Meisel Gate near Mackintosh-Corry Hall. Photo Credit: Lindsey Morey
Queen's Model Parliament in the House of Commons (credit: queensmp.ca)
Queen's Fall 2023 Convocation - PhD graduate hooding
Field Research in Ghana (credit: Dr. Andrew Grant)
2023 Fall Convocation - MA graduates with former Prime Minister Joe Clark
2023 John Meisel Lecture at Grant Hall (Photo credit: Jana Chytil)
Maryam Monsef visits with students in POLS 280 (Introduction to Women, Gender, and Politics). (Credit: Rachel Lang)
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Welcome to the Department of Political Studies

Politics is about power – who has it and how it is exercised by nation-states, individuals, groups, classes, or political parties, and how different interests are reconciled in and between communities. Political science is also concerned with institutions created to govern communities, as well as practices such as voting habits or protests, and how rules, behaviour, and culture are created in societies. And since power in society is often dependent upon material resources, political scientists study the distribution of wealth, both within and between nations. 

As one of Canada’s premier departments of political science, the Department of Political Studies at Queen's University is committed to both research and teaching. Our faculty are actively engaged in a wide range of research activities and projects and are highly visible in the discipline of political science both in Canada and abroad. Our undergraduate program, one of the most popular programs at Queen’s, provides students with a solid grounding in political science, and at the graduate level, we offer the Master of Arts and the Doctor of Philosophy in:

Recent News from Political Studies

Queen's Political Studies engaged in the world events

 

photo of Boyoon Lee

Date Published: Jun 26, 2024

Political Studies in the News - June 26, 2024

Announcing the appointment of Boyoon Lee to Assistant Professor (Comparative Politics)

Photo of Stefanie von Hlatky

Date Published: Jun 05, 2024

Political Studies in the News - June 5, 2024

POLS Prof Stéfanie von Hlatky Wins Prestigious Trudeau Fellowship

photograph of Bella Aung

Date Published: May 06, 2024

Political Studies in the News - May 6, 2024

POLS PhD Candidate Bella Aung Published in E-International Relations

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aerial photo of river and forest

Queen’s University is situated on the territories of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and Anishinaabek Nation. The Department of Political Studies acknowledges the ancestral holders and owners of this territory and land and we are grateful to be allowed to live and learn here. For information on the history of this land, and why it is important to acknowledge the land and its people, please visit the Indigenous Initiatives website. 

To learn about the territory on which your home is situated and to learn about the treaties and agreements signed across Canada, the Whose Land app assists users in identifying Indigenous Nations, territories, and Indigenous communities across Canada.

The Department of Political Studies is proud to support the recommendations of Yakwanastahentéha Aankenjigemi Extending the Rafters: Truth and Reconciliation Commission Task Force Final Report, as well as the Report of the Principal’s Implementation Committee on Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion.