Academic Programs - Graduate

Political Science

Acadia’s 12-month program in Political Science helps you unite great ideas and urgent practice. Our rigorous program will prepare you for work in the public and private sectors or further graduate study at the PhD level.

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Acadia’s graduate program in political science fosters a close relationship between graduate students and faculty in order to offer you a flexible and rigorous academic foundation. You will receive comprehensive instruction in the fields of Canadian politics, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory, and will work on an extended research project under the supervision of one or more of our faculty. You will experience rigorous training in the discipline, preparing you to continue your studies at the PhD level. This training also prepares you for work in the public and private sector and in the areas of journalism, advocacy, international development and organization, education, and law.

Be Inspired

In Acadia's small and selective political science graduate program you will benefit from small class sizes and individualized attention while having access to faculty with a diverse set of research interests. Many of our students are attracted to the small scale of both Acadia University and the Town of Wolfville - an intimate community located in Nova Scotia’s beautiful Annapolis Valley. With a vibrant cultural scene, a variety of cafes, restaurants, and shops, and great locations for outdoor activities, Wolfville and the surrounding area offer you a welcoming and stimulating home.

Research Interests

  • Aesthetics of international politics
  • Canadian politics and government
  • Civil society and social movements
  • Comparative public policy
  • Continental political thought
  • Democratic citizenship in theory and practice
  • Discourses of culture and technology
  • Discursive democracy and social justice
  • First Nations Peoples in Canada
  • Gender and development
  • Identity politics in Canada
  • Indigenous epidemiologies and political contexts
  • International political theory
  • Intersectionality of oppressions in Canada
  • Labour rights, especially for women, migrants, and public sector employees
  • New media technologies
  • Northern studies in Canada
  • Public administration
  • Place-based knowledge and narrative
  • Philosophy of space and time
  • Politics of the Americas
  • The role of culture and ideology in environmental politics, with a focus on water issues
  • Social construction of scarcity
  • Sovereignty and pre-emptive governance
  • Workers' activism

Program at a Glance

Courses take place in-person at Acadia University.

Year One -
First Term

  • POLS 5143
    Masters Colloquium
  • POLS SUBFIELD 1
    Research Seminar
  • POLS 5xx3
    Elective
  • POLS 5960
    Thesis

Year One -
Second Term

  • POLS 5143
    Masters Colloquium
  • POLS SUBFIELD 2
    Thesis
  • POLS SUBFIELD 3
    Research Seminar
  • POLS 5xx3
    Elective
  • POLS 5960
    Thesis

Year One -
Third Term

  • POLS 5960
    Thesis Completion

    Subfields: You will choose a course from at least three of the four subfields (Canadian, Theory, Comparative, Global)
 
 

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