POL 1101C Introduction to Political Science Fall 2025

Official Course Description

Comparative study of the ideas, concepts and issues leading to an understanding of political phenomena and of their impact on the lives of individuals and societies. Reflection on power, citizenship and political participation. Introduction to research tasks (e.g. bibliographic research, writing a research or reading report).

Additional Course Description

Central to the study of politics is the concept of power: What is it? Who has it? What can you do

with it? This semester, we will explore the field of political science and how it has addressed this

question, from theoretical and empirical angles, studying power and political relationships from the   micro to the macro scale. In addition, this course will introduce you to a variety of key skills that will benefit you over the course of your university and professional careers.

Course Learning Outcomes

General Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, the student will be able to:

•   distinguish between the conventionally-defined subfields of political science

•   recognize a variety of key concepts in political science

•   apply concepts and theories discussed in class to new political scenarios.

•   demonstrate an appropriate and developing set of academic skills in critical reading, writing, and research

Teaching Methods

My goal as a teacher is to present you with a wide variety of materials and experiences that enable

you to build your own knowledge base, select areas of specialization, and be autonomous in your

learning process. I believe that learning is a mutual process to be shared among people, and that the community of learners that a course provides is essential to the learning process. I work to respect   your learning journey, and invite you to join me on mine.

Required Materials

All course readings will be posted on Persuall, a free website that is linked on Brightspace. You will  need a camera-equipped computer, and to install Zoom. In addition, you will need to install the free software Zotero for one of our assignments.

Assessment Strategy

Assessment Policies and Expectations

Attendance

I will not track attendance at synchronous classes. However, it will be very hard to do well in the

class if you do not attend regularly. It is respectful of your instructor and colleagues for you to arrive to class in a timely fashion and to refrain from distracting activities during class time.  Active

participation and engagement with the content and your peers helps improve your learning and deepen your understanding of the questions we will be exploring together.

Late Assignments

One of the most important skills you can learn in university is how to manage your own time and

how to prioritize. You will frequently have multiple assignments due in the same week, especially

around the middle and end of the term.  You may be able to manage your time in ways that allow

you to complete some of those assignments all at the same time, but you also may not be able to do  so. In my class, I offer several forms of flexibility in terms of assignment timing, which should allow you to manage your time more effectively. For each assignment, I will detail the extent to which the  deadlines are flexible, and how to appropriately communicate with myself or the teaching assistants   in those cases.  In addition, please be aware that the School of Political Studies has specific policies   for missed exams and for receiving deferrals for completing a class; these policies are available at the end of the syllabus. Where possible, I will offer alternatives that don’t involve going through these

processes, but they will apply at minimum for the final exam.

Time Commitment

In order to succeed in a 3-credit course, alongside the standard 3 hours of in-class instruction,

students should expect to spend a minimum of 6 hours per week outside of the classroom engaged in activities related to the course, e.g. homework, reading, studying, etc., and should expect a

minimum time commitment of 9 hours per week per course (on average).

Language Expectations

This course is delivered in English, and in-class interactions and feedback will also be managed in  English. You are welcome to submit your assignments in French, as per uOttawa policy, and I am happy to provide supplemental materials in French as well. (Unfortunately, that is the only other   language I speak well enough to know the literature - you are welcome to incorporate sources in    other languages you speak/read into your own research for this class.) If you find you require

assistance writing in English, please feel free to meet with me in order to determine what will best help.