Politics is all around us. It profoundly influences every aspect of our lives whether we realize it or not. Our ability to live in a peaceful and just society, to enjoy a clean environment, to have access to education and health care, to be free of discrimination, or to get a good job are all affected to some extent by political processes. Political Science is a subject that seeks to help us understand exactly how our lives are influenced by politics and government, and how in turn we can participate in the political process in order to help create the kind of world in which we wish to live. Because politics is so all-encompassing, Political Science covers a wide range of topics, such as how government works in Canada and in other countries, the meaning of democracy, the problems facing developing countries, the promotion of human rights, the role of the media, the state of the economy, and the causes of war.
The Department of Political Science at Huron offers students a truly unique undergraduate experience. The small class sizes permit students to interact freely with one another and to have easy access to their professors both inside and outside the classroom. All of our faculty members are devoted to teaching, as well as being active researchers who are experts in their fields of specialization. They have rich and varied academic backgrounds as well as practical experience in the political world which they constantly draw upon in their teaching and in their numerous publications. Some examples of the diverse areas of research that faculty members are currently engaged in include Chinese politics, globalization and the environment, liberalism, the death penalty issue, politics and the media in Canada, political psychology, and the role of intellectuals in public policy formulation. The versatility of the faculty's research activity is mirrored in the variety of courses that they teach. The Department offers courses in the subfields of Canadian Politics, Comparative Politics, International Politics, Political Theory, Local Government, Public Policy and Public Administration. Over the years, the Department's emphasis on diversity and excellence has helped students to enter graduate programmes at many of the best-known universities around the world. Our graduates have gone on to work for various levels of government in Canada, for the United Nations, and for non-governmental organizations. They have pursued careers in such varied areas as journalism, public service, teaching, international development work, law and business.
