About Political Science

Undergraduate Programme | Graduate Programme

In Political Science we study all aspects of political life. We ask questions like: why do some crises lead to conflict while others are resolved peacefully? What lessons can we draw from the policy experience of other countries? How ought they to deal with the growing international environmental crisis? Why does democracy survive in some countries and not in others? Can we have both freedom and equality - or must we choose between them? What did the great political thinkers of the past - from Plato to Karl Marx - really say?

Political Science comprises four main areas of study:

Comparative Politics examines the political institutions and societies of particular countries, and looks at the comparisons and contrasts between them.

POLS200 Politics and the Media
POLS211 Political Systems Around the World
POLS314 European Integration
POLS316 Latin American Politics
POLS326 Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore
POLS328 New Zealand Government and Politics
POLS329 The US and the World

International Relations focuses on the relations between states, on their foreign policies, and on international organisations like the UN and NATO.

POLS103 International Relations
POLS206 International Relations: The Security Agenda
POLS224 Politics and Violence
POLS229 The US and the World
POLS314 European Integration
POLS315 International Politics of India and Pakistan

Political Theory examines theories about politics and society, and the philosophical and methodological questions that arise in studying political life.

POLS100 Playing Politics
POLS104 Conflicts and Crises in the Middle East and Asia
POLS108 Political Life in the Ancient World: Citizens, Slaves and Emperors
POLS201 Major Political Thinkers
POLS224 Politics and Violence
POLS300 War and Religion
POLS327 Political Ideas

Public Policy explores and evaluates the processes by which national, regional and local institutions of the state formulate and implement policies.

POLS100 Playing Politics
POLS105 People and Policy
POLS200 Politics and the Media
POLS212 Policy Issues: International Perspectives
POLS311 The Politics of Maori and Other Indigenous Peoples
POLS314 European Integration
POLS318 Global Environmental Politics and Policy
POLS327 Political Ideas
POLS328 New Zealand Government and Politics

Students taking Political Science papers may focus on one or more of these areas, or follow a broader programme reflecting the diverse interests of Political Science.