PSCI 281Introduction to International Relations
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Arts
- Subject
- Political Science
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 5 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Students will learn theories, concepts, and paradigms used to study international relations and global politics, and reflect on their merits and limits. Through individual and group assignments, students will analyze current and historical events, as well as key issues, actors, and processes in global politics.
Prerequisites
- Students must be in level 2A or higher
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 3544 | 55 / 75 | M 18:30–21:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
76% liked it50% easy70% useful
From 17 ratings and 5 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
A lot of repetition from PSCI 150 this three hour lecture doesnt need to be that long. You only learn about 30 minutes of content across the 3 hours :(. The prof waists a lot of time and just teaches you a lot of the same things you already learned in 150. Im not sure if its the same with every prof but this was the case with prof Rebekah Kathryn Pullen
Oct 2026 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Course structure is all over the place. Too many little assignments worth next to nothing, which is very confusing for students. The content isn't too difficult but I would not recommend unless you're very interested in international relations.
Oct 2024 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Honestly, I took this class as an elective for a minor, but at the end of the semester, I realized it was quite boring. Bombed the midterm.
Most assignments for the class are intensively collaborative; wasn’t a fan, but all the assignments weren’t too bad in difficulty. Don’t recommend as an elective unless you really like political science.Dec 2023 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Very interesting material and taught differently to any IR course I have taken before with a unique approach. The foresight analysis and focus was really interesting and a good policy insight. However, the structure was pretty chaotic with loads of small weight assignments that even the TAs were unsure about. Nonetheless, if you find world politics interesting then this is a fascinating course.
Dec 2022 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
When Kitchen taught this course there was a lot of class participation for points, some activities are set up so you can't get the full amount of points unless you screw over your classmates. She also offered up to 6% bonus marks so I advise you take advantage of that.
Aug 2016 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
11 posts and comments in 10 threads mention PSCI 281, October 2012 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2024
Exam paper sealed in bags 4 points, 7 comments
“On my way walking to my desk in PAC, I saw a section of tables with the exam paper sealed in transparent bags. …”
u/fisherfam: “There are no section 081 exams that occur at 12:30 (which I am assuming is when you saw this packet) so my guess for the class is either ECE 203, ECE 373 or PSCI 281. No idea why it’s sealed.”
Winter 2022
courses related to geopolitics 1 point, 2 comments
u/triviahobii: “Take PSCI 150 this winter. The you can take PSCI 282: Foreign Policy, PSCI 281: Global Politics, etc. later. PSCI 150 is a prereq for a lot of psci classes”
Spring 2020
PSCI 281 PDF TEXTBOOK 0 points, 2 comments
u/furfur1234: “Looking for the PSCI 281 pdf textbook, The Globalization of World Politics 7th ed., pm me!! Offering for cheap”
Spring 2019
AFM 478 vs ECON 231 vs PSCI 281 4 points, 11 comments
u/UwDJ: “Has anyone taken any of these three courses recently? I can take any one of the three, looking for the easiest option.”
u/pwcunt: “… PSCI281 - difficult if you're NOT good at essay writing or social science. …”
Spring 2016
Dear >80% average students: How important are textbooks to you? 15 points, 41 comments
u/TheZarosian: “… The only course in which I read the whole textbook was PSCI 281, and that was for the following very special circumstance: What happened was that during the exam review session, some fuckin guy was constantly asking next level specific questions. …”
AFM course question 0 points, 5 comments
“I was looking at the courses for AFM students, and in the 2A term, it says "global perspective". Can anyone clarify what are some eligible courses? …”
u/TheZarosian: “I think it's referring to one of the "international economy/politics/finance/etc." courses offered: One of AFM 333, AFM 434, AFM 478, ECON 231, PSCI 281 (see Note 3) Note 3: In lieu of "one of AFM 333, AFM 434, AFM 478, ECON 231, PSCI 281", an alternate course may count towards …”
Choosing depth subject for CS major 0 points, 3 comments
“I'm not sure which way to go to satisfy the depth requirements (3 courses with 1 at the 3/4rd-year level OR 3 courses forming a prerequisite chain) I've taken the following courses and was interested …”
u/blaster009: “PSCI had a bunch of interesting upper year courses, and that's the route I took. PSCI 252, 281, 282, 283, 291, 292, 357 are all great courses. There's a wide variety of other good courses available at the 300 level as well, for instance 359.”
Winter 2016
What's the most amount of time you've put in to studying for an exam? 8 points, 39 comments
“In the spirit of exams, I'd like to ask you all, what was the most time you put into studying for an exam and what course was it for? Also, what course did you study the least for?”
u/TheZarosian: “… Waterloo only: PSCI 281 (World Politics) - 20+ hours. I could have probably gotten away with studying way less, but what happened was that during the exam review session, some fuckin guy was constantly asking next level specific questions. …”
What is up with the stigma around Arts Majors? 36 points, 145 comments
“Serious discussion. Ever since attending Waterloo, I've noticed a pretty negative stigma surrounding the Faculty of Arts. …”
u/PPewt: “I really enjoy many aspects of the arts, take Faculty of Arts courses from time to time, and don't feel any need to shit on people majoring in them, but: This is pretty ridiculous. …”
u/TheZarosian: “… A quick example of this is the grading distribution in my PSCI 281 course. The grade distribution for our essays were 68,71,75 for the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles respectively. …”
Fall 2012
Is there anyone with CS major and ENGL minor? 7 points, 29 comments
“I'm graduating this term with bachelor in Computer Science and minor in English Literature; it's a rather peculiar mix and that's how I'm marketing myself in the job market. …”
u/blaster009: “I graduated with a CS major and all the credits necessary for a minor in Political Science. Don't listen to the haters! (P.S. Most CS majors can't write for beans. …”
u/blaster009: “… PSCI 281/282 (International Relations / Foreign Policy) are requirements for most 300+ level PSCI courses, and are very interesting. PSCI 260 (Canadian Gov. and Politics) is also a general "necessity" course. PSCI 291/292 (the law courses) are easy. …”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
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- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
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