Welcome to the Department of Political Science

Political Science is the study of power, authority and governance in human affairs. Political scientists examine the social, economic, cultural, historical, geographical and other forces that generate conflicts both within and among societies. They analyze the institutional and ideological forms through which such conflicts are resolved, or are not resolved, or are resolved to the advantage of some but not of others.

From the deployment of military weapons and the flows of global finance to the most intimate practices of daily life, power and claims to legitimate authority are an inescapable part of human existence. Political scientists have developed a wide range of theoretical perspectives and techniques to try to understand these processes. They are interested in the workings of large structures like the modern state and the international system, and in the more obvious struggles for power among political parties and politicians. They are also interested in the detailed practices of social movements or the mass media, for example, and the less obvious forms of power expressed in claims about knowledge, culture or gender.

Thus, they study constitutions, parliaments, parties, electoral systems, and the formation of public policies, in Canada and elsewhere. They study historically influential doctrines like liberalism, Marxism, and nationalism, and emerging commitments to environmentalism, feminism, international human rights, and local democracy, for example. Some stress detailed knowledge of specific jurisdictions, while others stress the need to compare across societies or to look at the broad global forces that constrain local initiatives. Some draw on theoretical principles that go back to philosophers like Aristotle, Hobbes or Rousseau, while others work with contemporary theories and methods drawn from across the social sciences and humanities. All are aware that, in the contemporary world, forms of power, authority and governance are changing rapidly and require not only understanding but also informed intervention to reduce the levels of violence and injustice that are so prevalent in so many places.

The Department of Political Science at the University of Victoria offers a range of courses at undergraduate and graduate levels on all of these subjects. The faculty and staff of the Department are committed to providing students with a world-class learning experience in a supportive and inclusive environment.