Political Science

Political science is a discipline that studies the use and abuse of power in society. Political science courses at X are organized into four sub-fields: Political Philosophy/Theory, Canadian politics, Comparative politics and International Relations. Our 100- and 200-level courses prepare students for more advanced courses, as well as being sufficiently self-contained to offer non-specialist students a deepened appreciation of political life. The introductory course (100) provides a preliminary overview of the discipline; each section covers a common set of themes to ensure consistency among sections of this course. Our 300-level courses provide more specialized instruction on prominent themes within each sub-field (see course descriptions). Our department endeavours to be пПФcomprehensiveпПХ, by offering students options that cover as much as possible of the discipline as a whole.StFX is widely recognized as having one of the best political science departments of any small university in Canada. The nine members of the department include specialists in the four major sub-fields of the discipline (Canadian, Comparative, Theory, and International Relations). Our first priority is the student in the classroom. We seek to provide our students with the best possible educational experience. Library holdings are designed to serve the interests of the budding scholar. Our graduates have fared well in obtaining entrance to post-graduate and professional programs, and are often successful in competition for scholarships. Each member of the department has received a Ph.D. from a university in Canada, the United States, or the United Kingdom. Each maintains an active program of research and scholarly publication (books, book chapters, and journal articles), and makes wider contributions to the university, to the discipline of political science in Canada, and to the local and provincial community.

Field of study: Political Science and Government, General