Programs
Contact: Benjamin Pottruff, Program Advisor
Email: pol-advisor@utsc.utoronto.ca
Phone: 416-208-4811
Political Science
Political Science is the study of the enduring issues, from ancient to modern times, of power and authority, citizenship and governance, justice and legitimacy, and conflict and cooperation. Over the past few decades, the exercise of power, patterns of governing, sources of political conflict, outcomes of distributive justice, and inter-state collaboration and international order have all been affected by several developments that include the termination of the Cold War, globalization, the ascendancy of neo-liberalism, the rise of China, international migration, ethnically and religiously motivated political conflicts, and environmental degradation.
Alongside more perennial themes, Political Science at UTSC addresses these developments and their implications through five subfields of the discipline: Political Theory, Canadian Politics, International Relations, Comparative Politics, and Public Policy. Comparative Politics includes the politics of both developed countries as well as developing countries. The sub-field of Political Theory explores the broad themes of political science historically and normatively; other subfields usually situate these themes in particular domestic and international contexts.
Public Policy
The Major Program in Public Policy equips students with the analytical and methodological skills to secure employment as policy analysts in government, business, and non-governmental sectors, or to continue to graduate training in public policy.
The Program is cross-disciplinary; public policy analysis is the exercise of applying the theoretical frameworks and positivist and interpretive methodologies of the social sciences and humanities to understand the development, implementation, and evaluation of public policy. It requires the ability to think clearly and critically, to design and execute research projects, to analyze both quantitative and qualitative data, and to write clearly. It also requires an understanding of the context, institutions, and processes of policy-making and implementation, as well as concepts and criteria for policy evaluation.
Current Course Listings
To view the current course listings, visit the Registrar's course timetable.
Current Calendar Entry
To view the current calendar entry, visit the programs calendar.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is essential to the pursuit of learning and scholarship in a university, and to ensuring that a degree from the University of Toronto is a strong signal of each student’s individual academic achievement. As a result, the University treats cases of cheating and plagiarism very seriously. The University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters outlines the behaviours that constitute academic dishonesty and the processes for addressing academic offences. Potential offences include, but are not limited to:
- In papers and assignments:
- Using someone else’s ideas or words without appropriate acknowledgement.
- Submitting your own work in more than one course without the permission of the instructor.
- Making up sources or facts.
- Obtaining or providing unauthorized assistance on any assignment.
- On tests and exams:
- Using or possessing unauthorized aids.
- Looking at someone else’s answers during an exam or test.
- Misrepresenting your identity.
- In academic work:
- Falsifying institutional documents or grades.
- Falsifying or altering any documentation required by the University, including (but not limited to) doctor’s notes.
All suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be investigated following procedures outlined in the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters. If you have questions or concerns about what constitutes appropriate academic behaviour or appropriate research and citation methods, you are expected to seek out additional information on academic integrity from your instructor or from other institutional resources (see http://www.utoronto.ca/academicintegrity/).