Undergraduate Courses

Please check the University Calendar for complete course details and registration information. To view current Political Science courses in the University Calendar, click here.

Course listings for previous years can also be viewed in the University Calendar here. In case of any discrepancy between our website and the University Calendar, the information on the University Calendar should be taken as accurate.

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Special Topics Courses

POL S 398 01
Topics in Politics: Nature, Outer Space, and the Future of Earth (Fall Term: 2:00 - 3:20 pm)

Instructor: Noelle Jaipaul

Changing climates, environmental degradation, and the impending idea of ‘leaving it all behind’ to begin a new future in outer space are all pressing contemporary issues concerning the future of humans on planet Earth. This course aims to begin a dialogue around the political theoretical meaning of, and approach to, these issues. We will begin by establishing a foundational understanding and critique of ontologies of nature, the environment, and outer space. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we will investigate how nature is dominantly defined, and what and/or who is said to form it. We will delve into how outer space is defined as a dialectic to the Earthly environment, and what ideologies inform our approach to outer space exploration and colonisation. This course will give students an opportunity to think critically about how outer space is more than just a distant place of science fiction; but rather, much like the natural environment on Earth, a space where we continually enact our own desires, interests, and political projects.

 

 

Contact an Advisor:

Nancy Thompson
pscundgr@ualberta.ca
Undergraduate Advisor