Transnational Politics and Global Political Economy

The Political Science Department has great strength in the area of Transnational issues, International Political Economy, International Relations, Global Studies and Regional Integration (Europe and Asia in particular). The Department has developed courses and research that lie at the intersection of national and transnational politics. Research and teaching has moved beyond the traditional state-boundaries, whilst still realizing the crucial role of the nation-state. Expertise in the Department focuses on international political economy in its various guises: law, politics, state-market relations, international organizations and regional integration. Various internationally well-known academics form the core of our specialists in this field: Claire Cutler works in the intersection of International Law and International Relations and focuses on the role of law in the global political economy, critical globalization studies, and private, non-state authority in international relations; Oliver Schmidtke, Jean Monnet Chair in European Historyand Politics, specializes in international migration, and transnational citizenship issues; Amy Verdun, Jean Monnet Chair in European Integration Studies focuses on various dimensions of European integration and comparative political economy; Michael Webb specialises in international political economy, international taxation issues, North-South relations, and Canadian foreign policy; RBJ (Rob) Walker writes about the political theory of global politics and security; Scott Watson focuses on international security and has a particular interest in transnational migration issues; Guoguang Wu, CAPI China chair, works on East Asian politics and regional international relations; and, Feng Xu researches issues in gender, identity, migration, (post)colonialism and discourses of modernity, with particular focus on China and East Asia.

In addition, Colin Bennett a scholar of comparative public policy has examined the global politics of information and communications technologies and the implications for civil liberties and state sovereignty; Warren Magnusson works on issues related to the global city and transnational urban politics; Michelle Bonner specializes in human rights issues in Latin America; James Tully examines several global issues (democracy, participation, constitutionalisation) from a theoretical perspective; and Jeremy Wilson continues to work on issues of international environmental and national resource policy. The Department of Political Science is also currently recruiting one new junior faculty member in East Asian politics, and we are involved in the search for a Chair in Chinese Politics, jointly with the Centre for Asian-Pacific Initiatives (CAPI) and the Department of History. Besides these scholars most other faculty members in the Department have research projects that in one way or another touch on global issues.

This area also intersects with many of the research programs currently pursued under the umbrella of the Center for Global Studies, whose Director, Dr Gordon Smith (former Canadian Ambassador to the European Union) specializes in foreign and defence policies, and is an Adjunct Professor within the Department. The mission of CFGS is to “advance understanding and action on major global issues by civil society, the private sector, governments, and international institutions.” Through its diverse research and international development activities, the Centre tries to promote collaborative policy solutions to the human and environmental challenges posed by globalization. It is hoped that members of the CFGS can serve on supervisory committees of Ph.D students, who in turn may be involved in some of their ongoing projects. Political Science faculty members also participate in the Program on Dispute resolution.

The Department also hosts the UVic European Studies Program, which is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on European Integration in the widest sense of the word. Oliver Schmidtke is its Director. The program draws on the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Fine Arts, and collaborates with the three professional schools (Business, Law, and Public Administration). It has taken off in recent years as an independent program but is still housed in the Political Science Department and contributes importantly to the Department’s Undergraduate and MA Programs.

Students concentrating in this area will be required to take the candidacy examinations in either International Relations (for which the required field seminar will be POLI 640), or Comparative Politics (required seminar POLI 608). Most students are likely to take both. Some will choose to combine with Political Theory or CSPT.

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GRADUATE Admissions Statement of Intent Financial Assistance Courses Fields of Study Planning Your MA New Student Orientation Getting Started at UVic PhD program Further Information CSPT Concentration POLI SCI HOME		Political Science » graduate » fields » global political economy Transnational Politics and Global Political Economy The Political Science Department has great strength in the area of Transnational issues, International Political Economy, International Relations, Global Studies and Regional Integration (Europe and Asia in particular). The Department has developed courses and research that lie at the intersection of national and transnational politics. Research and teaching has moved beyond the traditional state-boundaries, whilst still realizing the crucial role of the nation-state. Expertise in the Department focuses on international political economy in its various guises: law, politics, state-market relations, international organizations and regional integration. Various internationally well-known academics form the core of our specialists in this field: Claire Cutler works in the intersection of International Law and International Relations and focuses on the role of law in the global political economy, critical globalization studies, and private, non-state authority in international relations; Oliver Schmidtke, Jean Monnet Chair in European Historyand Politics, specializes in international migration, and transnational citizenship issues; Amy Verdun, Jean Monnet Chair in European Integration Studies focuses on various dimensions of European integration and comparative political economy; Michael Webb specialises in international political economy, international taxation issues, North-South relations, and Canadian foreign policy; RBJ (Rob) Walker writes about the political theory of global politics and security; Scott Watson focuses on international security and has a particular interest in transnational migration issues; Guoguang Wu, CAPI China chair, works on East Asian politics and regional international relations; and, Feng Xu researches issues in gender, identity, migration, (post)colonialism and discourses of modernity, with particular focus on China and East Asia. In addition, Colin Bennett a scholar of comparative public policy has examined the global politics of information and communications technologies and the implications for civil liberties and state sovereignty; Warren Magnusson works on issues related to the global city and transnational urban politics; Michelle Bonner specializes in human rights issues in Latin America; James Tully examines several global issues (democracy, participation, constitutionalisation) from a theoretical perspective; and Jeremy Wilson continues to work on issues of international environmental and national resource policy. The Department of Political Science is also currently recruiting one new junior faculty member in East Asian politics, and we are involved in the search for a Chair in Chinese Politics, jointly with the Centre for Asian-Pacific Initiatives (CAPI) and the Department of History. Besides these scholars most other faculty members in the Department have research projects that in one way or another touch on global issues. This area also intersects with many of the research programs currently pursued under the umbrella of the Center for Global Studies, whose Director, Dr Gordon Smith (former Canadian Ambassador to the European Union) specializes in foreign and defence policies, and is an Adjunct Professor within the Department. The mission of CFGS is to “advance understanding and action on major global issues by civil society, the private sector, governments, and international institutions.” Through its diverse research and international development activities, the Centre tries to promote collaborative policy solutions to the human and environmental challenges posed by globalization. It is hoped that members of the CFGS can serve on supervisory committees of Ph.D students, who in turn may be involved in some of their ongoing projects. Political Science faculty members also participate in the Program on Dispute resolution. The Department also hosts the UVic European Studies Program, which is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on European Integration in the widest sense of the word. Oliver Schmidtke is its Director. The program draws on the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Fine Arts, and collaborates with the three professional schools (Business, Law, and Public Administration). It has taken off in recent years as an independent program but is still housed in the Political Science Department and contributes importantly to the Department’s Undergraduate and MA Programs. Students concentrating in this area will be required to take the candidacy examinations in either International Relations (for which the required field seminar will be POLI 640), or Comparative Politics (required seminar POLI 608). Most students are likely to take both. Some will choose to combine with Political Theory or CSPT.