Ph.D. Program

Vancouver

Department of Political Science Ph.D. Program

SFU

Our Ph.D. Programme prepares students primarily for careers in advanced research and university teaching. It offers specialized research resources in the three fields of Canadian Government and Politics, Comparative Politics, and International Relations, and across three cross-field research clusters: Global and Regional politics, Democracy and political Representation, and Public Policy and Governance.

Canadian Government and Politics

The Department has seven faculty actively engaged in research on subjects in Canadian government and politics. The topics of their current research include Canadian political economy, provincial politics and policy-making, Canadian public policy and the policy-making process, environmental politics, gender and politics, labour politics, Canadian political parties, Canadian political thought, voting and public opinion, Canadian federalism and the judiciary, and judicial decision-making.

Comparative Politics

Nine department faculty currently work in the field of comparative politics. Their areas of expertise encompass Europe, East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, the United States, and Latin America and involve such research interests as the politics of development, ethnic diversity and conflict, minority group politics, comparative political economy, comparative constitutions, comparative parties and party systems, comparative public opinion, comparative political participation, and the formation, composition and survival of governments in parliamentary regimes.

International Relations

The Department has seven members with research interests in international politics. Their areas of concentration include international relations theory, international political economy, international organization and law, conflict management, security and arms control, and comparative foreign policy. Their research interests and expertise cover Canadian foreign policy, North American and European security and defense policy, East Asian international relations, Japanese foreign policy, international trade policy, the political economy of Latin America, Asia and Africa, and North American and European economic integration.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete 30 credit hours of graduate work (normally 6 courses) beyond the requirements of their M.A. programme. Students must complete POL 801 (Theoretical Approaches to the Study of Political Science) AND POL 802 (Political Research: Design and Analysis) or POL 803 [Qualitative Research Methods] or their equivalents at some time in their graduate studies.

Comprehensive exams must be taken in two of the three fields of study offered by the Department. (In special circumstances, one exam can be taken in one of the Department's three recognized research cluster themes.) The exams are scheduled after course work completion and prior to thesis research. Exams include a written component and an oral component.

Students must complete a second language requirement (ability to read in a language other than English) prior to graduation. For students specializing in Canadian Government and Politics, this language requirement must be met in French.

Research clusters

Global and Regional politics: This research cluster gathers together faculty and graduate students who share interests and collaborative projects across the three major fields identified above. Interests in regional and international political economy, international and regional organizations and regimes, global civil society, and other interests are joined by the more traditional concerns with security, foreign policy and inter-state relations. This research cluster has eight members, and close links to colleagues in SFU’s School for International Studies, and its Latin American Studies, Development Studies and Asia-Canada Programmes, and to other SFU faculty associated with the Centre for Global Political Economy. For examples of the types of research undertaken in this cluster, see http://www.sfu.ca/politics/graduate/index.html, “Funded research projects.”

Democracy and Political Representation: This research cluster gathers together faculty and graduate students who share interests and collaborative projects across Comparative and Canadian politics, as well as colleagues with specializations in normative political theory. Shared interested include public opinion in Canada and internationally, parties and party systems, voting and elections, the dynamics of representation in different political systems, normative approaches to representation, the relationship between representation and deliberation, and interactions between civil society and elected representatives. This cluster has nine members, and close links to colleagues in SFU’s School for International Studies and School of Public Policy and to colleagues associated with the Center for Public Opinion and Political Representation, which was initiated by colleagues in this cluster in 2010. For examples of the types of research undertaken in this cluster, see http://www.sfu.ca/politics/graduate/index.html, “Funded research projects.”

Public Policy, Governance and Political Economy: This research cluster gathers together faculty and graduate students who share interests and collaborative projects across all three of the three major fields identified above, This cluster has ten members [link to research clauster list below],, and close links to colleagues in SFU’s School of Public Policy and Urban Studies. Colleagues enjoy applying their academic research to real world problems, including working with key actors who shape policy. Using these connections and experience, our group trains students for a career in policy analysis and decision-making. Our study of policy ranges from Policy Analytical Capacity, Government Responsiveness, Engaging Diasporas in Development, ethics and public policy, urban governance, foreign policy and international organisations to Canadian public administration at all levels, to expertise in specific policy areas such as transport, energy, Climate Change Adaptation, International Forestry Policy, economic security in BC, and technology policy. For examples of the types of research undertaken in this cluster, see http://www.sfu.ca/politics/graduate/index.html, “Funded research projects.”

Research Cluster members

Global and Regional Politics

Alison Ayers

James Busumtwi-Sam

Eline de Rooij
Marjorie Grifffin Cohen
Andy Hira
Tsuyoshi Kawasaki
Alex Moens
Douglas Ross

Patrick Smith
Paul Warwick
Steven Weldon

Democracy and Political Representation

Laurent Dobuzinskis

Eline de Rooij
Genevieve Fuji Johnson
Andrew Heard
David Laycock

Mark Pickup
Paul Warwick

Steven Weldon

Public Policy, Governance and Political Economy

James Busumtwi-Sam

Marjorie Griffin Cohen
Laurent Dobuzinskis

Genevieve Fuji Johnson

Andy Hira
Michael Howlett
David Laycock

Alex Moens
Anthony Perl
Douglas Ross
Patrick Smith

Degree Requirements

Comprehensive exams must be taken in two of the three fields of study offered by the Department. (In special circumstances, one exam can be taken in one of the Department's three recognized research cluster themes.) The exams are scheduled after course work completion and prior to thesis research. Exams include a written component and an oral component.

All students must submit a dissertation proposal to their supervisory committee and defend this proposal before going on to further dissertation research. This typically occurs in the second year of the programme. Students must complete a second language requirement (ability to read in a language other than English) prior to graduation. For students specializing in Canadian Government and Politics, this language requirement must be met in French.

Admission

For admittance to the doctoral programme, applicants require an M.A. degree in political science (completed by the time of admission), an excellent previous academic performance, and strong letters of reference indicating the student’s academic potential. The application requires a written statement that indicates current research interests and two areas of proposed specialization, three letters of reference from qualified referees, and a sample of the candidates written work are required for application. Having research interests that fit well with faculty expertise gives applicants an important advantage.