courses in the following areas: Political Thought; Canadian Politics; Public Policy, Governance, and Law; Comparative Politics; and International Relations and Global Studies. The Department of Political Science also participates in several interdisciplinary programs, including Criminal Justice and Public Policy, International Development Studies, Environmental Governance, and European Studies.
Program Requirements
The Co-op program in Political Science is a four and a half year program, including three work terms. Students must follow the academic work schedule as outlined below (also found on the Co-operative Education website: https://www.recruitguelph.ca/cecs/).
Political Science Academic and Co-op Work Term Schedule
| Year | Fall | Winter | Summer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Academic Semester 1 | Academic Semester 2 | Off |
| 2 | Academic Semester 3 COOP*1100 | Academic Semester 4 | COOP*1000 Work Term I |
| 3 | COOP*2000 Work Term II | Academic Semester 5 | Academic Semester 6 |
| 4 | Academic Semester 7 | COOP*3000 Work Term III | Off |
| 5 | Academic Semester 8 | N/A | N/A |
To be eligible to continue in the Co-op program, students must meet a minimum 70% cumulative average requirement after second semester, as well as meet all work term requirements. Please refer to the Co-operative Education program policy with respect to work term performance grading, work term report grading and program completion requirements.
For additional program information students should consult with their Co-op Co-ordinator and Co-op Faculty Advisor, listed on the Co-operative Education web site.
Credit Summary
(21.50 Total Credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core Courses | 9.00 | |
| Humanities credits from at least two areas (BA distribution requirement) | 1.50 | |
| Social Science credit outside of POLS (BA distribution requirement) | 0.50 | |
| Natural Science credits (BA distribution requirement) | 1.00 | |
| Electives | 8.00 | |
| Co-op Work Terms | 1.50 | |
| Total Credits | 21.5 | |
The recommended program sequence is outlined below.
Major (Honours Program)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 - Fall | ||
| POLS*1150 | Understanding Politics | 0.50 |
| 2.00 electives 2 | 2.00 | |
| Semester 2 - Winter | ||
| 2.50 electives 2 | 2.50 | |
| Semester 3 - Fall | ||
| COOP*1100 | Introduction to Co-operative Education | 0.00 |
| Semester 3 or 4 - Fall or Winter | ||
| POLS*2300 | Canadian Government and Politics | 0.50 |
| POLS*2650 | Political Inquiry and Research Methods | 0.50 |
| PHIL*2280 | Key Concepts in Political Philosophy | 0.50 |
| or POLS*2000 | Political Theory | |
| Select 0.50 credits from the following: | ||
| IDEV*2000 | The Development Landscape: Actors and Institutions | 0.50 |
| POLS*2100 | Comparative Politics | 0.50 |
| POLS*2200 | International Relations | 0.50 |
| Select 0.50 credits from the following: | ||
| POLS*2150 | Gender and Politics | 0.50 |
| POLS*2230 | Public Policy | 0.50 |
| POLS*2250 | Public Administration and Governance | 0.50 |
| POLS*2350 | Law from a Political Science Perspective | 0.50 |
| 2.50 electives 2 | 2.50 | |
| Summer Semester | ||
| COOP*1000 | Co-op Work Term I | 0.50 |
| Fall Semester | ||
| COOP*2000 | Co-op Work Term II | 0.50 |
| Semester 5 - Winter | ||
| POLS*3650 | Quantitative Methods of Data Analysis | 0.50 |
| 1.50 POLS restricted electives | 1.50 | |
| 0.50 electives | 0.50 | |
| Semester 6 - Summer | ||
| Select 1.00 credits from the following: | ||
| POLS*3130 | Law, Politics and Judicial Process | 0.50 |
| POLS*3140 | Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms | 0.50 |
| POLS*3320 | Politics of Aid and Development | 0.50 |
| POLS*3370 | Environmental Politics and Governance | 0.50 |
| POLS*3210 | The Constitution and Canadian Federalism (DE) | 0.50 |
| POLS*3300 | Governing Criminal Justice (DE) | 0.50 |
| 1.50 electives, which may include the following: | ||
| POLS*3850 | Experiential Learning in Political Science 3 | 0.50 |
| POLS*3960 | Selected Topics in Political Science 3 | 0.50 |
| Semester 7 - Fall and Semester 8 - Fall | ||
| A minimum of 1.50 and a maximum of 2.00 credits of 4000-level POLS courses are required in semesters 7 and 8. 4 | ||
| Option A | ||
| 1.50 POLS credits 4000-level | 1.50 | |
| 1.50 POLS electives | 1.50 | |
| 2.00 electives | 2.00 | |
| Option B | ||
| 2.00 POLS credits 4000-level | 2.00 | |
| 1.00 POLS electives | 1.00 | |
| 2.00 electives | 2.00 | |
| Winter Semester | ||
| COOP*3000 | Co-op Work Term III | 0.50 |
| Summer Semester | ||
| No academic semester or work term | ||
- 2
These may include electives required to complete the Humanities, Social Science, Natural and Mathematical Science distribution requirements, or POLS restricted electives.
- 3
POLS*3850 Experiential Learning in Political Science and POLS*3960 Selected Topics in Political Science are subject to faculty availability and departmental approval.
- 4
At least 1.00 credits must come from either a 1.00 credit fourth-year seminar or the Honours Thesis sequence (POLS*4970 Honours Political Science Research I and POLS*4980 Honours Political Science Research II).
Restricted Electives
- At least 0.50 credits at the 3000 level in three of the five fields in the department (see field lists below).
Course List Code Title Credits Political Thought POLS*3230 Modern Political Thought 0.50 POLS*3710 Gender, Sexuality and Law 0.50 Canadian Politics HIST*3160 Canadian Political History 0.50 POLS*3050 Canadian Campaigns and Elections 0.50 POLS*3130 Law, Politics and Judicial Process 0.50 POLS*3140 Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms 0.50 POLS*3210 The Constitution and Canadian Federalism 0.50 POLS*3270 Local Government in Ontario 0.50 POLS*3340 Indigenous Politics in Canada 0.50 POLS*3470 Business-Government Relations in Canada 0.50 Public Policy, Governance and Law POLS*3130 Law, Politics and Judicial Process 0.50 POLS*3140 Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms 0.50 POLS*3210 The Constitution and Canadian Federalism 0.50 POLS*3250 Public Policy: Challenges and Prospects 0.50 POLS*3300 Governing Criminal Justice 0.50 POLS*3350 Comparative Law and Courts 0.50 POLS*3370 Environmental Politics and Governance 0.50 POLS*3440 Corruption, Scandal and Political Ethics 0.50 POLS*3470 Business-Government Relations in Canada 0.50 POLS*3670 Comparative Public Policy 0.50 POLS*3710 Gender, Sexuality and Law 0.50 Comparative Politics POLS*3000 Politics of Africa 0.50 POLS*3060 Politics of the Middle East and North Africa 0.50 POLS*3080 Politics of Latin America 0.50 POLS*3160 Global Gender Justice 0.50 POLS*3320 Politics of Aid and Development 0.50 POLS*3350 Comparative Law and Courts 0.50 POLS*3410 U.S. Politics and Government 0.50 POLS*3440 Corruption, Scandal and Political Ethics 0.50 POLS*3450 European Governments and Politics 0.50 POLS*3670 Comparative Public Policy 0.50 POLS*3890 Government and Politics of India 0.50 POLS*3920 Politics of China 0.50 International Relations and Global Studies POLS*3020 International Law and Organizations 0.50 POLS*3160 Global Gender Justice 0.50 POLS*3320 Politics of Aid and Development 0.50 POLS*3490 Conflict and Conflict Resolution 0.50 POLS*3790 International Political Economy 0.50 - 1.50 credits at the 4000 level, two of which must include either one course from the 1.00 credit-weighted research and writing intensive seminar courses or two courses which comprise the POLS*4970 Honours Political Science Research I/POLS*4980 Honours Political Science Research II Honours Thesis sequence. A maximum of 2.00 credits at the 4000 level may be counted towards a major in Political Science.
4000 level courses that fulfill the Honours writing and research intensive course requirement:
Note: Students interested in pursuing graduate or professional studies related to Political Science are encouraged to consider taking the POLS*4970 Honours Political Science Research I/POLS*4980 Honours Political Science Research II Honours Thesis sequence. Interested students must obtain instructor consent in order to register for this option.Course List Code Title Credits POLS*4020 Global Law and Courts 1.00 POLS*4050 Advanced Topics in Law and Politics 1.00 POLS*4070 Courts and Parliament 1.00 POLS*4090 Seminar in Digital Politics 1.00 POLS*4100 Women, Justice and Public Policy 1.00 POLS*4110 Criminal Justice Policy and Law 1.00 POLS*4140 Conceptions of Canada 1.00 POLS*4160 Multi-Level Governance in Canada 1.00 POLS*4170 Global Environmental Politics 1.00 POLS*4200 International Political Economy 1.00 POLS*4250 Topics in Public Management 1.00 POLS*4260 Topics in Public Policy 1.00 POLS*4300 Human Rights, Ethics, and Development 1.00 POLS*4340 Nationalism, State-building and Identity 1.00 POLS*4710 Topics in Comparative Politics 1.00 POLS*4720 Topics in International Relations 1.00 POLS*4730 International Relations of the Middle East 1.00 POLS*4740 Advanced Topics in Rights and Liberties 1.00 POLS*4900 Special Topics Seminar in Political Science 1.00 - An additional 2.50 credits from courses in Political Science. Note: If 2.00 credits of 4000 level POLS courses are being completed then only an additional 2.00 credits from courses in Political Science are required.