How do I choose which course to take?
SFU's Department of Political Science program gives you many options, which can make course selection a little challenging. To guide your course selection, we have created five learning tracks:
- Diplomacy, Defense & Development
- Diversity & Migration
- Justice & Law
- Public Policy & Democratic Governance
- Research Methods & Analysis
These learning tracks can help structure your choices. Each track is designed to give you specialized knowledge in a subfield of political science. If you need help choosing courses, please contact the Undergraduate Advisor.
How can I find upper division elective courses?
Each term, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences publishes a list of upper division classes with minimal prerequisites. In addition, those classes that will fulfill Writing, Quantitative and Breadth (WQB) requirements are identified on the list.
What if there is a course or exam time conflict between two courses I would like to take?
For course time or exam conflicts, you will need the permission of the instructor who is teaching the course which is in conflict with another course. Please contact the Undergraduate Advisor for help in these situations.
How do I add a course, or swap a tutorial during week 1 of classes?
During week 1, all adds, drops, swaps, etc. are done by the student via goSFU. If you have trouble enrolling, get help with goSFU online.
How do I add a course, or swap a tutorial during week 2 of classes?
After the first week of class, students require departmental permission to enroll in or swap courses. This means that the instructor or TA needs to give permission to a student to join the class.
Note: Adds in week 2 are not possible for all courses. Any course adds in week 2 are handled on a first-come first-served basis. No students will be added to courses after the second week of the term.
How many units per term can I take?
A student may enroll in 18 units per term. Students wishing to complete more than 18 units must seek permission for a course overload from Arts Central (FASS Dean's Office).
How do I enroll in the Extra Essay (POL 496) or Directed Readings (POL 498) course?
To enroll in POL 496 or POL 498:
- Download the Course Application form.
- Fill out the top portion with your student information.
- Identify a topic for your course.
- Obtain your supervisor’s signature on the Course Application. *Both POL 496 and POL 498 require a faculty supervisor. This supervisor must be a continuing faculty member of the Department of Political Science.
- Bring the completed form to the Undergraduate Advisor for processing.
Note: It will take 1-2 business days to complete the approval process and enroll you into the course. Applications will not be accepted after the end of week 3 of each semester.
How do I drop my courses?
Courses can be dropped online until the end of week 5 of classes in a semester. After week 2, this will show on your transcript as a WD, which has no effect on your grade point average. After the end of week 5, you may only drop a course if you have circumstances beyond your control (see Academic Difficulty below).
Note: Be aware that this deadline comes before the results of most midterms, so it is unlikely that you will be able to withdraw from a course after receiving a poor midterm grade.
How many times can I take a class?
Students may retake any course once to a maximum of five repeats.
- To count as a course repeat, the course must be identical to the one taken previously. In some cases, courses in other departments will be considered as equivalent, e.g. POL 201 and IS 240. Courses that have been renumbered may also count as duplications. Check with the Undergraduate Advisor if you are unsure whether a course will count as a repeat.
- You cannot improve your GPA by retaking a course at SFU that you took at another institution.
- Normally, a course can only be taken twice. Permission may be requested to retake a course for a third time. Contact the Undergraduate Advisor to discuss this.
- Only the higher of the two attempts will be calculated into your grade point average and credit for the course will only be given once, even if a student passes both attempts.
The class I want is full! What can I do?
There are a number of steps that students can take if their chosen class is full:
- Join the waitlist where possible. If you get on the waitlist you have a reasonable chance (though not a guarantee) of getting into the class. Waitlists run multiple times daily and enroll students automatically in available spaces in order of waitlist position.
- Before classes start, you should continue to monitor your chosen courses; you will be enrolled automatically if a space opens up and you have no time conflicts.
- If you are still on the waiting list after the start of the semester, make sure to attend the class, as professors occasionally allow extra students to join. Also, see the professor after class or during their office hours and ask if they will be adding additional students to the class. Be polite and explain why you are interested in the course.
Help with waitlists:
- You may only waitlist for a maximum of 8 units (two courses).
- If the class has tutorials, look for tutorials that are offered outside of “peak” times. That means, look for tutorials that are not offered right before or right after the lecture. Also, tutorials offered at 8:30 a.m. or after 3:30 p.m. are more likely to have space available.
- You are waitlisted for the specific section you choose—if your class has tutorials, you will be on the waitlist for that specific tutorial. If space is available in another tutorial you will not automatically be added to it. Choose your tutorials wisely! You will be added to a class based on your position in your tutorial waitlist.
- If you have a course or exam time conflict with another course you have enrolled in, the waitlist will skip over you and add the next student who does not have a time conflict.
May I register for a course if I do not have the prerequisites?
Students may request a prerequisite waiver from the Undergraduate Advisor in person or via email. Please make sure to include your advising transcript and the course number you are requesting a waiver for.
Note: A prerequisite waiver does not guarantee a seat in the course.