Brandon University and Minot State University students at the 2012 Annual Peace Gardens Conference.

Learn the Fundamentals of Government and Politics

Political Science is concerned with the study of political actors, institutions and processes that affect our daily lives.

The Department of Political Science is a small group of active scholars committed to teaching, research and community activities. Our goal is to provide quality education to all our undergraduate students, including those who wish to become majors or minors in the discipline, and those whose objective is to learn the fundamentals about government and politics so that they may become more informed and better citizens.

The expertise of our faculty spans several areas of the study of politics, including Canadian government at all levels, comparative government of Europe, the US and the developing world, modern and contemporary political behaviour, and international politics, among others. We make every effort to ensure that all our students have an ample choice over their three or four years of study by offering a wide range of courses, some basic, some more advanced.

Despite its small size, the department is proud to have significant number of majors and minors each year, numbering currently about fifty. This means that classes are relatively small beyond the first year-between 15 and 30 students- and that students have an opportunity to become engaged in classroom discussion and to get to know faculty members as well as other students in a congenial yet challenging learning atmosphere.

In the best tradition of liberal arts education, many of our students take political science because of their deep interest in public affairs. Other proceed to graduate school, or to careers in journalism, law school, public service, political parties, consulting, active politics, foreign affairs, or international development. We are proud that some of these students have completed and are now completing masters and doctoral degrees elsewhere in Canada or abroad and that a significant number have been and are now involved in politics as members of parliament or provincial legislatures.

The department also offers students opportunities for extra-curricular activities through the Political Science Club and the Peace Garden Conference. The student-run Club organizes talks, debates and participation in model United Nations at other universities. The annual conference held in the Peace Gardens is a get-together of students from Brandon University and Minot State University who discuss papers and socialize, fostering in a small way Canadian-American relations.

Jobs secured by graduates

A large number of our political science graduates have been successful in attaining higher academic degrees in political science, public administration, law, etc. Many graduates have entered the civil service, the legal profession, and university teaching. One of our former students is now a provincial judge, several others have found employment as political advisors and lobbyists.

E-mail queries: Dr. Kelly Saunders will respond to e-mail queries from prospective students. Please feel free to contact her at saundersk@brandonu.ca