Political Science

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Our Political Science Program

Political science is the study and analysis of possibilities for states and their citizens; the possibility of peace in a war ravaged country; the possibility of democracy in an authoritarian state; the possibility of economic equity in a capitalist system; and the possibility of harmony in a system of sovereign states.

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The study of politics has always been at the centre of an education geared toward sustaining and improving community life. The ancient Chinese, Greeks, and Romans regarded politics as one of the highest forms of human expression. Indigenous peoples all over the world have practiced unique and effective forms of politics for millennia. Whether you know it or not, we all participate in politics.

Algoma U’s four-year Bachelor of Arts in Political Science degree focuses on three areas of study: Canadian politics, public policy and government; comparative politics and international relations; and political theory, philosophy, and economy.

Our program works to incorporate Indigenous content, ideas, and methodology in its approach. It will help students to understand and identify important institutions, forces, and ideas that shape society, and permit change to occur or not occur. It will teach students how to systematically, rigorously, and analytically evaluate competing explanations of the same event or phenomenon, and gain an understanding of who or what exerts power.

Within the program, students will develop a wide range of skills that are in high demand in the public and private workforce. Some of the career paths our graduates have chosen include education, research, financial/economic analyst, foreign services, legislative analyst, diplomat, immigration and border services, museum and/or curatorial work, Indigenous research, civil service, lawyer, politics and policy, public relations, entrepreneur, journalist and many more.

What You Can Expect

Hands-on learning, a close-knit campus community, and caring faculty.

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Examine the origins of Political Science and theory

Political science has ancient roots and can be traced back to the works of the great Greek thinkers, Aristotle and Plato. Students will compare their political theories and examine how their ideals still exist in the twenty-first-century.

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Debate issues of citizenship, nationalism, and liberalism

Students in our program will examine issues of the past, but also current issues which plague today’s nations. Students will examine, discuss, and debate issues such as citizenship, nationalism, and liberalism, and will attempt to answer what binds citizens together in a shared political economy.

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Study the rise and fall of great states and empires

Underlying governing bodies and the political economy often contribute to the rise, decline, and fall of great states and empires. Students will examine past empires and the status of current countries to understand the shift happening on the global political stage.

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Do the ends justify the means?

Students will study historical works which shaped modern political science, including Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince, which ultimately asks, “Do the ends justify the means?” Students will examine governing bodies and politicians and will use this question to decide if their actions are in fact justifiable.

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Minor in a subject you love

Are you interested in minoring in Canadian Government, Public Policy, and Administration? Or maybe International Relations? Students can further enhance the quality of their degree and complement their studies by either doing a minor or double majoring in another area of interest.

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CanAm Exchange

The CanAm Exchange happens twice a year, and allows Canadian and American students and faculty to gain an improved perspective on the challenges facing and approaches taken by neighbouring countries on domestic and international issues. Topics discussed in the past include: acid rain; nuclear war; Indigenous rights; the invasion of Iraq; the United Nations; gun control; and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

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Model UN

The Model UN helps put into practice the knowledge, ideas, and concepts students have acquired in their political science and international relations courses. Students who attend the Model UN are broken up and placed on various committees where they have to work together with other university delegates to solve real past problems. For more information, please visit www.namun.org.

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Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre (SRSC)

Political science students can use the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre’s (SRSC) archival collection for research papers, since they hold one of the largest collections on the Canadian residential schools system.

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Meet our Faculty

Our Political Science faculty are experts in the field. Get to know them!

Dr. Julian Hermida

Associate Professor

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Dr. Trevor Tchir

Department Chair, Law and Politics, Associate Professor

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Dr. Myles McLellan

Part-Time Contract Faculty

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Dr. Kelly De Luca

Associate Professor

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Olabanji Akinola (CLTA)

Assistant Professor

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Dr. Trevor Tchir

Department Chair, Law and Politics, Associate Professor

trevor.tchir@algomau.ca
705-949-2301, ext. 4388
Office: SH 415

Educational Background:

‌PhD, University of Alberta
MA, University of Ottawa
BA, University of Ottawa

Areas of Expertise:

Classical and modern history of political thought, moral philosophy, Arendt’s theory of political action, Canadian political institutions.

Publications:

Hannah Arendt’s Theory of Political Action: Daimonic Disclosure of the ‘Who.’ Palgrave Macmillan, 2017.

Book Chapters:

“Daimon Appearances and the Heideggerian Influence in Arendt’s Account of Political Action,” in Action and Appearance: Explorations in Hannah Arendt, eds. Charles Barbour, Philip Hansen, Anna Yeatman, and Magdalena Zolkos (Continuum: New York, 2011).

“Arendtian Action: Performative Disclosure of the ‘Who’” in Declensions of the Self: A Bestiary of Modernity, eds. Jean-Jacques Defert, Trevor Tchir, and Dan Webb (Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008).

Edited Book:

Edited collection: Declensions of the Self: A Bestiary of Modernity, eds. Jean-Jacques Defert, Trevor Tchir, and Dan Webb (Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008).

Book Review:

“Review of Karen S. Feldman, Binding Words: Conscience and Rhetoric in Hobbes, Hegel, and Heidegger,” H-Ideas, H-Net Reviews, January, 2007.

Selected Conference Presentations:

“Arendtian Resources for Truth and Reconciliation,” Prairie Political Science Association conference, Banff (2017).
“Reconciliation and the Fusion of Horizons,” Canadian Political Science Association conference, Calgary (2016).
“Rethinking Sovereignty in First Nations and Canadian Crown Relations,” Canadian Political Science Association conference, Ottawa (2015).
“Religious Pluralism and the Canadian Secular State,” Canadian Political Science Association conference, Edmonton (2012).
“Aristotelian Practical Reason in Amartya Sen’s Idea of Justice,” Western Political Science Association, San Antonio(2011).
“Daimon Appearances in Arendt’s Account of Action,” Western Political Science Association, Vancouver; Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago; New York State Political Science Association, New York; Canadian Political Science Association, Ottawa (2009).
“Performative Self-Disclosure in Arendt’s Account of Action,” Canadian Political Science Association, Saskatoon (2007).
“Aletheia and the Heideggerian Influence in Arendt,” Interdisciplinary Graduate Theory Colloquium, University of Alberta (2007).
“Self-Disclosure and the State: Arendt’s Critique of Marx’s Socialized Humanity,” Rethinking Marxism, University of Massachusetts Amherst (2006).
“Judging the Political Performance: Self-Disclosure and the Spectator in Hannah Arendt,” MLCS Declensions of the Self Conference, University of Alberta (2006).
“Horkheimer and Adorno’s Dialectic of Enlightenment,” Talking Across Disciplines Colloquium, University of Alberta (2006).
“Rationality and Language in Charles Taylor,” Interdisciplinary Graduate Conference, University of Ottawa (2006).

Olabanji Akinola (CLTA)

Assistant Professor

olabanji.akinola@algomau.ca
Office: CC3031

Credentials: B.Sc. (University of Ibadan), M.A. (Graduate Institute, Geneva), M.A., Ph.D. (University of Guelph).

Areas of Expertise: International Relations, Comparative Politics, Global Development, Human Rights, Public Policy and Governance (local and international).

I teach and conduct research on topics such as political economy, politics, governance, globalization, poverty, inequality, social policy, (im)migration, human rights, peace, conflict, security, terrorism, and development at the local, national and international levels. A cross-cutting theme in my teaching and research is understanding how politics intersects – and influences – other aspects of human life such as the environment, the economy, religion, ethnicity, culture, and so on. With more than twenty (20) single and co-authored publications in the past five years, I have made, and continue to make, significant contributions to knowledge in my areas of expertise through book chapters, journal articles, policy briefs, book reviews, essays, and occasional media appearances/interviews. In addition, I regularly participate in intellectual engagements within and outside the academia, including at high-level local and international conferences and workshops organized and/or sponsored by United Nations agencies/organizations. More information on my teaching, research, and intellectual engagements can be found at olabanjiakinola.com.

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“With its location on a former residential school, I was able to focus my research on various aspects of cultural and identity politics. The dialogues on identity, nationalism, diaspora and reconciliation helped me come into terms with my own identities while teaching me to be a better advocate for various marginalized populations. The program equips you with a better understand of governmental and international relations which you can utilize to pursue careers in various professions.”

Bushra Asghar

Graduate of Political Science (2018), Former President of Algoma University Students Union

“I can’t imagine having gone elsewhere. It might sound cheesy, but this really is the best place to go to school! What they promise you – small class sizes, interactions with professors, personalized attention, and living in a friendly community – is all so true. After having gone here, I can safely say that I am better prepared going to UWO, and am ready for what the future holds. It really has been the best decision I have made.”

Meagan Delfre

BA, Political Science and Law and Justice

“Being from Northern Ontario I saw the need for change. Everyone who lives [here] recognizes that we need to take more leadership over our own destiny…if we don’t know the reality of what is happening to us, then we aren’t going to have good policy…that is why it is really important that we have awareness across Ontario about the importance of research.”

Dr. Gayle Broad

BA, Political Science and English and Film