Political Economy

• M.A. Political Economy
• M.A. Political Economy with Specialization in African Studies 
• Ph.D. with Specialization in Political Economy

M.A. Political Economy

About the Program

The interdisciplinary nature of the M.A. Political Economy is designed to offer students an exposure to the core concepts of political economy and an opportunity to develop individual areas of research concentration. The program focuses on investigating the relationship between the economy and politics as they affect the social and cultural life of societies, and secondly, focuses on the historical processes whereby social change is located in the interaction of the economic, political, cultural, and ideological moments of social life. The curriculum includes courses with a political economy orientation offered by other departments, schools, and institutes.

Academic Regulations

See the General Regulations section of this Calendar.

All master's candidates must maintain B standing or better (GPA of 8.0). A candidate may, with the recommendation of the Institute and the approval of the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, be allowed a grade of C+ in 0.5 credit.

Admission Requirements

The normal requirement for admission to the master's program is B.A.(Honours), with at least high honours standing, in one of the disciplines represented in the Institute. Prospective applicants without such qualifications may be considered for admission if they have both a strong academic record and relevant work experience.

Program Requirements

The Master of Arts in Political Economy is a 5.0 credit program, one of which may be at the 4000- (honours undergraduate) level. Each candidate, in consultation with the Institute, must select and follow one of two optional patterns:

M.A. Political Economy

M.A. Political Economy with Specialization in African Studies (Collaborative Program)

Ph.D. with Specialization in Political Economy (Collaborative Program)

About the Program

The Collaborative Ph.D. with a Specialization in Political Economy is especially designed for doctoral students in participating programs in the Faculties of Arts and Social Science and Public Affairs and Management who wish to enrich their training in a particular discipline or area of study by developing a political economy approach through interdisciplinary dialogue.

The following units participate in the Collaborative Program in Political Economy. Consult those sections for program requirements.

• School of Canadian Studies
• Department of Geography
• Department of History
• Department of Law and Legal Studies
• Department of Political Science
• School of Public Policy and Administration
• School of Social Work
• Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Academic Regulations

See the General Regulations section of this Calendar.

Admission Requirements

Students who are enrolled in a doctoral program in one of the participating units may apply to the Institute of Political Economy for admission to the Collaborative Program. Admission to the program is determined by the Program Committee and will normally take place before the end of the first year of registration in one of the participating doctoral programs.

Admission requirements to the Collaborative Ph.D. with a Specialization in Political Economy are:

• Registration in the Ph.D. program of one of the participating units;
• Registration in, or successful completion of, at least one course or comprehensive field with political economy content. This will normally be a course offered by the student's home unit but could also be selected from appropriate courses in other units. See Selection of Courses for a list of acceptable courses;
• Selection of a thesis topic with political economy content. The Program Committee will determine, in consultation with the supervisor, if the political economy content of the thesis meets the requirements of the Collaborative Program.

Program Requirements

Students enrolled in the Collaborative Program in Political Economy must meet the requirements of their respective home units as well as those of the Collaborative Program. The requirements of the Collaborative Program do not, however, add to the number of credits students are required to accumulate by their home unit and the credit value of the degree remains the same. Consult the pages of the respective academic units for the complete list of specific requirements.

The requirements of the Collaborative Program in Political Economy are:

1. 0.5 credit in PECO 6000 Political Economy: Core Concepts
2. In addition, the following requirement(s) specific to the doctoral programs of the supporting units:
   • Anthropology: a relevant political economy course from the approved list (0.5 credit)
   • Canadian Studies: a relevant political economy course from the approved list (0.5 credit) or the comprehensive in the major field of Policy, Economy and Society
   • Geography: PECO 6000 replaces GEOG 6003 or GEOG 6004 (0.5 credit), the field seminar The Geography of Societal Change, and students must register in GEOG 6906 [0.0].
   • History: HIST 6701 (0.5 credit) Directed Studies - History and Political Economy, or a relevant political economy course from the approved list (0.5 credit). The combination of the two courses will be considered as the second minor field of the student.
   • Legal Studies: a relevant political economy course from the approved list (0.5
     credit).
   • Political Science: a relevant political economy course from the approved list (0.5 credit).
   • Public Policy and Administration: a relevant political economy course from the approved list (0.5 credit).
   • Social Work: a relevant political economy course from the approved list (0.5
     credit).
   • Sociology: a relevant political economy course from the approved list (0.5 credit) or part of comprehensive preparation in the sub-field of political economy.
3. Submission and successful defence of a doctoral thesis on a political economy topic in the participating unit. The proposed topic must be approved by the student's home unit and by the Program Committee. At least one of the student's advisors or members of the examining committee will be selected from among the core faculty for the Collaborative Program.

Selection of Courses

In addition to the graduate courses offered by, or associated with, the Institute, the courses listed below are relevant to students of political economy and would, with the prior approval of the Institute, be used to design a coherent and internally complementary set of courses to fulfill degree requirements. The list is not exclusive and is subject to change. Moreover, students in the Master's program may select 1.0 credit in political economy that is offered at the 4000-level.

Note: the number of spaces in graduate courses offered by other departments may be limited, and registration may be conditional upon obtaining the prior approval of the department concerned. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that permission is obtained from the appropriate department prior to registering in any of the following courses.

The Institute expects to attract high quality graduate students who will be likely to continue to a second post-graduate degree. Master's students will be directed to consult with the department where they might wish to pursue doctoral studies so that they may select courses that will prepare them for this next stage.

Summer session: some of the courses listed in this Calendar are offered during the summer. Hours and scheduling for summer session courses will differ significantly from those reported in the fall/winter Calendar. To determine the scheduling and hours for summer session classes, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca

Not all courses listed are offered in a given year. For an up-to-date statement of course offerings for the current session and to determine the term of offering, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca