Political Science
Critical thinking in action
Political science is the study of power, authority and governance in human affairs. We examine the social, economic, cultural, historical, geographical and other forces that generate conflicts in and between societies.
Do you want to understand how decisions are made at different levels of government? Are you curious about how social justice issues affect you and the world?
Join us and learn how to evaluate different points of view and think critically about the world around you.
Study political science at UVic
From small class sizes to hands-on and international learning, learn why you should study political science at UVic.
Announcements
Spotlight on new faculty member, Colin Chia
March 10, 2025
Political Science welcomes new faculty member, Colin Chia. Colin recently joined the Department of Political Science as Assistant Professor. His research studies the impacts of ideologies and...
Will Greaves comments about Trump's tariffs on ABC news
March 10, 2025
Americans are unhappy wtih Trump's tariffs. Canadians are furious. Will Greaves comments on the recent tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. "It reflects the broad nature of the...
Tentative timetable for 2025-26 now available
March 7, 2025
Get a head start planning your POLI courses for next year. The 2025-26 tentative timetable is now available.
Political Science Weekly Digest March 21, 2025
We acknowledge and respect the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands, and the...
Registration for Summer 2025 courses starts March 10
November 27, 2024
The Summer 2025 timetable is now available! Registration for Summer courses starts Monday, March 10. Each year we offer a wide range of courses in the Summer terms (May-June and...
News
Experts on tariffs
The United States has enacted 25-per-cent tariffs on Canadian goods, and this week the Canadian government announced a “robust tariff package” in response. The University of Victoria experts are...
Experts on the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump
The University of Victoria experts are available to media for comment about Donald Trump and US politics.
Experts on US election
On Nov. 5, Americans will go to the polls to elect the 47th president of the United States. The following University of Victoria experts are available to media to discuss issues relating to the US...
Faculty of Social Sciences
The Faculty of Social Sciences is a dynamic and multi-faceted community of people. We have more than 140 regular faculty members, 200 additional adjunct, emeritus and sessional faculty, and approximately 30 support employees. Our student community includes roughly 400 graduate students and more than 4,500 undergraduate students.
Territorial acknowledgement
We acknowledge and respect the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands, and the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.