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Bachelor of Arts, Majors and Minors

Political Science

General Description

The civic and political life of Canadians is rapidly becoming more diverse and more global. New opportunities are open to those who are equipped to meet the challenges of a changing Canada and a changing world. Political science helps students to be a part of those new opportunities, by providing them the intellectual tools needed to understand and analyze real world problems, conduct research, and be more informed participants in public affairs.

While many of VIU’s Political Science students have gone on to achieve success in graduate programs in political science, courses in this discipline—encompassing provincial, national, comparative and international politics as well as political thought, law and politics and public policy—are also useful preparation for students who wish to pursue careers in business, public service, education, law or communications.

Requirements for a Minor

Students must fulfill all the Institutional B.A. degree requirements, including Degree English Requirements and courses listed below:

Years 1 and 2: Minimum of 15 credits of 100/200-level Political Science courses with the following exceptions; of these 15 credits 3 credits must be either POLI 100 or POLI 151 and 3 credits must be from the following list of Political Science core courses:

  • POLI 200 (International Peace and Security)
  • POLI 201 (An Introduction to International Political Economy)
  • POLI 221 (Canadian Government)
  • POLI 231 (Comparative Politics)
  • POLI 260 (Introduction to Political Theory)

The remainder of the lower level credits may be from any lower level Political Science course; up to 6 lower level credits may be substituted from the following courses: FNAT 220 (First Nations and the Canadian State) and SOCI 250 (Intro to Sociological Research Methods).

Years 3 and 4: Minimum of 18 credits of 300/400-level Political Science courses with the following exceptions: up to 6 credits may be substituted from the following courses:

  • ANTH 419 (Globalizing Culture: A Critical Perspective)
  • ECON 306 (International Trade)
  • ECON 320 (Economic Development)
  • ECON 323 (Economies in Transition)
  • FNAT 350 (Aboriginal Peoples and Canadian Law)
  • FNAT 425 (Decolonization: First Nations Self-Government into the 21st Century)
  • FNAT 450 (Comparative Aboriginal Rights and Policies)
  • GLST 390 (Globalization: An Interdisciplinary Inquiry)
  • GLST 391 (Responses to Globalization)
  • GLST 490 (Selected Topics in Global Studies)
  • GLST 491 (Applied Seminar in Global Studies)
  • HIST 341 (Work and Workers in Canada since World War I)
  • HIST 342 (Political History of Canada from Confederation to the 1930s)
  • HIST 343 (Political History of Canada since the 1930s)
  • HIST 355F (Topics in Canadian History: Canadian International Relations to 1945)
  • HIST 355G (Topics in Canadian History: Canadian International Relations Since 1945)
  • PHIL 431 (Topics in Political Philosophy)
  • SOCI 430 (Social Movements and Social Change)

Note: These credits may not be used for more than one Major or Minor.

Please check with the Chair for more information.

Updated October 30, 2009