• It is possible to follow a Master’s or Ph.D. program uniquely in French.
• Students who register in their program in French (MA or Ph.D.) must take the majority of their courses in French:
• Master’s with Thesis: students must take at least three of their required courses in French.

• Master’s with Major Research Paper: students must take at least four of their required courses in French.

• Ph.D.: students must take at least three courses in French.

• Students who register in their program in English (MA or Ph.D.) must take and pass at least one of their required courses in French.
• All students are permitted to hand in their assignments in French or in English.
• At the time of admission, students must have an active knowledge of French and a passive understanding of English.
• French is the working language of the School’s meetings, including those of the graduate students’ association, and in the School’s internal communications.

Two options are available for the MA, the MA with thesis and the MA with research paper.

The department offers a collaborative program in Women’s Studies at the MA level. For more information on this program, see “Admission”.

The program operates within the general framework of the general regulations of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS) of the University of Ottawa, which are posted on the FGPS website.

The professors included in the list below are members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. This means that they are authorized to supervise or co-supervise theses. A complete list of the faculty and staff members associated with the program can be found at http://www.socialsciences.uottawa.ca/pol/graduate-studies

ABRAHAMSEN, Rita, Full Professor
African Politics; Democratization; Security and Development; Security Privatization; Postcolonial Theory

ALLINA-PISANO, Jessica, Associate Professor
Informal politics; politics of privatization; rural political economy; language and identity politics; politics in East Central Europe and Eurasia

ANDREW, Caroline P., Distinguished University Professor
Urban development; women and politics; municipal politics; urban politic; intergovernmental relations in Canada; social policies (municipal); women (access to public services); management of diversity; voluntary sector

AREL, Dominique, Associate Professor
Language politics and nationalism; Ethnic and religious violence; The politics of the census; Politics in Ukraine; Politics in East Central Europe and Eurasia

BEST, Jacqueline, Associate Professor
International politics; international political economy; international relations theory; international financial governance; history of economic thought, gender and international politics; international ethics

BOURGAULT, Sophie, Assistant Professor
Ancient political thought; history of ideas; modern political thought (particularly the thought of Jean-Jacques Rousseau & Friedrich Nietzsche); music and politics; neo-aristotelianism; role of emotions in politics; appeals to antiquity in, contemporary political thought; French Enlightenment Thought

BROWN, Stephen, Associate Professor
Democracy and democratization; African and Latin American politics; Foreign Aid; Conflict prevention; Political violence; North-South relations; Politics of sexuality

BURGES, Sean, Adjunct Professor
Brazilian foreign policy and inter-American affairs; Brazilian industrial policy; Foreign aid, The new development actors; international political economy viewed from the South

BURLONE, Nathalie, Associate Professor
Public policy analysis; interorganisational coordination; horizontal issues; decision making; family policies

CAMERON, Duncan, Adjunct Professor

CARDINAL, Linda, Full Professor
Citizenship debates; relationship between law; history and politics, issues of modernity and identity Québec; Ireland and United Kingdom; governance of minority languages; Canada-Europe; francophones outside Québec; women and minorities; history of political ideas in Canada

CHAMPAGNE, Eric, Assistant Professor
Public sector reforms; Organization Development; Multilevel governance; International Development; Metropolitan and municipal governance; Sustainable transport policies

CHARBONNEAU, Francois, Assistant Professor
Francophonie, identités politiques et nationalisme au Canada ; républicanisme et patriotisme aux États-Unis (18e siècle) ; pensée politique moderne

COUTURE, Jean-Pierre, Assistant Professor
Methodology and epistemology of symbolic practices; contemporary political theory; classical and modern political thought

DE LARRINAGA, Miguel, Replacement Professor
Biopolitics; Critical Security Studies ; Genealogy of Security ; International Relations Theory ; Redefinition of Security

DENIS, Claude, Full Professor
Relation between state and society; canadian context; indigenous politics; francophone minorities; and conflicting nationalisms in Canada; mexican politics; transition to democracy; human rights and indigenous rights

DENIS, Serge, Full Professor
Intellectual and programmatic history of the Left, with a focus on North America, Political system of the United States, Political action of contemporary labor and social movements, Politics and ideologies in Quebec, Modern political thought and ideologies (especially since the 19th Century), Comparative analysis of labor and socialist movements, with a specific focus on the United States

DEWAR, David, Adjunct Professor
Public finance; performance management; machinery of government

DORAN, Marie-Christine, Associate Professor
Democratization: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives; Political Legitimacy, Representation and Participation; Political Violence in Latin America; Political Identities, Social Imaginaries and Political Culture, Social Movements and Collective Action in Latin America; Religion and Politics; Human Rights, Struggles against Impunity, and Justice; Democracy and the Rule of Law in Latin America, Democracy, Governance and Political Institutions and Actors

FAFARD, Patrick, Associate Professor
Public policies (health and environment); federalism and intergovernmental relations

GATTINGER, Monica, Associate Professor
The influence of continental integration and globalization on public policy/public administration; Cultural policy; trade policy; energy policy and regulation; governance and the role of the state; public consultation

GHECIU, Alexandra, Associate Professor
International Institutions; International Relations Theory; International Security; International Socialization, Post-Conflict Reconstruction

GIROUX, Dalie, Associate Professor
Contemporary political theory; indigenous political thought; body/ language/space

GRONDIN, David, Assistant Professor
US foreign and security policy; critical security studies and critical geopolitics; international relations theory; American studies; US strategic discourse on the securitization and weaponization of Outer Space

JOURDE, Cédric, Associate Professor
Sub-Saharan and North African Politics; islam and politics; culture and politics, regime change (democratization and authoritarian restoration); politics of identity; politics of developing countries

JUILLET, Luc, Associate Professor
Environmental policy; Public administration and policy; Canadian political institutions

KARMIS, Dimitrios, Associate Professor
Nations and nationalism; ethics and politics; the political thought of Hannah Arendt; Canada; Quebec, and western Europe, citizenship; identity; difference; and democracy; federalism, cultural and linguistic pluralism; immigration; multiculturalism and interculturalism; citizenship education and pluralism

KERBY, Matthew, Assistant Professor

LABELLE, Gilles, Associate Professor
Problème théologico-politique; commencement et fondation de l'ordre politique, history of political thought in France (19th and 20th Century); French contemporary political philosophy; relationship between politics and philosophy

LAGASSÉ, Philippe, Assistant Professor
National security and defence studies; Canadian and American foreign and defence policy; war studies

LALIBERTÉ, Andre, Full Professor
Identity and nationalism; politics and religion; politics of China and Taiwan; welfare regimes in East Asia

LEBLOND, Patrick, Associate Professor
Global economic governance; International and comparative political economy; international finance; North American and European economic integration

LECOURS, André, Associate Professor
Nationalism; federalisme; equalization; institutionalist theory; paradiplomacy; Canadian and Quebec politics; comparative politics European politics; Belgium; Spain(particularly the Basque Country but also Catalonia); the United Kingdom (with a parti

MARTENS, Stephanie, Replacement Professor

MASSICOTTE, Marie-Josée, Assistant Professor
International relations/international political economy; multilateralism and international institutions; globalization and global governance; trade and economic integration, comparative politics: the Americas; Latin America; Mexico; Brazil; social movements civil society; NGOs (local/transnational); international development

MCMILLAN, Kevin, Assistant Professor
Emergence & evolution of practices of international governance; Evolution of the European states system, 1648-1945; International relations theory; International security, Practice turn in IR; History of international thought; Iraq, WMD and UNSCOM/UNMOVIC; Philosophy of social science and methodology

MEVELLEC, Anne, Associate Professor
Action publique et territoire; mise en oeuvre des politiques publiques; métier d'élu local; gouvernance municipale

MOGGACH, Douglas, Distinguished University Professor
Political thought; history of ancient and modern political thought; German philosophy; contemporary political philosophy

MUSU, Costanza, Associate Professor
The European Union, especially its foreign policy; The Israeli-Palestinian conflict; Transatlantic relations; Security and international relations

OHEMENG, Frank, Assistant Professor
Comparative public administration; comparative public policy; development administration and management; organization theory; theories of public sector management and governance

ORSINI, Michael, Associate Professor
Health policy; interest groups; social movements; public policy; VIH/SIDA; hepatitis C; narrative analysis, Aboriginal politics

PAPILLON, Martin, Assistant Professor
Indigenous rights and politics ; Federalism and intergovernmental relations ; Citizenship, immigration and diversity ; The welfare state and social policies

PAQUEROT, Sylvie, Associate Professor
Contemporary political theory; globalization, democracy and legitimacy; vital resources and human rights; politics of water; sustainable development / ecodevelopment and law of development, global scale of public property and public interest; international institutions; coorperation and governance

PAQUETTE, Jonathan, Associate Professor
Organizational theories and public management; professional identities, professions and occupations in the public sector; museums, museum policy and the administration of cultural organizations in the public sector; scientific culture

PARIS, Roland, Associate Professor
Canadian foreign policy; Peace-keeping and peace-building; International security; Global governance

PATERSON, Matthew, Full Professor
Global environmental politics; climate change politics; international/global political economy; global environmental governance; international relations theory

PELLERIN, Hélène, Associate Professor
Territory and world governance; international political economy; migratory movements; regionalism: Western Europe and the Americas; immigration in Canada; political geography; globalization

RABOUDI, Noomane, Replacement Professor

ROCHER, François, Full Professor
Canadian federalism; constitutional politics, nationalism and multinationalism in the Canadian context, immigration and citizenship

ROUILLARD, Christian, Full Professor
Governance and public management; renewal of managerial thought and practices; administrative reforms in Canada and Québec; horizontal management and collaborations, relations of power and organizational cultures in complex bureaucracies; psychological contract in the Canadian federal public service

SALTER, Mark, Associate Professor
History of Passport; international mobility regime; clash of civilizations; international relations theory; terorism; airport / aviation security; border security

SARAKA, Sean, Replacement Professor
Modern and contemporary political thought; Epistemology and ontology in political theory; Aesthetics and representation; Power and violence

SAURETTE, Paul, Associate Professor
Contemporary political theory; history of political thought; ideology and politics of conservatism

SHAH, Nisha, Assistant Professor
International Relations Theory; Political Geography; Material Cultures and World Politics; Globalization and Global Governance; War and Security Studies; Theories of State, Territory and Sovereignty

SIMARD, Louis, Associate Professor
Public action and policy analysis; organizational theories; political sociology of environment and energy; deliberation; concertation and negotiation

STOCKEMER, Daniel, Assistant Professor
Political participation; Elections; Social movements; Right-wing extremism; Democracy and democratization; Women's representation; Quantitative and qualitative methods

TANGUAY, Daniel, Associate Professor
Political philosophy and social philosophy; contemporary continental philosophy; philosophy of history

TELLIER, Geneviève, Associate Professor
Budgetary Policies ; comparative Canadian provincial politics; quantitative research methodology

TRAN, Thi Thu Trang, Assistant Professor
Development politics; globalization; local politics and democratization; politics of transitional economies; rural transformation and social differentiation

TREMBLAY, Manon, Full Professor
Canadian politics; women and politics; interest groups and social movements; parlementary system; Quebec politics; sexual diversity; representation and electoral systems

TREVENEN, Kathryn, Assistant Professor
Feminist and political thought ; human rights; postcolonial theory and politics; queer theory and LBGTQ rights; theories of cosmopolitan politics

TURENNE-SJOLANDER, Claire, Full Professor
Globalization; Canadian foreign policy; gender and international politics; theory of international relations; international political economy; international politics; American foreign policy

TURGEON, Luc, Assistant Professor
Welfare State; political economy; social movements; intergovernmental relations; comparative historical sociology

VAIREL, Frédéric
Authoritarian Situations in the Arab World ; Activist Careers and Contentious Politics ; International Circulation of Models of Reconciliation

WALLNER, Jennifer, Assistant Professor
Federalism; Comparative Provincial Politics; Intergovernmental Relations

WILLIAMS, Michael, Full Professor
International security; Critical security studies; Realism and the Theory of International Relations

ZUERCHER, Christoph, Full Professor
Conflict research; Global governance; State and peacebuilding; Caucasus, Central Asia and Afghanistan

• Students who have a BA with honours in political science or its equivalent with a minimum average of 70 % (B), calculated in accordance with FGPS guidelines, may be admitted directly to the MA program.
• Students who do not have a BA with honours in political science, but who have a BA with a minor in political science or a BA in a related discipline, and a minimum average of 75 % (B +), may be accepted for a qualifying year, the content of which will be decided in consultation with the director of graduate studies in the political science.
• An active knowledge of French or English is essential. All students admitted will have to take at least one of their courses in French, and all students must be capable of reading texts in English and French. Candidates must indicate in their application the language in which they plan to take the majority of their courses. Those students who plan to study mainly in English will have to demonstrate in their application an active knowledge of English. All students whose first language is other than English or French must provide proof in their application of their level of competence in both languages. The School of Political Studies reserves the right to require a language test for either language.

Collaborative program in Women’s Studies at the master’s level

The School of Political Studies is one of the participating units in the collaborative program in women’s studies at the master’s level. This program was created to enable students to enrich their education in political science by adding the interdisciplinary dimension of women’s studies. The women’s studies program consists of two compulsory women’s studies (FEM) courses as well as a thesis or a research paper on a subject linked to women’s studies. One of the FEM courses will count towards the requirements of the master’s program with thesis, replacing one of the elective courses. Both FEM courses will count towards the requirements of the master’s program with research paper, replacing two of the electives.

Students should normally apply for acceptance in the Women's Studies collaborative program at the same time as they apply for admission to the Master's program in Political Science.

For further details, please consult the Women’s Studies program on the FGPS website.

• International relations;
• Canadian and Quebec politics;
• Political thought and the analysis of ideologies;
• Comparative politics;
• Women and politics;
• Environmental politics;
• Political economy;
• Citizenship, diversity and migration.

MA with thesis

• Completion of 12 credits of courses;
• Presentation and defence of the thesis proposal;
• Master's thesis.

• A core course in the chosen field of study (3 credits);
• POL6101 Research Methods in Political Science (3cr.);
• Two other courses (3 credits each) chosen from the optional courses and seminars offered.

• Statement of the research question;
• Hypotheses;
• Research methods (techniques and data to be used);
• Theoretical or practical relevance of the thesis;
• Provisional bibliography.

• Rigour of the methodology;
• Knowledge of the key scholarly literature relevant to the thesis;
• The quality of the research question;
• Analytical capacity;
• The coherence, clarity and quality of the argument, and of the writing.

MA with research paper

• Completion of 18 credits of courses;
• Research paper.

• Two core courses (3 credits each), one of them in the chosen field of study;
• POL6101 Research Methods in Political Science;
• Three other courses (3 credits each) chosen from the optional courses and seminars offered.

• The ability to conduct research;
• A knowledge of the relevant literature in the chosen topic;
• The capacity to address a research question in a coherent, structured, and well-written manner.

Collaborative Program in Women's Studies

• Two compulsory courses:
FEM5300 FEMINIST THEORIES (3cr.)
FEM5103 FEMINIST METHODOLOGIES (3cr.)

Students must complete the two compulsory courses before their first registration for the major research paper or thesis.

• A thesis or major research paper on a topic related to women, gender, feminism or sexualities. The proposed topic must be approved by the Women’s Studies Graduate Committee as well as by the student’s primary program. The thesis or major research paper must demonstrate knowledge of feminist scholarship in the field or fields appropriate to the topic, and of feminist methodologies where applicable.
• The thesis supervisor must possess Women’s Studies and/or feminist expertise. In the case of a major research paper, the supervisor should, ideally, possess Women’s Studies and/or feminist expertise. If not, one of the readers must possess such expertise. Joint supervision by a professor from the participating unit and a professor chosen by the WSGC may be appropriate in some cases.
• Thesis or Major Research Paper Proposal: The thesis or major research paper proposal must be approved by the Women’s Studies Graduate Committee as well as by the primary program. Usually the thesis or major research paper proposal is submitted to women’s studies by the end of the third session of the first year of studies. For the primary programs that do not require a proposal, students must still submit a proposal to the Women’s Studies Graduate Committee.
• Examiner or Reader: One of the examiners (for the thesis) or reader (for the major research paper) must be a person approved by the Women’s Studies Graduate Committee.
• The passing grade in all courses is C+. Students who fail two courses (equivalent to 6 credits) must withdraw from the program.

Transfer from master's to PhD

• Successful completion of at least four POL graduate courses (12 credits) with an “A” average as well as an “A+” in at least one of the courses;
• Approval of the Graduate Studies Committee of the School of Political Studies. The committee makes its decision on the basis of written reports on the student’s maturity and research skills, from the student’s thesis supervisor and from the professors in the courses taken in the master’s program.
The request for transfer must be made during the third session of full-time registration (or equivalent), and the transfer must take place before the end of the fourth session. The Graduate Studies committee will take into account the student’s grades, thesis plan (or draft plan) and the reports from professors who taught the courses taken at the master’s.

Following the transfer, the student must successfully complete all the requirements of the PhD program. Students who transfer but do not complete the PhD program can however obtain the MA degree provided they meet all of its requirements.


Duration of program

Students are expected to complete all requirements within two years. The thesis must be submitted within four years of the date of initial registration in the program.

Residence

Students admitted on a full-time basis must register full-time for a minimum of three sessions.

Minimum standards

Students must maintain a minimum average of B during their master’s program. Those who receive a grade lower than B in two courses or more will be required to withdraw.

Academic Unit Coordinates